The only thing more stressful than graduating from college is finding that first apartment after graduation. I remember my first apartment hunt like it was yesterday. There was a lot of running, a lot of crying and a sh*t ton of begging my parents for money so I could afford to live in something that had closets and wasn’t a closet. After an emotionally draining 2 weeks of hunting, I finally found something.

And had to pay some dude $2,000 for it because he happened to unlock it for me when I went to see it.

My apartment was great… on the surface. In fact, it wasn’t until I moved in that I realized all the questions I neglected to ask. (Namely, “Does the family downstairs cook with road kill daily?”) Questions that were vital to truly finding the right apartment for my life. So, here are a few pointers for you, recent grads. The rules aren’t the same in every city, but I guarantee you will benefit from what I have to share.

1. Make a List: Not just a mental one, either. Write an actual list of the things you MUST have in an apartment and cannot live without. Not only will this serve as a checklist as you enter each apartment, but it will also keep you from getting side tracked by any temptations (a wine fridge? Fancy, but do you really need to chill that Boones Farm?) an apartment may have.

2. Get Advice: So, you may think ample closet space/proximity to a liquor store is the most important thing for your new place (and they both totes are for me), but you may also not realize the importance of some other amenities. Say, proximity to a grocery store. Or a laundry facility. Or a hospital. Being that we’ve never really lived on our own before, there are a lot of things we may not realize we need. Your parents do, so be sure to ask for their advice in the apartment hunting process.

3. Set Your Limit and Be Realistic: This may not be the case everywhere, but if you are moving into a big city the real estate agents can be, well, a-holes. The more expensive the apartment they put you in, the more money they make. And lord knows they will try and get you into the most expensive place they can think of. Don’t try to impress them by setting your rent limit higher than you can afford and don’t let them show you places you know are too much. You will be wasting your time or, worse, getting your heart set on something that will send you deep. into. debt. And it is not worth it. Speak up and make sure they know what you want and what you can afford.

4. Be Prepared: When you go out on that apartment hunt, be prepared. Bring a notebook, some check stubs, your social security card, checkbook and most recent bank statement. Some apartments go fast, so if you want it you will need to act on the spot. And that means proving your worth to that real estate company ASAP.

5. Be Mentally Prepared: This may not be true for all of you, but some of you are about to be very surprised about what apartments are like after college. It is not going to be like Friends (that apartment would be like $6,000 a month in NYC!) or that beauty of a place on How I Met Your Mother. In fact, it may be more like Harry Potter’s room under the stairs. The truth is, your first apartment will probably be small and cramped and over-priced. As long as you know that going in, you will be fine. If you’re expecting 2,000 square feet and a jacuzzi tub…well, prepare to be disappointed.

Also, be ready to scream/cry/drink heavily. Apartment hunting is not for the weak, so (wo)man up and find yourself somewhere to live. Just don’t forget to look for closets! I didn’t realize I was without them until my boxes were lining the walls and I had nowhere to hand my clothes.

Or should I say, Trumpberg? Trumpstein? Schwartztrump?

Ivanka Trump has sought out a rabbi to take her on her journey to Judaism. Why does she want to be a Jew? Why not? We are wonderful people: kind, generous, family oriented, and we know how to eat. And, hello, have you ever had matzoh ball soup? Yeah, that’s all us.

Oh, and she is also in love with some Jewish guy who won’t marry her unless she too celebrates Hanukkah, Yom Kippur and all that jazz.

I think it is wonderful that Ivanka has found love (and a real estate empire) in Jared Kushner, but the whole thing makes me wonder just how far women should go to be with the guy they love. I used to get sh*t from my friends for changing my hair/music selection/weekend plans for the guys I was with, so I can only imagine how they’d feel if I changed my entire belief system.

I know that love is a wondeful thing, that it is hard to find, and that we should hold onto the one we got, but there has to be a line, right?

Would you convert for someone you love?

[Photo courtesy of Gawker.]

“When intellectuals act as clerks and students act as clients, how do college teachers differ from corporate accountants?” the professor angrily writes. “…the sedulous banality of the rich degrades teaching into a service-class preoccupation whose chief duty is preparing clients for monied careers.”

Big words (I mean, he teaches at Harvard. I think it’s a prerequisite), but what the guy is basically saying that rich students make him feel like he’s not doing anything except helping them learn how to grow up and screw the little guys. Rich kids make this guy feel like he’s nothing more than a stepping stone toward big conglomerate world domination.

He’s sort of got a point, but it’s a moot one, because…I mean…duh.

A lot of insanely rich kids grow up believing most of the human race is there to serve them. I attended undergrad at a private liberal arts college where Gucci purses and Prada shoes were perfectly in place at 8:30 in the morning, and you better believe there were some kids with major attitude in class. A degree was something they simply had to tolerate before Daddy or Mommy or Uncle Dearest would set them up in some prime position at whatever giant company their family owned. Not everyone with a bangin’ bank account is rude and power hungry, but a lot of them are, and I’m pretty sure it’s been this way since Man first realized money made people pay attention.

So sure, that Harvard professor has a point, but mostly he has a stick up his ass. It’s too bad teachers in this country make radically low wages, but I think it’s kind of common knowledge that if you teach at Harvard, there are gonna be some prime rich douches running around with pocket watches and boat shoes. The only thing those of us without yachts and elevators in our houses can do is treat these kids just like we would treat anyone else, proving to them that wads of cash doesn’t give you permission to treat others like indentured servants.

Also, Mr. Angry Professor could try to do something a little more profitable than writing book reviews for the New York Observer. Perhaps creating an underground auction for college textbooks? Or maybe opening a small store dedicated to churning out Nantucket Red pleated shorts?

[photo from collegepublisher.com]

And he was beautiful. Button down, surely the bottom half of a suit, standing up from finishing his coffee on his patio. And looking up at me…

Looking up at me. So I sort of eeped and stepped back from my window. Sadly, I wasn’t quite at my most beautiful point of the day.

What a predicament. Beautiful man living right below me, single per the landlord’s description, early riser who likes sunshine and fresh air with his breakfast. And the patio element… I need to befriend him, for the summer at the very least. Backyard-ish space in the city is prime real estate, you have to capitalize on it.

As I daydream about my new neighbor, I’m obligated to list my immediate concerns about pursuing someone who lives right below you. Truth is, we’re not all going to end up like Monica and Chandler from Friends; the world is not that kind.

Now, before I get too far ahead of myself, it’s best to remember that he’s well put-together and I haven’t heard a word from him yet. He could be gay. There’s no way of knowing until an official meeting takes place, which will ruin the fantasy altogether. Of course, until you know for sure, the fantasy is still fair game. If he is gay, he will be a perfect new neighbor friend and I can attempt to be a new Grace to his Will, checking out guys together and discussing our mutual fabulousness (this is the fantasy-version of his potential homosexuality as well, I’m truly not an idiot).

If, after the meeting, the conclusion is that he’s not gay, the convenience factor diminishes travel time significantly. However, say things don’t work out. He lives downstairs. You will, without question, see him again. And again. And again. And likely with whoever he’s seeing. How do people do this?

Can you just stay home when you’re involved with someone who lives in the same building? Or have someone else over? How do you have any privacy if he can hear your every footstep? Too much too worry about there.

The ideal situation my roommates and I have concocted, of course, is not to actually hook up with the hot neighbor, but instead to meet his attractive friends. That way, you have no real obligation to the neighbor, you don’t make your living situation awkward, and you can still smile and wave when you pass each other in the hallway.

Have you ever dated someone who’s lived in your building, or tried to make it happen? Tell us your stories, be it dorm-cest or a convenient apartment rental!

[hot guy courtesy of corbis images]

I Love New York.

No, I am not talking about the VH1 show, or the person (really, who is named New York?), but rather, I love New York City. The diversity, the nightlife, the arts, the shopping- NYC is the ideal city… if you’re crapping out money, that is.

A cozy apartment, dinners at the trendiest restaurants and of course, as many Manolo’s and Jimmy Choo’s that will fit into my apartment. If that was life as a journalist for Carrie Bradshaw, then surely, my life couldn’t be much different. My biggest challenge would obviously be learning how to run down 5th avenue in heels or pull off that black bra/white shirt combo that she made look so effortlessly cool.

Just when I was about to boycott Sarah Jessica Parker for giving me false hopes, Urban Hostess looks like it can make my dream a reality.

A website designed to help the recent college graduates, NY college students or first-timers in NYC. Whether you are looking for a steal or a luxury apartment, UH helps find exactly what you’re looking for by pairing you up with a broker who can meet your specific needs.

To put it simply- Brokers are eager to screw over those who don’t know the first thing about NY real estate. Urban Hostess gets rid of that possibility by creating an environment where Brokers are literally competing for your business and keeping your best interests at heart.

Urbanhostess.com provides you with everything you need to know about looking for a place in New York. From a virtual neighborhood guide, to finding a broker, to average neighborhood prices, Urban Hostess helps to empower Y-O-U.

And even better, if you click here, you will save 20% (yes, you read that right!) just because you are a CC reader (which, clearly, makes you fabulous).

Thanks to Urban Hostess, you can save that extra money towards your first pair of Manolo’s (or on more Ramen Noodles- whatever you so choose).