Studying on the beach? HELL NO.

WOAH. Stop right there. Hooooold up. Wait a minute. Don’t go there cuz I ain’t wit’ it.

I can’t believe my ears.

I just heard the worst idea in the history of idea-making and I swear I am not overreacting.

A US Senator, Lamar Alexander (yes, please send him nasty letters and kick him on the street), stated in a recent Newsweek Article that “an educational schedule of 3 months of summer is not relevant in today’s world and [college] students should take more credit hours and graduate in 3 years, saving 25% in tuition costs.”

I have so many problems with this one sentence I don’t even know where to begin.

I guess I should start with deep breathing into a brown paper bag. And eating a brownie.

Ok, now that I’m somewhat composed let’s start with Mr. Alexander’s cost argument. It’s an obvious fact that our parents, our own bank accounts, and out future selves for the next 15 years, are being raped of any and all money we make or will make to pay for college. But in the grand scheme of things, how much less of a burden is it to pay $120,000 versus $160,000?

Either way, the financial aspect of college has all of us students spurting premature wrinkles, and I’d rather spend one more year of my life tailgating, eating diner food at 4 am, and partying the night away before I have to face the fat, red negative number in my bank account. Read More »

It’s finally here: week ten of my summer internship at Magazine X in New York City. I’m proud to report that I’ve made it through numerous days of unpaid labor and braved the horrible commuting conditions (apparently Mother Nature decided that this summer was going to be characterized by either torrential downpours or blazing heat, and nothing in between), and I actually managed to have a pretty good time while doing so. I only had to get someone coffee twice (and I could get myself one too, so leaving the office for a Starbucks run wasn’t too awful), and I have a ton of good clips to add to my resume.

So what have I learned? Read More »

I’ve been asking a lot of questions lately. Mostly to myself, but I have a quirky tendency to mumble aloud so sometimes I get answers from people assuming that I was trying to have a conversation with them. But I appreciate their responses; I’ll take anything I can get these days, with the exception of Yahoo answers. The longer I go without finding a job, the more I question every decision I’ve made since kindergarten….including that one-piece stir-up jumpsuit my mother insisted I wear.

What if I had gone to another college? What if I had majored in psychology? What if I’m one of those people who don’t know they’re pregnant until they go into labor at nine months and discover their baby has 13 fingers and tentacles because their mother took a shot every time she asked herself what if?

What if I had taken a different internship last summer, seduced the boss, and then been able to blackmail him into getting me a job. What if the love of my life lives in the past and we spend the rest of our lives communicating only through a mailbox at a lake house (do they have to play that movie every single weekend??). What if I end up getting hired at my dream job and realize that I hate it? Read More »

Rainy weather in New York really sucks. I know that rain sucks wherever you live, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the Big Apple is probably the city that is least conducive to rainstorms. As all of you east-coasters probably remember, it rained, thundered, lightning, misted – you get the drift – every day in June. Then July rolled around and we thought the horrendous weather was over, until yesterday.

I was commuting from New Jersey, and my mom generously offered to drive me to the bus stop. I tumbled out of the car with my paper bag lunch in hand only to trip over the slippery sidewalk, causing my three hard-boiled eggs (don’t hate) to fall out and smush together on the street. Accident #1. On the bus, I began to apply my makeup and things were going smoothly until the bus driver stopped short (why does everyone forget how to drive on the highway when there’s a little water on their windshield??), and mascara was dragged across my cheek and nose. Read More »

A collection of thoughts from my seven weeks on the “job”:

Last week, our managing editor (who essentially runs the production process – making sure layouts are updated and distributed, giving editors deadlines, leading weekly content meetings, etc.) emailed the entire staff and informed us that our “summer Fridays” would have to be put on hold. I had been dreaming of these summer Fridays – when the day would end at 2 pm and leave my entire afternoon open for trips to the beach, strolls around NYC, really early happy hours – since the day work began. Now they were being taken away from me due to the fact that the production of our upcoming issue was moving too slowly.

I have to admit that I almost shed a tear at my desk. The rest of my friends in the publishing and journalism world get summer Fridays! Half of my friends are unemployed! Why will everyone have free Friday afternoons while I’m stuck inside developing carpal tunnel syndrome from too much typing?? Read More »

If your summer has been characterized by commuting to and from your internship site, I’m sure that we can sympathize with one another. And if you have been trying to avoid your commute by staying with friends/boyfriends/girlfriends so that you don’t need to go home and actually deal with commuting, I can sympathize with you more.

Issues always seem to arise when you’re traveling back and forth (from New York to New Jersey in my case), hopping on buses and trains, and trying to figure out how to spend the night at your boyfriend’s and have the appropriate clothing and necessities for work the next day. (Walk of shame to your dorm room in last night’s theme party get up = embarrassing. Walk of shame to the office in yesterday’s outfit = unacceptable.) I had the unfortunate fate of staying in the city one Thursday night and donning a skintight American Apparel jersey dress, which I then had to wear to work the next day. I was already running late and had no time (or $$$) to buy a cover-up before work, and I spent the day hiding from everyone in my office.

To ensure that you’ll always be prepared as your job starts to make your life more hectic, and to help you make use of those hours spent in transport, read on: Read More »

If your internship is anything like mine, not every hour in your 9-5 day is filled with important tasks and urgent errands. Although I certainly have things to keep me occupied, a less than full schedule can make the time spent in your little cubicle feel awfully long and completely brutal. After almost three weeks on the job, I’ve come up with a list of things to get yourself through a day’s work – that is, when you’re not totally consumed with real work (and if you are, you probably have no reason or time to read this).

Get Moving
Not a smoker? That doesn’t mean you need to stay inside all day! I’ve never been a fan of the cancer sticks myself, but I allow myself a few minutes of outside time each day to prevent cabin fever and stiff bones. To avoid looking silly as you stand next to the puff-puff crew, walk to a street stand and buy some chewing gum or do some quick window-shopping.

Get Smart
Are you one of those people who can’t help but having a totally confused look on your face when someone brings up Obama’s new healthcare plan? Have you been hiding under a current-events rock? If you have free time, you should spend it getting up-to-date on the news that’s affecting your life on a daily basis. This can be done easily by visiting nytimes.com or hitting up your favorite cultural blogs, like the Huffington Post. I’ve gotten addicted to the Times’s food writer Mark Bitten (I know, not too educational, but hey – at least it’s not Facebook), who constantly updates his site with recipes and food news. If we can’t eat all day, we can at least think about eating all day! Read More »

Week two at X magazine has commenced, and I’m happy to report that I’ve only had two coffees today and am feeling pretty awake!

Now that the first couple of days are over, I feel a lot more settled – still need some decorations for my cubicle, but definitely know my way around the office and feel more comfortable talking to editors and asking for help. I’ve conducted two interviews and written two tiny pieces (more like blurbs than articles, but hey, you gotta start somewhere!) I’ve even discovered a great lunch restaurant! If you work in midtown east, you must check out the Amish Market on 240 45th street between 2nd and 3rd avenue. Really good sandwiches and salad bars and fresh sushi, which I, for one, can never pass up!

All you critical readers out there (last week I made some people VERY outraged by complaining about my faxing, copying, and general slave labor duties) will be pleased to know that I have been staying away from excess cab rides and mojitos, and instead making my boyfriend pay for me.

JUST KIDDING!

I have definitely been trying to control the cash flow, and I’ve come up with a few tips for my fellow interns out there in cyber space. Read More »

After sweating, slaving, and stressing over my resume for what felt like weeks, and checking Mediabistro and Ed2010.com for journalism internships like a madwoman, I finally landed myself a job at one of the most successful women’s magazines in the country. For the sake of anonymity, I’ll withhold the publication’s name – for now, at least.

But I will share all my experiences with you every Wednesday in hopes that you’ll have some pity for a poor, unpaid, slave (oops), learn something about the publishing and journalism industry, and enjoy my tales of development and debauchery in the Big Apple.

After only my second day, here’s what I have to report:

The copy machine really is every girl’s BFF…
I’ve spent more time staring at this over-sized piece of mail-room machinery in the past 48 hours than I have into my boyfriend’s pretty brown eyes, and I think there’s been more physical contact, too. Copying should be in BOLD print in any college kid’s intern description. This is unpleasant for two reasons: One, I have worn my new fabulous Moschino heels two days in a row, and this makes standing over my sad little grey friend a bit uncomfortable. Two, I think I have three paper cuts. Oh and three – HOW HARD IS IT TO COPY YOUR OWN SH*T! Read More »

[I used to show you how to pull off runway trends in the series "Rock the Look." In this new series, I'll be taking a different item you probably already have in your closet each week and showing you three new ways to wear it. After all, the best shopping tip anyone will give you is to only buy pieces that work with something you already own. Last week we worked the blazer, and this week we're moving on to the basic white blouse.]

As a college student gearing up for a summer internship or office job, you might not have a very expansive work wardrobe. Maybe your parents footed the bill for a few new professional outfits, but after the first week of work you might start feeling like you’ve run out of things to wear.

One thing you most likely own is  a white blouse, like this one from Gap. This top is so basic, there are a million ways to wear it. The good news? You may already have a couple of the other items in your closet too! Here are three ways to wear a white blouse (Click on the pictures to get all the shopping info!): Read More »