In my senior year I made a drastic decision, dropping out of my double major of Journalism and Writing Intensive English, quitting my job on the school newspaper, and deciding to not go to grad school the next fall. I needed something different. Something that made me excited, instead of making me dread the next step in my life.

My parents were less than thrilled with my decision. I had such a promising path! How could I just give up on everything I’ve worked for?! Like everyone else in my family, they didn’t understand why I started applying for Teach for America and researching programs for teaching English overseas.  They were constantly questioning me (“What are you going to do once you graduate?” and “What are you going to be when you grow up?”) but I honestly had no idea and I didn’t want to jump into a graduate program and spend all that time and money when I couldn’t answer those most basic questions.

So I researched. And researched some more. And along the way, I started reading blogs about volunteering after college and found myself intrigued. Volunteering was something I did infrequently in college and when I did, it was either for a class I was taking or part of my job. So I took the plunge and became an AmeriCorps*VISTA when I graduated in May.

I had a cousin who did AmeriCorps*VISTA several years ago and he suggested that I look into it.  When I started my research I felt a connection to what VISTA stands for: Volunteers In Service To America.  VISTAs are different from other volunteers because we work the administration side of different nonprofits or government agencies that fight against poverty. In return for our work, we do not receive an income but a living stipend (which ironically puts us on the same level of those we serve: poverty). Read More »

Hey! Seniors out there! You guys ready for a round of twenty questions?

I am certain it has already begun for some of you. Those infamous queries – “What are you going to do?” and “What is next after graduation?” – can cause any senior to close their eyes and wish to rewind back to freshman year, even willing to regain the “freshie 15” just to avoid that Doom’s Day in May.

While applying for graduate schools and fishing through the job market almost always make a senior’s “Beyond graduation” options, a year or two of service rarely makes the list. Sure, community service like the Peace Corps and Teach for America are on the rise for recent graduates (especially with the economy struggling even more than Lindsay Lohan these days), but those only “employ” a teeny, tiny fraction of college grads each year.

Why??

Becoming a volunteer after graduation is a way to expand your worldview and options for your future, while giving you an experience that won’t soon be matched. Trust me, the stories you will have to tell will dominate any dinner conversation from this point forward.

As I am currently volunteering for a year with an organization in NYC, I know firsthand how intimidating the leap towards giving a whole 365 days worth of time and a solid salary can be. To help you discern whether or not you were made for volunteering, allow me to give you all the facts. And I mean ALL. Read More »

Back-to-school is right around the corner, and for many of you, the inevitable final year of college is looming.

Breathe in.
Breathe out.
It’s going to be OK.

Heading into your senior year well-prepared (and well-hydrated) makes all the difference, so here’s 9 things to keep in mind before you embark on the beginning of the end:

1. Check on Everything:
First things first, make a meeting with your academic advisor (yes, you have one) and make sure you have all the classes you need to graduate. If not – sign up for them immediately. Don’t wait to take your second required P.E. class until the last semester  — the classes could fill up and leave the only option available something that doesn’t fit with your academic schedule. (Or worse, it could be at 8am on a Friday.) Figure out if you have departmental requirements to fulfill. Find out when deadlines are and what the expectations are. Be aware of every step required towards you wearing your cap and gown and grabbing that diploma at the end of the year.

2. Senior Participation:
If your school has any special senior traditions or rights-of-passages, prepare for them. Do you need to decorate a special gown to wear for on-campus events? If so, get busy and decorate! Plan to participate in everything. Your hard work over the last three years has earned you this upperclassmen status, so bask in its glory!

3. Prep:
If you are planning to attend any kind of graduate school or professional program after college, set up a schedule for what needs to get done. If you are taking an exam such as the LSAT or GRE, and you haven’t started studying – figure out what you’re doing. If you’re ready to start applying to schools, ask for your letters of recommendation (while your professors still remember you/have time to write one!) and set a date to send your personal statement out. Make sure you have a schedule to stick to because once school gets going, things get crazy. Read More »

Overall, this is sad, but in a couple of weeks I’ll be getting nearly a G in tax returns.  Yeah, that’s a crapload of money.  But when I look back at all the hours I worked in 2008, it also makes me realize… I made jack sh*t.  Still, this hefty lump sum couldn’t come at a better time for me, as I’m watching my credit card debt grow, next month’s rent is looming on the horizon, and summer (aka a full-time waitressing gig) can’t come quick enough.

In reality, I’d love to take my refund check and spend it in one go at the mall, especially since warm weather means I have to chuck my so-worn-they-belong-in-the-What-Not-to-Wear-dumpster sweater boots, and I don’t have ANY cute flip flops to wear in their place.  But, since I’ve been struggling all winter, I am going to use this money wisely.  And by use “wisely,” I don’t necessarily mean put it back into the bank.  We all deserve to splurge every now and then, and here are some of the best guilty pleasures your tax refund can buy.

1.  Upgrade your phone.

Am I the only campus coed who has never known the joys of an iPhone or Blackberry?  I recently lost my cell in a drunken stupor, and, though I had been waiting for the summer to upgrade, I figured it’s now or never.  Best buy of my life.  I got a refurbished 16-gig iPhone for under $250.  And it’s not just a phone– I can check the weather without getting out of bed or waiting for Weather.com to load on my slow-ass computer, I can check my email for last minute class cancellations while on my way to a lecture, and once I figure out these apps, I’m pretty sure I can load a calorie counter onto my phone to use in the dining hall.  How did I live without this baby? Read More »

I love Oprah. I DVR her show every day, I read her magazine every month and I have even flown out to Chicago to see her.

Obviously, when her new show, The Big Give, kicked off on Sunday night I was sitting in front of my TV to see what my diva friend was up to now.

For those of you who don’t have shrines to Oprah in your bedrooms (not that I do or anything…) the premise of The Big Give is quite simple: each week contestants are given a large sum of money and a picture of someone in need. The contestants must then use the money (and a whole lot of help) to come up with a way to make that person’s dreams come true.

In other words: a total tear jerker.

And while there are many things wrong with the show (the fact that these people are on an Oprah show allows them to enlist the help the corporations and celebrities), it really did infuse me with a desire to give back. There are so many ways to help those in need – both big and small – and Oprah’s new show reminded me that no matter what we are capable of, everyone can and must do something. Read More »