Advice for a College Freshman

This past Sunday, my baby sister, moved in for her first year of college.  Before she left, I reminded her of previous stories I told her about my college experience and informed her that it truthfully was one of the greatest experienced of my life. It is my sincere hope that everyone can look back and say that.

Now, across the globe, colleges are welcoming incoming freshman.  As a freshman, or even a transfer student, it is important to make college a great experience, so here is my advice to my sister and to you.

“ These next four years will past by in a flash, before you know it, you will be like me, out for two years, looking back and remembering how great it was. That being said, the most important advice I can give you is just that, at the end of the day, only you can make college GREAT.  So go and make the next four years something worth looking back on and smiling.  Try new things, make new friends, go to class, travel abroad, learn new things and be OPENMINDED. In the wise words of Matt Nathanson “ Everyday is the start of something beautiful”, consider everyday at college as another chance to make it a great experience.  At the end of the day, look at college as a safe place for students to grow into the people they want to be. This is your chance. College is a brand new slate. You have the world open to you and there is NOTHING you cannot accomplish if you truly want it.  So go find yourself, find your passion; discover who you are and where you want to be, and have the time of your life doing it. “

It is crazy to think I graduated with my MA two years ago, but my experiences during college made it all worth it. Now, I can look back on those memories and smile, knowing that college made me a better person.  I am honored to have experienced the things I have, I only hope that you can do the same

What Your Mother Doesn't Tell You About: Balancing Life In College

So, here we are again, the first week of the semester or close to it (commonly known as syllabus week). Everything seems to be just fine. You're sitting in class listening to your professor talk while thinking "oh, this is going to be a piece of cake I can totally procrastinate as much as possible in this class and not study much or at all for these exams." Or, maybe, if you have really hard classes like Nuclear Engineering you're thinking "Shoot. Shoot. I am so done for. Bye social life. Bye friends. Bye to myself. RIP to my soul!" What your mother doesn't tell you about balancing life in college is that it's actually really difficult at times.The bottom line is it's all about balance. 

Cougar Fam dinner - note how my big and I accidentally match

If you're Greek or if you're not Greek, being successful is still all about balancing your social life, your academic life, and your personal life. You can, in fact, have a pleasant mix of all three. I have held a full time or close to full time position throughout my long, extended stay in college while being an active member of my sorority and trying my best to get good grades. It's not easy by any means but it's worth it. I struggled very hard my freshman year finding my balance between working arguably a lot for an 18 year old and attending college full time. My grades suffered, I was really unhappy, and I was unsure of how to make a positive change. For me, that positive change was finally going Greek. Because of the requirements of the sorority I joined, I was responsible for maintaining a specific GPA and completing study hours on a weekly basis with my sisters. I learned how to manage my time wisely and become a better, more rounded version of myself. I became a successful college student because I was serious about remaining an active member of my sorority. To be honest, college is rough when you can't find a way to balance everything you're juggling.

I've made a list of my tips for balancing your college life, specifically when you're part of a Greek organization:

1. Take time for yourself.
Take a minute to breath. It's okay if you take a 30 minute nap or turn your phone off for an hour to unwind. You are the most important part of your life and you need to treat yourself as such. Trying to do a million things at once breaks a person down from the inside out and when you're trying to be successful that's not a good formula.

2. Set aside time to study.
Studying is not fun I'll be the first to admit that. It's like flossing your teeth (I actually like that but I guess many people do not...) you have to do it or your dentist will remind you that your teeth are not receiving the proper care. You'll ultimately feel guilty because you know it only takes a few seconds every day. Of course, studying takes more than a few seconds which is unfortunate but setting aside a minimum of 30 minutes every day at least four days a week to review class material will really help you when it comes time to cram for exams.

3. Exercise.
Exercising is so helpful for your body and mind. I don't care if you run eight miles a day, take your dog for a walk, take a Zumba class once a week with your sisters, or if you do a workout routine at home - get moving. When you feel better about yourself you have the ability to excel. You'll be more confident, your endorphin levels will go through the roof, and you'll be an all around happier person. Plus, if you focus on at least 30 minutes of exercise a couple of times a week, you'll help combat the drunken late night Taco Bell quesadilla that you'll probably eat during the weekend.

4. Do your homework.
Like Nike said, Just Do It! It sounds silly to say this, I know, but even if your assignment is the dumbest thing you've ever had to do in your life, just do it. You'll probably get points for it and those points might come back to save you if you don't do so well on an exam.

5. Pick one night per weekend to go out.
I know it's hard. Sigma Pi is having a themed party Friday night, Alpha Xi Delta is having a philanthropy event Friday afternoon, Sigma Kappa is having a pancake breakfast fundraiser Saturday morning, Alpha Tau Omega has a slide 'n slide at their house to raise money for a local charity Saturday afternoon, etc etc etc... You. Are. Busy. Greek Life is busy. You unfortunately have to pick and choose what events you're going to go to. It's not easy because of course you want to support your fellow Greeks in whatever it is that they're doing but you cannot be in multiple places at once (it's 2015, why not?). To be successful, pick one night per weekend to go out and if you get your homework/projects/papers taken care of in a timely manner then by all means, enjoy yourself.

Tailgate on Saturday, Study on Sunday

6. Find a job with flexibility.
I have been so fortunate throughout my college career because I work at an office that's open 9-5 Monday-Friday and I have the ability to come and go as I please as long as I get my work done. Other than that, I work for companies remotely aka online from where ever I am. This makes scheduling classes so much easier if a class I need is not offered at night. Not everyone has that luxury though and some have to work all weekend long in order to make ends meet so that they're able to take their required classes. If you can, find a job that makes you happy but also one that is flexible. Having a boss that understands college is actually really hard to do if you have to work your way through it takes a huge weight off your shoulders.

7. Buy a planner.
This works for most everyone in college. Between socials, mixers, events, homework, projects, exams, work, birthdays, etc... you need something to keep yourself on track. If you like to have a physical planner in hand to write in I recommend buying one with enough space to write your list of duties for each day out. If you're not a fan of having to carry around a planner, head over to the app store and download a day planner. This will save your life more than once. I promise.

Erin or Lilly? The eternal question.

8. Get involved.
But, Kaitlyn, wait a minute - how can I get more involved if I have a ton of things to do already? How does that benefit me? It helps you more than you know. You'll meet people in organizations outside of Greek Life aka more people that can help you in your classes and people you can form study groups with. Plus, who doesn't like getting to know more people? It's a great feeling to walk anywhere on your campus and be greeted with a warm wave or a "hey how's it goin'!?"

9. Take advantage of your chapter's scholarship requirements.
If you're like me, you have to complete a certain amount of study hours per semester. Like, you physically have to go to the library and do your work. Some people might think this sounds strange or a bit juvenile but when you really think about it, what are we all in college for? To do well in our classes and get the heck out of there with a degree in hand. If you're given a required amount of hours to complete per semester, you're going to do them. You're going to be in the library with your sisters or friends or by yourself if that's your thing and you're going to be studying/doing homework. Sit back and watch your GPA sky rocket.

10. Ask for help.
If you can't do everything all on your own, ask for help. It's okay to ask for assistance when you need it. Hello, we're only human. We have bad days where our hair looks like a rat's nest, our favorite Lilly Pulitzer tumbler falls on the ground and breaks, and our allotted print balance for the semester reads $0.00 meaning we have to pay per sheet to print. If you need help, never be afraid to ask. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness and that is the key point to remember.

Enjoy your first few weeks of class and remember these helpful tips for a balanced life.

School supplies to show off your sorority pride

So you just got your bid and are super excited to start showing off your love for your sorority or maybe you're a big who wants to make a back to school bundle for your little. Greek life is known for it's partying, big houses, and going a little wild but academics are also really important in these historical organizations. Members are normally subject to being at a certain GPA and attending a certain amount of study hours. Here's a couple things you can use to make those study sessions and finals cry sessions a little less boring. 

1. A personalized clipboard

Clipboard

2. The best backpack around

Backpack

3. The perfect place to store all your essentials (Keys, ID, some cash) 

Keys

4. For when you have no time to grab lunch in between classes

Lunch

5. For all the textbooks you have to tote around

Tote

6. For the laptop you'll be writing all your essays on

Etsy

7. For showing off your mascot

Mascot

8. For taking notes during chapter meetings

Chapter

9. For when you need your coffee

Coffee

10. The quintessential planner

Planner

11. Labels for your planner

Labels

12. For climbing into bed after a long day of classes

Onesie

13. For when you know your phone will die by lunch time

Phone

14. For when you want somewhere nice to rest your computer mouse

Computer

15. For when your phone is always by your side

Case

Happy back to school shopping! 

Trend Spotter : Nails on Nails on Nails

Recently, our founder hosted a "party" on Facebook where she was selling Jamberry. For those of you who haven't heard of them, Jamberry is (basically) a heat activated sticker that substitutes for nail polish. They come in a variety of colors and patterns and are $15 a sheet. The price may seem a little hefty at first, at least for me it did, but after researching I found that you can get about 2 full manicures out of a single sheet. Way cheaper than any salon! 

I haven't tried the Jamberry nails yet, but I have a sample and I'm pretty excited. I work in the food service industry and my nails take a constant beating. I'm sure a lot of college kids are the same way. All I really want in life is nail polish that won't chip. 

In an effort to achieve ultimate nail greatness, I have taken the adventure into gel nails (not the professional kind) and I've been disappointed. I heard great things about the Sally Hansen Gel which doesn't need a UV light, so I dropped the $7 and tried it. It chipped within hours. 

Something, I will suggest to you guys is Sally Hansen Extreme Wear. Hands down the best polish I've ever tried. With the right top coat, it can last for days. I've spent money on all types of polish, even the best ones like Essie, and SH Extreme Wear beats the competition out of the water. 

Our nails take a beating and it's hard to find the right solution. On the quest to nail perfectness, we all have to trial and error. But I hope that you guys try out the SH and like it! (I'll be sure to leave some updates about Jamberry too!)