Five Ways to Make Your Post Grad Apartment Feel Like Home

At 24 years old, I am at the stage in my life where I am always on the move. Between going to job A to job B, meeting with my boss to go over my day, the frequent wedding or family shoot, I generally leave in the morning around 9:45 am and usually don’t get home until damn close to 11:30.

Once I get home, I quickly shower and get ready for bed, only to lay awake for at least a good half hour, watching Always Sunny in Philadelphia, until my brain finally wears down and I can sleep.

Then I wake up and do it again.

Despite this, I sometimes get a day off. Those days, while fleeting, are my chance to enjoy my home (and time with my fiancée) for more than just a bed, but as more importantly, as a secure place that makes everything okay!!

Though in many ways, my home has become mainly a place to crash and my car has begun looking more and more like I live in it, the best part of those days off is having time to actually enjoy being in a place designed to make me feel relaxed and at ease.

Since many people, specifically people whom have just started in their careers, have adapted to this nomadic lifestyle, it is easy to forget to take the time to make your apartment feel like home, so when you are there you feel safe, secure, and relaxed.

Here is a list of 5 easy ways to make your apartment “home”:

1. Light: Lights is a great way to make your place feel more relaxing. From windows, to string lights, the options are endless, so make sure you brighten up your space and you will feel right at home in no time.

2. Photo frames: Photos are always a great way to bring a personal touch to your home. The photos are visually appealing and allow for you to reflect on good times.  Add a couple of cool frames and fun pictures  and you will be all set!

3. A designated spot to eat: Sometimes it is the little things, like sitting at the kitchen table to eat, that makes us feel connected to a location. It usually reminds up to slow down and focus.

4, Fun décor:

Little things like great throw pillows, an awesome couch cover, a few cute canvas prints, is all you need to make a space feel personalized.  Use your apartment to reflect who you are and do that with décor.

5. Netflix

Nothing says relaxing at home like curling up on the couch binge watching your favorite show with some wine and ice cream. So skip out on basic cable and subscribe to Netflix, there will always be something to watch!!

Reflecting About College While Living in the Present

It is that time of year again. There is a slight chill in the air, some leaves may have started to change their color, the sun is setting earlier each day. Change is in the air, and as the clock ticks down to September, you find yourself dreading the thought of "back to school” not because of the assignments, or the classes, or even ALL those meetings, but because you have already graduated.

For many alumni, and I would say especially those whom are Greek, this time of year always makes us reflect on our time at college, and in many ways, makes us yearn for that same carefree life style.

We look back and remember so many wonderful things about college and a part of us wants to go back to that.

To this day, and mind you it has been just about 2 years, I still get a certain feeling of.... well, something I can't exactly put into words, as I watch from the "social media sidelines" as my friends, little, sorority sisters, even my biological sister start a new year in college.

Here is the thing to remember (especially if you just graduated and your exceptionally emotional about not going back), while your will always carry your college years in your heart, you have to believe that college has prepared you for something even better, something real, raw, and personal, something designed just for you, and that is your life.

So as you watch from Facebook as everyone heads back to the safe walls of their universities, remember that your college years were amazing, they already changed you, so now it's time for them to change others, as you go out and change the world!

SGT Founder Brooke posted this the other day, It goes perfectly with this blog.

Sorority Girl =Working girl: How Your Chapter Can Help You Prepare For The Working World

Joining a sorority can easily top the list as one of the greatest decisions a woman can make during college. While stereotypes paint the experience as nothing more than a “good time”, the reality is that joining a sorority helps prepare and mold you for the real world. 

From the inside looking in, you as a sorority woman, realize that being “Greek” is so much more responsibility. From planning events, to being on the executive board, to being a big,  Greek life teaches you the three most important things you will need as you enter the rest of your life.  Confidence, Knowledge, and Experience. 

Need more proof? 

When you are on a job interview and your potential employer asks if you will be able to a manager of other employees, you know you can because you were on your chapter’s e-board.

Or what if your boss asks you to have 20 tasks due by Monday, you can handle it because you had to balance so much being a student and a member of Greek Life. 

Let's sayyou want to plan a fundraiser to raise money for an important cause, you know exactly what to do because you had to plan events for your chapter once a month. 

People say that college provides you the foundation for the rest of your life, if that is true, being Greek provides you with a second floor. It gives you more than foundation, it give you another level. 

 As someone who has been working in my field since I left college, I can honestly say that I left Pace University a better student, leader, and person after joining Phi Sigma Sigma on my campus. I left the sheltered halls of that campus ready and eager to follow my dreams, make a difference, and change the world. The strength and confidence to pursue my passions were developed from being Greek.  More importantly,  my experience is that I am not the only one. 

So as you prepare to go into the new semester, remember to be as active as you can in your chapter, because being in sorority will open many doors for you, teach you many lessons, and will give you everything you need post graduation. 

Need further convincing? Check out this article by USA Today!!!

Five Things To Do Your Last Days as a Senior in College

Being a senior in college is a pretty amazing thing.  After four grueling long years of late night study sessions, last minute papers, group projects, and let’s face it TONS of coffee, you now can see something beyond the ivory walls of your university, you can see your goals for the future.

This ability to now see what is you want in life, or at least a general idea of what you want, can also be extremely terrifying. While you know where you want to be, you are also realizing that you are about to jump head first into a deep, dark, foggy abyss of doubt and uncertainty where no real idea of where you will end up along the way to your dreams.

That being said your last few days as a senior in college are the most terrifying and the most comforting.

So here are five things you should do on your final days before you leave your university to enter the real world, do these things and more as a reminder that while change is inevitable, being happy no matter where life leads is the most important thing.

11)   Spend time with your friends: Spend your final days at college with the people who made your college experience more than just academics. Go to a movie, take a few days and drive to the beach, go to the bar one (or two) last times, spend these final fleeting movements of, dare I say, childhood, with the people who you can’t imagine your life without.

22)   Reflect on your time in college: Whether you take one final stroll around campus or make a scrapbook, take the time to think about your time in college: what you did right or wrong, experiences you are glad you had and ones you wish you didn’t, opportunities you are glad you took and those you wish you did. Take this time to look back not only to see what has changed in just four short years but what hasn’t changed very much at all.

33)   Write down your dreams: Take a moment and write down your dreams, the things you want in life. Think about why you want them and how you plan on getting there. Keep that piece of paper in your wallet. Whenever you feel lost or uncertain, pull that piece of paper out as a reminder of what you are working towards.

44)   Thank your professors, your mentors, your parents: There are certain “teachers “in life that you can look back on and say “that person left an impact on me”, take this time to thank them for that.  You wouldn’t be whom you are with out them.

55)   Just breathe: Take a page out of Michelle Branch’s songbook (yes, I went there) and just relax and breathe. This period of life is about to end, take the time to watch gracefully as it comes to a close.