Outfits

I have quite a few outfit posts I need to catch up on, so here's a roundup of some from the past week. I'll be posting more tomorrow so as not to overwhelm y'all!

Last Wednesday with my big, Annie, who left for the European Odyssey on Monday! I miss her so much, but I'm so happy she has the opportunity to see over 10 countries in a semester! Shirt, Ross. Leggings, Target. Necklace, Sam Moon. Bag, Betsey Johnson. 

Giving tours in my bright magenta coat, with my outfit underneath it pictured below. Coat, vintage. Scarf, Faded Glory. Sweater, Ross. Skirt, Dillards. Boots, Target. Earrings, Betsey Johnson.

Friday night- Sweater, Target. Skirt, Dillards. Boots, Target. Necklace, J. Crew Factory. Bag, Betsey Johnson.

Monday, full of classes and work- Sweater, Michael Kors. Cords, unknown. Boots, Target. And my fabulous Zeta jacket!

That's all for today, I'll be posting more outfits tomorrow. Also, keep a look out for a little Pinterest roundup on Friday! 

Tuesday's Tips and Tricks: Summer Plans

Starting today, every Tuesday I will be posting Tips and Tricks, giving advice on anything and everything! You can look back and see my last Tips and Tricks post about what to wear to an interview. For this week, I wanted to put together a list of what to do this summer!

Right now, like most people, I have no plans for summer. As much as I would love to lounge by the pool for three months, I am exploring other options. So, here are a few things you can do this summer!

1. Get an internship. I know, I know, everyone is telling you to get an internship at every opportunity. But really, summer is the best time to intern- you don't have to worry about classes, your on-campus job, or keeping up with extra-curriculars since you are completely free! And, while the intern pilgrimage to New York City that occurs every summer isn't an option for everyone (NYC is expensive!), try looking for an internship in your home town. Even if you live in a small town away from major business, see if your local newspaper needs an intern or your parents' offices are looking for extra help! If you are worried about not having an internship, check out this great article from TeenVogue on why you really shouldn't freak out! Here is another fantastic TeenVogue list of 5 things to do instead of interning this summer!
2. Get a job. Part-time positions in the summer become more valuable than the Holy Grail. As thousands of college students flock back to their hometowns, stores and restaurants become inundated with applicants. But don't be discouraged by your competition; apply for as many jobs as you can, you'll get a call eventually! Even if you're just babysitting to make extra money, it's something
3. Study Abroad. Check with your university to see what study abroad programs they offer in the summer, or even look at spending a semester abroad! If you go with the school your scholarship usually counts, or you can apply for outside grants through other programs. You'll never have an opportunity like this again, so give it a thought!
4. Travel. If you want the experience but don't want to worry about taking classes, try traveling by yourself! Get a group of friends together and backpack around Europe, or even just take a roadtrip to another state. Either way, get out there.

Whether you're working as an intern for NBC or waiting tables at the local diner back home, make the most of your summers in college. Because once you graduate, those three months disappear and are lost to your job! 

Links I Love

I've been seriously slacking with the blog lately but I've finally planned out quite a few posts. One of these includes several weekly posts, starting with Links I Love every Monday!

I will be highlighting links from all over the web that I'm currently obsessing over or whose sites hold a permanent spot on my open tabs. So let's get started!

Simple Passions Sorority Apparel: while I am technically in a fraternity, I'm in love with the patterns on Simple Passions. We bought our Zeta Christmas shirts from here and I'm currently shopping for Big/Little tanks as I am taking a little this semester! The pink and green Paris pattern has definitely caught my eye!

Etsy: I'm a little late to the Etsy party, but I'm glad I finally arrived- I bought a monogramed coffee cup for my mom for Christmas and she loved it! I love that Etsy has literally anything and everything you could possibly want and usually reasonably priced!

Bloglovin: Once I got really into blogging I wanted a way to follow all of my favorite blogs in one place, and Bloglovin gave me just that! I kept seeing the button across the web and decided to give it a try. This is perfect whether you follow three or three hundred blogs- they're all in one place!

That's all for this week, stay tuned and expect more weekly posts in the future!

Let's Get Prep

As you can probably tell I am obsessed with all things preppy. I've been dressing preppy my whole life, and this week my level of prep has been unreal. I finally bought a navy blazer and it's created a ridiculous number of new combinations in my closet. Here's my outfits from this week so far.

Monday's Meet and Greet for Potential Zetas:

Blazer, Talbots. Dress, Forever 21. Boots, Ross. 

Tuesday, full of giving tours to prospective students!

Blazer, Talbots. Sweater, TJ Maxx. Jeans, Delias. Rain boots, Coach. Bracelet, J. Crew Factory. 

I wouldn't usually wear a baseball hat, especially with a blazer, but it was snowing and the fur hood on my parka is so big that I can't see! And look at this scarf! The reversable sides mean it matches at least 1/3 of my wardrobe! 

I haven't seen grass here at Hofstra since December! Snow, snow, go away...

Wednesday:

Vest, Tommy Hilfiger. Sweater, Urban Outfitters. Jeans, New York & Company. Rain boots, Coach. Scarf, Sam Moon. 

Goin' Back to 505

I'm finally sitting down to blog about my amazing, incredible Saturday night, when I finally got to see on of my absolute favorite bands, Arctic Monkeys, at Madison Square Garden!!

I have loved Arctic Monkeys for a long, long, long time, and getting the chance to finally see them was- as cliche as it sounds- a dream come true.

My goal was to look as 'Arabella' as possible. 

Our absolutely incredible seats- I don't like being on the floor at big venues because you can't see anything! It's only worth it if you're in the front row. 

My awesome new t-shirt; I'm so glad they brought this style back for their AM tour! I'm that person that has to buy a shirt at every concert- I bought two when I saw The Kooks and Foster the People!

The coolest part of the concert was their encore, where they came back on stage and did a cover of The Beatles' All My Loving- one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands, sung by my other favorite? I was too excited to handle all of this. 

For those of you who don't listen to Arctic Monkeys, I would recommend their video for Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? Or, my favorite song in the world, Fluorescent Adolescent. Some people may recognize them from the 2012 London Olympics where they performed a cover of Come Together at the opening ceremony. They're an indie rock band out of Sheffield, England that have been touring since the release of their first album in 2006. Give them a listen, and remember to Follow me!

Striped

I have an addiction to anything striped, especially black and white. It literally goes with everything! One of my favorite combinations is black, white, and pink. And the cold weather here in NY is a perfect excuse to bust out my new pink fleece-lined tights (another obsession, I have at least ten pairs of fleece tights, and probably twenty different colors in regular tights).

Dress, Ross. Cardigan, Ann Taylor Loft. Rain boots, Coach. Belt, Ross. 

The ladies that work in the admissions office freaked out over this outfit. Maybe it's the neon tights?

I am absolutely obsessed with monograms right now (isn't everyone?) and I finally got this necklace for Christmas! I'm not usually one of those people who wears a certain item every day, but this necklace seems to be making an appearance in every outfit! The little lion earrings (showing off my Hofstra Pride) are Betsey Johnson.

Tips and Tricks: Finding An Internship

This is something I always, always, always stress to people in college- get an internship. Get multiple internships. Get an internship within your major but in a field you maybe hadn't thought about before. Spend your summer interning, get a virtual one during the school year. No matter what, intern.

At Hofstra, students in the School of Communication are required to have 3 credits of internships. Sometimes people complain, but in my opinion if they weren't required people would slack off and never bother applying.

I have already had two internships and a freelancing position, and I just started my fourth (!!) semester of college. To some people, I'm ahead of the game. Personally, I feel like I'm behind. I'm currently in the process of applying for summer internships and I'm already looking at potential options for the fall.

There is nothing more important in college, in my opinion, than getting an internship. It gives you a tremendous amount of experience that you can not learn in the classroom. My first internship was last summer at Newsweek and The Daily Beast, and the skills I learned, connections I made, and experience I gathered was invaluable.

So, how do you find an internship? First of all, be glad that you live in the age of the Internet and Google. I found my Daily Beast internship while searching 'summer 2013 internships new york city.' A link to their Tumblr page popped up, and I quickly sent them a tweet asking how I could apply. They responded, and I was soon in contact with their social media editor. By the end of the week, I had an interview. I found my College Tourist internship through Intern Queen and applied via the website.

Some sites like Internships.com or InternMatch provide lists of internships in your field or city. If you want to intern with a particular company, look at their website for applications; if you don't find any, try cold e-mailing someone in the company to inquire about applying. Talk to previous connections from other internships or jobs and see if they know anyone. You never know, that guy in your biology class might have an uncle who is a producer for Good Morning America!

Something else people often complain about is the lack of paid internships, especially in the journalism industry. Yes, you will probably have to work for free- I did. And I learned a lot from it. Interning is not about making money, that's what jobs are for. Internships are about gaining work experience and meeting people that will help you to land your dream job somewhere down the line. Lauren Berger, founder of Intern Queen, had 15 internships in college!

So work for free (as long as your school allows you to earn college credit at the same time!), always be looking at applications, talk to people, and intern as often as possible. College is the only time in your life when you have the opportunity to learn so much!

Keeping It All Together

With the new year and new semester, I've seen several other blogs posting about how to stay organized, so I thought I'd post my own! First, here are a few of my essentials for staying organized.

My Lilly Pulitzer planner has been life-changing this year. Everyone should have a planner- your phone is great for remembering events and holidays, but homework assignments should be written down. I bought the large agenda last summer and it has made a huge difference (it's also a preppy staple!). At the beginning of each semester I sit down with the syllabus for each class, writing down every reading assignment, quiz, test, and project due date. That way, I don't have to keep checking the syllabus and I stay on top of everything.

My iPad is probably the most important thing in my arsenal. I have a case with a built-in keyboard that I use to take notes in class. It's much easier than carrying a laptop (although now that I have a MacBook Air my iPad has a challenger), and all of my notes are stored in Evernote, a great note-taking app that allows you to have a notebook for each class with individual notes for each day.

I also have most of my books on my Kindle app. I bought 10 books for this semester, and 8 of them are on my iPad! As much as I love having a physical book, it's easier having everything on one device. I always have it with me in class, so if my professor brings up a certain passage or section of the book, it's right there in front of me. And who wants to carry 8 books around?

Even though I take notes on my iPad, I have an obsession with stationary and pens, hence the notebooks and Betsey Johnson pencil bag that's stuffed with every color pen you can imagine. I use the notebooks for test reviews, since I study better by writing things down. My big pink notepad is for my never-ending to-do lists. If I write something down and can physically see that it's not done, it's a big motivator for me!

There's not one way to stay organized, but here's some of my tips:

• Find a study playlist- I personally listen to classical because I'm not tempted to sing along! 
• Get a study partner- I spent the weekend before finals in the library with my friend and I actually got so much done. Motivate each other to get your work done so that you have more time to chat later!
• Give yourself a set amount of time to finish tasks- if you have two hours free, give yourself an hour for one task and the other hour as your free time. 
• Don't wait until Sunday night to start your homework- try to get your work done on Saturday, so that if you go out that night you won't be pressured to try working sunday morning when you're still hungover. 
• Always do the reading- you never know when a surprise quiz is coming or your professor will choose you to lead the discussion. Be prepared!

Being organized is all about motivation- try making lists or writing down weekly goals for yourself. Holding yourself accountable will make it harder to procrastinate. 

Thanks for reading, and make sure to hit the Follow button!