Monthly Archives: March 2008

March 26, 2008

A Productive Spring Break: 3 Things College Seniors Can & Should Do

Office Cubicle
photo courtesy Damek
So if you aren’t already in Cancun, Mexico sipping on margaritas and partying out to MTV cameras, we figured you might be interested in doing something a little more productive over spring break.

Here is a short list of 3 recommendations. They aren’t necessarily fun, but hey…better to do it now than when you’re back in the stress of school and thinking about graduation.

3 Productive Things To Do During Spring Break

3. Trash & Rewrite Your Resume. Lifehacker.com has a great article about this, take a read at why you should trash and rewrite your resume.
2. Build your LinkedIn profile. Not sure what that is? Check out an older post of ours about 5 Ways You Can Stand Out from Other Graduating College Seniors.
1. Subscribe to and start reading blogs in the industry you’re looking to find a job in. If you don’t already use an RSS Reader, check out Google Reader for RSS feeds. Once you get the hang of RSS feeds, you’ll wonder how you lived without them! Blog Catalog is a great place to search for blogs you might be interested in. Look at what we found when we did a search for politics or music.

March 24, 2008

ABC’s Greek Returns for Season 2!

Greek Cast
Cast of Greek (photo courtesy ABC)

ABC’s Greek returns today to begin season 2. If you don’t remember this show, it brought about a lot of negative press and concerns from the Greek community last year because of it’s portrayal of us. Since then, the commotion has died down and there hasn’t been much negative press about the show.

What is the show Greek about you ask?

The show follows the story of Rusty, a college freshman attending the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University, who longs to leave behind his reputation as a high school geek by joining a fraternity, while sister Casey hopes for little interference with her enjoyment of Greek life. Most of the characters belong to either the fictional fraternities Kappa Tau Gamma (ΚΤΓ) and Omega Chi Delta (ΩΧΔ), or the fictional sorority Zeta Beta Zeta (ΖΒΖ).
(wikipedia)

So, if you have some time this evening and are interested in ABC’s portrayal of Greek life, check out Greek! The new season premieres tonight (March 24th) at 8/7c.

March 22, 2008

Hip-Hop Acoustic Covers & YouTube!

It seems that nowadays a lot of talented artists are recording acoustic covers of very popular hip-hop songs. Of recent, you may remember Marie Digby‘s acoustic cover of Umbrella which started on YouTube, was featured on Star 98.7, and then blew up nationwide landing her a contract with Hollywood Records.

There’s another artist you should take a look listen at, he goes by the name of Passion. He has a great acoustic cover/mix of Can’t Help But Wait (by Trey Songz) and So Sick (by Neyo).

So what are you waiting for? Record a cover and post it on YouTube before you graduate! Better yet, check out Veoh, where you can upload your videos and have it automatically syndicate it out to YouTube, Myspace & Google Video.
You might be discovered, you might not, but hey in a few years you can look back and laugh at the video (and comments) or even share them with your co-workers!

Other Notable Mentions for Acoustic Hip-Hop Cover Artists:

Alejandro Manzano & his rendition of Sweetest Girl (by Wyclef & Akon)
Milow & his cover of Ayo Technology (by 50 Cent & Justin Timberlake)
David Choi & his rendition of Apologize (by One Republic)
Mat Weddle & his cover of Hey Ya (by Outkast)
Adam Monroe & his rendition of Pardon Me (by Incubus) (not hiphop… we know, yet awesome)

March 16, 2008

Creative Fraternity & Sorority Gifts for the Lils & Bigs

sorority girls
photo courtesy of Mulsanne

Designing and creating Greek gifts for your big sis, lil sis, big bro, pledge mom, etc. has always been a time consuming and expensive task. Greek life in general is expensive! From chapter dues, to gifts, housing and more it all adds up. But I’m sure as many would agree, you can’t put a price on the brotherhood and sisterhood that you gain from going Greek.

Fraternity & Sorority Gifts: The Must Haves

Now traditional sorority merchandise such as coffee mugs, key chains, sweatshirts, etc. are the staple of any new member. For this kind of gear, you want to order early and have it professionally made. For this, we would highly recommend checking out GreekU.com for their great quality, large selection and awesome prices.
What are the must haves?  We think you can’t go wrong with any of the following.

  • Traditional Greek Sweatshirt
  • Embroidered Hat
  • Zip Up Sweatshirt
  • Lettered T-Shirt
  • Coffee Mug

Personalized Greek Gifts

Personalizing gifts can be both a fun and daunting task.  Creating a personalized gift requires a lot of time and often pre-planning, the right materials and tools.  But the great thing about this is that when you present it, odds are your gift will be unique and it won’t turn into a case of “Hey, you stole my idea!”

If the person you are giving the gift to is very sentimental, check out PhotoJojo for a great variety of photo themed gifts.  Maybe even make a gift as a graduation gift.  PhotoJojo’s most recent post about Photo Pencils caught our eye.  Definitely an interesting, unique, and clever spin to personalized gifts, not to mention inexpensive.  Now think of adding a Greek spin to this: use a group photo of the new class that just crossed, a photo of your pledge mom with her pledge sisters, or a fancy design of your letters.  Mix this in with making a board game with your own photos and you just might have created an awesome gift!

Photo Pencils
photo courtesy of photojojo.com

Where To Get Materials From?

So, if you are ready to start, go get the supplies.  But don’t be deceived, just because you are hand making gifts doesn’t mean they will be cheap.  Be wary of buying supplies at full price.  Here are a few good national chain stores to check out, depending on where you are located some may be in your area, maybe even all.
Michaels The Arts & Crafts Store – Michaels often has 50% off coupons in the newspaper or via their email list.
JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts – JoAnn also has coupons. Generally these are 40% off and in their newspaper and email newsletters.
Aaron Brothers Art & Framing – often has 40-50% off coupons in the Sunday newspaper, go look!

Good luck and if you make something wonderful, send us a picture, we’d love to feature it.

March 13, 2008

How To Watch Every Game from March Madness for Free

March Madness
photo credit roger jones
In case you haven’t already heard, CBS Sports is now letting you watch every game during March Madness for free! No cable needed, just your computer and internet access! You can sign up online for March Madness On Demand (it literally takes 1 minute), and you will be set to stream all the games from your computer.

Hurry up before the offer ends, it seems that 75% of these VIP Passes are gone already!

So who are you going for? We think UCLA has a strong chance of taking it all the way.

March 10, 2008

Study & Cramming Tips for College Finals & Presentations

studying
photo courtesy of scui3asteveo

For those on the quarter system, it’s either dead week or finals week!
Here’s some last minute tips on studying cramming for those pesky exams courtesy of DegreeDictionary.com. From this list we think #4 is probably one of the most important.

4. Your Plan of Attack
Coming up with some sort of game plan before you get started will save valuable time. To start, decide what study techniques you’ll be employing and what you’ll need to accomplish your goal. Then, make a schedule or a to-do list to help you execute your plan in a timely manner. (degreedictionary.com)

Another great study tip that was not listed here is to listen to classical or electronic music

Load up your iPod or your favorite Music Discovery site (whether it’s Pandora or Last.fm) and find some music! Our suggestion is to avoid songs with lyrics or else you’ll find yourself singing along. The great thing about Pandora and Last.fm is that you don’t know what song is coming up next, so it keeps it a little more lively than say an old playlist of your music from high school.

Lastly, if you have a powerpoint presentation to do for your finals, check out this 10/20/30 Rule of Powerpoint.  It’s very interesting and it done right you can probably stand out from the other students.
To sum it up:

It’s quite simple: a PowerPoint presentation should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points. (blog.guykawasaki.com)

March 6, 2008

5 Best Graduation Falls We Stole from YouTube

Graduation
photo courtesy of Jack Duval

So depending on how your school does it, most graduates have their name called out and then walk across stage, shake hands with the Chancellor and other dignitaries, get the photo op, then return to their seat.

After hours and hours of scouring YouTube for some videos, we have compiled our list of top 5 graduation falls and tips on how to walk across stage on your important day.

First Off, the Tips for Graduation Day & How To Stand Apart

1. The Name Card

If your school let’s you, do something fun on your graduation card! We got to fill in our name, add a message to your parents if possible! Sometimes the readers will read it, sometimes they won’t.
ex. Your Name is John David. On your card write “John ‘Hi Mom’ David” if the reader has a personality and they are allowed to read this, go for it! Write too much and they’ll skip it entirely. On mine I wrote “Happy Fathers Day” and they didn’t read it! How lame.

2. Decorate Your Graduation Cap

We’ll have a post on this coming up soon, but decorate your graduation cap! Do something cool but not tacky. Decorate the same as your sorority sisters or fraternity brothers and you’ll get bonus points.

3. Don’t Drink Too Much The Night Before!

If you’re going to go downtown and celebrate with your fellow graduates the night before, all the power to you! But remember, everything in moderation. Last thing you want to do is wake up late to your graduation, hung over, parents see that, and have to sit in the sun at commencement for 2 hours. Moderation!

Now to the graduation videos…

#5. Fake Graduation Prank? This one looked a little fishy to us.


#4. This one has to be fake. Another fake graduation fall?

Alright… to the better ones.

#3. Unfortunately we can’t see the angle on this one as much, but at least it’s not a fake!

#2. Okay, we have to feel sorry for this lil kid. He was so happy… too happy! Luckily for him his parents have this on tape and when he graduates college he can look back and laugh… or try to beat his first attempt.

#1. Of all the graduation falls we stole from YouTube, this one looks the most real.

So if you are ready to graduate fall in style, check out our graduation stoles.

March 3, 2008

More Money Saving Tips for College Students

Lunch Money
photo courtesy emdot

Zen Habits published a list of money saving tips, many of which apply great for college students. From the list, we must say we most disagree with #3, yet love #6.

3) Stay home. Going out makes you more likely to spend unnecessarily. You eat at restaurants, go to the mall, stop at the gas station for snacks. It’s hard to avoid spending when you’re on the road. Instead, stay home, and find free entertainment. It’s also a great way to bond with your family.

Disagree!

You’re in college and these 4 (or 5 years) are going to be some of the most memorable years of your life. Go out as much as you can, make new friends, meet new people, see new surroundings. Don’t stay boxed up in your dorm room studying 24/7. If your major does require you to study 24/7, do it in different places.

Some suggestions for places to study:

  • coffee shops
  • the library
  • a different floor on the library
  • the student center
  • your friend’s place
  • around nature
  • at the beach
  • in a park
  • the list goes on…

But with that said, you probably shouldn’t go partying and eating out every day.  It won’t do wonders for your health and sooner or later your wallet will start to feel the squeeze.  The last thing you want to do is build up bad credit before graduation.

6) Cook at home. I know, it seems more difficult than eating out. But it doesn’t have to be hard. Throw together a quick stir-fry with frozen veggies and either boneless chicken or (my favorite) tofu with soy sauce or tamari. Make home-made pizza with a ready-made crust, some sauce, cheese and veggies. Put some spices on something and throw it in the oven while you cook some brown rice. Not only is this much cheaper than eating out, but it’s healthier.

Agree!

It’s so easy to cook at home, yet continually it seems so difficult for so many! Going out and getting a hamburger here, a latte there, a slice of pizza later on… it all adds up quickly and before you know it, it feels like somebody stole all of your money because you have nothing to show for it.  Eating out will kill any budget you have. Make it a goal to go grocery shopping with your roommates every week.

Our tip to college students on when to shop:

The best time to do it is evenings on weekdays, especially when you’re stressed out or need a little break from studying. Evenings on weekdays = less people & less standing in line.  This way, it helps you get over the mid-week hump too knowing that you’ll have some great munchies to snack on during your Thursday and Friday classes.