Author Archives: Staff Writer, YourSash.com

About Staff Writer, YourSash.com

Hellllllllllllo! One of the staff members is writing on the blog, we switch off every now and then.
May 9, 2011

What’s The Best City To Move To After Graduating College?

What is the best city to move to after college? The answer varies. There’a a lot of formal studies out there that analyze school systems, crime rates, polution, unemployment, and many more metrics. Ultimately you can read and review all of these ratings day in and day out, but the final determining factors do need to align with your life goals.

First, is a star school system that important to you if you are only planning on being there for a few years? Let’s take New York for example. A lot of people move to the Big Apple after college to make it big. Unless you’re attending grad school or moving with your family, or this is a move for the long run, this factor will likely be less important to you than the amount of jobs available in your industry in that specific region.

Second, it’s important to know the affordability of a city. Will the city be affordable for you to live comfortably. How long will your daily commute be? Does the city have recreational activities you can partake in when you’re not working?

And lastly, the friends and family. Will you know anyone in that city, or will you be starting fresh? Some people don’t adjust well to new surroundings, while others love the challege. Find that happy medium that would make you content!

In conclusion, the decision to move to a new city can be a tricky one. Don’t fall for an online rankings factor but really trust your heart and align your move with your goals.

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May 8, 2011

Fraternity & Sorority Collaboration

Working with your fraternity brothers or sorority sisters is always a tricky situation. On the one hand, a project can be delegated evenly across the entire chapter, but on the other side is to have one just one person lead. Personally, I believe by having just one person lead a project, a project is more likely to be completed and more likely on time.

The first reason as to why you’d want only one person to lead is to reduce assumptions. With everyone has control, often times nobody has control. If you’re hosting a fundraiser or a huge community service event, having just 1 point of contact ensures that there’s a “mastermind” that can take care of and delete the tasks needed>

Another reason for this is because when everyone leads, often times this leads to inaction. Everyone will have different opinions and decisions about what they’d like to do. This opens up the potential to many more heated and challenging discussions that might stall or delay a project. Giving a person the central authority to make the “final call” can prevent these situations. This is also very true in the event that your chapter has an even number of members and voting brings a decision to a split tie.
And lastly, and perhaps the best reason, it gives people leadership opportunities. By assigning a role to just one member, that member will likely have to rise or fall to the situation and learn more more than if they were just doing little bits of the project.

In conclusion, when working on project based initiatives for your chapter, truly consider mixing around the role and getting different people involved with different initiatives. Don’t always default to the all-star brother or sister, but give everyone their opportunity to shine.

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May 7, 2011

What Is Failure

The issue in today’s blog post is about failure. What is failure? Why is it viewed so badly? And how are people perceived when they fail?

In a blog post from the PickTheBrain.com blog (full post here), the issue addressed is the upside of failure. As the corporate world changes, more companies are embracing this “F” word as an indicator of success. When employees try untried things and go above and beyond, but fail, these companies tend to grow and learn from their mistakes, thus thriving further in the long run.
To illustrate this point, a similar thing applies in academia and with research. Often times researchers try again and again to master a formula or disprove a proof yet continue to fail. But through these failures they’re able to learn and grow, which leads them to the correct answers down the line.
And as the adage goes, Adage goes “if you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough.” But that said, good luck on your finals! And again, congratulations on graduating to all of the 2011 seniors!

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May 6, 2011

Muscle Memory!

Today’s post covers the topic of muscle memory and how exactly it works.
In the post, the author mentions how muscle memory is not stored in the muscles, but actually the brain.

For example, as a child I grew up practicing the piano. I took piano lessons for 6 years, and lesson after lesson, would practice the same song until I had it down pat. Through this reputition I was able to improve my retention and memorization of the song.

Furthermore, a similar situation occurs when you’re studying for a test and trying to solve for this intricate data sufficiency problem, or quadratic equation. The more of those you do on a continual basis, the more likely you’ll remember it.

The author does bring up an interesting point from Malcolm Gladwell’s book, which states that 10,000 hours is the magic number for mastery of a subject. So how many days is 10,000 hours? That’s 41.6 days straight, without a break or anything. So what if this was a new job, and you were trying to master it? 10,000 hours at an 8 hour rate would be 1250 days which would be just shy of 5 years working on one specific skill.

Our study and memory tips specifically?
A) Take a break when you study and study in advanced. Don’t try to cram and remember everything all at once. Your retention will be terrible the week after.
B) Practice daily. Don’t go weeks without studying something, try and keep trying without large gaps in between.
C) Visualize success. Visualize success and what you foresee as the outcome, whether that’s an A on a test, playing a song correctly, or anything else. Once you visualize it, it’ll make that reality much closer.

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May 5, 2011

Making Each Day Your Masterpiece

Today’s post comes from TheSimpleDollar.com. In the post, Trent writes about a notion that John Wooden had come up with previously, which is to about making today your masterpiece. I myself am a big John Wooden fan. I’ve read his leadership foundations book and followed many of his videos.

The first interesting point brought up in the post is that if today was your last day, would you be happy with your actions? Would you be content with being judged by today’s actions? In the fast moving business world, it’s easy to see how a day can get away from you, but we’d imagine it’d be the same in college. A flurry of classes and finals can drain your energy and by the time you’re home you just want to relax.

Another interesting point brought up is for the desire to learn something new or practice something old. I think the key to this statement comes from the latter, which is to practice something old. Often times as children our parents spend countless hours and funds to have us pick up a new sport or learn a new instrument, but then that too often goes to waste when we rebel in high school and “grow” out of it. Picking up an old hobby can spark wonders with your creative processes.

In summary, really consider reading the full post here . It’s a great post filled with lots of good information!

May 4, 2011

Your Post-Graduation Trip & Planning Ahead

In today’s post, we review a recent post from gigaom about how to plan a vacation. While the topic itself may be easy for many, it becomes more difficult for those of us who work in web based environments.

First, in the past years, the proliferation of the smartPhone has led to an increased expectation of people to always be connected. Clients may expect you to answer emails sooner, or your boss may start wondering if you’re working if you haven’t replied in a few hours. The issue presented is even bigger than this when it comes to work. It’s easy to procrastinate a personal email without a deadline, but obviously when work calls… it’ll be harder to take that 3 week hike in the Mountains, than otherwise.

In addition, the author brings up a good point about the “remote guilt” – a guilt felt by people who work remotely to not feel paranoid about being perceived lazy and in turn they end up working more hours to compensate. If you’re use to working remotely, this may quickly and easily transfer into your vacation traveling.

And finally, it comes down to planning early. Planning early will be the best bet. If you have a job lined up for after graduation, make sure they know you’ll be traveling before your start date. This way you don’t miss any important emails or come off as lazy or unresponsive before you even start! Planning ahead will not only help you save money, but help you have a much more enjoyable vacation in the long run!

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May 3, 2011

Greetings YourSashers!

Today’s blog post comes from yet again one of our favorite blogs, thesimpledollar.com.
In the blog post, Trent writes about how his desires use to define how he would spend money. For him, this came in the form of DVDs, books, gadgets, and more. The blog post dives in further and really provides some thoughts into sometimes how these decisions can affect our financial happiness, while not providing much happiness at all in the long run at all.

What I found most interesting about the blog post was the recommendation to really dive deep and find out what’s most important to you. Is it the iPad 2? The new purse? The new laptop? For example, when thinking back about college, my biggest personal regret was not traveling abroad. I feared taking a quarter off to study abroad would throw off my graduation schedule and I wouldn’t graduate in time. But thinking back now, clearly graduating a quarter later doesn’t have that big of an impact in the long run.

Another reason to really read this blog post through is because it really illustrates the importance of goal planning. Whether that means speaking with a financial advisor, or simply using money management tools (such as Mint.com), setting some goals will help you move towards the life you seek, whether that’s one filled with travels, one in the corporate world, or one that you’re not sure of at the moment.

Therefore, it’s really on you to think about what you want post graduation. After the lovely photos with your graduation sashes and the big party, what’s that next step for you?

May 2, 2011

Do First Impressions Really Matter That Much?

Today’s post questions the importance of first impressions. Do they really matter that much? Or is it more about a person’s personality after you’ve met them that really makes the difference in the long term.

In a recent post by lifehacker (full post here), a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology was covered.

In the article, the study tries to draw a comparison between the neighbors in a neighborhood and their nicely kept lawns. Neighbors are shown 20 photos of others, and the conclusion that was drawn was that those with well-kept lawns tended to be rated more trustworthy than their counterparts. This study seems lacking in that it doesn’t take into account any personal biases the surveyed people may have. It does present an interesting point though.
What if in college, the first (and potentially lasting) impressions of you were based on the cleanliness of your apartment. In this scenario, the cleanliness of your roommate could potentially set a false impression about you in front of others. In addition, in the business world, the cleanliness of a person’s attire can pervey a message of organization or laziness. And most importantly if you have sloppy roommates, an overstuff trashcan or pile of dirty dishes could potentially be used as a reason to judge you negatively.

So what exactly is the solution. Is it possible to train to be viewed positively? In summary, we don’t know, but make sure to at least comb your hair your first day in college, it could play a big role!

May 1, 2011

Finding Your First Apartment after College

Apartment hunting might not be on your top priorities list at the moment. It’s more likely term papers, finals, commencement, and maybe your graduation party. But that said, if you’re thinking of moving into your own spot after graduation, it’s better to start looking earlier than later. Starting early will assure you have a larger selection as well as place yourself to better negotiate apartment rental rates. Wouldn’t you rather have a nice apartment such as one with a view and balcony for $800 than the same unit in the same building without a view or balcony for $800?

The CanadianFinanceBlog highlights many great recommendations to consider when apartment hunting. Be sure to check out the full post here.

We’d like to further add to this with a few of our own tips.

A) Use Multiple Resources

In Los Angeles, Westside Rentals is a top website that features many listings. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. If you have a lot of friends also searching for apartments, ask them to help one another. Try relatives and craigslist, and any local newspapers as well. Often times it’s in these obscure listings or under used resources where you’ll find gems for great deals.

B) Consider A Roommate.

If you don’t mind living with others, you can save a lot of money this way. The savings comes from splitting utility bills such as electricity, internet, water, and heating. Added benefits also come from your grocery bills and of course rent.

C) Checkout The Crime Statistics.

If you’re moving to a new neighborhood you’ve never lived in or are not familiar with , call the local police department or stop by to learn more about the area.

D) Drive by At Night Time.

See first hand how the neighborhood is at night time. Does it feel safe? Does it feel like a college town? Is there parking? Is it quiet or loud?

E) Always See The Location

Always visit your new place before signing a lease. In case you can’t, have someone else check out the unit. Don’t trust the photos.

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April 30, 2011

Discounts and Freebies for College Students


There’s a lot of things you can get for free today that our parents wouldn’t have even dreamed of. In contrast with with they were in college, today’s technology and Internet speeds has opened the door to many possibilities. Free TV shows online, free newspapers online, free internet (e.g. at coffee shops like Starbucks, and other “hotspot” locations), free education, and our favorite, free samples at Pinkberry!

In a recent post from Lifehacker the author goes into 10 things that you can get for free. Be sure to check out the full post to see how you can take advantage of these goodies.

To summarize the post very quickly, cool things you should check out are:
A) Free Online Storage – Services such as Dropbox, Amazon Cloud and even Google Docs makes collaboration with other groups so simple now. The mistique of thumbdrives is slowly fading away as more people use these services which sync instantly with their smartphones and mobile devices as well.

B) Student Discounts – I personally did not take advantage of this while in school, but in retrospect should have gotten everything out of it before graduating! A lot of organizations offer student discounts. Did you know the national retail chain Banana Republic offers student discounts? Yep! Search for lots of details here on more discounts you could take advantage of.

C) eBooks – Free (and legal) books are accessible online and knowledge available at our finger tips. Take advantage of these, whether they are short books, how to guides, novels, or journals. Here’s a list of ebooks availble for download

Hope these were helpful! If you search a little more, we’re sure you can probably find great freebies for your birthday too.