May 4, 2012

How To Keep In Touch With Professors & Coworkers

So for most of the graduating seniors entering the workforce and already locked down with a job, it’s likely that the job won’t be your first and last one. It’s forecasted that generation Y will change jobs 20 times during their life. While in our parents’ generation, it was more common to stay at a company the duration of your life, today’s young professionals tend to hop around from company to company much more often.

So, when the time comes and you’ll be switching companies, what’s the best way to keep in touch with everyone and not burn bridges?

A recent article on lifehacker recommends:

“One way to stay in touch that isn’t too awkward is to occasionally email articles of interest and other relevant information.”

What do you think?  Have you tried this or even used a similar technique with professors you truly admired?

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickuhne/62316435/

May 3, 2012

Learning & Forgetting after Graduation

This post was too funny to not write about! One of the most common arguments (or discussions) we’ve heard again and again is that years from now you likely won’t remember most of what your professors taught you, but you will remember the memories you had with friends, fraternity brothers, and sorority sisters.

So whan it comes to isoteric courses, what are the takeaways you’ll get from them? Will algabra, trigonometry or discreet mathematics be that useful to you if you don’t go into accounting, banking, or engineering?

For those who do need to brush up on skills, either for your job, a professional test, or a graduate school test, we’d recommend these two web sites, Khan Academy and Coursera (Coursera recently launched).  Both are free resources that allow you to learn at your own pace.

https://www.coursera.org

http://www.khanacademy.org

Let us know how you like it.  For a preview of Khan Academy videos, check out one of the videos from Khan Academy below.

May 2, 2012

Graduation Photo Poses & Tips

How often do your friends take photos and sometimes catch you mid-chew or at at terrible time. And even better, they tag it on Facebook! Well, you’ll want to check out this video from Photographer Peter Hurley. He provides some times on how to look more photogenic. While his tips likely work, to be honest we tried them and they feel a little ackward at first. Hopefully after a few frames you’ll get use to it.

So what are you waiting for? Start practicing your graduation day poses!

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bensonk42/2580409703/

May 1, 2012

Things You Won’t Hear At Your College Graduation

Today’s blog post touches on an interesting topic, that of what commencement speakers just won’t talk about on graduation day.

Personally, #1 resonates with us the most.

“1. Your time in fraternity basements was well spent. The same goes for the time you spent playing intramural sports, working on the school newspaper or just hanging with friends. ” I couldn’t agree more in that some of my closest friends today are fraternity brothers I met and pledged with during college. The bonds that drew us together, the times that made them stronger, and all of the “lazy Sundays” are memories I cherish and will continue to cherish the rest of my life. These memories cannot be stolen from me, but rather strengthened as we grow older and people start families.

Many are doing remarkable things now, becoming lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, ministers and more.

So… for many of our customers, as you embark on the final quarter of your senior year. Don’t stress too much about classes (that said… don’t fall into senioritis), but enjoy each day for what it is. It’s okay to have those lazy Sundays here and there, or go out on weekdays with friends. Enjoy college, because before you know it, it’ll have passed and commencement will be upon you.

Check out the tip and many more from the full article on Yahoo! http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-things-commencement-speaker-wont-040100167.html

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/2964483493/

April 30, 2012

Meditation for the Busy College Graduate

Meditation can be tricky. For many students today, it’s something that’s often overlooked, but medical study after study show the positive benefits of meditation.

So how do you start this habit? It’s not too late. Even if you’re a graduating senior about ready for graduation this Spring, starting on this healthy habit takes just 2 minutes a day.

Today’s post focuses on a post from ZenHabits.net on Meditation (link)

One of my favorite tips from the post is about finding a daily trigger that will be your cue to start meditation. “The trigger should be something you already do regularly, like drink your first cup of coffee, brush your teeth, have lunch, or arrive home from work.”

Do you already meditate?  Let us know your tips!

And lastly, if you haven’t already, make sure to order your graduation stoles soon.  Average shipping time for graduation stoles is 3 weeks so if you’re graduating in mid-May or June now would be the time to do so to save on shipping costs!

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/minoru_ntt/3290970519/

April 30, 2012

College Cooking Tip: Keeping Bread Fresh Longer

Eating healthy and being in college don’t always go hand in hand. That said, often times the toughest part of eating healthy is keeping your refridgerator well stocked. But what happens when your sandwich meats, breads, and staples go bad?

Today’s post features an article from Lifehacker that talks bout how to revive stale bread. What did they use? Ice cubes!

The tip?
“Real Simple suggests rubbing an ice cube on unsliced bread until the crust is damp. Then put that roll or loaf in the oven for 12 minutes at 370° F and voila! It’s almost like freshly baked bread.”

Try it out and let us know how it is. On another note though, that moldy cheese in the refridgerator, you should probably toss that.

Check out the full post here http://lifehacker.com/5905805/revive-stale-bread-with-ice-cubes

Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/teuobk/2104039823/

April 23, 2012

Is Business School Worth it for Entrepreneurs?

Today’s blog post highlights grad school (specific business school) and if it’s worth it for entrepreneurs. One of our favorite web sites, Inc.com takes a look into the pros and cons and more importantly provides some recommendations for those interested in an MBA after graduation.

One of the most interesting tips was
“Base all your electives and classes around a startup idea or thesis. Every course or elective you take should help you launch a company.” – I couldn’t agree with this more. Even in undergrad, when you were able to apply your learnings to student organizations, your job, or a start-up, it made the course that much more rewarding.  And in the fraternity and sorority setting, when you were given the opportunities to do things that excited you, didn’t that real world experience translate even more to your positive memories?

Go check out the full post here and let us know what you think:

http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/entrepreneurs-make-business-school-pay-off.html

Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/buenosairesprensa/5738441386/

April 19, 2012

Learning to Speak A New Language

Learning how to speak a new language becomes increasingly difficult as you grow older. Not only is free time harder to find as you juggle school, work or family life, but mentally the ease of which you tend to pick up new languages naturally slows down.

Today’s post features tips from a recent lifehacker.com article.

Most noteably, stage 3 seems the most fun.

“Stage 3: Listening, writing and reading work
You should read and watch anything that’s enjoyable to you—it’s more about quantity than anything; I’m a big fan of the Harry Potter series in translation, and dubbed versions of the TV series 24 are insanely addictive and not that difficult to follow after the first few hours—you can literally spend all day in front of the TV, and it’s actually productive! ”

Now does this mean watching Hunger Games in French counts?

Eitherway, if you’re considering picking up a new language either for personal enjoyment or as a skill to add to your resume. Check out the full post and more info here:

http://lifehacker.com/5903288/i-learned-to-speak-four-languages-in-a-few-years-heres-how

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliemaynor/1094701141/

April 17, 2012

Saving money on carry-on luggage fees

With the end of the school year just around the corner, it’s like you’ve booked a flight home or possibly a summer vacation. Last week, another one of the last low-cost airlines decided to change how they charge for carry-on luggage. http://articles.boston.com/2012-04-03/travel/31282210_1_baggage-fees-carry-on-luggage-overhead-bins Now they’ll charge for use of the overhead bin.

So how does that work then? Yep, unless your luggage fits in front of your feet it’s likely you’ll have to pay for it. Hopefully other airlines won’t follow suit too soon.

So what tips are there for students to save money when flying? WiseBread has a great article on it. The tip we like the most is “Hold It! Don’t Fold It”

The article states “Stacked clothes always leave peaks and valleys in a bag, and those areas waste valuable space. Rolled clothes wrinkle less, compress better, distribute volume more evenly, and ultimately use space more efficiently.”

For more tips, visit the full article at http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-avoid-new-carry-on-luggage-charges

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/toasty/2619866851/

April 14, 2012

Dealing with Bad Neighbors in College & The Dorms

Dealing with bad or noisy neighbors is not a fun thing. In college, often if you’re stuck with bad neighbors in the dorms, apartments, or the next house down, it’s often very unlikely they’ll leave. Students sign year long leases and RAs are very unlikely to transfer roommates around unless something major has occurred.

So what’s the best way to address this? Many people say building that bond and knowing neighbors on a first name basis early is important so that when issues do arise, it’ll be much easier to speak to them about it.

Another way is through this Annoying Neighbor Complaint Form:
Yes, it’s exactly like it sounds, a passive-aggressive form that is easy for you to fill out and submit to neighbors.

http://lifehacker.com/5901643/let-your-annoying-neighbors-know-how-you-feel-with-this-simple-complaint-form

So give it a try and let us know if it works!

This picture has no relevance at all to the post, it just looked so delicious.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/6663858147/