Freshman year can get expensive, I know that, but what if I told you you could win $150 right now? What would you do with it? Well, as some of you may know, some of my beautiful blogger friends and i started running an instagram giveaway for a $150 venmo gifting! You don’t have to worry about a check getting lost in the mail - no hassle, no bs - all you simply need to enter is a venmo account (or paypal, if that’s what floats your boat)! It is so worth entering, so if you haven’t already, go enter right now! Now that we’ve got the business side of things covered, there are SO many things you can buy RIGHT NOW for $150, whether it’s one big purchase, or a few smaller items that all go together! Before we go into freshman year, we are constantly shopping for things and spending money like crazy. So, I wanted to share some practical (but also fun) ideas that you could spend this $150 on! Let’s get into it! A Nespresso Machine Essenza Mini $149.00 We all know that coffee is a necessity in college, so why not save a little money and have your own starbucks in your dorm? YES - this machine makes LATTES! So long, crappy Keurig coffee! This machine is SO cute and comes in a few different colors to match your vibe. It's nice and small, so you should be able to fit it in virtually any size room, whether it's a single or a double, (or if you're living in an apartment like me), it will fit virtually anywhere! Bedding from DormifyFinding cute bedding on a budget can feel impossible sometimes, but thankfully, Dormify knows what's up and has you covered! They have super cute comforters and duvets at lower prices than you would find somewhere like PB Teen, or even Bed Bath and Beyond. Dormify can be a one stop shop for all of your dorm room essentials, but if you start by finding your bedding first, it will be much easier to find decorations that match your vibe! Wall Decor from PBTeenPBTeen is another one of those places, like Dormify, that can be your one stop shop for every dorm essential you may need. They are a bit on the pricier side, but the quality of their product makes the price worth it. Here, I picked out a few staple statement pieces that will keep your dorm looking chic and put together! I know a calendar might not be on your “must haves” list, but trust me on this one, writing down your assignments in a place you will see them makes a world’s difference when it comes to your GPA (check out my other tips here). Fabric garland is just one of those things that can really bring a room together, especially if you hang it under the Decorative Cable System that is holding up all of the pictures of your cute friends! An Outfit for Recruitment from NordstromHaving a solid outfit for recruitment can make a huge difference when it comes to that first impression. Day 1 is always going to be a bit more casual than this, but I would argue that your second day is the most important anyways because that is the day you are really locking in your Pref. This is the PERFECT outfit for day 2. You aren’t going to as many houses, so the sandals over sneakers makes this outfit really come together. However, if you wanted to wear this for day 1, swap those sandals for a plain white sneaker and you’re good to go! Skincare Products from DermalogicaFreshman year is full of nights where we get ready, go out, and forget to take off our makeup when we come home. After one too many of these nights, I started to not feel confident in my skin. My face was full of acne and scarring and it took me so long to find a product that actually worked for me. Well, if you’re like me, you can stop looking now. Dermalogica is one of those companies that I can’t rave enough about. Their products have changed my skin drastically. After about a year and a half of using it on and off, I feel that I can go out in public confidently without a drop of makeup on my face. Their 16.9 oz bottle of cleanser literally lasts my boyfriend and I MONTHS before we have to buy a new one - YES, we both use the same bottle. Seriously, try it. Have I convinced you to enter the giveaway yet? It’s amazing how much we can actually get with $150, whether it’s one big splurge or not! So, I’m gonna leave this short and sweet because seriously, if you have made it this far without going back to enter the giveaway, props to you. The giveaway ends on THURSDAY 7/30, and the winner will be announced the following day! Stay happy, stay healthy, and for God’s sake, please wear your mask. xo, The Undergrad P.S. This post was not sponsored by any of these companies, I genuinely just love them! ☺
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Some of you may be thinking, Millie, you go to school in Utah, but you’re from California, so why are you on the east coast? Well, let me tell you. It has always been a dream of mine to live on the east coast. I’ve loved it ever since I was young. I originally wanted to go to college out here, but frankly, I went to the U because if for whatever reason I needed to get home fast, I could, and I’m also saving a lot of money through their residency program to get in state tuition! As many of you know, I have been interning for The Enough Podcast since September and have loved every second of it. It is based here in Baltimore, so my boyfriend and I talked it over and realized that it might be a good opportunity for us to save on rent by living with his parents and for me to work in person at my internship. Contrary to what my parents may think since I’m all the way across the country, this has been such an impactful experience for my career. Since I have been here, I also got a job with Mint + Major and have been working on some graphic design projects for them. I have made the best of friends with our little team and hope to continue with them remotely in the fall! But, let’s be real, that isn’t all I’ve been up to. the trip outLet’s start at the beginning. Gage and I decided that since I would be working, I should have my car. So, we packed up all of our stuff into my little Volkswagen Golf and hit the road on May 31st. We stopped in Denver for a night so that I could see my best friend, Sarah, and we could get a good night’s sleep before the 25 hour drive we had ahead of us. We left Denver around 5am and started heading east. Gage nor I had seen most of the Midwest and we were so surprised with it. It was gorgeous. We listened to all sorts of podcasts along the way, some fun ones, but mostly true crime to keep us engaged and awake. Podcasts we listened to:
The worst part of the trip? Definitely hitting Ohio at 3am and having a podcast playing about haunted games you should never play. Thanks for that one, Gage. All in all, though, we had a fantastic time on the road trip and everything went very smoothly. We are pro roadtrippers together, so we are excited for the trip back! boston A few weeks into our time here, I ended up having a weekend off, so Gage surprised me with a trip up to Boston since he knew that it was on my bucket list. Can someone say best boyfriend ever?! We booked a cute little hotel room and spent most of our days taking walks and exploring the city. Since I love dark tourism, we visited the Salem Witch House and went to all of the spooky little spots. We also walked around Cambridge and saw Harvard for the first time, and boy, it really did make me wish I did better in school, but I’m happy where I’m at! We got some amazing pizza for dinner in Brookline and went for coffee on the harbor the following morning before hitting the road. It was a short trip, so we are probably going to go back (maybe even this weekend), and go a different route to see some new states! I love how close everything is out here because weekend trips are SO easy! deep creek lakeAnother thing we have been doing a lot is making trips up to Deep Creek. We have gone up for three different weekends now and I am in love with the area. I am such a lake girl, so being back on the water has been so good for me. There, we spend most of our days swimming, laying out on the dock, and playing cornhole up on the deck. Nights are for bonfires, family dinners, and s’mores. Getting up there is a nice little getaway from the world around us. There isn’t any phone service, so it's easy to unplug! I have loved every second of my east coast summer. I love the friends I have made and the memories that will stick with me. I came out here completely cut off financially from my parents, so it was a really great learning experience for me! I've been learning how to budget even more than I did before and have been really feeling like an adult for one of the first times in my life. I love it out here and can’t wait until the day I can make the move permanent. What has your summer looked like? Send me a message, or reach out on Instagram! Xo, The Undergrad I know you all may be thinking Well, well, well, Millie, long time no talk. And yes, I have been pretty MIA when it comes to writing blog posts, but I have had a lot going on! For those of you who may not know, this summer I made the big jump from staying at home for quarantine in California to working at a big girl job across the country in Maryland. I started the drive out with $500 for gas and food and that was it because I am an independent woman. I know this seems impossible to do at this day in age, but trust me, moving across the country with only $500 is possible, but you’ve gotta have the right support system. I highly recommend doing it - it’s very liberating, anyways moving on. I will do a separate blog post this week, probably on Friday, to explain in depth everything that I have been up to since my last blog post and all the deets of the road trip, but for now, here's a little overview of what's been going on! I drove across the country in 2 ½ days, got a fantastic job, spoke on a podcast, visited Boston, and have spent many days enjoying the lake. Now, that’s enough about me. I want to start talking to our lovely recent high school grads (congratulations, btw) and tell them everything they need to know about rushing this year. (obviously, if you are already in college and planning on rushing, this is also for you) We all know, thanks to the wonderful Miss Rona, that recruitment will be looking a LOT different this year, and will most likely look different for every school. I’m not going to be giving you a step by step on how it is all going to go down, because even our chapters don’t necessarily know that yet, but I will give you a little bit of advice. The most important piece of advice to remember? Just because recruitment is online doesn’t mean you shouldn’t rush! Repeat that. Now, repeat it again and keep saying it to yourself until you believe it. I cannot stress enough how important rushing is. This is a time that we should be wanting to go through recruitment more than ever. With classes most likely being online and many schools having to change their dorm policies to only have one person to a room, it can be so nerve wracking to find a sense of community at a new school, potentially in a new state, in the climate that we are in. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, I’m not a sorority girl, I won’t fit into any of the sororities. Well, get those thoughts out of your head because they are just straight up lies your brain is feeding you that are rooted in a fear of not fitting in. How do I know these are lies? Because I thought the same thing during recruitment. I thought I was going to get dropped from my dream house, which I did and I dodged a bullet with that one, but I discovered a whole new love for a chapter that I actually fit into. I am a firm believer that there is a sorority that is made for everyone, even if it takes going through the whole recruitment process and getting your heart broken by multiple chapters. Yes, you heard me right - getting your heart broken. Some people are lucky and their recruitment goes smoothly and they get everything they want, while others have to make a lot of tough decisions, whether it’s deciding to continue with a house that they don’t like right away, or picking your new favorite house after your top house drops you. Recruitment throws you through the wringer for sure, but in the end, it’s all very worth it. Once you are through recruitment, you tend to find your place and your people pretty quick. If you don’t feel like you fit in with your pledge class, don’t worry! The older members will most likely take you under their wings and help get you more connected in the chapter. Once you get your big, you will really start to feel connected! This connection is what’s crucial to develop this year. Because of Corona, we may not get the same opportunities to connect with others on campus that we would typically get while we aren’t in a pandemic. Dorms will look different, dining halls will look different, classrooms will look different. What isn't different? The opportunity to find a connection with a sisterhood. This should be where you start. There are a few things that you should remember to do before rushing. Since this recruitment season is already looking different with being able to talk to sorority girls before rushing (this is at least the case at our school, maybe not others), reaching out to people is very important, but you want to make sure that you shed a good light on yourself since you are a potential new member to their chapter. Here are a few ways you can prepare yourself: 1. Know your worth and don’t be shy about your talent and accomplishments! You want to show them your strengths and show them what you would be able to bring to their chapter. How did I do this? I posted a lot of my graphic design on social media leading up to recruitment and talked about the app I was creating at the time. This showed that I could bring creativity and leadership to the chapter. Think about what your strengths are and how you could display them to your peers. If you can’t think of how to do that without telling them, no worries, you will be asked a lot of questions during recruitment that will give you the opportunity to talk about those strengths. 2. Clean up your social media Remember when you were a junior in high school at your first party and you posted a picture with that white claw in your hand? No? Well, more often than not, there is going to be one of those pictures deep in your feed and you’re going to want to delete it (or archive it, we won’t know). A big thing sorority girls look out for on social media is the presence of alcohol or drugs in the same photo as people who are under 21 years old. We look out for this because, well, that’s illegal and it’s actually something your future employers will look out for as well. I know it may seem like a dumb rule, but it is really just to prepare you for the future. This does not mean you can’t drink or partake in the devils lettuce if that is what you prefer! Of course you can do anything at your own risk, just be safe and smart about it. 3. Be authentic This is my last, and best piece of advice I could give you for recruitment. Believe it or not, we can tell when girls aren’t being real and they are just putting on a show to try and get into the top house (shoutout to DG for being voted favorite sorority on campus for the past two years). We can also tell when girls give us the cold shoulder because they only want to focus on getting into a specific house. Neither of these things are attractive to a recruiter. Be your true and honest self. If someone reaches out to you asking if you have any questions, follow up with them. Ask the tough questions to make sure that you would be a good fit. All we ask is that you are a good human and just be yourself. If you aren’t being authentic, you may end up somewhere that you end up not liking in the long run! Well, I know that there is a lot of (probably repetitive) information here, so I am going to leave it at that. If you have any questions about rushing or what my recruitment experience was like, don’t hesitate to reach out and send me a message! Recruitment is one of my favorite times of the year, so I have a big passion for it and can help calm all your worries about it. Until next time, stay happy, stay healthy, stay real. xo, The Undergrad |
AUTHORCamille Baron is a 20 year old attending the University of Utah and is in her third year as a Strategic Communications major. She strives to educate college women like herself to achieve their full potential in all aspects of life. ARCHIVES
July 2020
CATEGORIESAll Business And Professional College Culture Education Health And Wellness Self Care Travel |