I will miss it

I know I have been endlessly talking about how excited I am to be graduating and how sick I am of school but this morning I had a change of heart. I was in the library at 8 am and there were a decent amount of people in there and everyone was typing of discussing a project. The guy next to me got a phone call and was telling the person on the other line how he was never going to finish his project and he was freaking out.

My best friend stayed up all night to finish a presentation. I drank 3 cups of coffee yesterday and sat in the library for 7 hours writing a paper I should have written a month ago.

That's what I will miss. The excitement and the panic when you have 2 pages written of a 20 page paper and its due the next day. As much as I complain about class and projects, come september I'm sure I will be missing it!

What to Wear

With graduation only 18 days away, my friends and I (being girls of course) have gotten into a few conversations about what to wear to the big day.

Traditionally it is custom to wear white but I personally am not a fan of white so I'm going to opt for the non traditional attire.

One of my good friends said she wore black pants and black shoes and another said she wore a navy blue dress and nude heels.

For all you fellow senior girls out there I would appreciate some feed back on what you plan to wear. I don't think it really matters as long as it's tasteful correct?

It's never too late for an internship

In a previous blog I offered some advice for any students who weren't graduating this semester. One of the tips I offered was to get an internship. I never had one and it is something I highly regret. The job market is tough enough as it is right now and it's going to be so much harder to get a job with no experience at all.

An article I found on CNN.com spoke about college graduates who have been laid off getting internships rather than jobs.

Graduation Gifts Part II

After I posted about the three best graduation gifts I would like to receive, I got a response from someone who is not in this class, finally! Dana Schultze is a fellow blogger who has used her blog as a resume. She commented on my post by giving me a link to a website she has used to help her find gifts for graduates. Gifts.com is a great website to use when looking for specific gifts. I found 3 cute ideas ranging from $10 to $1000. In order from cheapest to most expensive:

1. Words of Wisdom Books: I think this is a really cute idea to get a graduate for a couple reasons. First, we are all scared about entering the real world and failing miserably. A little book with some real-world advice doesn't cost a lot and can help more than you think. Second, let's be serious, I know I am not getting a job when I graduate and I still need to exercise my brain so why not get me some nice reading material so that I have something to do while passing the time.

2. Some stocks: I like this idea because stocks right now are fairly cheap. It is the best time to buy so why not buy a few hundred dollars worth of stocks as a gift to give to a college graduate. This way when the stock market rises, the few hundred dollars you invested could turn into a few thousand!

3. A computer: In a previous post I blogged about how much I needed a new computer and how it would be a great graduation gift. Apparently I am not the only one who thinks this is true. A computer would make a better gift than most would think. Most teenagers get a computer after graduating high school to transition into their college career, but after 4 or 5 years, a computer gets filled with a lot of useless junk (I blame the downfall of my laptop on Limewire). A computer is a great gift, especially since my $16,000 of debt inhibits me from splurging on one for myself.

So, thanks to Dana Schultze, here are a few more great gift ideas for college graduates. I hope this helps!

Gonzo Journalism

In one of my classes today we talked about Literary Journalism and the 1960s. I have to say, I am obsessed with the era of the 1960s. The hippies, or counterculturalists as they are often called, amaze me. It's so interesting to think about the fact that the people that were against war and inequality and for civil rights and peace could be referred to in such a derogatory way. I mean, I do question the idea of communal living, but that aside. These days being a hippie is the norm. Wearing tye-dye and promoting peace is not only acceptable, but stylish and encouraged. I myself have caught the "peace and love bug" and I am not ashamed to say it.

Now my question is, with the age of newspapers "dying" as some like to say, why can't we go back to the age of Gonzo Journalism? Can't we all learn a little something from Hunter S. Thompson? Gonzo journalism is something that people want to read! Vivid descriptions, in-depth interviews, and using first hand experience to write a great story. Since many of us college students have all caught the "peace and love bug" why can't we all just graduate from college and take journalism by storm? I propose we start a movement. A Gonzo Journalism movement. Who's with me?

under pressure

So I am going to use this time to vent about all the stress that has consumed my life and basically feel sorry for myself. School is killing me! I have so much work to do. My research class is so much work. It's almost impossible to conduct a full blown research project in 5 weeks. I have so many papers to do and so little time. I have to somehow find copies of original newspaper articles on The Dred Scott Case of 1876 which also is nearly impossible! Two more weeks! I just keep telling myself that. If anyone has any suggestions on how to find old articles let me know!

practice makes perfect

Just when I thought my financial woes were over I am rudely awakened. Since I am preparing to take the LSAT, I have been told it is essential to enroll in a prep course and take lots and lots of practice tests. I have already read Kaplan's LSAT prep book which was helpful, but i definitely need more. I have found some really great prep courses such as Princeton Review. I have seen some advertisements around campus for MyTestPrepAce.com. I know Princeton review charges $1000 for a tutoring class and a lot more for individual tutoring. That's a lot of money! I did find, however, that UMBC offers a LSAT training course for $600, plus they take off an extra $50 if you sign up 6 weeks in advance. I will continue to search for the best rates around and keep you updated!