What Should Your College Major Actually Be?

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Thinking about what you want to study in college? (If you have no clue, it's okay!) Regardless of what your plans are, explore what options are out there by taking this fun Buzzfeed quiz to predict your future major! Disclaimer: Don't take the results too seriously!

The quiz can be found here.

Recruiting 101

During my junior year of high school, I started coxing. Probably 80% of you have zero clue what being a coxswain means, so for a brief explanation: I sit in the back of a boat with eight guys rowing and yell at them. I also steer, motivate, correct technique, etc. but the best part is definitely the yelling.  

Little did I know, less than two years later, I was a recruited Division I athlete competing at a national level. Being recruited completely changed my college admissions process, so I wanted to give you all some tips on how to get recruited:

That's me in the near boat!!

1. Contact college coaches early and often to let them know you are interested in them and to stay at the front of their mind (while always following NCAA rules).

2. Make sure your high school coach is willing to talk to college coaches about you.

3. Have someone record you while competing, so you have something tangible to show college coaches.

4. Study hard for your classes and standardized tests: This will make you a more attractive candidate to coaches, especially at universities with high academic standards.

5. Don't forget your #1 goal is finding the school that's the best fit for you. Remember, you're going to college to be a STUDENT-athlete.

College Spotlight: Wellsely

To be quite honest, some of my favorite memories have been at all women's colleges. Even though I am a guy, some of my best friends have attended Wellesley College. The Harvard of women's college, the education there cannot be beat! 

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My friends are able to take classes at nearby Harvard and MIT all while coming back home to a cozy college with all of their girls. When you visit this college, you can feel the knowledge and confidence radiating off these women. The best part though….are the buffet style food courts located in many of the dorms :D!

I have seen so many amazing opportunities that my girlfriends have recieved by attending this college. Foreign study programs, amazing art programs, and unrivaled tradition to boot!

Quick shout out though…Hillary Clinton went to school here,….if that gives you an idea of what a woman can achieve at this school!

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Spotlight on Academics: English

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This week I will be focusing on the college major of English. If you enjoy curling up with a delicious novel, are crazy about poetry, or just love to read and write, English could be the perfect area for you to study! Studying English could prepare you for a wide range of careers in education, media, publishing, law, and much more!

Why study English? Even if you don’t think you want to be a professional writer (starving young artist, anyone?!), studying literature will provide you with a range of versatile skills in critical thinking, writing, and analyzing complex information. Developing logical arguments in English papers, for example, could help prepare you to craft a coherent line of reasoning as a lawyer. With the writing skills you’ll hone as an English major, you could work for a business corporation, television network, or the government! Because the topic isn’t as skill-specific as something like engineering, the career possibilities with an English degree are almost endless!

How can I prepare now? Luckily, preparing yourself for a major in English isn’t difficult – keep reading and writing as much as possible! Head to your local bookstore or library and pick from among literature, nonfiction, or even collections of poetry – the options are practically limitless! You can also try writing for your school’s newspaper, literary publication, or other forms of print media. Even outside of an academic context, try writing just for fun! You can really never get too much practice.

English is definitely one of the most versatile majors out there, and can prepare you for a HUGE variety of exciting careers. Keep reading and writing, ladies!!

Office Hours

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One of the things I loved most about high school was how close I became with all of my teachers. Many of them seemed (and acted) like a second set of parents. They were never afraid to yell at me when I needed it, but offered more support and advice than I could ever ask for. When I first arrived at college, I immediately missed the hours I would spend talking with my high school teachers about academics, celebrities or surviving life in high school. But I soon learned I still had the chance to develop relationships with my professors.

Office hours are a time for students to meet with their professors outside of class time and discuss their work, the course or really anything they want! It's a great time to talk more about something you might not have covered in class, or anything you're confused about. If there's one thing I always wish I did at the end of each term, it's that I went to more office hours and got to know my amazing professors even better. Your teachers may give you hours of homework and tests, but they really are invaluable!

Decorating Tips!

I've always loved taking time to decorate my dorm: whether it's my many Beatles posters, finding interesting ways to sort my scarves, or putting up copious photos of all the people I love.

I am so messy when it comes to my jewelry! I can never keep my necklaces neat, or my earrings in order. My friend gave me an amazing idea though - and it works! I love how it adds some bling to my walls.













I really love doing this with my scarves as well.










Both of these are really easy to do: all you need are some thumbtacks, and a blank wall! Make sure that this is okay with your parents though. I don't want to be responsible for any holes in your walls that they don't want. Stick the thumbtacks in and hang your scarves, hats, necklaces! It's so practical AND super cute.

The Real Olivia Pope

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Nearly two years ago, I came across a commercial for a new show called Scandal. Set in Washington, DC, the show features actress Kerry Washington as crisis management consultant Olivia Pope. At first I was unsure what a 'crisis consultant' did exactly, but I soon learned that Olivia handles all of Washington's problems, no matter how crazy. Everything from corruption to murder by high government officials, when Olivia's on the case, "it's handled." (Her, and now my, favourite saying!)Olivia exudes confidence, and her fearless personality makes her respected and trusted by all of her colleagues. 

Although the scandals Olivia handles on the show every week are fictional, the inspiration for her character comes from Judy Smith, a crisis management expert for the last twenty five years in Washington, DC and Los Angeles. 

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Judy Smith is the President of Smith & Co, a crisis management firm she founded. She draws on communication, media, legal and political knowledge she honed over the years working for public relations firms, NBC, the US Attorney of the District of Columbia, and the White House under George W. Bush. Judy's worked with countless high profile clients and corporations, and has even counseled federal agencies and multiple heads of state. Her resume's more than I can list, so check it out here!

Judy attended Boston University, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations. From Boston University, she graduate from the American University Washington College of Law. At American, Judy was the first African-American women to be the Executive Editor of the Law Review. Talk about fearless!

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Quick Plug! You may Love Boston University too!
Boston University is set right in the heart of Boston, and with over 33,000 students, 10,000 faculty and 250 areas of study, there's so much to explore. BU boasts over 500 student organizations, including 85 Broads, UNICEF Campus Initiative and Student Government. Check out their website here for more information on their campus and student life!

Celebs Like Us

It's incredible to me how stars are able to balance being celebrities with going to college. I totally admire their dedication to getting a solid education!

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iCarly's Miranda Cosgrove is a Sophomore at USC

via: http://putu.us/hollywood-beauties/dakota-fanning-hollywood-beauties/dakota-fanning-arrives-2013-americans-arts-gala-ny/

Twilight's Dakota Fanning is a Junior at NYU

via: http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/1Bxn1DMyuRx/Moet+Chandon+Suite+2013+Open+Day+6/1Dnr8WmaCVI/Graham+Phillips

The Good Wife's Graham Phillips is a Sophomore at Princeton

via: http://www.filmoria.co.uk/2013/10/emma-watson-team-director-stephen-chbosky/
Harry Potter's Emma Watson is a Junior at Brown

Read more about these celebrities in college and more here!

Leadership Through Poetry

via: http://www.yale.edu/bsc/keynote%20dinner.html

Hello My Gorgeous Viewers!

Next weekend, Yale will be holding its 19^th Annual Black Solidarity Conference and the keynote speaker will be Nikki Giovanni.  She is a poet who has become prominent due to her work as a civil rights activist.

She was born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1943.  Growing up, she was close to her grandmother who influenced her writing.  Giovanni developed an appreciation for her African-American heritage because of her grandmother.  Nikki Giovanni explains in an interview that “[she] came from a long line of storytellers.”  As a young girl, Giovanni moved with her family to Cincinnati, Ohio, where her teachers served as a support system.  She attended Fisk University where she served as the editor of the campus literary magazine, participated in the Fisk Writers Workshop and worked to reactivate the Student Non-Violence Coordinating Committee (SNCC) chapter at Fisk. After graduating with a B.A. in history in 1968, Giovanni completed graduate studies at both UPenn and Columbia. Today, she is a professor at Rutgers University.

Not only has Nikki Giovanni produces literature like Gemini and Black Judgement for adults but also works like Ego-Tripping and Other Poems for Young People and Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship.

Be inspired. Get Involved. MAKE a CHANGE!

Reference: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/nikki-giovanni

Notebook Central

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One of the easiest and most important things you can do to be successful in school, activities and just life in general is to stay organized. There's so much to keep track of with assignments, emails and appointments that I can't keep it all in my head! Every day, I write all my class notes in a big three subject notebook, and my assignments and plans in a small, patterned notebook like these from Etsy. What do you do to stay organized? Let us know below and we'll try it out!

Inspiration for Sunday Workday.

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If you are on the internet right now looking at our blog, you are probably doing what I am….Procrastinating. 

I just wanted to give a little advice for the college application process. Everyone tells you that you must be in a sport, must play an instrument, and be in every club to get into the college of your dreams.

I want to let you know that is completely false.

Do what makes you happy and work your hardest at that. Get good grades, of course. But don't join clubs you don't enjoy….because that is a waste of the precious time you have in life to do what you love. 

Start an traditional irish step club, create an origami society, start a campus beautification project. That is what my friends did and they all got into college!

Big (Wo)man on Campus

via: http://www.makers.com/ruth-simmons

Who? Ruth Simmons

What?  Formerly Brown University's 18th President, first black President of an Ivy League, second female president of an Ivy League, mother of two

Why? Ruth has been an incredible force in breaking the glass ceiling for both women and African Americans in academia. Born to a sharecropper in Texas, Ruth was the youngest of 12 children. She went to college on a full scholarship, which launched her into the world of academics. Prior to her presidency at Brown, Ruth was the president of Smith College, the largest women's college in America, where she helped to start the first engineering program at an all-female college in the United States.

On growing up: "From second grade onward, I was reading all the time. My sisters and brothers used to complain there was something wrong with me...As time went on and I progressed through school that was pretty much the pattern. I was an odd duck...I think I found teachers who supported my oddity and I kept working hard and I managed to rise to the top of my class in high school."

Best advice she received from her mother: "Never consider yourself better than any other human being… Always act as if you have respect for another person even when you disagree with them."

On being a working woman: "I went to my supervisor and I said 'I discovered the salary of my colleague. He is being paid considerably more than I, while I am the senior person of the two. And I only want you to know one thing: I know that this is unfair and I will never feel the same way about working for you again' And that's all I said. So I was always unable to sit and take it, you know? I always spoke up for myself and it worked for me."

You can watch more of her interviews here and here!!

College Spotlight:

To help you learn more about the amazing colleges across the country, I will write in this blog about some of my favorite ones.  What makes these colleges so incredible range from location and traditions to academics and alums, hopefully these posts will encourage you to apply! :D

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Today I will be writing about Dartmouth College. I am a huge fan of this college, not only because of my great friends who attend, but also because of the sense of community and tradition it seems to uphold.   The smallest of the Ivy League schools and in the middle of the New Hampshire wilderness.

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You don’t have to just take my word for how amazing the school is. Just look at some of the alums. Dr. Suess, Robert Frost and most importantly Mindy Kaling. Kaling is best known for her work as a comedian and her sitcom The Mindy Project. Before this though she attended Dartmouth and graduated with a degree in Playwriting. While attending college she sang in an a cappella group and wrote for the school newspaper. Dartmouth College shows that with an education anything is possible, whether pursuing a life in entertainment or going into politics like Dartmouth alumna Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, a college degree will get you places.

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How do you get here!!!

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So, we have been getting a number of viewers contacting us asking how we got here. So I decided to talk about easily the worst part of the teenage years. Beyond acne, beyond braces, and yes even beyond that awkward crush on that kid in math class…..the SAT is what my teenage nightmares were made of. 

Don't worry though it is not impossible to do well! Just practice, practice, practice!! :)

So to help out with this, I added a widget on the upper right side of the page that will give you daily vocabulary. The more you see different vocabulary words, the more you easily you will be able to score well on the reading portion of the test!

Just scroll over "How to get Here" on the upper right of the page and start studying!

Spotlight on Academics: Political Science

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It’s never too early to think about what you might want to study in college! To give you some ideas, I will be highlighting a popular college major each week. Even if you’re sure you already know what you want to study, it never hurts to try something new, especially in your first year of college – exploring is the best part!

This week I will be focusing on political science. If you have dreams of working for a government agency, interest group, or political organization (first female president, anyone?!), then political science could be the major for you! Even if you’re not interested in  working in politics, studying human behavior and current events through a poli-sci major could prepare you for a variety of exciting careers including business, journalism, and law. Some politicians and celebrities who majored in political science include Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Condoleezza Rice, and Jerry Springer.

Wait, what exactly is political science, anyway? Put simply, it involves the study of political systems, processes, and ideas. You might take courses on American government, comparative politics, international relations, or political thought. Studying political science is a great way to develop valuable skills in writing, communication, and critical thinking. Don’t know anything about politics? That’s okay! The great thing about starting college is that you can take a variety of intro courses your first year – in many cases, background knowledge about the topic isn’t expected at all. Then, you can decide what topics or subject areas you want to explore in more depth.

What can I do now? Think you might want to study political science in college? There are tons of ways you can start to explore the subject area now. Join a club at school related to politics or government processes, whether it’s mock trial, Model United Nations, or student government. Watch or read the news to stay up-to-date on current events and what’s going on in the world. If you feel a little confused (what on earth is a budget sequester?!), talk to your parents or teachers and ask to hear their thoughts on political events and ideas. While no one expects you to join a political party now, it’s never too early to have your own opinions and ideas!

If you think political science is something you might be interested in, check out the websites of your favorite colleges to see what courses and programs they offer. I’ll be back with another popular major to explore next week!

FOMO: Fear of Missing Out

At college, there is ALWAYS something fun you could be doing (or missing out on). My freshman year, I really struggled to figure out how to balance my time. I felt like I was being pulled in so many different directions. Whenever my friends were doing something fun, I would be so afraid of missing out that I would completely abandon my work for the next day, so my grades slipped. I haven't been able to overcome my FOMO, but I've learned some really good tricks for time management...

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1. Make lists on lists: Whenever I start getting anxious about the all things I have to accomplish, I make a list of what I have to get done in order to be caught up with my work and my life.

2. Planners are your best friend: On my iCal, I keep an up to date schedule with classes, practices, meetings, and any social events, so I can instantly know when I have free time. Additionally, I have a Life Planner from Erin Condren that I use to keep track of all of my assignments. By keeping two planners, neither gets too cluttered!

3. Eat & study with friends: By working in the library with my friends or taking study breaks to get meals with them, I can hit two birds with one stone--I'm getting my work done and getting to spend (fun) quality time with my friends. Make sure they have work to do too though or else it will just be a distraction! 

4. Don't spread yourself too thin: One of the easiest ways to let the time slip away from you is by getting involved in too many activities. Freshman fall it seems like this is your one chance to join every single club. DO NOT DO IT. I promise almost all of the opportunities will still be there later. Get involved in 1 or 2 things and you can always ramp up from there if you want to.

Do you have any other great time management tips?

xx

Fighting the "Freshman 15"

How many of us go to college worried that we’ll gain the freshman fifteen after being bombarded with a million horror stories? YIKES! Well, if you’re anything like me, you may not gain the freshman fifteen at all. No, no. I gained the Junior 20!

But never fear! Shani is here to give you some tips on how to keep your figure and stay in shape.

1. Cook if you can

This can be a time-consuming task but with friends, this can be a very fun and worthwhile activity. When we cook, we leave out a lot of preservatives and we can keep a better eye on what we’re eating.  Think about it.  What is really in that cafeteria food anyways? And who can pronounce all of those foreign ingredients listed on the wrappers of our favorite packaged foods? They are foreign to us and are probably foreign to our bodies too.

2. Fight the Finger Foods

I love fries! And I bet most of you do too.  But remember that it is deep fried in grease. And while burgers and chicken nuggets/strips are quite delicious, these aren’t necessarily the best sources of protein.  What I won’t do is encourage you to stop eating these foods.  We all want to enjoy what we eat. We just need to eat certain food in moderation.  So instead, try substituting a handful of for a spoonful of string beans. Instead of chicken strips, maybe try a salad with (grilled or breaded) chicken on it.

3. Always Stay Active

This is how I avoided the freshman fifteen.  I joined my college step squad and I went to the gym to play squash regularly.  Find fun physical activities, ones that won’t make you dread running around, sweating and hopping up and down. Swimming, for example, is a great way to stay in shape.

4. Limit the “Love Pudge”

Beware! It’s easy to get in the rhythm of staying in with your significant other.  And with them reminding you everyday of how beautiful you are, you’ll forget that going out on dessert dates and cuddling on a couch too often leads to weight gain. Try not to get too attached to them because you’re in for a serious strike to your ego if you’re not happy with your body when you break up; they won’t be there to lift your spirits and remind you of how beautiful you are anymore.

This is how I gained my Junior 20.