For my fellow sorority newbies

I’m not quite sure if I’m experienced enough to give tips to other new sorority girls considering I’ve only been in mine for 19 days, but I’m going to anyways! LOL! Joining a sorority is a big step. It’s scary and fun and surprising and time consuming and emotional and exciting and frustrating all at once. But I am so glad I made the decision to join! I hope if you are considering rushing or if you have already accepted a bid, these tips will help you out.

1. You’re not going to become best friends with everyone instantly. It may seem like everyone is BESTIES the second you’re in, but it’s not actually like that. You will definitely be welcomed with open arms and you will meet tons of girls that will be super excited to have you. You’ll be greeted with hugs and pictures and smiles and it’s just an awesome feeling to feel so welcomed. But friendship takes time and the more you hang out with your sisters, the more you’ll get to know them and allow friendships to grow!

2. Get to know your pledge class girls! You’re pledge class girls are probably going to be the ones you are closest with. You’ll be going through everything with them and they’re in the same position as you. I’ve already gotten to be good friends with two of the girls in my pledge class and I feel like we are going to be great friends! Plus it’s always nice having someone to vent to about things bothering you or things you love during this whole new process.

3. Hazing is a myth nowadays. Despite the sorority movies you’ve seen on TV and your uncle’s stories from college, hazing can’t happen so easily. Hazing is against the law and majority of schools take it very very seriously. Most schools participate in anti hazing programs as well. I did not get hazed one bit during my process and none of my other friends who joined sororities have either. If you are somehow hazed, you should report it. Don’t ever do something that makes you uncomfortable.

4. Don’t pick potential bigs immediately. I know it’s natural to pick out the pretty and cool and awesome girls you would love to be your big, but don’t do it. You’ll get your hopes up and you may end up realizing these girls may not be the right mentor you need. But the flip side is that most sororities allow a mutual selection for big and little. My pledge class got a list of girls that are taking littles and we get to pick our top 5 favorite in order and the bigs will do the same. We’ll be matched based on our lists. they all seem really cool and I’ll be happy to have any of them as my big sister. Everything happens for a reason so clearly whoever is meant to be mine is on that list. 🙂

5. Balance your time. When you first join, you’re going to want to go to every sisterhood event and every social thing going on, but you need to make sure school comes first. If you have a test or homework, then skip an event. It won’t be the end of the world. No one will get mad at you. Also don’t ditch your non sorority friends. It’s really important to give them time. They were there for you much before your sorority so keep that in mind.

6. Keep it classy. You no longer only represent yourself, but you represent an entire organization now. Don’t wear your letters at parties and don’t announce to everyone that you are in whatever sorority you are in at a party. That’s what kind of stuff causes reputations to start about particular sororities. With that being said, don’t let it control your life. Go out and have fun! You’re in college after all! Just remember to be mindful and take a sober friend with you if you know you’re planning on getting crunk 😉 lol!

7. Don’t become a full time recruiter with your non greek friends. There’s nothing wrong with suggesting the idea to your non Greek friends but it can get annoying if you constantly pester them about joining. Greek life isn’t for everyone and your friends may not want to or need to be in a sorority. They might be fine just the way they are or they might want to join a diff organization!

8. Reach out and meet girls in other sororities. Panhellic peace is important. If you’re friends or acquaintances with girls in different sororities you will first of all, meet lots of new people, and second of all give a good impression for your sorority. Srat girls bitch about other sororities all the time and if you actually get to know some of the other girls you could think totally differently and vice versa.

9. Go ahead and figure out how you will pay your dues or arrange for someone to help you pay them. Even though new member dues aren’t due until the end of the semester, it’s important to figure out how you’re going to manage it. You don’t want to be stuck last minute with no way to pay.

Overall, have fun! The sorority experience is one for the books. You’ll have a great time and meet lots of awesome people! Just remember to stay true to who are and never change for anyone. I wish you all the best of luck!

Why I chose my major

Most college students don’t know what they really want to do. Shoot! I could change my mind tomorrow! But I don’t think I will. I truly do feel as if I found my calling. It’s three words: Integrated Marketing Communication. I will tell you my journey into picking this major and maybe it will help you with your own journey.

So right now you’re either thinking “what the fuck is that?” or “oooo she’s think she’s all fancy and smart”. I assure you it isn’t that complicated and I promise I’m not a big talk nerd. Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is basically marketing combined with mass communication. And if you don’t know what marketing really is, it’s the field of selling a product to customers or showing them how great this product is. All the products, commercials, advertisements, movies, TV shows, and all companies have marketing teams that try to get their name out there! Mass communications works with media and communicating to a mass audience of people. So IMC is the two of them together! (Hope that made sense!)

Before I started school I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I mean I really just wanted to become a popstar or oscar winning actress. Lol! I thought about various things in the medical field, but I knew in the back of my mind that I was really weak and science. I knew doctor was out of question because I was way too squeamish and hated going to the doctor. I didn’t like the environment. Pharmacy would be too boring. Then I shifted to computer science. Too much math (which I also was weak in) and it wouldn’t be something I would enjoy. Programming and coding all day in front of a screen? Not for me. Then I shifted to law and thought it might be the best fit, but law was something I wasn’t really passionate about. I knew I wasn’t confident enough to be a lawyer. I wasn’t tough enough. Then I thought about teaching and various other things but I knew that I wanted a more professional office setting job and I didn’t like kids that much to be around them all day and I wanted to make a decent amount of money.

When I decided to go to Winthrop I kept scrolling through the majors. Over and over again. I clicked on marketing first and saw that the marketing major was composed of a lot of classes that didn’t interest me but a lot that did. Then I found IMC and it clicked! It was a field that really interested me. Hands on stuff! Advertising, public relations, communications, etc. It seemed like a really good fit for me and after taking my first IMC class, I knew I was in the right place. My professor told us about the various internship offers Winthrop students get from all over the country! One girl even got to intern for MTV. I’m crave for the city and I know huge jobs and internships will be in big cities in this field.

I hope that once I get my degree and after my graduate one as well, that I get the opportunity to work for a huge company and be the president of their marketing team.

The road to getting my major won’t be easy, but I know once I get into my core major classes I will really really enjoy it. I just have to work hard and stay focused. When deciding what you want to do think of these questions: 1) Will I enjoy my job? 2) How much does salary matter to me? 3) Will I love this job enough to go through all these classes to get the degree? 4) Can I grow in this field and/or do I want to be somewhere I can grow and rise to the top? 5) Will this field have jobs for me where I may choose to live when I graduate? 6) How demanding will this field be for me? Will I have time for my own personal life?

Ask yourself these questions and do a pros and cons list for each career you are thinking. Choose the one that is best suited for the life style you want in the future. I cannot wait to learn more about my major! Hope you all find your place too!

Money saving tips for college students

This is mainly for college freshmen and sophomores but it can apply to anyone!

1. If possible meet up with your roommate and go shopping for your dorm or settle on what each person should buy. Splitting the cost of the items for the room will save you tons of money!

2. Don’t try to coordinate or stress a theme too much. This can become expensive. If the theme you want is blue and yellow chevron but your roomie can’t afford the same comforter or whatever, then drop it. Bring whatever YOU want for your side of the room. Don’t worry about your roommate’s side.

3. Buy your dorm materials from Walmart, Target, or even better ANY DOLLAR STORE! You’d be surprised at how cute some of the stuff is in dollar stores. I got all my storage bins, organizational items, and even a lamp from the dollar store. They have everything there!

4. Don’t share food. This may seem like a smart idea since you pay for half of the food and your roommate pays for the other half, but with two people eating the food runs out much more quickly and you’ll have to go shopping much more often. This is one thing you probably shouldn’t split.

5. Get a rewards card for CVS or Walgreens. There is usually a drugstore such as these near college campuses. You’ll be heading there to get pretty much everything so get a free rewards card and you’ll save money every time you buy something in the future.

6. If you don’t have a job or any money saved up, and have to depend on your parents’ money, then use it wisely. Keep tabs on everything youre spending. Don’t lavishly go out to eat all the time or buy cute $45 dresses because you “couldn’t resist”. Be smart about your money. Especially if it’s your parents’.

7. If you can walk somewhere then walk to it, and if your other friends have cars, take turns driving. This will save you a lot of gas money.

8. Borrow clothes! If you need something new to wear to the party, borrow clothes or switch outfits up with your friends. OF COURSE RETURN THEM! But this is a good way to save money.

9. Utilize coupons you get. I can’t even stress this enough. Don’t think you’re lame, just use the coupons!

There’s many more ways to save money but these are just a few I thought of. Hope it helps!

Why making your sophomore year busy, is a good idea

So you’re inching your way towards your sophomore year of college. Pretty big deal, huh? You’ve made it through one year of college already! It’s hard to believe and crazy to imagine and impossible to think, but yet it’s true. Your freshman year was basically you testing the waters and understanding college life. After a year, you’re pretty much an expert (maybe). Many freshmen join organizations on campus, go to tons of sports and cultural events, join a fraternity or sorority, and get a job. This post is NOT for those freshmen. 

I was part of the group of college freshmen that didn’t do…well pretty much anything. I wasn’t part of any organization, I didn’t have a job, and I went to very few sporting events and cultural events. And that was good for me. I needed that free time so I could find myself and figure out what I wanted and didn’t want to do. I don’t think it’s a really good thing to be super involved your first year of college. But your second year, it’s definitely a good thing. Here’s why:

You’ve had your laid back year. After freshmen year, things are just going to get tougher and tougher. You’re going to have harder and more demanding classes. You probably won’t be able to ace tests studying for them the night before. You’re classes will require more dedication. This means less parties and more studying. I know…it seems awful. But there’s a way to tackle fun and work and the way is; being busy! Last year you procrastinated on your school work because you didn’t have anything else to do. So planning for parties and nights out with friends could have become much more time consuming. The job market for people that have freshly graduated college is really competitive. Now, employers will not only be looking at your education, but your extra curricular. So it’s always a great advantage if you were part of a club or organization or have an internship to show on your resume. You can’t just breeze through college your whole time there. You have to work hard. I suggest getting an on campus job that’s flexible or joining a club/org that interests you. Maybe even consider Greek life. I am going to go through Informal Fall Recruitment when school starts and I’m going to try to get a paid tutoring position on campus. And if I have any time I might try to be a tour guide for my school as well. I don’t want to be overloaded with extra things, so we’ll see. This way you can be busy during the week. You’ll be motivated to get your work done. You’ll meet new people. You’ll see where you fit in. And you’ll avoid being around people you don’t want to be around. I met so many guys that ended up being jerks because I only met ones from a certain group. Being a part of different things can help me branch out and meet a variety of different people. Keep yourself busy, so you aren’t sad about being single or bored of having nothing to do. The more you have to do, the happier you will be and the more motivated you will be. ❤

Tragus Piercing 101

My 19th Birthday was on Saturday and I decided to be spontaneous and go get piercings with my friends. I decided I wanted to get a more unique piercing, so I went for the tragus. The tragus is that little piece in your ear, as shown in the pic above. I was pretty scared, because it’s thick and so I wasn’t so sure about how the pain would be or how it would look on me. But overall everything went well. Here’s everything you need to know about getting your tragus pierced!

• This is probably one of the cheapest piercings there are. The cost is usually anywhere from $20-$35. Maybe even cheaper at some places. Mine was $25 and it was a basic diamond stud. You are allowed to start off with a hoop instead of a stud with this piercing.
• Definitely take a friend with you if you get scared easily or have a low pain tolerance so you can hold their hand! Lol!
• If you want a subtle but exotic piercing, this is one to get. It’s small and not super noticeable, but it’s more unique.
• Tragus piercings need to be cleaned 3 times a day. They are more likely to get an infection than other ear piercings if not cleaned well. My piercer recommended buying clear, fragrance free, antibacterial soap and using that on it. He said I could also buy H2o Ocean Spray which is a piercing healing spray. And I could also just mix salt and water at home and use that as well.

So this is what happens:
1) You go in and they will let you pick out a stud or hoop that you want. I would go with the basic diamond because it will probably be less painful than a hoop and less expensive.
2) He/she will mark on your tragus with a marker to see if you are okay with the location of the piercing. If you want it a little differently, tell your piercer.
3) The piercing is done with a needle and a hollow tube.The process doesn’t take too long. Your tragus is thicker than most parts of your ear so they have to apply more pressure for it to get pierced. It will hurt. I’m going to be honest. The pain during the piercing is probably a 6 but it hurts more after it is over. It will be more painful for a little while. It might feel kind of sore the first day. The pain is completely gone the next morning though unless you touch it hard.
4) The tragus can get infected easier than other piercings if you don’t clean it well. The day after you got it pierced, it may bleed a little and this is totally normal. It takes about 4 to 6 weeks to heal. Clean it three times a day. Twice with the clear, fragrance free, anti bacterial soap, and once with salt water or H2o ocean spray.
5) It’s a pretty easy piercing to take care of! It heals faster than others as well. Just make sure to clean it well and don’t change your earring too soon or take it out.
*Also be careful with your hair and laying on the side of your piercing. Also for the first week or two it might be painful to put earphones that go inside your ear, in because the tragus sits on top of the earphone. So be careful with that as well*

Hope this helps!!

The truth about jealousy

Let’s face it, we all have that one person (or people) that we are jealous or envious of. It’s natural. It could be a friend, a random girl from school, celebrity, sister, or well just about anybody. Or it may not be a person that you are jealous but instead you may be a jealous person in general. You may get jealous of your boyfriend spending too much time with his friends or if he speaks to a girl. You might get jealous of your best friend having other friends. But at the end of the day, jealousy is just a bunch of shit.

Jealousy causes us to feel angry about things we can’t change. It causes us to be unhappy for other people, which isn’t a good thing. You may not even realize you’re a jealous person, unless you really think about it. I used to be one. Back in late elementary-middle school years I had a lot of insecurities. I constantly wished I looked like the most popular girl at my school and I found myself trying so hard to look like someone it was impossible for me to look like. Then, as if the insecurities with looks weren’t enough, I had major insecurities about my friends. I would jealous really easily of my friends. If two of my friends were hanging out without me it used to make me so upset. I used to really annoy my friends with my dramatic antics. Then I was jealous when my friends got boyfriends or had guys like them, because none of that happened to me at the time. I would start crushing on my friends’ boyfriends because those were the only guys I was exposed to. This phase lasted for a few years, but one day I just came to the conclusion that it was all so ridiculous and once I stopped all these envy, my life got so much better.

I’m here to tell anyone who is dealing with jealousy issues, to let go of it. You’re not Adriana Lima. You may not have your friend’s list of drop dead gorgeous ex boyfriends or current boyfriend. You may not be as rich as your neighbor. You might not have straight A’s like the girl who sits next to you in Biology. You may not get hit on at least 15 times whenever you go out like that girl you see at the club all the time. You may not have gotten into an ivy league school like your older brother. You may not get to go on a cruise with your best friends over the summer. But you know why all this is happening? Because none of this makes you who you are. You’re your own individual. You look a certain way, have certain talents, have certain people in your life and even though it may not seem like it, there are people craving to have something you already do. Be thankful for everything you are and everything you AREN’T. Because this is what makes you unique. As for when you feel jealousy when you can’t do something or get something you really want, but someone else has it…be happy for them. Because if you had whatever it is you want, you would want others to be happy for you too. Let go of little things. Jealousy is something that grows worse with age, so the sooner you let go, the better. I probably did by the time I was 14. It’s never too late. Be happy. Be positive. Be free. When you free yourself of anger, jealousy, and envy, I promise you will feel so much freedom. ❤

 

Friend groups

This upcoming year me, my current roommate Brandi and two of my other friends Angelie, and Jennifer are going to be suite mates. Me and Brandi in one room and Jennifer and Angelie in the other. We have never fought before, but we recently have been getting in some arguments and it started to stress me out. I was thinking to myself “oh my god, what if we all start hating each other this year and all of our friendships get ruined omg what am I going to do ahhhh!!!!!!”. Then I emailed my sister who was suite mates with her 3 best friends in college for two years. She told me similar to my situation, she and her friends never fought until the summer before they were going to room together.She gave me some fantastic advice on being in a group and I want to share it with you all because maybe you’re having similar problems: “ Friend groups are complicated Alina. It’s four different personalities meshing together and it’s a lot to work with. There is usually one person who is unhappy, mad, or annoyed with another person in the group. Then there’s usually one person who is trying to make everyone happy and usually cannot succeed (you in this case). But when all of this stresses you out, you have to take two steps back and realize friendship isn’t a job. Friendship shouldn’t be based on compromises and worrying about who feels left out or who isn’t pleased with this or that. It’s about being honest with each other and being able to accept your friends no matter what. It’s about keeping your cool and not lashing out on others no matter how much you disagree with what they are saying. It’s about loving and caring about each other no matter how much they can piss you off at times. And it’s about forgiving them over and over (unless they did something terrible like have an affair with your bf or something, which I doubt they would do). Your college friends are your family. You’ll be living together like a family. You’ll be telling each other your problems like a family. And guess what? Families argue all the time. Mom and Dad say things they don’t mean when they’re mad. It’s the same way with your college friend group. I lived with my friend group for the first two years of college and it wasn’t easy, but it was the funnest two years of college. Its inevitable there will be fights, but you guys will laugh about it years later I guarantee. I mean even the one you guys just had is a little ridiculous…you all were fighting over a birthday party. You aren’t 9, you guys are about to be 19. Keep reminding yourself that. Right now if you guys are still a little icy towards each other, be the bigger person and forgive. Consider them like me and Z, they’re your sisters. You guys need each other more than you know. It’s so obvious how each of you care so much about each other.”

Change the way you pray

Most of us people that follow a religion that involves prayer, usually only pray when we need or want something. And we usually pray for something specific. For example you could pray that you get into Harvard or whatever school you want to go to. You could pray that you get a job at your favorite place. You could pray that you start dating or marry a certain guy. You pray you get into a certain professor’s class. We all do this. But I think we’re all doing it wrong. Because we don’t know what’s actually best for us. We think we know. We know what we want but we don’t know if it is right for us. Only God or whoever believe in does.

That’s why I think we should change the style we pray. Instead of praying for a certain thing, we should pray for what is best for us. I know I was so set on going to USC Columbia when I was applying for colleges and I constantly prayed I would get in, because that was my dream school! But what ended up happening, was not USC. And now I realize why. The life I have at Winthrop University is so amazing and I know I would not have had this experience if I had went there. I met this guy a few years back and even though I didn’t know him well I had a good feeling about him. We were from the same community. Parents were friends. I was close to his sibling. We had many similarities. And I used to think, man this would be too good to be true if we ended up together. Our families would be ecstatic. I don’t know if I really prayed about it, but I did hope we would end up together. And now it seems almost impossible. When I actually got to know this person I realized we had a lot of differences and we were just at really different places in our lives. It just wouldn’t work out. I used to pray that my best friend from high school and I would go to the same college, but if we did I probably wouldn’t have had the same experience I did. And it wouldn’t have made our friendship as special. Now it’s a treat to see her!

Anyways my point is, only God knows what is best for us. And the things we are praying for might not be right. So just like they say “be careful what you wish for”. Your prayers could come true and you could end up being really disappointed. So when you pray, say “God I really want this ______ but I want you to do what is best for me.” It will give you a peace of mind I promise.

Nose Piercing 101

So you wanna be a badass and get your nose pierced? Welcome to the family. I wanted my nose pierced for as long as I can remember. Getting my nose pierced in high school would have been pretty risque though. I knew my parents would not have let me. I told myself I would do it the summer after I graduated. Did I? No. I’m a HUGE wimp when it comes to things like that. Instead I waited until I was in college and it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. It was November, almost 4 months of being in school, and I remember thinking “I need to just go for it if I’m going to do it”. So me and my roommate decided to get piercings together (she got her industrial). The main thing that was scaring me about the nose was the pain. I heard so many horror stories about it! Then I was scared that it wouldn’t look right on me. Then last but not least I was scared of what my family would say. Here’s all you need to know about nose piercings!

• DON’T LOOK UP VIDEOS. It will only scare you more.
• Listen to what other people have to say, but don’t take anything too seriously. Everyone’s piercing experiences are different.
• If you’re really concerned about how it will look, go to Claires and buy their fake “nose crystals” to see how you like it on yourself.
• If you don’t live at home or are over 18 and know your parents won’t murder you, go for it. It’s your life. It’s your nose.
• Plan for a friend to go with you to get it done so you won’t be as scared.

Now this is what happens when you go (now remember everywhere varies, but this is how it is in most cases):

1. Nose piercings can cost anywhere from $25-$60 depending on what nose stud you choose. (Some places will let you start off with a hoop, but most don’t).
2. You will go in and first choose your stud. I started off with the smallest possible fake diamond stud. It was $30.
3. They will clean your nose and mark on it with a pen to show you where they will pierce it. If you want them to change the location just tell them and they will remark it.
4. They will pierce it with a very thin but long needle (I recommend not looking). The process goes by very fast. You will feel a little pressure and then bam your nose ring is in. Your eyes will probably water a little bit, but it won’t be very painful I promise.
5. I don’t remember my nose feeling sore or anything, but after I stopped keeping up with cleaning it, it would get sore. So make sure to clean it regularly. The more you clean, the faster you get to change it!

It’s honestly worth it! I can’t believe I waited that long just because I was scared. It looks good on everyone and you can get all sorts of cute bling to wear in it. I would go for it if you’re considering it!