Monthly Archives: October 2010

How To stay healthy while living on Campus (part 1)

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Once upon a time, when I was a mere high school senior I heard LC utter the words “Freshman 15.” Little did I know this was not about

the amount of credits I would take on in a semester, nor was it the amount of times I would open a college text book…She was talking about the amount of pounds I was going to gain my freshman year.

At most colleges, such a BSU there are all you can eat buffets, easy to grab burgers, fries…lot of fries and countless desserts. It’s no wonder why college students gain so much weight! Not to mention the amount of free time that is spent lying on your bed catching up on missed episodes of The Bachelor.

Well…with all of my years of wisdom (and my new found fight against laziness attitude) I’m here to provide you with some tips and tricks to beat the unhealthy urges.

Tip 1: I know it will be difficult but don’t wear sweatpants every day. You will thank me! Take it from a chronic sweat-pant wearer. After a while you forget that you can wear jeans, then you go to put them on. And because of the stretchy loveliness of sweat-pant waist bands you don’t realize that you’re favorite jeans that fit you perfectly are now screaming at you and begging you not to wear them.

Tip 2: Cut down to having fries once a day. This includes home fries! I know they may seem healthy but they are fried in grease and filled with air. They really can’t be called potatoes anymore.

Tip 3: Smaller portions. College/all of America is behind on the idea of portion control. One of the things I’ve found with school is that portions seem to be way out of control. Not to mention by the time you get to a dinning hall your are starving and scarf down the entire plate of pasta, even though a quarter of it would’ve been find.

Tip 4: Walk to classes, or ride your bike. You might as well walk while you can, plus the bus smells weird.

Tip 5: Dedicate at least half an hour a day to a physical activity, ie. Going for a long walk, hitting the Gym, going for a swim (we even have a pool on campus!), or joining one of the FREE kick boxing classes we have on campus. After working out you will find you feel better about yourself and have enough energy to finish the paper you’ve been putting off.

Tip 6: Carry a water bottle. I’ve found that when I’m getting food (especially at Crimson) I always opt. to have soda (or ice tea) instead of just water, because I have to pay for the cup I’d rather get something other than water. But if you bring your water bottle you can get a free water cup (about the size of a dixie cup) and  fill up your water bottle with the free cup (since we aren’t supposed to fill our water bottles at the soda fountain.)

Tip 7: Have healthy snacks in your dorm room. I know that the vending machines on the ground floor will sometimes seduce you, but it will be easier to fight those middle of the night cravings if you have things like carrot sticks, unsweetened apple sauce (which is really good!!), Kashi breakfast bars, water, and Cheese stalked in your dorm room.

Tip 8:No time to hit the gym? Find an activity class. There are tons of them offered in the physical education section. Classes range from Tap (which is a lot of fun!) to Aerobics (Where you can meet amazing people) to Badminton! There is an activity class for everyone, and the times fit nicely into your schedule. They are usually only 1 credit and last for half of the semester.

Tip 9: Remember Bagels aren’t the healthiest breakfast foods.. neither are pop tarts or captin’ crunch. Although all are delicious, try to eliminate them from being daily occurrences. Instead try scrambled egg whites, an egg white omelet, or yogurt, granola and wheat toast. All of which will give you the energy you need and fill you up!

Tip 10: Take the stairs! I know what you are thinking…it stinks walking up three flights of stairs in two buildings one after the other. But think of the calories you are burning, and look at it this way…if you weren’t able to take a walk, run, or get to the gym at least you were able to do some sort of physical activity that day.

Always remember that it’s easier to stay healthy with a group of friends! Try a yoga video in the dorm  with your roommates, or make a pledge to eat healthy at least 3 days a week together. This way you can all work together on staying healthy.

How do you stay healthy at school? Do you have any other Tips? What’s your favorite form of exercise?

This is a cross post with the RCC blog. (go check it out and read some amazing posts!)

5 Ways to Score an Amazing Internship

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So you’re in your senior year, taking a look back at the all the late nights studying, long weekends ‘networking’, and countless part time jobs. And a couple of road trips to the Cape sprinkled on top for panache.

But now, looking ahead, youhave no idea what to do! Everyone your age has experience already and all you’ve got is working at McDonald’s for two months during the summer. Well I have good news and bad news.

Good News: There is always time to get an internship! Lots of workplaces take college grads as interns for the summer after they graduate, plus they are more likely to hire you full time come the fall!

Bad News: There are college seniors who have already had three internships and are applying for the same jobs as you. And sometimes, well most of the time, the experience on their resume will outshine your class work and other fluff you’ve put in to make it a page.

But have no fear! I’m here to help you find an award winning internship (or at least one to get by with) for the Spring. And who knows, maybe a potential job for after graduation!

1. There are a lot of websites out there to guide you in the right direction, one of my favorites is internshipratings.com. The website breaks the internships first by state, then major city and of course category. They have two rating systems, one involving questions on what type of work the internship involved and the other dealing with how the internship related to their school work. Also, they have a breakdown of what the internship can help with i.e., networking, salary compensation, fair hours etc. This website is best for the independent go get-er.

2. Career services, located on the ground floor of the Rondileau Campus Center, offers a wealth of knowledge for the unknowing.  Not only will they edit your resume and give helpful suggestions, but if you are a senior you can schedule an appointment for Senior Recruiting. During Senior Recruiting they will let you in on all of the amazing events they host throughout the semester (found on their webpage) as well as talk to you about your future plans and how to make them happen!

3. Monster.com is an amazing resource for people looking for a job! It not only offers you a place to supply potential employers your resume, but it is all completely free! After signing up and uploading your resume, which has been critique by career services, you can begin searching through thousands of jobs in your industry as well as location. Although it may seem confusing at first, if you take a deep breath and just look around your first time on the site you’ll find your second visit is easy. By the third time you’ll have mastered it and be submitting you resume by the hundreds! And for people unsure of this- over the summer I was contacted by FMglobal‘s HR department who had found my resume on Monster and wanted to bring me in to interview for an editorial internship at headquarters! So remember not only are you able to submit your resume Employers are able to find you based on the qualities that they are looking for.

4. Create your own blog! A blog is an amazing way to put yourself out there. Not only can you share your own ideas about what is happening in your industry, but you can alsocreate a name for yourself and showcase your writing ability. Another important tactic with blogs, is to add potential employer’s blogs to your google reader account, this way you can keep tabs on what is happening in your industry and be able to bring them up in your interview.

5. Up your Twitter game! Not only should you have a Twitter account, but you should also be tweeting..DAILY!  Twitter is an important tool for college students, it not only gives them insight into the “real world”, in an easy to digest 140 characters, but it also shares current world events. My favorite part about twitter are hash tag chats. This is when a group of people get together and use the same hash-tag (#hashtag < that’s what you would put if you were in achat talking about hash tags) to chat about something going on. You can usually jump into any chat, and can find them by following some industry leaders. Use these chats to network with the people you want to work for!

Hopefully this helps you on your way to finding your next, or first, internship!

Good Luck!

Have you had an Internship yet, Do you have other tips to finding one? How do you go about finding Internships/Jobs?

This is a cross post with the RCC blog. (go check it out and read some amazing posts!

Tip Of The Day

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Every morning, no matter how tired you are, try to wake up with a smile. Smiling is a proven way to fake your brain into thinking you’re happy.

and if that doesn’t work, set your computer to play one of these clips when you turn it on:

Not for the mature reader

If you thinking dressing up like a bear is funny

If you think destroying christmas is hysterical

If just this theme song will make you smile

 

And remember that Today Will Be The Best Day Ever! (or at least better than your worst)

How To: Write Your Own Version of Eat, Pray, Love

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One of the things on my bucket list is to move to another country. And I don’t mean something close by, I’m talking Paris, Italy …Greece?

I want to be able to live in a country that doesn’ speak my langauge, a country that I could get lost in and never be found (well eventually make it back to my apartment..hopefully), one that offers me the culture I seek and the her-story I want to find.

The reasoning behind this post is because I feel stuck. My passport recently expired and I feel as though I’m stuck in the States. And not that, that is a horrible place to be…but I want to find adventure…and Massachuettes/New England is not cutting it for me right now. I’m also trying to  convince a friend that he should move to Massachuettes..I’m sure the last sentence didn’t help out my case.  And..we all know that I have a thing

for running away…so that is a big part of it too.

Why should you live in another country, well because you need to grow up. I need to grow up, I need to get away from my family and friends who I’m comfortable with and experience real life on my own. That’s the only way to really find out what you’re made of…right? You should live in another country because of better job opportunities, and not only better but new and different ones too. And love…you never know if your soul mate is just waiting across a pond, or even a little south of you.

and now you ask, through your crazy laughter because this is a hysterical notion, but Courtney! How do I live in another country!

Well that’s really funny you should ask, because i have the perfect step by step guide for you …good thing you knew where to find me!g

For the Planner in you:

Step 1: Make a friend in the country where you should live

Step 2: Begin looking for a job. Unless you are

a real risk-taker, then just buy a plane ticket (i’ll do a mini guide for this type later)

Step 3: You found a job! Now you need to apply for a visa.

Step 4: Find a place to live. There are usually tons of temporary housing facilities, such as hostels (which are pretty cheap), where you could stay until you found something more permanent. Craigslist is a great way to find apartments in the U.S. as well as internationally now.

Step 5: scope out local coffee shops and decide which one is going to be your new stomping ground. Warning: This could take up to two weeks if the coffee is really good. But it might be good to adjust slowly to your new surroundings, and mingling with the locals wouldn’t be too horrible. Also make sure to try as many pastries as humanly possible, feel free to send some to me.

Step 6: Make sure to stay in touch with your family and friends back home. Although you are on a new adventure, you should still remain in contact with the people you care most about.

Step 7: Begin your new journey.

For the Risk Taker in you:

Step 1: Pick a destination

Step 2: Buy a one way plane ticket to destination

Step 3: Get off the plane and find a hostel to stay the night in

Step 4: find a local job, i.e., barista, waitress, street performer, writer

Step 5: ask around if anyone is renting a room out in their house

Step 6: send your family and friends an email to let them know where you are

step 7: Smile because you know everything will turn out amazing.

If you could move anywhere where would you move?    Do you have any tips for people who want to change countries?