Meet Ash: Your New Weekend Editor!

I’m a pop culture junkie who just graduated from college, moved to LA and rediscovered the magic of television. Because seriously, who has time to keep up with the Kardashians—or any of our favorite celebrities—amidst midterms, internships, rush week and grad school applications? Well from now on, I’m gonna make sure that you do.

Read the rest on CollegeCandy.com and, while you’re there, leave a prayer at my altar to old school Lindsay Lohan. Can her career make a comeback? THE LIMIT DOES NOT EXIST.

College Candy: So You’re a Virtual Intern?

Good news! More companies than ever are investing in virtual internship programs, which means interns can work from home. While still earning class credit. And building your résumé. Possibly without even taking off your make up from the night before and while “glancing” at new episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. If you snagged one this semester, it’s like a college girl’s dream!

…or so you thought. The freedom to “make your own hours” has turned into cramming ten-hours-a-week’s worth of work into the spare minutes between Vegas trips and parties. When you try to work, you can barely even stay awake. And since there’s no intern dress code, you’ve stayed in your pajamas for periods longer than you did during finals week.

However, I warn you: you’re probably receiving very real class credit, so your supervisors deserve very real results. And these little changes will make a big impact on your virtual internship experience:

Stick to a schedule. Set out time each day and each week to get your projects done – online tools like Google Calendar and Toggl help you keep track of your hours – and respect that time. What would your bosses think if they knew you were texting your boyfriend every ten minutes? Would you have a flashing Facebook browser tab open on the company computer? Put your cell phone/TV/distractions on silent, just as you would at a live internship.

 Get up and get dressed. It’s often advised that dressing up for phone interviews makes a candidate more confident, but doing so daily for your internship hours is like a ritual that mentally prepares you for your work day. Put on a little day make up and pop in your contacts; ditch the blazer if it’s too hot in your hometown, but seriously – no sweatpants.

Go to work. Just because you don’t need gas or a subway ticket doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still go to work. Carve out space designated for prime productivity: a table at a nearby coffee shop or a makeshift home office (well away from any TV). As long as your “commute” includes leaving your comfy bed, it’s one step closer tofulfilling your intern potential.

Network, network, network! Just because you haven’t (yet) met your company’s team face-to-face doesn’t mean you should forget about networking. BIG intern mistake. Set up weekly video chats with your supervisor to discuss your progress, start a Facebook Group with your fellow virtual interns to trade tips (and the occasional rant!). And be sure to connect with everyone you can on a professional networking tool likeLinkedIn  to keep in touch – if you show your dedicated work ethic through this virtual internship, the contacts you make could help you somewhere down your career path.

Hint: Let’s say you have a different virtual commitment – summer school homework, studying for the MCATs/GREs/LSATs/GMATs/future-defining-test-of-some-sort, even keeping up a new workout routine – these tips still contribute to successful results. And if you’re hoping to get a head start on the virtual internship hunt for fall, check out sites like Intern Queen. My favorite: CollegeFashionista hires virtual fashion writers from all over the world.

What’s the best thing about being a virtual intern? And what’s been the most difficult part of your experience?

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finished one virtual opportunity today and finishing another one soon. i always imagined that i’d be dressing up and commuting to a 9-5 after graduation, but there’s something about this flexible freelance life that’s so excitingly enticing. maybe this mobile workforce thing is actually going somewhere? interesting to see how the definition of “work” is changing by the minute.

College Candy: A Conversation with My 10-Year-Old Self

You don’t know me – well, not yet – but I’m you, now. And you’re my 10-year-old self. Yeah, this conversation is actually happening, because we have a LOT to discuss.

First of all, you’re ten! Congratulations on hitting the double digits! You’ve just completed the first decade of your life and even though you probably don’t remember the first half of it, you probably feel pretty grown up and ready to stare down any sassy 4th graders. But honestly, stop growing up so fast and smell the bubblegum ice cream! Savor all those carbs you can chew without feeling guilty! Paint your fingernails electric blue, put in purple feather extensions, wear creative clothing and run around on the playground. Trust me, when your homework gets harder and your waist gets a little bigger, you’ll wish you took advantage of your high energy and amazing metabolism.

Also, I wanted to warn you about a few…changes that are coming up for you. Is it scary that you’re gonna be wearing wired hardware around your chest and stick cotton and cardboard up that hole between your legs for the rest of your life? Okay, that sounds bad, but these two inventions are going to be your best friends until you’re Grandma’s age. You’ll also meet your third best friend later rather than sooner, but hold off on starting that relationship for as long as possible.

Speaking of which, I know you’re feeling a lot of pressure to date: to change your relationship status on MySpace, to tell your friends about your perfect kiss, to have a cute boy’s hand hold yours as tightly as he grips his Xbox 360 controller. I know you think he’s attractive right now – spiked hair, blue braces, strategically placed pimples along his smooth-and-absolutely-hairless chin – but boys actually look even better in a few years. I mean gorgeous, as if all the Backstreet Boys and Leonardo DiCaprio and the two older Lawrence brothers were all rolled into one. So if you can, believe that you’re better off without those boys. Like that dream guy you’ll be dating in college (oh, if only you knew!), you too are worth the wait.

As for what you’re gonna do with the rest of your life, I gotta tell you that not everyone becomes famous. There are more ways to make a living than singing pop songs into your webcam or taking pictures without your clothes on. You’ll figure it out when you explore your passions: try out for the volleyball team, experiment with acrylic paints, read fun novels and bring a warm sweater to that week-long science camp that school’s gonna bring you to next year. And after the life-changing drama from middle school and the overwhelming confusion of high school, you’ll find yourself in heaven college. The best years of life. When you get there, a blog called College Candy will help you with everything…but do NOT go on it until you’ve at least applied to a university. Until then, focus on what makes you happy, be selfish and have tons and tons of fun. You’re a smart, beautiful, talented girl and you definitely deserve it.

What advice would you give to your 10-year-old self? Do you think you would have listened? Share on College Candy what you would’ve said to yourself!

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i really wish i could’ve said this to my 10-year-old self; even my 15- and 20-year-old self could’ve used a few of these phrases. but what’s done is done and what’s yet to be done is on its way. if i were to receive a letter now from my future self, it’d probably say something like, “by the way, it all turns out pretty okay. so you can go and enjoy your life now.”

College Candy: Roommate Contracts - Friendly and Completely Necessary

Moving out of the childhood bedroom to live on-campus this year? Let us celebrate the end of parental nagging and the beginning of communal all-nighters during finals week and “interior decorating” via Target’s colorful and geometric dorm section, madeespecially for incoming freshmen like you. And don’t forget the best part: pillow talk with your new roommate/BFF/future-maid-of-honor-and-godmother-of-my-children. Because everyone always gets along perfectly with their new live-in “sister from another mister” and doesn’t end up sippin’ haterade all year like Sammi and JWoww did back in Miami, right?

Freshmen, don’t fear: use these tips to slap together a roommate contract. Not only are you living on your own for the first time, but you’ll be living with others girls from all different backgrounds, habits and comforts of home. Whining about how she hogs the shower or heavily debating who the hell really deserved that final rose last week could be the least of your worries. Plus, as a good friend, you’re just trying to protect her! Seriously, do it…just in case.

 Don’t sign anything until two weeks of class time has passed. Since you’ve never lived alone before, how do you know when you really like to head to bed (hint: it’s later than you think)? First, unpack boxes together while singing along to Rihanna, meet cute boys who worked out all summer and just got their braces off –enjoy your first weeks together and bond. Get used to your new class schedule, your new bed and the new you; you’ll find out how you want to live.

Can people die from living in such a dirty dorm?! Just because you’re out of your parents’ house doesn’t mean that list of chores magically disappeared. How neat do you need her “side” to be to save you from an anxiety attack? Don’t forget things like vacuuming, taking out the trash and cleaning up the kitchen and – yes, it has to be done – the bathroom. That includes removing both of your hair from the shower drain. And if you’re living an apartment or suite, draw up some group guidelines and a rotating calendar for washing the dishes (the deal to each wash your own dishes NEVER works).

Click here to collect more valuable tips and share horror stories on College Candy!

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I had so much fun writing this one. inspired by some infamous memories from freshman year, stories swapped while working as a resident adviser and my personal bad habits from being the absolute worst roommate ever. hey, it takes one to know one, so consider this post my kind of community service. :)

let me know your thoughts on this one and please share it with all your incoming freshmen friends!

College Candy: 5 Old School Gadgets of Our Parents’ Day

With tons of social media start-ups to stumble upon and check into, and brand new Apple products popping up left and right, it’s tough to keep up with the technology trends.

What’s even more difficult?

Trying to teach your parents how to use all these new means of communication. It gets exhausting reminding your Dad of all the different acronyms for laughing by text, and it can be embarrassing when your party pictures show up on your Mom’s news feed on Facebook. Really though, it’s not their fault. They’ve had to adjust to a lot of technology throughout their lifetime, “devolved” devices that are kinda – laughable – by today’s gadget standards.

Take a look:

Landline telephones. When was the last time you parked yourself by a landline to await an important call? Have your fingers twirled a phone cord lately while nervously flirting with the cute guy from class? Those faint memories from our childhood were all our parents used to know. And whether your parents work in the medical field or not, they probably had pagers. Sure, they had really annoying beeps and number codes, but they sure came in some flashy colors!

Typewriters. If you find yourself having trouble focusing on the million-page paper you have to write, log out of Facebook by turning off that laptop and pulling out your (grand)parents’ typewriter: no multiple tabs on Google Chrome to flip through, no IMs to respond to, no notifications to check! But this breakthrough piece of technology does have its drawbacks: there is no backspace button, so make sure to find an old eraser too. And there’s only one font option! No tricking your professor with 12.5 font now. 

Walkman. Apple may be the leading retailer for music players today, but it was all about Sony back in the day. The Sony Walkman not only played cassettes, but also had the option to switch to the radio. On the same device. Both AM and FM! Sure, it could only let the wearer carry around fifteen songs at a time – divided between two sides, of course – and it was a little bit bigger than the first generation iPod, but hey, it was a step up from the record player and it had a belt clip. So yeah, it was awesome.

Snail mail. The summer internship season is quickly approaching, and the application process always leads back to highly anticipated emails. Imagine looking for an opportunity without the convenience of the Internet: sending out letters, awaiting the mailman…and paying for stamps. This applies to everything – finding a job, paying the bills, and keeping in touch with loved ones across the country. Like everywhere else, presentation is key, so stationery selections were crucial!

News media. Feeling lost without an instant news feed? Your parents never had the option to refresh their morning newspapers. They also had to be watching a television during primetime to catch the latest news or a find radio with reception in order to get “in the know.” With only a few channels to choose from, entertainment media was scarce compared to the way it’s distributed now. But that way, everyone knew the same news, watched the shows, listened to the same music and danced the same dances (like the mashed potato, not the Dougie). Remember, this is when MTV actually played music videos. Not just clips, but entire music videos.

Looking back, it’s clear generations before ours had it rough. Therefore, it’s our moral obligation to put aside any frustrations and help our parents or their parents or anyone’s parents become acquainted with these “newfound” tools. And if/when you get frustrated (“Mom, just CLICK THE ATTACHMENT IN THE EMAILLLLL”), Google will be there to save the day.

What other electronics should blast back to the past, and which ones are your favorite replacements for the archaic? And what do you think about our other list: 5 college norms your parents will never understand?

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Another fun post for College Candy! My mom and I have always talked about these transitions, so it was great to put those conversations into this national blog. Thanks, Mom!

If you’re bored in class or looking for a new way to procrastinate, leave a comment on the post! It makes me look awesome when my content generates a buzz. :)

And I apologize for not blogging recently, these weeks have been flooded with work (yay!). I’ll be tumbling again soon - from the beach when the weather gets better.