Classy Co-Ed’s Guide to Awesome Advising Appointments

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably trying to figure out what exactly you’re going to have to do to graduate on time (although I don’t know why anyone wants to leave college), get a good job or into graduate school, and all that good stuff. And if you’re even more like me, you probably need a little help. That’s where advisors come in: they’re a great resource for every classy co-ed if you know how to ask the right questions. I asked my advisor a few questions about how to have more productive advising appointments and now I’m passing that advice on to you.

• Do a little research- it helps to have a general idea of what you want to know. If you’re going to your advisor for advice on how to get into grad school for example, do some online searching to see what kinds of schools you think you want to go to. If there’s a class you desperately want to get into that’s full, go prepared to tell him or her exactly why you would be an asset to the class and why the class would be an asset to you
• Ask specific questions to get specific answers- I once went into my advisor and literally asked if I could switch from pre-med to pre-law and that was the only question I’d come prepared with. The answer? “Yes” and that was all. Which didn’t help me with what I actually wanted to know: what should I do to make the switch happen and still be successful? Make a list beforehand of what exactly you want to know. Write down any answers you don’t think you’ll remember later.
• Make sure you’re going to the best advisor for your questions- At Mizzou, I have two advisors specifically assigned to me (one in each of my majors), plus an Honors College advisor and the pre-law advisor. I didn’t even know there was a pre-law advisor until I was considering a double major, and found some things about law school on the Political Science website. Sometimes it helps to just dig around and send some e-mails to feel out the resources your school offers.
• Bring any important documents with you- If you want to discuss your chances of getting into a major program, internship, or graduate school, you’ll probably need copies of your transcripts, recommendation letters, test scores, etc so your advisor doesn’t have to waste time looking things up and he or she has all the information.
• Try to get to know your advisor and maintain a relationship with him/her- the more you get to know your advisor, the more he or she will know (and care) about you too. Your advisor sees lots of students who just pass through, asking requisite questions and never pausing to learn his or her name. Some advisors are really cool people, and if they know you, when opportunities come across their desks that would be perfect for you, they’ll let you know and maybe even write you a recommendation letter.

Kat McClain is an intern at College Lifestyles ™. She attends the University of Missouri-Columbia, is a member of Alpha Chi Omega, and is extremely excited about the start of football season. Go Tigers! She also enjoys reading magazines, watching trashy TV, and listening to the new Katy Perry cd.

Leadership For A New Semester – Putting Plans Into Action

Since everyone’s semester has probably already started, you’re all also probably getting into the swing of your clubs and organizations. If you’re in a leadership role in any of these, be it your sorority or the archery team or anything in between, you’ve most likely spent the summer planning tons of great things for the new semester. Now that it’s here, how do you implement all of these awesome plans?

1. Pump people up about your ideas!

Don’t keep these things a secret! It’s ok to let your chapter or your organization know all of the hard work you & your fellow leaders have put in so that everyone can get the most out of being a member. Don’t complain about all the work you did, but in a positive way, explain that there are plenty of fun things to look forward to this semester, whether it’s an extra special sisterhood event or the creation of a new tradition you think they’ll enjoy, spread the good news! This gets the members excited about these new events and invested in them. They will be more willing to volunteer to help you execute them if they feel that you’re being open and sharing information with them up front.

Can you tell I love SNL yet? But Hans & Franz know how to get people excited!

2. Make a List (or twenty)!

What needs to get done? Just like you (link) make lists in your planner for school, make lists for your organization’s projects.  This way it’ll get done in a timely manner like you envisioned this summer & you won’t wind up pulling an all-nighter to (in the words of Tim Gunn) make it work.

3. Delegate!

Now that you’ve got your members interested in your plans, let them help! I know I’m the worst at this & I’ve had to work really hard to improve over the years. Remember: not everything has to be done your way. It’ll still get done and someone might just have a better way to get it done that you didn’t think of! So use that list of everything that needs to be accomplished, and give someone else part of it!

4. Be Flexible!

Ever heard of Murphy’s Law?  Murphy said that anything that can go wrong will. And I’m sad to be the one to tell you: he’s right. So what is a classy co-ed who’s worked so hard to plan the perfect event to do? Well, sometimes you’ve just got to let things go.  Not everything is going to go your way. This doesn’t mean that your event is going to go haywire, but it does mean that not every detail will happen to the letter as you planned it. So the bus doesn’t leave at 8pm on the dot, so what? A classy co-ed knows the difference between when to laugh off a few things gone awry and when it’s time to go to plan B (or K, whatever’s necessary).

5. Have Fun!

Most importantly, enjoy your time this semester. You should’ve planned well enough in advance for your awesome event that you have time to sit back and enjoy it when it actually does get here. If not everything goes exactly as planned, relax, your sisters or friends will still have an awesome time and will still absolutely love you. So sit back and take it all in since you’ve created something awesome!

6. Take Mental Notes

While you are having all that crazy fun, be sure to take a few notes in the back of your mind. This way you’ll know how to improve for next time! College is all about learning, so take the opportunity to learn from everything you do, including planning events for your sorority or organization. Practice makes perfect!

Do you have any suggestions for being a great leader this semester? Share them below! We’d love to hear your tips!

Kathryn Moore is a College Lifestyles intern from Georgia Tech majoring in Public Policy. You can currently find her cheering on the Yellow Jackets’ Football Team every Saturday this Fall in between all the fun leadership seminars she loves attending on campus!

CL’s Guide to Study Skills!

Studying is essential to being successful in college but most students fail to follow the most helpful hints.  The school year has just started for most of us but before we know it we will be piled with quizzes, tests, and papers.  This year stay ahead and be prepared for a pop quiz or the week before midterms when it seems like all your doing is writing papers and studying.  Here are 10 study skills to keep in mind throughout the semester!

1. Take Good Notes: Taking notes is the key to being prepared for all quizzes, test, and papers.  Avoid taking notes on a computer because computers can easily distract you from what the professor is saying.  Remember not every word the professor says needs to be written down.  Only take down notes on what you feel is important and what the professor stresses over and over again.  Lastly, if you miss class be sure to ask a classmate for the notes.
2. Outline and Rewrite Notes: Organizing your notes after class allows everything to sink in to your brain.  Rewrite and outline the important topics discussed during class.  Doing this will make studying and getting ready for tests much easier in the long run.
3. Highlight or Underline: It is always helpful to highlight or underline important phrases or words.  If your professor keeps repeating something it will most likely be on the test, so highlight it.  I suggest highlighting all vocabulary words!
4. Ask Questions: If you don’t understand a topic ask your professor to explain it further.  If you are embarrassed to ask during class stay after class or send your professor an email.  Professors want to help you succeed and they don’t want to see you struggle.
5. Know What is Due When:  Be organized and know when everything is due or occurring.  If you have a test on Tuesday try not to wait until Monday to start studying for it.  Give yourself time and study a little bit every night.  Cramming is stressful and doesn’t have to be an option if you plan ahead.
6. Divide Large Tasks into Smaller Ones: It can be stressful when you look at a syllabus and realize you have 100 pages to read before your next class meeting in two days.  Divide your tasks into smaller ones and do a little bit each day or spread out big tasks throughout the day so your not focusing on one thing for hours at a time.
   

   Quinnipiac University Library- Arnold Bernhard Library

7. Library: Let the library become one of your best friends!  Working in a dorm may be more convenient but its also more distracting.  The library allows you to be in a quiet place with few distractions.  I find that I get more of my work done in a shorter period of time when I go to the library.
8. Don’t Study What You Already Know: Focus on the topics you don’t feel comfortable with.  These topics will be the most important categories to study first.  Skim over what you already know but pay more attention to the things you feel you haven’t grasped completely.
9. Study in Short Bursts:  Study for a half hour to an hour at a time on a subject then move on.  Rotate between the subjects you are studying for and take breaks in between.  Studying for hours at a time is overwhelming and can cause you to feel like you are not retaining information.
10. Eat Well and Get Enough Rest: I believe this is the most important key to being successful.  Stay in shape mentally, physically, and emotionally.  College students who eat well and get a full night of sleep are more alert and eager to learn then those who are depriving their bodies.

Check out Abby B’s article, “Color Code Your Life,” for tips on staying organized when life seems to hectic to handle.

Stephanie Coppola is an intern at College Lifestyles ™.  She is studying print journalism and sports studies at Quinnipiac University and she is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Theta.  She is excited to be reunited with her best friends for her senior year.

How Much Do You Love… You?

How much do you love you?

Seriously think about this question.  How much?

Enough to scribble your name in the margins of your notes and draw hearts around it?  Enough to gush endlessly about how “almost perfect” you are to anyone who will listen?  Enough to forget all the bad things you’ve ever done, and only remember the good?  Would you stare dreamily into your mirror-reflected eyes and –dare I say –steal a kiss?

I think you see where I’m going with this.  Do you love yourself that much?

I’m going out on a limb to say I’m sure most of you don’t.  I know I don’t.  I love myself, but not nearly as much as I should.  At one point in time, I loved an ex-boyfriend more than myself.  I couldn’t stop praising his wonderful attributes.  But while I was steady lifting him up on a pedestal, I was slowly bringing myself down by becoming increasingly critical of myself.  My flaws piled up, while his disappeared.  Eventually, I realized that he was not the right guy for me.  Although I loved him, I had to love myself more by moving on.  And I did.

But I wonder why is it so hard to apply the same intensity of love and devotion that we give to significant others to ourselves?  Why is it so easy to see the good in others and yet so hard to see the same in ourselves?

Falling in love with another person can seem like free-falling through the air.  So why is falling in love with ourselves an uphill battle?

What got me thinking about self-love began with a discussion I had with a group of ladies I meet with weekly.  In these meetings, which are called “Hot Topics,” we talk about things young women our age deal with.  This particular week we talked about our fears.  We realized that at the root of our fears were our struggles with self-esteem.  How we felt about ourselves influenced our fears.

For example, feeling less than worthy of someone’s attention encourages the fear of rejection.  I admitted that I feared not being good enough.  Just as easily I could have told the ladies that I felt I wasn’t good enough.  If I fear it, I must feel it, right?  If I was confident in myself, I wouldn’t need to fear not being good enough.  I didn’t realize this until after our “Hot Topics” meeting.

We decided that for the rest of the week we would focus on overcoming our fears and our bouts with low self-esteem.  In the days that followed, I became increasingly aware of moments when I would hesitate to do something.  I recognized this hesitation as a form of fear, and began asking myself, what are you afraid of, and why?  To answer “the why” I had to then ask myself, how do you feel about yourself?  Sometimes it would take a little digging, but each and every time, I realized I wasn’t feeling that great about myself.  My self-esteem was suffering.

And it was worse off than I thought it was.  I knew I felt a little down about myself, but I never realized how critical I was of myself.  There were parts of me that I didn’t like and didn’t accept, and parts of me that I flat out judged.  I was being my own “mean girl”.  I was being so critical of myself that I just had to ask: Do I love me?

I soon began asking myself whenever I felt a sense of hesitation or fear, or my low self-esteem getting ready to attack –how much do you love you?

Depending on the situation, I would answer “I love me enough to hold my head high when walking.”  “I love me enough to smile and say hi to this person.”  “I love me enough to know that I am good enough for someone to want to get to know me.”  “I love me enough to know that I am capable of doing [insert here whatever I may have been hesitant to do].”

This has worked more often than not.  And it has helped me become friendlier, meet new people, and take advantage of opportunities.  But most importantly, it has helped me to realize how crazy it is not to love myself as much as I should.

We should be totally in love with ourselves, but it is easier said than done. If you are learning to love you, here are a few tips to help you along the way:

1. Accept yourself for who you are. Sure there are things about you that you would like to change, and you can.  But who you are inherently –the parts of you that will never change –you should accept and learn to love.  Take the time to stare at yourself in the mirror, and get used to who you are seeing.  You will be seeing A LOT of her for the rest of your life.

2. Get to know you. You can’t accept yourself as you are if you don’t know who you are.  Figure out your likes and dislikes.  Discover your passions and what makes you smile, and pursue them.

3. Tell yourself you’re beautiful. Tell yourself you’re beautiful every day.  Not only because you are, but because if you don’t believe it, you will soon after hearing it so often.  Like, and then learn to love, what you see when you step in front of the mirror each and every morning.

4. Believe in yourself and your capabilities. Be your biggest fan and supporter.  Encourage who you will become.  When you truly love someone, you love him for who he is and who he can become.  You believe that he can become his best self.  Nurture that same belief within you.  Believe that you can become your best self.

5. Post notes around your dorm room or bedroom, and on your mirror. Inspire yourself each day with notes of encouragement and meaningful quotes.  Post sticky notes on your mirror that say, “I am beautiful” or “I love me.”  (If you don’t believe a post-it note can work wonders, check out Karen Wood’s article The Power of a Post-It: Operation Beautiful.)

Our self-esteem is like a rollercoaster that never ends.  It goes up.  It goes down.  Does a couple loops, and then comes back around to start all over again.  But we can do more than go along for the ride –we can control it.  We determine how we feel about ourselves.  And we choose to love ourselves.

How much of you will you love?

Are you crazy in love with you?  If so, how did you fall in love with you?  Share in the comments below.

Shannon Palmore is an intern with College Lifestyles, and a Senior majoring in English at Spelman College.  When her head is not stuck in a book, or in the clouds, where she dreams about culinary arts school and her first book signing event, she is searching for ways to live her best life (cue Oprah’s O Magazine).  Each day, she is learning to love herself more and more.

A Classy Co-Ed’s Guide to Fall Cleaning Your Closet

You’ve heard of “spring cleaning”, but what about fall cleaning? Fall is the perfect time to get everything in your closet organized and to donate the things you no longer wear. Going through all of your stuff before you pack up to head off to school will allow you to have more space in your luggage, less to carry and an excuse to go shopping! Here’s how to do it:

1. Clear everything that isn’t clothes or accessories out of your closet. All of those knickknacks are just preventing you from seeing what you have. With all of them gone it will seem like your closet is a much larger space—a great thing since you’ll be spending a lot of time in it.
2. Separate your clothes into piles by type. Make one pile for skirts, one for tops,    one for bottoms, and one for dresses. This will make it a lot easier to go through everything that you have.
3. Concentrate on one pile at a time—it’ll keep you from getting overwhelmed. Put anything that you haven’t worn in 9 months into the give away pile; that’s also the place for those jeans that only fit “on skinny days”!
4. Inventory what you have. Look for the pieces missing in your closet. Do you need jeans that actually fit? Do you have clothes for a job interview?
5. Get rid of every thing you don’t want! Find a new home for all of your unwanted clothing and accessories. Catalog everything you’re getting rid of and then bring everything to a local charity.

Making room in your closet and helping others—what a great way to spend the afternoon!

Alexandra Patterson is an aspiring writer/librarian who is currently studying abroad at the University of Exeter. She loves Audrey Hepburn movies, Frank Sinatra songs and rainy days.

7 Strategies for Conflict Management During Recruitment

Recruitment can be a stressful situation for everyone involved.  Long hours and approaching deadlines can sometimes produce tense situations.  However,  utilizing the following seven strategies for conflict management can prevent unwanted stress and negative energy:

1.  Give yourself time to calm down before approaching conflict.  If you do not take time to cool down, you are more likely to say and do things that you will regret later.  Several relationships experience conflict damage from snap decisions.

2.  Once you have given yourself time, choose your best method of communication but talk about it.  Though face-to-face interaction is a more direct method, E-mail or a phone call can serve the same purpose if you have a problem controlling your temper.  Use previous experience to determine the best method.  It might also be wise to explain to the other party involved why you chose that method of communication.

As a side note, using Facebook or other social networking sites to vent is probably not the best way to cool off.  These sites are public, at least to your friends, so airing out on these sites can lead to even more conflict.

3. Tone can completely change the intention of what you say in a conversation.  Keep a tone that implies you are seeking information versus accusing the other person of doing something wrong.

4.  Using tact means avoiding phrases, sentences, and even entire conversations that are offensive and/or demeaning.

Example:           

• Not using tact – “Okay, so I hate to say this, but you are really hurting the group.  Like seriously, GET IT TOGETHER!”

• Using tact – “I’ve noticed that you seem distant, and I think it may be affecting your performance.  Would you like to talk about this issue?

5.  Pretending that an issue does not exist could potentially cause a problem to grow.  Instead, being truthful will create an atmosphere of respect and trust.

6.  Give and take can help prevent conflict.  On the other hand, always giving in can lead to negative results.  If an issue is important to you, let the other person know and then work to meet somewhere in the middle.

7.  In general, learning to tolerate the differences in each other will foster teamwork and cooperation.  Different beliefs, backgrounds, and interests make your chapter unique and are an essential part of your identity.  So embrace them!

Kristin Studle is a senior at Western Kentucky University where she is majoring in Interactive Advertising and minoring in Sociology.  She is also a proud member of Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity, and she admits that she bleeds red, buff, and green.  In the little spare time that she has, Kristin likes to watch musicals, read, and try to make a positive impact on the world around her.

It’s a Co-Ed’s World

You know those girls you love to hate because they never study and still do great? Or can be as bitchy as they want only to get pegged as being witty? Or manage to defer all their exams because preference on February 14th went to a date in NYC instead of Psychology Statistics 2002?

Well I’m one of them. And although reading thus so far you’ve already rolled your eyes and cracked a smile, you will grow to love me.  Allow me to introduce you to the under appreciated lifestyle of your average “it” girl.

Approximately 14 seconds after setting foot onto Carleton’s campus, I learned a few minor adjustments that differentiated the Ottawa’s 613 from my Vancouver hometown of 604:

1. I was the most over-dressed person there. I gazed at my heels and then at the four flights of stairs to the Atrium ahead of me.
2. I had no idea how to read my schedule, let alone get to my classes…which had started 20 minutes ago.
3. I was homeless

But soon enough I had mapped out all 37 elevators, realized that the first week of classes didn’t really matter, and that friends with great sisters will always save you from a residence assignment on the high-tech floor.

It’s as simple as those tricks we all used to get away with in high school. You know like claiming you couldn’t take notes because your contact lenses didn’t come in for a whole year; or not going to the second half of class because you told your teacher meatloaf set fire in your microwave; or convincing your Socials 10 teacher that the week you took off to skip school was actually all your parents’ fault. Okay maybe it was only me. But I was continuously warned that once I got to university, my tricks would never work. And because I didn’t want to risk being wrong, I naturally, had to find new ones.

This is where I selflessly offer my expertise.

• university: an academic institution
• college: the lifestyle that comes with it

This is how I see it. Unlike university, college doesn’t come with a “how to” book, showcasing what it truly entails. I’m talking sex, fashion, parties and everything in between. Call me your modern guru to what’s not included in the smiling “Welcome to Carleton!” package.

I know what needs to be known, and better yet I’m kept in the know. And thanks to my favorite Epsilon Upsilon Beta boys, my lesson one was learned very early on: never let university get in the way of college.

Aliza Virani
Intern, College Lifestyles (TM)
Website: www.collegelifestyles.org

Aliza Virani is an intern at College Lifestyles (TM).  She is a communications and psychology major at Carleton University and a member of  Phi Sigma Sigma.  She loves summer, dresses, and high heels.

The CL Guide to a Rainy Day

We all know those days: it’s raining outside and you feel like there’s nothing to do. But just because it’s icky out, doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun! This guide will give you some tips on how to enjoy a rainy day in true CL style!

Picture From:  http://makehayrainorshine.com/

The Playlist

Sunday Morning- Maroon 5

Fast Car- Tracy Chapman

Rain Is a Good Thing- Luke Bryan

Out Loud- Dispatch

Breathe Me- Sia

Songs about Rain- Gary Allan

Let Go- Frou Frou

Fool in the Rain- O.A.R.

The Activities

-Puddle Jumping: Reconnect with your childhood and go dance around in the rain! Sure you’ll get wet, but that’s half the fun.

-Read a book: Rainy days are great for catching up on a good read. Check out this article for some ideas: http://collegelifestyles.org/2010/08/september-spotlight-books/

-Old Games: Break out your favorite board game from when you were a kid and challenge your friends! Jenga is one of my personal favorites.

Picture From: http://thesquigglyline.com/blog/innovation/jenga-block-financials/

-Take a bath: In all the stress of college life, it can be difficult to find time for yourself. Why not take a rainy day to draw yourself a bath, complete with candles and bath salts. Go ahead and indulge!

-Watch a movie: Grab some friends and have a movie night! Whether it’s an old classic like Sound of Music or a new favorite, you’re sure to have a good time.

The “Stuff”

-A good ole’ cup of Joe: Nothing beats curling up on the couch with a mug of hot coffee on a rainy day. Or if coffee isn’t your thing, try some warm tea. I would recommend Passion Fruit Tea, which is also great iced!

Picture from: http://www.newsandreviews.in/index.php/KnowNow/?title=how-a-mug-of-coffee-could-boost-your-bra&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

-A fuzzy blanket: What better way to accompany your warm drink than with a warm throw to wrap around you?

-Snacks: Make sure you have some great rainy day snacks on hand. Good choices are popcorn, M&M’s, or if you are trying to eat on the healthier side a delicious option is celery sticks with your choice of hummus.

-Rain boots: They may seem a little silly, but rain boots come in so many cute colors and designs! And they are great for puddle jumping.

Picture From: http://prommafia.com/2009/08/cute-rainboots/

Christine Kovach is a student at Florida State University where she is double majoring in Communications and English. She is a proud member of Sigma Delta Tau and loves travelling, dancing, and interior design.

The Dos and Don’ts of Having a New Member Class

So ladies it’s the happiest time of year. Now, I know what you’re thinking and no I’m not talking about Christmas or Hanukkah. Imagine an even happier time… why YES Sorority Recruitment, of course! The week of recruitment can be compared to all of those little presents you may get during the holidays. You know those ones nobody is ever truly enthusiastic about, like calendars and gift cards. Well Bid Day, ah Bid Day, is more like the most exquisite Michael Kors purse straight out of his new Spring collection you had been begging your parents for. Seeing all the new Panhellenic beauties sprinting to the lettered mansions to begin the newest chapter in their fairytale stories is truly extraordinary. Once you’re done with the glam and glitz of Bid Day, now what?

Here are some Dos and Don’ts to having new members in your sorority:

• DON’T teach them the English alphabet

The infamous letter “B”…it tends to bring up those awkward moments between you and the new member you’ve just met. What kind of subjects am I talking about? Boys, Booze, Bucks, Bush (oBama) and Bibles. Avoid every one of the B’s until the new member is initiated and comfortable enough to share these sorts of interesting facts with you. Keep in mind the other safe letters of the alphabet, “I” for interests and “H” for hobbies. Get to know your new beauties!

• DO teach them the Greek alphabet

Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Pi, Theta, Zeta, Xi.  Catchy songs, step clapping and hand signs are definitely all ways to any sorority girl’s heart. From songs we sing in the shower, to the ones we sing on the buses we take to socials we know them all by heart. But the songs that leave us voiceless as we shout them at the doors of our houses during Recruitment are by far the most important tunes. These songs help potential new members to get pumped and excited to enter the cougar den they see before them. Take a little time before Chapter or even in the car on the way to movie night to teach them these songs and what your letters mean to you. So ladies teach them all your adorable melodies and watch their faces light up.

• DON’T hoard them from your sisters

Now I know she is probably the perfect newbie and you’re even already thinking of things you can craft her but DON’T! It’s important for not only the new member to meet every sister it’s also important every one of your sisters meet the new additions.

• DO share them with your sisters

Remember that she’s is the newest member of your WHOLE sorority. It is vital that new members meet every amazing beautiful sister in your sorority. The only way for the newbie to feel completely comfortable is for her to be acquainted with every sister belonging to her new home.

• DON’T take them to bars

Nightlife and new members are a recipe for disaster. Since a majority of new members are under the legal age to drink, staying away from bars and drinking is vital. During the new member period sisters should be getting to know these girls not getting to know how many shots it takes for them to blackout. Seeing new members in bars with sisters is something that can be easily misconstrued ending in a serious consequence. So ladies for everyone’s sake, stay out of the bars with your newbie’s.

• DO take them to brunch

Create smiles and long lasting memories with a bunch of your sisters and new beauties through things like sushi dates, dinner and a movie and comedy clubs. Together you can enjoy a perfect night filled with laughs and stories to tell from things like Drag Queen Talent Shows or premiers of the adored Twilight Series. These new girls are who you’ve selected to lead your chapter when you graduate. Show them your sisterhood! Get to know them! Likes, dislikes, interests, goals… spoil them with your love and attention.

• DON’T teach them to walk of shame

Thinking of a quote for this DON’T was simple. Christian Dior said it best, “I will only say now that elegance must be the right combination of distinction, naturalness, care and simplicity”.  We can all agree that from the moment these new beauties anxiously open there Bid cards they are now representing your sorority but more so, Panhellenic. Keep in mind these new members know nothing about your rituals and even rules so please ladies, lead by example. Encourage the new girls to be classy and elegant, not only in their presentation but in their actions and words. Let’s face it ladies, we didn’t earn the title of classy-coeds through bad behavior.

• DO teach them to spread their love

Sisterhood, Sisterhood, Sisterhood. Ask any newbie what motivated her to keep going into those scary and loud cougar den’s that we call parties during Recruitment, the answer is evident. Sisterhood! Show them how much your sisters and your letters mean to you! Teach them to love and support one another no matter what. Show them just how excited you are that they ran home to your house!

Sara Newton is a junior at the very large University of Central Florida in Orlando Florida. She is studying Communications and English Writing along with being a very active member of her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. When she’s not spending time in “Thetaland” you can find her poolside with a great book or shopping till she drops living out her motto “keep calm and carry on”.

Chick Flicks for the Savvy Co-ed’s Study Breaks

Hi! My name is Erin, I am a Cinema major at Binghamton University, and I am super excited to be one of the newest interns here at College Lifestyles! I absolutely love movies and, though I am definitely no Rachel Zoe, the one thing I know about fashion is shoes! Ask anyone in my family or any one of my friends and they will tell you I am obsessed with shoes. One of my main goals in life is to one day own a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps, which usually run around $800. Good luck to me, right?!

Since I am a movie and television fanatic, I figured my first article should relate. This year, I will be living in a house with seven of my best friends in my sorority. Our favorite nighttime activity, like most classy coeds, is to cuddle up and watch a great, classic chick flick. Being a self-proclaimed “professional” movie critic, I must admit none of my all time favorite films are chick flicks, but who doesn’t enjoy watching other people fall in love? Once in a while we need to escape into a world that is not our own and these 5 films are my greatest escapes. Warning: don’t forget the Kleenex box!

1. Pretty Woman- Pretty woman, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, needs no explanation. Why this movie makes the cut on my best chick flicks list is pretty much self-explanatory! Pretty Woman is a classic fairy tale story of rags to riches (and love) and, by far, my favorite movie to escape into.

2. Mean Girls- In 2004, Mean Girls became a cult classic. Of course, no classy coed would ever behave like the mean girls in Mean Girls, but it is definitely one of my guilty pleasure movies. Directed by Mark Waters and starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Tina Fey, Mean Girls not only has an all-star cast, but everything a chick flick should have: Drama, romance, hot boys, cat fights and memorable lines that my friends and I still quote today.

3. The Notebook- When a movie is based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks, you know you’re going to end the movie in tears. The Notebook, staring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, directed by Nick Cassavetes, is no exception. What makes this film so appealing is that it is a story of everlasting love between rich and poor. It is about love lost and love gained and the best part is the two stars began dating in real life! That relationship didn’t last, but the love between Noah Calhoun and Alli Hamilton will live on in our hearts forever.

4. She’s The Man- Definitely not considered a “classic” chick flick, but She’s The Man, starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum, is one of the funniest movies on this list and is extremely underrated. The only way to explain this movie is to quote the poster: “Duke wants Olivia, who likes Sebastian, who is really Viola, whose brother is dating Monique so she hates Olivia, who’s dating Duke to make Sebastian jealous, who is really Viola, who’s crushing on Duke, who thinks she’s a guy…” I know, it’s confusing. Just watch it!

5. When Harry Met Sally- This romantic comedy directed by Rob Reiner, starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, is a classic by all standards. It is a film that appeals to both men and women by challenging the timeless question, “Can a woman and a man ever really be JUST friends?” We all have that best guy friend who has been in our lives for a while now and I bet most of you sometimes wonder if it could ever grow to be more than just friendship. After all, the best relationships form from being friends first. You’ll have to watch the film to see if Harry and Sally end up together or stay in the friend-zone!

Well, there they are, my top 5 chick flick movies. Some will make you laugh, most will make you cry, but all will provide the necessary escape from your own fears and anxieties we all sometimes need! What are you favorite chick flicks?

Erin Pitkow is a junior Cinema major at Binghamton University and a proud member of Alpha Epsilon Phi! She LOVES television and movies and is currently attempting to watch every movie listed in ’1001 Movies You Must Watch Before You Die’. 23 down, 978 to go!

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