Sunday, February 26, 2012

Guest post from Hannah

Today I am so excited to have Hannah from The Pink and Green Prep posting for me! Her blog is so cute and she has some awesome tips for me and my readers today!
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Hello!! I'm Hannah and I write the blog The Pink and Green Prep. If y'all don't read my blog, I'll give you a little bit of a background. I'm from Memphis, Tennessee but I live in Connecticut until I head off to college in the fall. Since I'm in the midst of graduating high school, I thought I would give y'all some advice on the college process and senior year!! Here are my tips!!



1. Take as many advanced/AP/honors classes as you can possibly handle. If your school offers AP's and if you have the grades for them, take them!! They are a great way to bump up your academic resume. Advanced classes are like candy to colleges; they absolutely crave them and they make you as a candidate look great.






2. Do applications and supplements as early and as efficiently as you can. I cannot stress this enough, it is absolutely awful to put off college work to the last minute. I speak from experience: I was filling out my 7-question-ridiculously-hard supplement from Wake Forest 2 days before it was due on January 1st. It was a huge mistake and it's not worth the stress. The Common App goes live on August 1st, so fill out the easy questions before school starts. Get it out of the way and you'll feel much better.



3. Visit colleges before you decide which ones you're applying to. Get all of your college visits out of the way in your junior year, so that during senior fall you can focus on apps and your schoolwork. Also, you could think that you love a college but end up hating it when you visit!! Just because someone tells you that you might like a college does not mean you are going to. Here's a story: over the summer before my senior year, I made my "top colleges" list, comprising of Vanderbilt, SMU, Auburn, and Wake Forest. I had already seen Vanderbilt, so I knew that I loved it, but since people told me that I would be great at SMU and Auburn, I believed that I would automatically like it. Noooo. I visited SMU and Auburn over one weekend my senior fall and I ended up not liking either of them. I had to completely revise my college list after that. VISIT COLLEGES SOON. DO IT.





4. An easy way to look more attractive to colleges is to have a great extracurricular list. Colleges look for involvement as well as dedication. It's good to create clubs at school, do community service, be on a sports team, be involved in the school musical or play...anything!! Most college advisors will tell y'all this, but the extracurricular list is really important and SO EASY.




5. Don't depend on only one school. Have a first choice, of course, but always remember to have a second choice, a third choice, etc....don't put all of your eggs in one basket!! You never know what's going to happen and you need to be prepared. My college advisor told me that I need a positive plan and then a backup plan for my first choice school. Crazy things happen during college season and it's good to have alternative situations planned out!



I hope that this helps everyone!! The college search is a crazy time for everyone, so don't feel as though you're the only one stressed out and frazzled!! This sounds cliché but...it gets better!! Soon enough y'all will be into college and having a great time!!



I hope everyone has a fabulous day!! Good luck to dWa on her college visits!!!



xoxo, Hannah

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Guest Post from Emily E.

Today I have Emily E. from The Wide World of E as my guest poster. I love that she is just a year older than me and can inform me of all the important things I may need to know when applying or visiting colleges and today her post applies to my busy life as well! Also, while on my trip my Chi hair straightener broke and I need to replace it and I was wondering if y'all knew of anything better to replace it with. Also I have heard rumors that you can take it to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and tell them it is broken that they will give you a new one for free no questions asked. If any of y'all know anything about that or have any suggestions PLEASE comment! Now back to the lovely Emily and her fabulous post!
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Hey everyone! My name is Emily from The Wide World of E and I'm guest blogging for dWa today. 
I'm so excited that she asked me to blog again! This time, I'll be talking about getting involved in your school community. 

I moved from Rhode Island my freshman year of high school, so needless to say, I was even more lost than the average freshman. Everyone is always told that in order to "find yourself" in high school, you need to get involved. However, in some schools, especially those that are bigger, there are so many options on what to get involved in that it can be challenging to know what to sign up for. Then, there are cases where nothing really sparks your interest. Here's some steps on how to get involved, whether you are in middle school, high school, or college!

1. Think about YOU!
What are your interests? If you could do one thing for an entire year and not worry about anything else, what would you do? Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? When I thought about my passions, a few things came to mind: sailing, empowering people, self improvement, leadership, school spirit, and community service. Yes, you can have more than one! This can be hard to think about in your head. My suggestion is write it down! List everything! List moments that made you the happiest, times you felt motivated, what motivated you, who you admire and why, you get the idea. 

2. Do some research.
Now you have your list. You know where your talents and passions lie, so now, you need to start searching. Look for different clubs, sports, programs, etc. that your school offers that correspond to the things on your list. For me, I found the Varsity Sailing Team, Student Leadership, National Honor Society, and a summer job as a Sailing Instructor. This covered some things on my list, but not everything. This may happen to you, too, whether it be due to a lack of organizations your school offers, your interests, etc. Don't worry! This can be a good thing! I wanted to do a service club for Operation Smile, but our whole county, let alone school, did not offer it. So I started a club. You can do this, too! There are many schools that won't allow students to start clubs, so if this is your circumstance, just start the club and meet at a home, library, or other local place. That way, you can still pursue your passion! 

3. Throw yourself into it!
Okay, not literally. What I mean is, get super involved! Don't ever just sign up for something because you think it will look good on a resume. Trust me, the reader can see it. Get involved because you truly have a desire for it. Take on some responsibilities, try for leadership positions, spread your passion with others. Sometimes, you can use one passion in multiple areas. For example, I used my passion for Operation Smile in my other activities. I was the President of my yacht club's juniors (people under 18). We run a summer long fundraiser for an organization, so I chose Op Smile as ours last summer. As a sailing instructor, I motivated my students to get involved in our project so that they could learn about Op Smile. In school, we ran a TOMS Style Your Sole night with proceeds going to Op Smile. Do you see what I mean? You need to spread your passion wherever you go in whatever you do. Bottom line: whatever you do, just do it well. 

4. Empower others to do the same.
This one is really important; more important than most people realize. To truly have a passion for something means wanting to share it with others. That person does not have to be a soccer player like you, but maybe through your efforts with doing a soccer ball drive for kids in Argentina, coaching a recreational team, and being the leader of your school's athletic club, they saw their potential to do similar things with their passion for playing the cello. Encourage them to pursue these dreams. You could even offer to help them get started. 

5. Keep it in perspective and get organized.
None of us can do 36 hours of work in a 24 hour day. That is impossible. Don't ever take on more than you can handle because your job or your schoolwork comes first. You can, though, do more than you think. I'm told at least once a week that I spread myself too thin. The thing is, I don't. At all. I always answer this the same way, "I really don't. I'm just really good friends with my planner." Honestly, that is the key to EVERYTHING! If you can schedule and stay on your schedule, then trust me, you can do anything. The more organized you are, the better! There are so many ways to get organized and everyone has their own preferences. My advice is, figure out what works for you. When are you the most productive? Why? How can you do that every single day? Once you figure that out, all you have to do is do it. 

I hope these tips help! If you need any suggestions for how to get involved or need ideas on projects, don't hesitate to email me at thewideworldofe@gmail.com!

Thank you so much again to dWa for letting me guest blog! 

Have a great day,
 

Friday, February 24, 2012

Guest Post from Emily C.

Today Emily Carnes from Trainin' to Texas is my guest poster!
Enjoy!
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My name is Emily from Trainin' to be a Texan.  I am so excited and honored to be guest posting for dWa while she is out visiting colleges!

In honor of her college visits (and possible job interviews), I wanted to share some super cute interview outfits/tips with you.  My husband and I moved to Texas (from Georgia) shortly after graduating from college, and I immediately had to start the interview process.  And now, we'll be moving BACK to Georgia this coming summer, so I'll be out in the interview world once again.  I don't consider myself a style expert b any means, but, I have had my fair share of interviews, so I'll share my opinions with you!

Here are some stylish and comfy outfits I've found on Pinterest  that I think would be perfect for interviews!...
Are you as obsessed with Pinterest as I am!?  I would love to follow your boards and see what you pin!

(These pins can all be seen-and linked back to the original-on my Style board.)


Not totally sure about the watch on this one, but I LOVE the skirt...and the ear rings!  


So I'm not totally in love with ALL of this outfit, BUT pair the ruffle shirt with a color pop (via. cardigan) and I think it would be beautiful!


Love this whole look. It's good to not go crazy with jewlery, and to be conservation--but, it's SO IMPORTANT to keep your own personal style.  So, don't be afraid to add that pop of color!


Again, pop of color...in a cardigan!  (Are you seeing a trend? ha)



Love the white/green combo.  I'd maybe put a skirt wth it!

And, sorry the last picture is so blurry, but...

I LOVE everything about this look.  And of course, I would put a cardigan over it--maybe an animal print to play off of the red!?

What are you favorite interview outfits!?  Don't be afraid to be yourself with dressing for an interview.  Give them something to remember you by!


Thanks again, dWa, for allowing me the opportunity to guest post!  I love every opportunity to meet new friends!



Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Guest post from Sarah

Today I have Sarah from Shorelines and Sunshines sharing fun things with you! Hope you will go check out her blog and enjoy her post
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Hi Everyone! I'm Sarah from Shorelines and Sunshine and I wanted to share with you all today my favorite chapstick choices.

Growing up in the Midwest, I definitely know how to stay warm during the winter months, and the wrong chapstick can completely ruin your day. I find that it's best to avoid anything with peppermint or mint oils in it because those tend to chap lips even more, and I love using products that are organic or good for the environment.





Chapstick Moisturizer. It's the most simple and for me, works the best of anything I've tried. It's so smooth, and I love that it has SPF 15. I've also found that it works great with lipsticks if you want to create a lip stain.


EOS lip balm in honeysuckle. I recently tried this and I'm in love! I keep one in my backpack for school, and although it rolled away once, it's been super reliable and trusty ever since. I always get complements on how it looks from others, and it works better than I could've imagined. I definitely want to try the hand lotion and smooth stick.


Maybelline Baby Lips in Quenched. I also tried the recently, and I love how soft my lips feel after I use it for a little while. It has SPF 20 which is really great, but it tastes a little like sunscreen. Maybe that's just the "quenched" flavor though...


Burt's Bees with Pomegranate Oil. I use this whenever I want really great hydration, but also a little color. Something about the pomegranate in the balm makes my lips turn the most natural rosy shade. It's really nice when I don't want to wear lipstick, but want to have a little color.

What are you favorite chapsticks? Any recommendations?

A HUGE thank you goes out to dWa for letting me guest post while she's away on college visits. I remember when I was going on those four years ago.



Thanks so much!
-Sarah

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Guest Post from Royar

Today I have Royar from My Life As A Young Southern Prep on my blog and I am so exciting. I love that we are in the same grade and going through the same things!
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Hi y'all! I'm Royar from My Life As A Young Southern Prep! I'm so excited to be guest blogging while dWa is off in South Carolina ~ so jealous!

Today, I'm going to talk about using Social Media to promote your blog! I'm a little bit of a social media addict, but I justify it all in the name of my blog!

Flavors: Since I use so many various forms, I use this as a "homepage" to use on business cards and other websites instead of all five links! 

Tumblr: This was started on a whim last about a year ago, and it has grown into something very fun and easy to maintain! It's an easy way to answer questions and to show off things I wouldn't normally be able to fit into a post!

Twitter: This is the most popular of social media and it's some of the accounts are hilarious!

Pinterest: How do I even begin to describe my love for Pinterest? It's the all in one inspiration board and I get a lot of my post ideas from there! Plus, it's really fun to make boards of weddings and home decor!


Goodreads: If you're a book nerd like me, Goodreads is perfect! It's an easy way to track the books you read, as well as find new ones!

Facebook: This is my newest page, and it's easy for my friends who don't read my blog everyday to keep up with it!

What kind of Social Media do you use? Thanks again to dWa for having me today!

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}


Sunday, February 19, 2012

Guest post from Brianna

Today I have Brianna Hart doing the guest post and it is all about the city I am in! I love her pointers and can't wait to use her suggestions!
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Hi Everyone,
I am so excited to be guest posting for DWA while she is away shopping for colleges:)
I figured it was appropriate to talk about the top things to do when your in Charleston since she is looking at going to C of C :)

Before moving to NC right before high school I was lucky enough to grow up in Charleston.
Its the most beautiful place I have ever seen.
So here is my top 5 to do list

1. Shop on King Street
All the best shops in one place
If you can make it on a nice day its wonderful

2. Eat at Poogans Porch
They by far have the best shrimp and grits I have ever had
And the story behind the restaurant is adorable

3. Charleston Carriage Ride
Whether you do it during the day time to hear about Historic Charleston
or at night time to hear Charleston Ghost stories
This is a Charleston MUST

4. Isle of Palms

this is my favorite beach in Charleston
I go here every time I am visiting

5. Wet Willies
I love this place
Its always on my list of night life places or if I want a quick snack and a fun drink during a long day of shopping the old market :)

Here is a picture of our drink from when we went shopping during my last single weekend
The small one is called the baby willie
Its their non alcoholic drink :)

So if you go to Charleston there are of course more than 5 amazing things to do but these are my top must each time i am there :)
Hope you loved Charleston DWA :)

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Guest Post from Cori

Today is the first guest post of my week of guest posts. Today I have Cori from Everyday Enchanted! Hope you all go check out her blog because her blog is always fun to read! 
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Hey y'all! I'm Cori from Everyday Enchanted. I was thrilled when dWa asked me to guest post on her fabulous blog. This is actually the first time I've ever done a guest post, so I hope I do OK!

I decided to post about the 5 things that I'm obsessed with right now.

1. Q&A a day - A 5 Year Journal. This little journal asks you a question every single day for a year. After you're done with your questions for the year, you start all over and see how your answers change year after year. When it's all said and done, you'll see how much you have changed in the span of 5 years. When my friend Ashley told me about this awesome journal, I knew I had to have it! It's so much fun answering the question every night before I go to bed.


2. Erin Condren Life Planner - When I purchased this planner back in November, I had no clue how much it would change my life. I feel like my entire life is in that planner now. I don't go anywhere without it. Obsessed!



3. Urban Decay Naked Palette - I wear one of these shades every day. I've always loved neutrals. I can't wait to purchase the 2nd edition!


4. Shea-Infused Socks - These are the first things I slip on when I get home from work or school at night. I can't sleep without them. They are so comfortable!


5. A Tumbler filled with pumpkin spice coffee - I always fill my Tumbler up with coffee and take it to work. I don't know what I'd do without my Keurig. My favorite k-cup right now is pumpkin spice. Love it!


What are some of the things you are obsessed with right now?

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Lilly Pulitzer

Lilly Pulitzer's spring collection is flawless! I am in love and hope that I will be ordering some of her cute clothes in the near future. I have recently seen some other posts highlighting favorites from the line and I am going to be doing the same thing. So without further adieu here are my favorites.
Callahan Shorts in Multi Mini Lillys State of Mind Patch
Callahan Shorts in Hotty Pink A Thing Called Love
Kade Top in Resort White
Ricci Shift in Multi Lillys State of Mind Patch
Somerset Dress in Bright Navy Cherry Picker
Alima Top in Resort White Flowers and The Trees

Whinnie Dress in Emerald Green A Thing Called Love

These are my favorite picks from Lilly's spring collection and this is probably one of my favorite collective releases from her in a long time because of how many different pieces there are and how many cute patterns the pieces come in. What is your favorite item?
dWa

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