How to Stand Up For Yourself

Throughout my life, I’ve always been willing to help people out with favors and go above and beyond to make their life easier. While I’ve always thought of it as, I’m not doing anything either, I can always get a favor in return.

So when someone I have been doing favors for and helping out decides to be completely mean to me and gets me to go along with whatever she wants, I had had enough. Thanks to a friend who told me to start standing up for myself and my own free will, I decided that I needed to stand up and say no. So how do you stand up to someone without making a scene, keeping it classy, and yet known that you won’t be pushed over?

Keep it Simple: There is no need to explain why you won’t do something, but instead keep it simple and straight forward. There’s no need to go into a whole explanation of why you refuse to do something, but instead it’s better to make it known that you have your own stuff to do and this time just isn’t going to be working out.

An Even Voice: There’s no need to get mad or upset over it, but instead keep it business like. Firm and yet not hostile is a  great way to get your message across in a way that makes it known you aren’t changing your mind and for them to respect that choice.

Stick By Your Choice: Some people will attempt to change your mind or persuade you to sway from your ground that you have chosen. No matter what, stand by your choice. This will show that you have made up your mind and there’s no way they can change it. Saying a simple, “I understand, but not today” will make it known. Don’t imply you’re sorry, but instead that you understand their side. However, it still will not change your mind.

Afterwards, the person may be upset with you, but overall it will help in the future. It allows them to known better than to think they can get their way over you, but also known that you can stick up for yourself and you’re not scared of them.

Making It Yours: Your First Home

About a week ago, I just moved into my first apartment. It is a cute little studio below a one story house in north Seattle. Once I had paid first, last, and the deposit, I realized I needed furniture and I needed it fast. With these tips, you should be able to make your new home furnished with pieces that reflect your taste, but don’t break the bank.

Have an idea of what you want before you move. When you go into stores, take a little extra time to look at the dishes, bed spreads, organizers, and furniture to get an idea of items you would want or the style you want. For example, before I moved – I wanted a style of more mix than matching with plenty of dishes from Anthropologie and softer more subtle colors than what I had been decorating my rooms in the past.

Go to Macy’s for a bed. Seriously. Skip all the other places and go straight to Macy’s. They will get you set up within a matter of 15 minutes – that is once you find a salesperson. Do not skimp and just get a mattress, get the entire set together. With that, Macy’s will always have a good deal on a decent mattress that will suit your needs and your wallet. My mom and I went to Macy’s and found a Queen size mattress from Sealy including frame, box spring, delivery all under $500. It’s well worth it.

Add character and save money by finding your furniture in consignment stores, antique shops, and places that repurpose furniture. While they are plenty of fantastic furniture shops in Seattle, I found all of my furniture in small antique stores in Mount Vernon. I found a green wood small kitchen table that I converted into a desk along with a semi matching kitchen chair, a blue dress, old down feathered sitting chair, and a white vintage nightstand. Not only did it cost less than anything else I would find, it gave my apartment the character and style that reflects me.

Take your time to move in. I moved in section by section. I focused on the closet and the clothes first, moved to the bed area of the apartment, focused on the desk, and now I’m finishing up with office and entertainment before being done moving in. It allows you to think carefully of how you want things and to feel settled.

With these tips, your new found place should begin to feel like home!

Nailing the Interview: The Basics

Pic Credit: Google

Interviews can cause the most anxiety and the most stress out of almost all situations we are given to deal with. We are being judged based on our experience level, our knowledge, our answers, and if we can handle the job they are looking to fill. While most people stress about interviews, I thrive on them. I am able to talk about what I know (one of my favorite things to talk about) and why I am the best person for the job (another favorite thing to talk about). While I’m not completely confident in many aspects of myself, I can be confident in the experience and the knowledge that I have.

After being on an interview committee in Pullman for my HR internship, I know what interviewers are looking for in a candidate. Not only are they looking for the qualifications for the job, but they’re looking for a level of professionalism, fresh ideas, and creativity. With these small tips, you should be thriving in interviews in no time.

Dress to impress. First impressions are important — especially when it comes to a job. No matter what the job, come looking professional. Personally, I like to dress trendy and professional. Trendy shows that I can relate to the world and the changing culture around me, but professional shows that I can put myself together when needed. A simple dress and a blazer with one or two accessories should seal the deal.

Bring an updated copy of your resume. Most employers may already have a copy via email or attached to your application, but it is important to have one anyway. It shows that you are prepared and are serious about your interview.

Master a good, solid handshake. Keep your handshake from either limp or firm, but instead in between. My handshake is in the middle with a good grip. The grip shows that I am a go getter and am willing to do what it takes to get what I want. Practice with a friend, family member, or roommate before heading off to that interview if this is an aspect you need to work on.

Stick to the questions and avoid side conversations or stories (unless they are related to the questions). “Sell” yourself in a way. Prove to them why you deserve this position, why you are the right person, and what perspective you’re going to bring to this position. Don’t forget to be humble — especially when an interviewer could possibly ask what some weaknesses of yours are. Make sure that while they are your weaknesses, you put a good spin onto them.

Use previous work experience when it comes to questions. Explain to interviewers why your background can be an asset to this position, especially if you know what they are looking for in a background. If you don’t have much experience in the position you are applying for — be sure to explain why your past experience will benefit with this new position.

At the end of the interview, interviewers will more than likely as if you have any questions. Come up with at least one or two decent questions that don’t involve “when will I hear back”. A good questions is to ask what they are envisioning for the position. That way you seem more interested in the position and what it takes to be in that job. Never forget to thank them for taking the time to interview you. When it comes to interviewing, there is no such thing as thanking too much. After all, they do want you — you might as well be polite about it.

Breathe. The interview is over and it is all out of your hands now! Try not to over think what you said or what went wrong, Go celebrate by having drinks with friends, shopping for a new pair of shoes, or even pampering yourself alone with a good pedicure, popcorn, and that favorite chick flick! If you don’t hear within the time frame they gave or a week — a follow up email or phone call can never hurt.

Crossing the Border: Canada and Customs

Living in the Northwestern part of Washington, it is natural to go to Canada for a quick day trip or for a couple days vacation. Whether it is driving, bus, train, or even boat — Canada is never too far away.

Working on board the Victoria Clipper makes it easy for me to understand how Canadian customs and border crossing works. There is many things to keep in mind when crossing the border besides your passport. Declaring items, duty free, and restrictions upon entering Canada are important factors to consider when crossing the border.

Always have your passport or enhanced driver’s license ready to hand to the customs officer. Unless you are driving across the border in your own car, Canadian customs requires individuals to fill out a declaration card. On this card, you will fill out your residence, how many people are you in your household, if you have anything to declare including tobacco, alcohol, dairy, meat, fruits, nuts, plants, and animals. Read all instructions and hand this to the officer with your passport. If you do not declare any of these things you could be fined, but more than likely these products will be thrown away or confiscated. Some restricted items including cheese, fruits, nuts, vegetables, birds, meat, and various plants. These are to prevent foreign diseases from harming crops and animals in Canada. It is important to eat or throw away these items before going through customs.

Duty free is very popular when crossing the border. Because of the high taxes on alcohol, tobacco, and fragrance in the United States and Canada — duty free is a perfect option to get these items without paying the duty on them. These stores are found in airports, on the American and Canadian border, and on board the Victoria Clipper. When bringing duty free into Canada, you are allowed to have only one bottle of liquor and one carton of cigarettes a person. With that, you can bring up to $200 worth of duty free into the country.

Getting through customs is simple if you answer the questions they ask completely and honestly. There are several ways you can be denied entrance into Canada. If you have committed any felonies in the United States, you will be denied entrance into Canada, unless your record has been sealed or it has been so many years since that conviction. DUIs are considered a felony in Canada. Therefore, anyone with a DUI on their record will be denied entrance too. It is important that you understand your legal standing if you have been in legal trouble in the United States before entering into Canada.

With all of these bases covered, you should have a smooth entrance across the border! There are so many gorgeous and interesting cities in Canada. Never be afraid to cross the border!

Pic Credit: Google

I Got Accepted…Now What? From Acceptance to the Classroom

Getting accepted into college is far beyond the last step before getting into the classroom. There are several steps you must do to get from the acceptance to becoming a student. Taking the steps to become a student are less time consuming than applying to college, but that does not mean they are less important. With this easy list and some simple tricks, you should have all of your bases covered and no complications with becoming a student at the college you want.

When you receive your acceptance letter, most of the time, you will receive a package with your acceptance letter. It will include documents including things that you need to do before stepping into a classroom in the fall. The most important part is paying the deposit. Every college makes you pay a non-refundable deposit to claim your spot in that school. If you don’t pay the fee by the deadline, you could possibly lose your spot to someone they placed on the waiting list. Deposits range from $150 to $300 depending on the university. If you are considering a different college and won’t know about acceptance or rejection after the deposit due date, then call the Office of Admissions and see if you can have a place be put on hold. Before I decided to attend Seattle University, I placed my $200 deposit just in case I was not admitted into the University of Washington. I am glad that I did just in case, because I decided to attend Seattle University when deciding between the two schools.

The second most important step is sending in your personal immunization records. This step should be simple if you have all of your immunizations in order. Print out the paper work they need, and once it is filled out make sure you mail, scan, fax, or take the paperwork to Student Health Services. However, this step is a little more difficult if you do not have your immunizations, like me, for example. Each school is different when waiving immunizations. In the state of Washington, you can choose medical, religious, or personal reasons for not having your immunizations. Since mine are religious, I check that exemption and then send in the paper work. With Washington State University, I sent in a waiver, while with Seattle University, I need my normal health care provider’s signature, proving that I warned about the dangers of not having immunizations.

After you receive your acceptance package, you will soon receive a financial aid packet. With FASFA results and parental income taken into account, each university will put together a financial packet of how much you will get in scholarships, grants, loans, and how much out of pocket you will have to pay. Each school puts together their financial packages differently, so if there are any questions, call the Office of Financial Aid of each university with the various questions you have. I highly suggest taking notes of what each Financial Aid counselor suggests and making note of that. Be sure to accept your scholarships, grants, and loans a month before classes start.

The final step is to sign up for orientation and registration. This is the most important part of the process because here you will go to campus and get an idea about every day student life, how to get involved, and registering for your classes. Be sure to sign up online or through a counselor for the date you want before that slot fills up.

Once registration is over, you can sit back, relax, and prepare for your first day of classes! With following this checklist, you should have all your bases covered, but just in case, always double check your new student checklist that can be found online or your in your acceptance packet.

Amazon: Online Shopping Made Even Easier

Amazon is one of the world’s best websites. All of your shopping needs are taken care of with a click of a button. Appliances, beds, books, movies, music, and even groceries from Amazon Fresh are all bought on the same website, with thousands of options, and all at the click of a button.

Pic Credit: Google

Personally, I use Amazon for TV Shows, movies, books, and Kindle purchases. I do find myself buying the occasional rice cooker when I need one and trendy items when I can’t find it anywhere else. With insanely incredible prices, great variety and choice of brands, and free shipping with Prime membership, Amazon makes online shopping easier than it already is.

Prices: Amazon has some of the best prices on the internet. In the search button, type in the product and press search. Prices on Amazon are instantly cheaper than in the stores. When listing their prices, they show the retail price and then the Amazon price. For example, for the eighth season of Grey’s Anatomy, I paid $25 on Amazon compared to the $40 I could have paid for at Wal-Mart. The eighth season of Grey’s Anatomy is one of the most expensive seasons to find outside of Amazon. With Grey’s Anatomy, I constantly find better prices for products I want on Amazon than in the stores.

Amazon Prime Membership: About a year ago, I signed up for Amazon Student Prime. Being a Prime member gives you access to free shipping, free online streaming of shows and movies, discounted and free music, and sometimes free kindle books. Student Prime differs in regular Prime with one thing: price. It cuts the cost of normal Prime in half — literally. For normal Prime it costs around $79 a year, while as a student, you only pay $39 a year. Being a frequent Amazon user, I have saved well over $39 in shipping costs. Not only do I get free shipping, but I can get my orders within two days of shipping — twice as fast and twice as cheap without Prime. However, when you order from Amazon vendors that are not supported by Prime, they are underneath “used” or “new” on the product profile. Their shipping and handling are at a flat rate controlled by Amazon. In the last couple months, it did go from $2.98 to $3.99, which is still cheaper than anywhere else online.

Variety: Amazon and its vendors carry everything and anything you can think of. Just a couple months ago, I purchased the first volume of “Batman the Animated Series”. It is impossible to find all four volumes in stores and for the good price of $30. With Amazon, you can type anything you can possibly think of wanting into the search engine and get the results quickly. This comes in handy when it comes to trendy items. For example, a couple months ago, I was dying to purchase the PERFECT leopard print scarf. I went to Google and typed in the trend. When searching, all of the ones I found that I liked happened to cost hundreds of dollars. I knew in my mind exactly what I wanted and I was not going to give up. Fed up with Google, I went to Amazon and typed in “leopard print scarf”. After five minutes of looking, I found the perfect scarf and for the half the price I thought I would pay. In less than two minutes and $15 later, I had bough one of my favorite accessories in my closet.

Sellers: If Amazon does not have a certain item in stock, normally they will have plenty of sellers who have exactly the item you are looking for. Sellers can sometimes have better prices than Amazon does at times. For example, I have been building a Disney movie collection over the last year. For a copy of Peter Pan, it was around $48 in stock through Amazon. Quickly, I clicked on the “used” icon and went through various of sellers, prices, ratings, and qualities before picking on that cost less than $15 including shipping.

Why Amazon over Ebay? Easy question. Amazon makes everything simple. You know who you are buying the product from. Not only that, but Amazon makes their sellers jump through hoops in order to sell online. You are using a trusted service with your card instead of PayPal, which sometimes can be sketchy. You will never be outbid either. Once you decide to buy that item, it’s yours. Amazon warms you when you are running low on a certain product in their stock.

With these little tips that you may not have known, now you can use Amazon to its full potential as a website and online shopping tool.

Packing Up Your Life: How to Keep It Simple

Packing is a necessary evil. We pack to go on vacation, a weekend getaway, a sleepover, or in order to move from one place to another.

For college kids, finals week is the time where we find ourselves not only amongst piles of books, but piles of our stuff. We are often overwhelmed from all of our belongings we need to pack and often feel like tearing our hair out. There’s not enough boxes, too many clothes, why did we even need this much stuff, the bin isn’t closing, and more importantly, how is all of this stuff going to fit into the car? These packing tips and tricks will keep the tear in your head and focusing on keeping it simple and easy to unpack later.

Begin with cleaning out your place. Go through and clean everything. Figure out what you want to donate and what you want to keep with you. Place those items in huge boxes or into big bags and leave them by your front door for a couple of days. If you find yourself searching for something in those bags, take it out and keep it. After a couple days, send it to goodwill or your local donation center. Remember, you can replace the things you donate with something better and with a higher quality that you will use more.

When preparing for packing, I buy bins that I will need for the move. Bins are easier to move around with handles and easy to stack in a car or SUV. Boxes are prone to tearing and falling apart. Bins can be used afterwards to store air mattresses, cleaning supplies, and sports equipment after the move. With that, bins also keep water and bugs out of your bedding and clothes. When buying bins, make sure you buy clear bins or distinguishable colors to make it easier to know what is in each bin when unpacking.

The packing then begins! I start with blankets, pillows, and bedding. First, I wash them before packing them into their own bin. I leave out blankets that will be used to wrap big fragile items like a television. With that, I leave those blankets unwashed since they will be getting dirty during the move. After those are stowed away, begin with smaller items. Keepsakes, posters, desk items, and movies are great things to start packing before moving onto the bigger things.

Clothes and dishes are also the last things that I pack. I make sure that all dishes and clothes are clean before placing them into their appropriate bins. Make sure all items are wiped down from dust or grime before packing away. With clothes, I prefer using bins to haul them instead of using suitcases. Suitcases and duffel bags are great for outerwear and sweatshirts when packing.

Keep in mind when packing to keep like items together. Make sure cotton balls, Q-Tips, Band Aids are in the same bin and not with the desk supplies. Do not throw items into a random bin or box. That will only make unpacking difficult and you will not know what is in your boxes at all.

When moving, I like to have an overnight bag with clothes and makeup packed. This makes it easier so I am not forced to open bins and search through them for clothes and beauty supplies. Not only that, but I keep my laptop in a backpack so I can have easy access to it once I arrive at my destination. The laptop is the one thing I always go to before digging through my bins.

Remember to pack simple for a simple unpacking! Packing is a confusing and stressful process, but using these easy tips, you can make it easy!

You’re Drunk Monday, Go Home: How to Make Your Monday Easier

There is one day of the week that a majority of the human race dreads. That is Monday.

Mondays are the beginning of a work week, school week, or in my case both. Regular routines start and sleeping in until eleven o’clock doesn’t fly. Once you go to bed on a Monday night, it is downhill from there. However, there are ways to make your Monday more bearable and not just that dreaded first day of the week.

1. Plan something fun. Make plans for a fun date night or a night out with friends. I always try to plan something fun to do in order to look forward to Mondays. These include: going to a movie after class, drinks with someone fun after work, or even making time for a One Tree Hill marathon with friends and big bowls of popcorn.
2. Wake up feeling rested. Try to get to sleep early on a Sunday night in order to wake up feeling better about the day than regretting waking up at all. Getting at least eight to ten hours of sleep with help you feel so much better about the day you are about to face.
3. Dress to impress. Instead of wearing the normal yoga pants and a sweatshirt to class, wear something you know you will receive compliments on. Put on a pencil skirt, a nice shirt, or those perfect pair of shoes and take the extra fifteen minutes to make your hair and makeup look nice. It will help you feel more confident about yourself and put you into a good Monday mood.
4. Make sure that you have all of your work done before Monday morning. There’s nothing worse than waking up on a Monday with homework left to do. Start off your week with everything in order. Have your assignments and tasks finished and make a Monday to-do list. It will make the day go by faster and with fewer complications.
5. Treat yourself. Coffee, lunch with friends, or even a guilty cupcake before bed are perfect ways to treat yourself before, during, or after a long Monday.

Mondays can still be fun. They are what you make of them. With a different perspective on Monday and it could become a better day that you ever thought a Monday could be.

Applying to College Made Easy

Applying to college is stressful and nerve-wracking for the first timer and even for the experienced transfer. You are selling yourself to a college in order to spend money to get an education. Not only that, but the self-doubt, the fear of rejection, and insecurities are at an all time high.

Once you press the submit button, it is out of your control. The only thing you can do is wait it out; wait to be accepted or worse…rejected.

Recently, I got accepted to Seattle University as a transfer. I spent two months stressing out over three college applications, the perfect personal statement, and if I would even get into the colleges of my choice. Not only have I been accepted, I have been waiting for a response from the University of Washington. While the stress is continuing, it has not been as bad as before I was accepted to Seattle University.

After applying to six universities in my life time, I have learned plenty of useful lessons and insights that I wish I knew to make transferring and applying less stressful and easier.

Call the colleges you want to apply to. Get in touch with an admissions counselor and get an idea of what your chances are for getting in. When I called Seattle University, they said my GPA could be a little low for what they were looking for, despite it being a little higher than the 3.0 minimum. They were concerned about a slight grade dip I experienced, but encouraged me to explain what happened in order to help my chances. It helped me understand what I was up against and what they were looking for in an applicant.

Check out the college’s website. A mission and vision statement can tell one a lot about the university and what they are looking for. Not only that, but if you can work the vision and mission statement into your personal statement, it can only help you.

I highly recommend starting the application the second you decide to go. Fill in the information sections to the best of your abilities and leave the window open on your computer. That way if you are not sure about a college, you can have time to think about it. Leave the personal statement empty until you feel ready to tackle it.

With each personal statement, it took me two weeks to complete one. I recommend this is the last part of the application you fill out. Begin with a quick rough draft on Microsoft Word. Make sure you add every idea you want to incorporate into it. Then, send it to a parent or trusted friend. I sent mine to my mom, who looked it over and added sections that would only help me. Once she edited it, I redid the draft twice before sending it back to her for one last time to glance it over for grammar and spelling mistakes. I had written three drafts before holding my breath and pressing the dreaded submit button.

While a high GPA and test scores are important, the personal statement can seal the deal with a college. The personal statement gives the review board an idea of who you are as a student and a person. More selective colleges are looking for a well rounded person. Gaining experience will help you more than having a 4.0 will. That does not mean to avoid your grades, but experience will only help you.

Before sending the application off, get in touch with an admissions counselor again to answer any last minute questions you may have. This way you feel better and more confident in your application.

Before sending anything, have all of the proper paperwork ordered or sent off. Call former high schools for scores and for transcripts. If you have lower than 45 quarter credits, send in your SAT or ACT scores as well.

Once the application is sent in: breathe! I highly suggest rewarding yourself after applying. Rewards make this stressful situation more worthwhile! Buy a new dress, get a manicure, a night out with friends, or even a long therapeutic session of New Girl with popcorn and chocolate. Celebrate your accomplishment of getting past the worst part!