Archive for May, 2010

Recent Grad, New Job, or So I Thought

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

When I received my undergraduate degree from Baruch College in May 2006, I was ecstatic. I immediately began applying for jobs and couldn’t wait for my phone to start ringing non-stop. Little did I know that this was a far fetched idea; my phone did ring, but not as often as I had originally hoped for, so I decided to make some phone calls myself. I contacted the human resources departments of at least three companies to inquire about the status of my applications and was told more than once that I did not have enough experience. Experience I thought, how many new graduates have experience? I believed that one industry related internship and a few years of non-industry related work experience were enough for me to get an interview, but apparently it wasn’t. At that point, I realized both the power and importance of an internship, which may have been obvious to some, but to others, such as me, it was new and enlightening information that could have helped to speed up my career.
According to freedictionary.com, an internship is defined as “a student or recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training.” This means that as a student or a recent graduate, one will gain hands on experience in their field of choice. Most internship’s are unpaid, but do compensate students by offering credit for a specified course. For example, a student may work as an intern for the duration of the fall, spring, or summer semester. When the internship is completed, the student may then receive the number of credits for the course taken in conjunction with the internship.
There are various ways in which a student can find an internship. Below is a list of resources/tips that can help students with their search.

  • Contact your school career and internship center. These centers have trained staff members who are there to assist you with your career, job, and internship needs. Most of these centers offer career guidance, resume and cover letter workshops, and interview preparation assistance.
  • Utilize the career services that are offered by the public library. New York Public Library, Queens Public Library, and Brooklyn Public Library all offer free career services. They also have many materials that may help you with your internship search.

New York Public Library Info for Job Seekers
Queens Library Job Resources
Brooklyn Public Library EJIC

-Shana H

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A Spot of Green in a Grey City

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

It’s crazy, I think, that no matter what time of the year it is I feel like I’m being run into the ground. Right now, for example, I’m in the middle of my finals. Unlike most semesters, though, this semester seems to be all about papers instead of tests, and I’m still not sure if that’s an improvement or not. On top of that, I’m supposed to be finding a job — which I’m sure everyone can agree is almost harder than doing well in school. I think it’s different for people not in New York, though. Everywhere else is moving at a different pace than New York…like we’re always trying to catch up and move ahead at the same time, so everything is muddled and rushed and it’s hard to focus on anything.

My old roommate is commuting from Long Island to the city this semester, and she has an early final tomorrow. I’ve offered to let her stay here for the night, but she won’t get here until late (some people, apparently, take advantage of the libraries being open all night during finals), and I’m already exhausted. Not to mention my mind is on a million different things, none of which include cleaning the apartment and having some kind of breakfast offering in the fridge. I like to consider myself an adult, but I really don’t understand how “real adults” can multitask so efficiently when it feels like I’m stumbling along to get just one or two things done in a day.

What I need, and what New York happily provides when weather permits, is a peaceful day in Central Park. All too often we’re intent on doing something cool and exciting, or something flashy and expensive, that we forget that New York City offers one of the most peaceful places imaginable, for free.

Sure, there are dogs barking and kids running around, but I think that’s what makes it so perfect. Reading a chapter for a Literature class while a couple of guys play Frisbee is just the perfect college experience, as if Central Park is the communal college ground for every single university in the City. I used to be jealous of my friends who would show pictures of them sitting on grassy knolls at Rutgers, or lounging in the sun at Rider between classes, but it’s really everyone else who should be jealous. Central Park offers that unique melting pot that the United States is lauded for; on a nice day you can walk along the 5th Ave border and see a stand from the Strand, or buy a classic print of Aubrey Hepburn. Walking down one of the many paved areas, one will be surrounded by musicians of every different style imaginable. It’s easy to forget about these little things because we all take them for granted, but that colorful spot of green shown in every satellite picture of the city is really the best way to keep grounded, and entertained, in a city as fast paced as New York. And hey, maybe before finals are up we’ll see some sun again.

-Mary K

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Sex Education Museum Style

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

I AM A NEW NEW YORKER, AND MY FIRST FEW MONTHS HERE HAVE BEEN AN EXCITING RIDE OF SIGHTSEEING AND SCOPING OUT THE SCENE AND GETTING A FEEL FOR THE CULTURE OF THE CITY.

AS A PART OF MY SIGHTSEEING, I MADE A VISIT TO THE WORLD CLASS “SEX MUSEUM.” YES, NEW YORK’S VERY OWN 5TH AVENUE HAS A MUSEUM OF SEX. IT’S NOT AS STIMULATING AS IT SOUNDS. IN FACT, I APPLAUD THE MUSEUM FOR THIS CAUTIONARY EXHIBIT. THE EXHIBIT WAS MUCH ABOUT TAKING PRECAUTIONS AND PROPER CARE AND BEING SAFE IN THE ART OF SEX. THERE WERE MANY INTERESTING SCULPTURES AND DRAWINGS ON THE ART OF SEX.

THE MUSEUM TOOK YOU ON A ROOM BY ROOM TOUR OF VARIOUS SEXUAL DISEASES AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE BODY. THERE WAS A ROOM FOR ARTWORK MADE OF CONTRACEPTIVES. THERE WAS A ROOM FOR LIFE-SIZE DOLLS, AND THE ROOM AT THE VERY END, FOR THOSE WHO MAY HAVE BEEN STILL STIMULATED WAS A ROOM FOR FLICKS OF ALL SORTS. BEING THE CONSERVATIVE, SWEET AND INNOCENT GIRL THAT I AM, AFTER TOURING THE “SEX MUSEUM” ON 5TH, I SIGNED UP FOR THE CONVENT. BEING A NUN DIDN’T SEEM SO BAD.

I WILL SAY, ALL JOKING ASIDE, THAT AIDS AND HIV IS A LEADING FACTOR OF DEATH AMONG YOUNG BLACK WOMEN FROM THEIR TEENS TO THEIR 40′S, SO EVEN THOUGH THIS MUSEUM WAS A BIT BIZARRE, I WOULD RECOMMEND THE TOUR FOR EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY CURIOUS TEENS. IT’S BETTER FOR THEM TO SEE IT ALL AND KNOW IT ALL THAN TO BE IN THE DARK. IT WILL SCARE THEM INTO ABSTINENCE. THE SEX MUSEUM IS LOCATED AT 233 FIFTH AVENUE, AND ITS CURRENT EXHIBITION IS ENTITLED “THE SEX LIVES OF ANIMALS.” THIS MUSEUM IS PG 13, SO PLEASE DON’T BRING CHILDREN UNDER 12. ENJOY AN INEXPENSIVE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY LESSON AND SAVE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS, COMPARED TO YOUR COLLEGE SCIENCE CLASSES! DISCOUNTS ARE OFFERED AS WELL.

WWW.MUSEUMOFSEX.COM

— CANDICE P

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How to Choose a Good Roommate

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

image credit: reelmovienews.com

Finally, you are moving to the city. You will study at the university you were always dreaming about. However, there is one big problem: rent an apartment in the city will cost you an arm and a leg. How will you make ends meet? The answer is easy: get a roommate.
In addition to lowering your housing costs, you will always have a good company. Here are some tips how to make sure that it will be a pleasant experience.
1. Pay attention to age. Big difference in age may decrease your mutual understanding. Activities that you like may be very different, as well as problems you deal with. Try to find a student like you, who will have the same interests. you can even study together and help each other.
2. Ask your potential roommate about his/her schedule. If you study in the morning, you will need to rest during the night and do your homework in the evening. If your roomate comes late and wakes you up every night, you will not get enough sleep. Interrupted sleep is even worse than no sleep at all.

Ekaterina Lalo

Check out my blog at www.nycvalues.blogspot.com

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Do Not Give in to Technology

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

image credit: blog.loaz.com

With the development of technology, studying became so much easier. Or harder? The opinions on that certainly differ.
On the one hand, we do not have to keep so many things in our memory anymore. If you have Internet access on your smartphone or laptop, you can always google things you need to know.
However, we often realize that our memory shrank significantly because it has lacked training since technological wonders became such an important part of our lives.
There were times when a cell phone was a luxury. Do you remember the first mobile devices we had? As for me, I recall my father’s enormous receiver. I thought then that it would be better to stay out of connection than to carry this thing around. Now there is a great variety of models and sizes, so we may choose the one that matches our needs.
In addition to calling and texting, mobile phones now allow us to check e-mail, facebook and twitter pages and to download necessary applications. Many students admit that they take notes or do homework on their smartphones. Isn’t it awesome? Yes, of course, as long as you do not do all these things while in class.
There were many studies on multitasking which show that parallel activities slow down our brain. Concentrating on one task helps a student to complete it in the best way possible, while trying to deal with multiple chores at the same time distracts the attention and leads to mistakes or misunderstanding. Therefore, even though there definitely is an important e-mail coming up, put your cell phone on silent, keep it in your bag and listen to what your professor is saying. It is not only polite, it also helps you to prepare for the next exam, as all professors usually test you on what they told you. In case you do not understand something, you can always ask questions and learn what you need. If you are constantly looking at your cell phone, professors usually think that you are playing with it, even if you look up words in a dictionary or check how much time left till the end of a class. Therefore, even if you ask questions, they will most likely believe that you were distracted and did not listen, and they will tell you to come back after class. And then students usually forget their questions, as their memory span is quite short nowadays. In other words, save yourself time and effort and prepare for your tests in class.
I also remember times when a computer was a rare thing. Now students in some universities are required to bring their laptops to use them during the class. I personally think that note taking on a laptop or a smartphone saves us a lot of paper and space. Sometimes I would be happy to keep my notes from past semester, but my room space is limited. It is especially true for people who have more than one roommate. I would be more than happy to keep everything on a CD or a flashdrive, so that any time I need to take a look at these notes, I can do that. It is also much easier to find necessary information if it is in digital form. You can search certain words, and they come out right away; no need to look through the whole notebook. However, the problem stays: laptops in class maybe quite distracting.
Should we say then that technolgy is destructive for our lives and our learning process? Of course, we should not. The only thing I would advise people to do is to use these means of technology rationally. Make them serve you, but not distract you or take over you. If you feel that you are too dependent on your cell phone or e-mail, go on a two-day hike where there is no network connection, and you will see that life will not stop or lose its beauty.

Ekaterina Lalo

Check out my blog at www.nycvalues.blogspot.com

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Let’s Dance: Inbox full?

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

As I was procrastinating on yet another final paper, I decided to check my email to see if I had any exciting messages. While I didn’t have any messages from my professors canceling finals, I DID have a lot of emails: all about upcoming performances and arts opportunities!

As a dance major at my school, I get all the emails our department sends out – the latest company updates from around NYC, opportunities for discounted events, and most importantly, upcoming events. You don’t have to be a part of a college dance department to get these updates, however. Almost every company, dancer, singer, show, and venue has their own email blast that you can sign up for.

So if you have some extra room in your mailbox for mass emails, consider signing up for the e-newsletters of your favorite performers and venues. I’m signed up for City Center, Alvin Ailey, and the Pointe Magazine newsletters in addition to my departmental emails… and probably a few others, too.

My time’s up for finals procrastination, but I’ll be sure to let you in on a few more email secrets later. For now, I leave you with this tip: Check out the City Center website, they offer a GREAT money saving program for students called Peer 2 Peer, which is when they email you with cheap ticket opportunities from time to time. More on that later, once my theses have been turned in to full-length papers!

-Meghan Q

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I don’t wanna grow up; I just wanna be a Toys’R’Us kid.

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Today, a friend of mine’s mother passed away. I had never met the woman, but I know she’s been sick on and off the entire time my friend, one of my first in New York, and I have known each other. But platitudes like “she’s in a better place” or “at least she’s not feeling any pain” really don’t seem to do much good for anyone who hears them. It’s almost the opposite — like saying, “Hey, you’re mom isn’t hurting anymore so you really shouldn’t be so sad.” So what should you say?

I’ve never been good with comforting people, or dealing with other’s emotions at all, actually. It’s one thing to know that I should be there for my friend, should offer to go to the funeral and support her — it’s another thing entirely to do that and not get swept up in trivial things, like the Celtics clinching the Cavs’ series.

I foolishly put myself in her spot the other day, imagining it was my dad who just died and I had to convince myself not to call him, just to make sure he was okay even though I knew that nothing could have happened to him in the time since we’d last spoken. I’ve always had a strong imagination, though, and watching a friend’s grief does nothing to stop that.

I can admit to myself, and by extension the World Wide Web through this blog, that if a friend from home just lost a relative, the situation would be different. Last year, a close friend’s mother passed and there was literally nothing more important than getting back to Jersey to be there for her and her family, who I’ve known my entire life. I wonder if just the length of time one person can know another factors into that extra effort that is willingly put forth without thought, or if, as awful as it is to think, some people just matter more. I don’t like to think that, to think that one friend can be held to different standards than another — but that’s probably how it is.

Not offering any comfort may just be my own cowardice; at twenty I hate being faced with any reminders of mortality, no matter what the case is. I don’t believe it to just be a fear of death, that’s too simple. It’s more a fear of not being young anymore, of growing up and losing vitality and vibrancy and the joie de vivre. My father is turning fifty in a few weeks, and I know aging bothers him a lot more than it does my mother. I get that from him, I guess, though it is silly for someone my age to care about growing older so much unless it is a desire to finally reach twenty-one. For the record, I couldn’t care less about being twenty-one and I sometimes find myself wishing I was still a teenager.

This blog seems to jump from point, or non-point, rather, to non-point. I do have one though — a point that is.

They say the friends we meet in college are the ones that will last the rest of our lives. If that’s true, no amount of personal discomfort should keep us from being there for our friends; regardless of if it’s being there at a funeral, or letting a friend crash on the couch during finals’ week to escape a commute to Long Island. Though no longer kids, people in their late teens and early twenties still have that innate selfishness that wants everything in life to revolve itself around their comfort — but that’s not what happens. Accepting that, and being there for other people despite ourselves, is one of those first, and terrible, steps to growing up.

-Mary K

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Relax Your Mind and Feel Good

Friday, May 14th, 2010

As a student, it may sometimes seem that stress is never-ending, especially in New York City, which, based on data from forbes.com is the third most stressful city in the country. The difficulties in balancing school, work, and our relationships can increase stress to the point where it has a negative affect on our physical and mental well-being. According to WebMD, “People who don’t manage stress well can have headaches, stomach pain, sleeping problems, illness, and depression.” However, if it is managed effectively, stress can be defeated, allowing us to live a healthy and more fulfilling life.

Cost Effective Ways to Reduce Stress in Your Life

Workout at the Gym for Free– Many gyms offer guest passes that vary from one day to two weeks for non-members. Colleges and Universities around the city also offer students free access to their facilities. This is a great way to work out without coming out of your own pocket. Just contact your local gym for more details or click on the link below for access to another way to get fit for free.
Shape Up NY

Talk to Someone– Sometimes you just need someone to talk to. Contact your school’s mental health center for details on what services are available to you free of charge. It may also help to find a clergy, relative, friend, or therapist that will listen to you; afterward you may feel relieved to have let it all out. If you still feel a sense of urgency, you can always call 1-800-LIFENET.

Meditate– Look for a quiet place to relax, put your body in any position that you feel comfortable in; stand up, sit down, or lie down and take deep breaths, keeping the focus on your breathing. Continue to do so until you feel the stress melt away. For more information on meditation courses in New York City, take a look at the link below or go to your local library for some books on the topic.
Meditation in New York

Listen to Music– Ever wonder why music is a universal language, it’s because no matter what culture or background you come from tunes can speak to you. Just turn on the radio and before you even realize it, you’ll be dancing and singing or humming and bopping your head. There are also places throughout the city where you can listen to free music. Check some of them out below:
Music at Madison Square Park
Music at Licoln Center
Music at Central Park

-Shana H

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Mentors

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

The best advice I can possibly give to an undergraduate is to find a professor, advisor, or dean that you trust and can talk to. Being in such a big city and being part of a huge sea of classmates can be intimidating and there are many times that having help is essential.

Last year I found my mentor, a professor I had had the previous semester for a Philosophy lecture. I liked him so much I took a smaller class in order to get to know him better. His class was intellectually stimulating and interesting and I found myself actually excited to go to his class every day. He did not teach any undergraduate classes this past semester; so unfortunately, I had to sign up for some courses that I was not so passionate about. A few weeks into the semester I found myself having serious problems with one of my professors. He practically ignored me in class, gave me bad grades on essays, and seemed to scoff at everything I said. When the problem got to be too much to handle, I went to my mentor to ask for advice. He told me how to approach the dean of Philosophy to explain the situation and offered to do an independent study with me so I could get the credits that I needed to graduate. He helped me figure out how to deal with my current professor in the meantime. He also helped my psychologically, by explaining that I had done nothing wrong in my dealings with this professor and that situations such as mine sometimes just happen.

Not only did he take me on as a student and build a course around my needs, but he also helped me with the other classes I was taking. I told him about my struggle with Logic, a course that was way too much like math for me to understand. He supplied me with links to online textbooks so I could practice, and, even though Logic was not his strong suite, he spend his time re-explaining the material that I did not understand in class.

While I suppose I could have dealt with my professor and found tutors on my own, the simple fact that I had a central person to talk to and who knew the ins and outs of my college was indispensable to me. When you go to college in a city like New York, it is so easy to get lost amongst the masses and get swallowed up whole. And college is such a confusing time of self-discovery and red tape. The best thing to do for yourself is find someone who can help guide you to the finish line.

-Emily S

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I Love New York

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Catchy right? Okay, okay, you can reem me for the completely unoriginal title later. Introductions are on the horizon, beginning with ‘who the heck is writing this entry, anyway?’ The name’s Cecylia Makarewicz, but that’s a 17-letter mouthful, so let’s just stick with ‘Cease.’

I’ll look at you with the most passive gaze I can manage and say, with my beret drooped over my left eye and an air of snobbish confidence that, “I am an artist,” and you’ll be seeing my work in what is supposed to be an entertaining series of cartoons starring The Big Apple itself and the process of surviving it. Which, for those of us who live here, work here, and try to avoid dying here, understand that this is no easy mission. The good news is that New York, despite its tough-love attitude, does love you, and with a little good faith, you’ll unearth its opportunities, unveil its bizarre beauty, and one day – who knows – you might even love it back.

The idea here is to spill what I know about living in New York, and I do mean living. I don’t like scraping by on Ramen noodles, coffee, and three hours of sleep. There’s a lot to be said about maintaining your well being – diet, exercise, chill-axing – especially if you’re, say, a totally broke (insert career here) student trying to make it in a place that’s already crazier than the average slice of life. I don’t know much about anything official, and I wouldn’t call myself a professional anything, but I’m willing to share what I’ve learned, and what I’m still learning, about living the best life I know how in a city where just about anything can happen.

So now you’ve read my mission statement, and after all of that, I’m not entirely sure how to begin. I thought I’d start with a recipe, or a restaurant, but the truth is that I’ve been living a very poor example of the very thing I’ll be writing about, as some crazy El-Nino nonsense decided to forecast October weather in MAY. I’m hunched next to my space heater, wearing the fleece I naively packed away a week ago, and the most I’ve accomplished today is a twenty-minute walk, a half-emptied peanut butter jar, and this blog entry. So I guess I’ll start by saying expect the unexpected…and that a lazy day now and then is a very good thing. ☺

Till next blog,
Cecylia

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