Student Loans Ruins Lives

I won't type much here, because I have a lot to say in the vlog post itself, but I have found student loans to be extremely predatory towards people who have no concept of what large sums of money are. Take it for what you will, but I am sitting with a mountain of debt on my shoulders right now, and no current hope of repaying it.



And before the haters come out, yes, I SHOULD have seen this coming, I SHOULD have realized it before the debt came crashing down, but I BELIEVED in meritocracy, and I felt very confident that I would be able to find a job that would easily allow me to make the monthly repayments. Lesson learnt and burnt, haha.

Anti-College Sentiment

I think these days I have become anti-college. Too many people are going, and there aren't enough college educated jobs to accommodate to all the English, Art, Language, and other degrees being mass produced. Even lawyers and biologists are having hard times getting a job.

And I ask you, why in the last decade or so do we need degrees to be police officers? These need hands on, real world training, not four years of classroom experience (with several years of extra electives that hold no value to the position).




I'm also lumping this in with my review of the Academy of Art University, in which I'm on the fence about ever returning again.

Information on Formal Sorority Rush

This is typically how rush works for NPC sororities at most universities. NPHC, Fraternities, and all other sororities outside of the NPC do things differently.

However, remember that if you accept a bid from an NPC sorority, you MAY NOT accept another bid for at least one calendar year. If you initiate into on NPC sorority, you may not join another NPC or NPHC sorority. So choose wisely.

What Do I Wear to Sorority Recruitment?

Just as a general disclaimer - this is my own impressions/opinions/etc on Greek life, this is not endorsed by any organization. Also please overlook any place where I say things like "pledge," "rush," or other terms that many sororities do not like to use any longer.

But, if you are going into college and plan on going through a sorority recruitment process, here is my personal advice on how to dress and what not to wear:

Wishful Thinking

Well today I've been doing something that I do a lot, which is go online and look at houses for rent and sale. I live in military housing right now, and I hate it. The property management is terrible, we're packing in like rats, there's bugs in everything, and large, loose dogs ready to attack at every corner. Now when I mention bugs, I mean serious bug problems, no matter how much you spray or complain to management. I have never had a roach in my home in my life before moving onto post, and now I have to put a net over my bed so that I can sleep without worrying about one crawling into my mouth! *GAG* Needless to say, it's not the picture of standard and regulations that I expected out of military housing - it's, without a doubt, the worst place I have ever lived in my decade of renting.

As a result, I'm often searching online looking at my dream homes, or at least places to rent that can't be any worse than where I live now. I know I can't really up and leave, but I can still feel pro-active by making an escape route (just in case!). So today, while I'm day dreaming about living near my new university, I found this apartment listing http://www.vacancy.com/california/san-francisco-apartments/the-lofts-at-one-powell/photos/

Va-va-voom! All I can say is wow, this place looks incredible! I live in a three bedroom unit now, and it's smaller than the two bedroom at this place. And I love the way it looks, the building itself reminds me of a mix between New York City and Rome. It has an interesting geometric shape too that you don't see around here.

I love the photo with the giant arch window too! I've never been to San Francisco and it looks like the most gorgeous city in the world from the photos in the listing. Their kitchen photo is also twice as big as my own kitchen now, haha. And I wish I had the 15' ceilings now!

I may be biased though, because I am obsessed with California. Beautiful area, loads of things to do, extreme diversity, and wonderful weather. So what if the state itself is losing people left and right because it's going bankrupt? lol

I know I'll probably never get to live there, but it's still fun to dream. Am I the only one that looks at places online to fantasize about? I'm a big fan of geography and architecture, so I guess fantasy housing is kind of my hobby these days. A little escapism is good for us I suppose. :)

Grad School Again

Wow what a quick turn around!

Well, I've already heard back from the university about my portfolio and it looks like I'm in! I've registered for classes, and never having taken graduate level courses before I'm not sure what to expect. But, it looks like I am on my way to being in the career that I've always wanted, animation! :)

I've also been browsing animation job listings, and the locations look phenomenal. They have major companies set up from California to London, England, and tons of places in between!

I promise to post an actual vlog soon, I'm still out on vacation without my regular computer.

I'm Making a 'Lil Film

Just thought I would share that I am working with my husband on a class project to make a mini-documentary on tattoo culture. I'm super excited to help work on it!



I have a little background in film. It was my major in college, but not what I got to graduate in. I had finished all of my classes for the major, but then the university decided to stop counting some of my transfer credits (after already accepting them!) for foreign language, which would have forced me to spend another two years to rebuild those courses (and, just in case you're wondering, the university refused to work with me at all to graduate!). I always consider myself as having graduated in film, but technically that's not accurate. I ended up transferring to another school to graduate in a generalized program, even though I have 60+ credits just in film.

More About Alumnae Initiation

As I mentioned in a previous video, Alumnae Initiation in the Greek Life world is a an open possibility for many people. If you never joined a greek group in college, this is an opportunity to become a part of the alumnae end of things. You won't really have anything to do with the college groups, but greek leadership organizations are excellent alumnae groups to work with as a post-collegiate, and they are a fantastic system of support, activities, and philanthropy.

You do not have to be from a particular college to join most alumnae chapters. To become an alumnae initiate, there will be guidelines and requirements, but you are usually also able to select where you wish to initiate at. So, if you went to college in Montana and now live in Florida, you don't need to worry that you have to go to your alma mater to accomplish anything. Each greek organization has different rules though, so check with the one you are interested in for their most current set of requirements (and be prepared that some will not accept alumnae initiates at all).

For some more details on Alumnae Initiation in the Nation Panhellenic Conference, please refer to the site http://alumnaeinitiate.110mb.com/ to get an overall feel of what may be available to you.

And, if you are like me and HATE Greek Chat, because the users are unjustifiably vicious and turn people away from wanting to go greek, there is an alternative available to you. Greek Friends, http://greekfriends.freeforums.org/, is a great forum with lots of Alumnae Initiates who will answer your questions and not just say derogatory things and/or tell you to do a search to find the answer yourself. While Greek Chat is full of negativity, that is just a very small, selective, narrow minded group of people that in way represents the real sentiment towards Alumnae Initiates.

Going Greek

I know there are a lot of negative stereotypes out there about Sororities and Fraternities, but a lot of those are just myths and things blown way out of proportion. Perhaps, long, long ago, a lot of hazing did exist within some groups, but that is really far from the truth in sororities as they exist today. The world changed and most of the Greek lettered organizations adapted. Hazing is illegal and wrong, period, and the Greek world of today is a plethora of positive experiences and life long connections that you shouldn't miss out on. The goal these days are to build people up to be strong leaders that know how to work and manage a team.

I am such a proud sorority girl, and my sisters have done a lot for me, so I hope this might help one or two people seriously considering going Greek in college.

If you are outside of your college years, there are still options available to you! The alumnae end of things is a lot larger than the collegiate, and it can be a perfect group to become involved in. I'll do another vlog on that topic later on, but you can check out this website in the mean time! :) http://alumnaeinitiate.110mb.com/

"From the outside you can't understand it, from the inside you can't explain it" - unknown