Dress Like Olivia Pope

So with ABCs Scandal season finale set to premiere less than 24hrs away, the writers at AlumniRow felt that it was appropriate to release a post about Olivia Pope, a character played by Kerry Washington.  One of the things that makes Olivia Pope's character so interesting  is her sense of style, while being in blue/blacks political town, Washington DC.  Join us as we take a look at the fashion behind Olivia Pope, the character that has everyone at awe with her choice of wardrobe.

*Note:  Photo source throughout post.

I Graduated. Is My Social Life Over?

Adults say college is the best four (to six) years of your life. In college, you think it can only get better. However, after you graduate you begin to realize that having all of your friends, bars and food within a 5 minute vicinity will never happen again. What do you do when your friends get their own apartments and live 20-30 minutes away, or even across the country? How can you get your social life back?!

1. MEETUP
One site I recommend is Meetup.com. No, it's not a creepy dating site and won't land you on Catfish. It's a site full of people with a wide range of interests from Salsa dancing to natural hair to thrifting to hip hop enthusiasts. You can search for meetup groups pertaining to your interests based on zip code, allowing you to find exciting new events in your area. All of the events are in public places, so it's not creepy. I met tons of new friends at the last hair meetup I've attended and still keep in contact with them. They're great sources for questions or advice about new hair styles and products to try. Start out with one meetup and see how you like it.

2. DOMAIN-HOP
Next, try not to hang with the same group of friends all the time. One, that could get boring and two,

TRUE LIFE: I've relocated now I need to find a place

The Alumni ROW - How to Relocate and Survive Series?

Article 3

If you are looking at this article you either relocated already and are in desperate need of a new place, you are planning to relocate pretty soon, or you just like our articles =).  Whatever your reasons, here are some tips that I have after moving to Sacramento, staying in a hotel for a week and finding my first place.  

FEATURED POST: How Failing a Class Made Me Learn More

Source

It was the end of December.

After struggling to find the motivation to complete monotonous robotic coursework in Comp Sci 153, the Data Structures class, it was time for the teachers to release the grades.

I had a ‘C-’ going into the final and felt great about what I’d done on the final. In fact, I’d used Data Structures the previous summer on my two internship projects (both of which Far Exceeded Expectations) and had helped the majority of the class finish our assignments.

Time for the moment of truth. I press reload on the online gradebook and it shows:
Statistics for Engineers A
Circuits II B
Circuits II Lab A
Physics II B
Data Structures F

That ‘F’ in Data Structures changed my life.

Sandy Made Me Shop

Ah, Hurricane Sandy has arrived. Instead of doing work, it's a perfect day for online shopping. If I go over my budget, I blame Sandy.

Because I am feeling so generous, I figure I'd share with you all my favorite shopping websites!

1. Forever21.com - everyone already knows about this, let me get a little more creative
2. ModCloth.com - retro clothes with a price tag, but the sale department isn't too bad
3. LuLus.com - LOVE LOVE LU LU'S! And they've recently gotten a little more affordable
4. Tobi.com - they have dresses for DAYS! I'm definitely getting a few today
5. Wanelo.com - they compile clothes and accessories from the above sites and others you probably haven't heard of (include Etsy) for the most unique pieces you could ever find

Enjoy! And remember, #SandyMadeMeShop

p.s. check out my fall favorites 1, 2, 3

Uncuffing Season

September marks the end of summer flings and the beginning of cuffing season. Cuffing season, when people start "experimenting" to try and find their cuddle buddies and 8 month mates.

FEATURED POST: Change Bringing NEW Opportunity

The Alumni ROW - How to Relocate and Survive Series?

Article 2

Courtesy of Google Maps

To continue with our Alumni Row Relocation series, we asked Shakira McCall to write a reflection peace on her road trip from Georgia to Arizona and transition.  Please read below to check out Shakira's reflection:

Our GO-TO Music this summer!

Summer's winding down and its time to do some reflecting.  This reflection is on music that we couldn't get enough of this summer.  So here is our list and if you haven't gotten a chance to listen to some of these albums, playlist, or songs go ahead and give them a hear.  

TRUE LIFE: IM MOVING TO A NEW PLACE!

The Alumni ROW - How to Relocate and Survive Series?

Article 1

Mid August is here and for most this is known as THE HOTTEST MONTH of the year.  For others, August is the transition month for NEW beginnings.   Well I recently relocated from the DMV (DC, MD, VA) area to Sacramento California (The Golden State) and after a month of being a California Girl I must say this transition has not been the smoothest.  Since others are thinking about moving far far away or may be getting ready to transition I wanted to share some lessons learned.

Courtesy of Google Maps

Tips + Tricks of Traveling on a Budget

Similar to another Alumni ROW blogger, Whitney, I was also on the west coast this summer. Although she will be living there permanently, I was there for an internship at a tech company in Silicon Valley. I was in California for a total of 11 weeks and tried to make the most of my time. I lived in San Jose but traveled to Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Yosemite, Los Angeles and San Diego. Unlike states on the east coast, I began to realize how large California really is. I roadtripped with other interns, drove 9 hours and we were still in the same state. Amazing!

Exploring Religions

If you weren't born into a certain religion, though, you probably have no clue where to start. Andrew Bowen has developed a challenge of trying one religion per month for a year. Last year, he learned and practiced Hinduism, the Baha-i faith, Zarathushtra and Judaism to name a few. At the end of his conversion journey, he didn't choose one religion, as originally planned. Instead, he has become a new convert towards Immersionism. Overall, he became more spiritual.

Its Chill Time: The Power of Reflection

Lately I have been reflecting on my past, present, and future as I open the next chapter of my life.  June 3rd I leave for training in Basking Ridge NJ to work for a consulting company and the first week of July I leave my family and friends to start a life in another city.  Am I scared?  As Wayne and Drizzy would say, "HYFR".  I'm extremely scared about this next chapter.

Try something new for 30 days

Have you ever thought of running a marathon, becoming a novelist, or beginning a new exercise regime?
'The next 30 days are going to pass whether you like it or not, so why not think about something you have always wanted to try and give it a shot for the next 30 days.”

Class of 2012 - You have now reached Alumni Status!

So I recently graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a BS in Computer Science.  I would like to share a few pictures of myself and friends who also shared this milestone!

Me (Center), Amaka (Left), Amber (Right)
 Officially Computer Scientists!

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Tattoos

Tattoos. They're everywhere! Songs made about them (Tatted Up - D4L), thousands of photos on the web, even more images on TV and I see them everywhere I go. Considering getting one? Let's explore the good, the bad and the ugly about tattoos.

Keys for Sucess: Sometimes you just need to chill out

Watching a YouTube video by Taren916 reminded me how important it is to just chill out. Sometimes it is very easy to get worked up when things do not end up going the way we want. Whether it is that job position that we wanted or that grad school that we envisioned ourselves attending in the fall, we often overlook the blessings that we do have in our lives. We often burdened ourselves with the constant thought of the "What if?" and the other questions of self doubt. Did  I talk to fast in my interview? Did I say something wrong? What if I wore my hair differently? However, as soon as we find ourselves asking these questions we must Stop. These questions can never be answered because the fact is for the most part we will never know. What we do now is that everything happens for a reason and when one door closes another opens so have faith.

Sittin' on the Row with DJ Tele

1. Introduce yourself to our bloggers (including name, major, school, year graduated, and anything else you want us to know).
Hello bloggers! My name is Joey. I graduated with the class of 2010 from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

Keys to Success:Making a List and Checking it Twice

Lists aren’t just for Santa Claus. Lists not only help us rememberwhat items we need to pick up from the grocery store but also helps us more effectively organize or thoughts and our goals and more efficiently use or time. However, if you are like me writing down and looking at your "To-Do List" of what needs to accomplished might be a little overwhelming. There is two ways that I deal with my anxiety of "list overload." First, I write down the major goals that I want to accomplish. Then from this, I rank my goals in terms of priority and time frame. As, simple as it may seem this makes my list seem more feasible and helps me manage my list phobia.

So no matter what it is. If it’s a goal you want to accomplish. Write it down and list them in order of priority and put it somewhere you can see it :).

Things to Do After College: READ

Read so hard libraries try to find me

Know how many bookmarks I own??

Keys to Success: Patience is a Virtue

Patience is a topic that has been repeated and rehashed so many times. However, many people often forget that patience is truly a virtue. No matter where you are in your lives: waiting for acceptances from graduate schools, applying job offers, building relationships, or just being tolerant with different personalities at work there are going to be times in our lives where most of our time is spent waiting. How we deal with these situations reflects of our character. People have different methods for working in situations that requires patience that range from doing exercises like yoga to completely ignoring the situation and only you can decide what works best for you. However, remember although it’s easy to forget in our frenzied world that patience truly does go a long way.

Transition: Springing into Action

With the days getting longer, temperatures rising, and now the "Spring forward" time change, the transition of Spring is on everyone's mind. Whether you are a lover of neutrals or bright colors here are four items to put a pop of color in your wardrobe and get you ready for spring!

Not in School Anymore? Finding Work a little Under-STIMULATING? OR Just need something new?

Pick up a book and read.

Reading for pleasure is something that I have not been able to do as much as I would have liked in undergrad. It was not until I graduated that I was able to start reading for leisure again. It all started with this video.

Keys to Success: Balance

Key to success is going to be an ongoing series here on Alum Row where we will be sharing our individual experiences and insight about success with a new post each Friday. Yes I know Friday is usually the day that people want flee from anything work related but this is the best time to be proactive. While everyone is "sleeping" you can be working on you A game :). 

Finger Snaps & Crankdats

So I entered college in 2007. Top songs of that year?

• Irreplaceable - Beyonce
• Umbrella - Rihanna & Jay
• The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani & Akon
• Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie
• Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin)
• Crank That (Soulja Boy)
• and of course my love, JT! Give it To Me - Timbo, Nelly Furtado, JT
• What Goes Around Comes Around - JT
• My Love - JT & T.I.
• Party Like A Rockstar 

When I graduated, 4 years later?

Sittin' On The Row with Amber

 

1. Introduce yourself to our bloggers (including name, major, school, year graduated or anticipated date, and anything else you want us to know).

Hello world, my name is Amber I am a BS candidate for Computer Science and Spanish on May 20, 2012

Yesterday vs. Today: Hair

2012

2010

A Transitioning State of Mind

Time to reflect. We've all done it. I call this, the stages of my educated mind.

High school - Was pretty darn easy, probably even easier than middle school. All I had to do was show up to class and turn in assignments which, apparently, was pretty hard for the average teenager to do. The only struggles I had were memorizing my marching band music *go c-nets!*

Who Are We?

Alumni r.o.w.

Authors: Robin, Onyeka and Whitney

We all went to University of Maryland *go terps!* and want to share our expertise on transitioning to the real world - whether that be transitioning your relaxed to natural hair, transitioning from the undergrad to professional wardrobe, or transitioning from a daytime look at work to a smoky eye for happy hour.

Stay tuned!