Sarah Bowden

Happy Move-In! I wish you all the best as you get ready for an amazing year.  I remember the summer before my freshmen year I would look up tips and articles on college advice, and I figured that now is the time for me to be the one to post about it! I’ll be going into my junior year and living apartment style for the first time. My freshmen year I lived in a normal double with communal bathrooms – here are the tips I suggest! 1. Doorstop Often dorm doors are self-closing and it is a hassle to constantly need to pull out your key/card/etc. A doorstop will be a lifesaver while you bring in large containers and boxes of your stuff! 2. Labels If upperclassmen are on deck and helping carry loads from the car to your room, help make their life easier and label all your things with last name and hall/room number. Don’t want your things to get mixed up with someone else’s! You can also add what it is so your move-in day self knows if it is bedding or desk items.  3. Toolkit Never know i

Below is a list of fashion stores that offer a student discount for you to save! Ranging from 5% off to 62% off! In order to get these codes, you need to make an account on both UNiDAYS and Student Beans. All this means is verifying that you are a college student and then you have access! UNiDAYS UNiDAYS  is an app you need to download on your phone!! All you need to do is put in your college, email, grad year and they verify that you are a student. Very easy process and then you have access to tons of discounts, offers, giveaways that are exclusive to students. Categories include fashion, beauty, food & drink, health & fitness, lifestyle, technology, sports & media, and more! It's a staple for online shopping.  Student Beans Student Beans  is the second app you need to save big! Categories for savings include Food & Drink, Fashion, Tech & Mobile, Health & Beauty, Entertainment, Home & Utilities, Travel, Study & Stationary, and more!  List of Fashion

Looking to get ahead of the game? Have extra time? Here are a few ideas to accelerate! 1. Set Goals.  Do you know what professions stem from your major? What kind of job you see yourself with? Research! What are the stats like? Is one job gaining popularity? Is another slowly dying/fading out?  Make a list of potential internships you want to apply for and note down when each application is due.  What do the applications require of you? Do you need to work on a certain skill in the meantime? How can you work to become a better applicant?  2. Interview Prep.  Behavioral questions! Practice over and over again. You are always going to be asked behavioral questions.  Here are some questions to practice how you would answer: Behavioral Based Job Interview Questions 10 Common Behavioral Interview Questions 25 Examples and How to Answer Them I have tons of interview tips from 10+ interviews and will compile them into a later post! 3. Find Inspiration in People.  My favorite influencer is Rya

Sharing the highlights of my recent trip out to Greenport/Orient Point on the North Fork of LI! The Town of Greenport was charming and had lots to offer.  You will find plenty of free public parking to walk around and explore the shops, restaurants, and waterfront looking toward Shelter Island! From researching the day before, I knew that the restaurants were all at a heavy price point. The  Sterlington Deli  is a very well rated local fav that we picked up sandwiches and lemonades at for $25! We ate at the shaded picnic tables next to  the Carousel ! The 67 Steps Beach is a bit of a "secret"! Parking is limited to town residents - and don't risk it. When we got there a cop was putting tickets on cars. If you are with people and just want to snap some pictures of the beach one person could just stay in the car/drive around. If you are looking for more time here, the closest public parking is really in town which is a 30 minute walk.  We revolved our day around the  Lavend

Happy Monday! Looking forward to the productive week ahead... This week I'm posting a Shein bathing suit review. Often people are skeptical of the Shein's and Zafuls of the web, but in conclusion I recommend buying bathing suits off of Shein. This was my receipt for the shop. 3 bathing suits under $10, a shipping fee of $4, and a discount code which basically gave me free shipping. Really impressed by this! I ordered all mediums and have worn all three suits multiple times already in order to conduct a solid review! Tie Dye Underwire Bikini Swimsuit This suit is great quality and I don't have any problems- only thing I would say is size up. Tie Dye Halter Tie Side Bikini Swimsuit Blue tie dye pattern looks amazing on!! Cons with this one: the removable pads do get bunched up, so you need to adjust each time you put it on. The white inner lining on the top peaks through on all sides, which is a little frustrating. Most revealing bottoms of the three suits and the strings for

This  clear iPhone 8 case  is sleek, matches everything, and comes in different colors/sizes! $13 scratch resistant raised to protect camera & screen no yellowing love the design with the shock-absorbing corners clear, transparent black, or transparent red iPhone SE 2020/iPhone 8 iPhone 11 iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max These  portable party lights  are the perfect size for college! $25 all you need is an outlet tilt anyway/hang from ceiling etc. - so versatile everyone loves them when they are on! can play to the music so many color options and combinations I adore this  vanity mirror  and can't recommend it enough! $60 3 lighting settings and each is dimmable heavy duty sleek design also comes in black This  mattress topper  will make your dorm bed so much more comfortable! I actually miss my dorm bed because it was so so comfy!! 1.5 inch gel memory foam bed topper with cooling mattress pad super easy to unpack I can testify to great pressure relief and cooling comes in all

1. You're going to overpack. And that's okay! Keep a note (Notes app on phone is great) during your first semester of what you didn't need to bring and what you could've brought. When you next go home for a break or in between semesters, bring home what you didn't need.  It's really important to keep your room decluttered of things you are never going to need since the dorms can be so tight! 2. Registration is never fun nor easy. Be prepared to bring your A-game when selecting your classes. Varies by school but these are the rules I stick by:  For example, if registration days are broken up by graduation year, don't start planning classes until the class before you is done. I have made the mistake of making multiple class plans way too early and then all of those classes were filled by upperclassmen. Save yourself the stress of having to do the process twice! With that being said, leave plenty of time to actually plan. Deciding on clas

Hi! Well, I took a little bit of a hiatus from this project. But I'm back now and I have decided that I am going to use my voice to write on the tragedy that is America right now. First, I would like to share the summary on what BlackLivesMatter is, as stated on the official website : '#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.'  The following is a list of things that I am doing: 1. Simply watching this youtube video! As I'm writing this post and doing other tasks on my mac, I have this vide

While home for winter break, I became aware that I had lost complete touch with reading. Reading for myself outside of class, that is. At a business event, professionals with v e r y successful careers really emphasized a few books to help kickstart my career. It finally clicked that I need to prioritize books. Transitioning back to college, I rediscovered my kindle. I am currently reading One Day in December by Josie Silver. Almost half way in! Can't say I recommend it until I finish it though... In short, this year I want to read a lot more. One week at school later, I have already spent a few hours reading quietly. Definitely a hard thing to get used to when being so social at college! I plan to update this post with my progress and check in regularly, hopefully to grow a long list of books read.  Let me know what you're currently reading! Sarah xx

Planning & Scheduling I have found the Apple Calendar App to be the most efficient and effective, when compared to a paper planner. Before the start of each semester, I put in all my classes. The digital format is great since there is the option to add reminders and alarms, which I actually did take advantage of last semester. An alarm went off 10 minutes before every one of my classes. Below is a list of topics I add: - wake up time - appointments/meetings - when to work on specific assignments - when tickets go on sale - miscellaneous events - time for gym/workout/run/fit classes - time for LinkedIn/networking - club/intramural sports - project due dates - phone calls (more often than I would like to admit I would add in breakfast, lunch & dinner!) *Extreme planner* Every Friday I quickly skim my school's master event calendar (frequently updated) and add things for the following week, that way the weekend begins and I have my calendar set for Monday. I es

I've decided that I am going to use this page as a running list of restaurants I would recommend! 1. PepeGiallo My friends and I found this place with a quick yelp search in Penn Station. Usually that scares me, as I like to know ratings, reviews, etc. before I try a new place-but I was pleasantly surprised when we were seated at our table about how nice it was. If you're into aesthetic, come here.  About 1pm on a Friday it was just the right amount of busy, and the service was one of the best-I was really impressed. I ordered the gnocchi alla checca with fresh mozzarella and tomato and finished the entire dish! Location: 10th Avenue parallel to High Line. Best for: Service & Atmosphere Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I love NYC & everything about it. Over my previous winter break, my friends and I went to visit the  Top of the Rock  and still always talk about how fun it was. Follow my blog with Bloglovin You basically have 360 views & Midtown access to all the shops and activities-including the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and Ice Skating Rink which is why this is the perfect winter activity. You can go between the indoor and outdoor sky-decks as you please so you don't have to stand outside for very long if it's particularly cold. The Top of the Rock runs on a timed-ticket schedule. Tip: GET YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE!!! Especially if you are looking for a sunset time slot, as they book the fastest. This system works nicely because once you have that ticket - your in! And you can stay for as long as you please taking in the views. Tickets are $38 for adults & $32 for under age 12. They also have the option of SUN & STARS which allows you to go 2x in