Tomorrow marks the beginning of the end for me at Florida State University. I cannot believe how fast these past three years have gone & knowing that I have only six more months left in Tallahassee makes me think about how much has changed within that short amount of time.

When I was a college freshman, I picked my major because it was something I was passionate about but I had no idea what I wanted to do with it. When I started, I was leaning towards becoming a buyer but within my first year toyed with the ideas of styling or working for a magazine. It wasn’t until after I launched FSU Fashion Girl & started interning that I realized that I wanted to get into more the the PR/marketing & social media side of fashion. I still believe that it is so important that college students pick a major that they are passionate about. There is not a doubt in my mind that I picked the right major for me.

Throughout the years, I have met so many different people that I have been lucky to call my friends. My advice to incoming freshman is to embrace these new friendships & try to meet as many people as you can. It is truly amazing what you can learn from those who are different from you. You can also learn a lot about yourself by looking at the people you may not get along with & really trying to figure out why. After college, stay in touch with everyone. A lot of my friends graduated last year & it has been really fun for me to see where they are all ending up – where they are living, working, etc. We are so blessed to live in the Facebook generation which makes it entirely too easy to keep in touch – utilize this.

My last piece of advice for incoming freshman is to embrace the new. College students are handed opportunities that a lot of others would kill to have. Experience everything you can. If someone invites you to something that isn’t necessarily “your thing,” do it anyways. You may surprise yourself. If you get the opportunity to intern in another state or country, do it! I cannot even begin to express how much that experience will teach you about yourself, both on a personal & professional level. Most importantly, have fun! These next four years will fly by faster than you know.

More critical reads for incoming college freshman:

How to Save Money on Textbooks
Interview & Resume Tips from BCBG
Intern Queen Inc.
Gameday Fashion
How To Furnish Your Home (Or Dorm!) for Less

As most of you probably know by now, I interned in New York City this summer. After months of researching, planning, & applying for internships, I was so excited to finally make it to the city. One of the hardest things to decide was where to stay. When interning during the summer, you will have plenty of options. It is just a matter of finding the perfect location, price & room type for you. You may choose to stay at a university dorm or sublease an apartment. After weeks of researching & comparing, I finally settled on staying with Educational Housing Services & I was so glad I did!

Educational Housing Services is a nonprofit company that offers housing for students & interns. They have several locations throughout New York so I would pick the one closest to your internship. I interned right in Times Square so for me, the New Yorker was the ideal location. I was lucky enough to be offered an internship in January so I was able to book early & secure a single room.

THE ROOMS

Although the New Yorker residence is actually located within the New Yorker Hotel, these rooms are DORMS. Several students who stayed in this residence were completely unaware of this fact & ended up being disappointed with their rooms. So know going in that you will be living in a typical dorm room & the rooms should live up to (or close to) your expectations. I found them to be very comparable to the dorms at Florida State.

THE STAFF

I was especially pleased with the staff. Everyone was SO friendly! The day I moved in, their staff loaded all of my luggage into a cart which was delivered to my room while I checked in. The whole check in experience was super easy, organized & fast. Throughout my stay, the staff continued to be friendly & was always eager to help out or answer any questions.

THE SOCIALS

I loved that EHS held socials for their residents. This definitely gives them an edge among the other types of internship housing. I did not attend many socials because I was always busy but it was always nice to have them as an option. Definitely a great way to meet new people!

THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE 

I really enjoyed my experience with EHS & will definitely recommend them to anyone who is thinking of interning in New York. Definitely look into all of your options & choose the option that is best for you but I am 100% happy with the decision I made. I had a great room, was minutes away from everything in New York & found some great friends! In the end, I wouldn’t have changed a thing!

Interested in staying with them? You can give them a call at (800) 385-1689. Already decided? The application process is simple. Just fill out the form & don’t forget to mention that Chandra Robrock referred you.

This past week, I finally got around to finishing “Style” by Lauren Conrad. This one of the greatest books on styling I have ever read. After being filmed for days on end during her Laguna Beach & The Hills days, she never repeated an outfit. This book, will show you simple styling tricks that will help you to prolong the life of your clothes & develop your own personal style. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Lauren, although she can afford to buy nearly anything, still purchases  tons of brands that are completely affordable for college students & fashionistas alike. Levi’s, TopShop & Steve Madden were all included in her style guide. Of course, Christian Louboutins, Chanel & several other designers made it into the book as well. Lauren also mentioned that she loves mixing vintage items into an outfit.

Here are some other things I learned from reading “Style”:

• Quick fixes for fashion emergencies
• How to transform your make-up from day to night
• The best ways to mix & match prints
• Her favorite sites to online shop

And tons more!

I would highly recommend reading this book. It is filled with great tips that everyone can used. Plus, all of the clothing, accessories and products featured in the book are documented in the index for easy shopping!

I have been interning for Lauren Berger, the CEO of Intern Queen Inc., for the past six months. Next week will be my last week interning so I have been looking back and reflecting on everything that I have learned – both personally & professionally.

1. The Power of a Follow Up – Since interning for Lauren, I noticed how often I was following up with people whether it was planning the CLUTCH Magazine release party, applying for an internship, or simply asking a question. You wouldn’t believe how many people are actually thankful – not annoyed – that you are following up with them. Especially when it comes to internships, ALWAYS follow up to make sure that they actually received your materials. They might just be bombarded with resumes but the act of the follow up will give you an edge over your competition.

2. Network with EVERYONE – During college, don’t be selective. Keep in touch with ALL of your contacts. You never know when you might need them or vice versa. This is especially true if you are still not 100% sure of what career field you would like to go in. Organize your contacts into an excel document including their name, company, position, email address, phone number & their preferred method of communication. It’s also important to not abuse this relationship. Keep in mind that this is a give-take relationship – ask what YOU can do for THEM.

3. ALWAYS Call to Decline an Internship Offer - I got the opportunity to listen to Lauren speak at this year’s Teen Vogue Fashion University in New York City & she has mentioned this same advice before. Provided you are only applying for internships that you actually want, always say yes to an internship offer. If you get another internship offer which you feel is the better fit, pick up the phone & call the first company. You will be able to convey your genuine apology for declining the internship over the phone rather than an email.

4. Personalize your Cover Letters & Tailor your Resume - You won’t believe how many people we see apply for internships with “Dear Seventeen Magazine” for a Lucky Magazine internship. This is a sure sign that you are sending out the same cover letter for multiple internships. Personalize both your cover letter & resume for the job and company you are applying for. Also, keep your resume to one page. Anything that wasn’t covered in your resume, bring up in your interview and/or cover letter.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions - If you are unsure, don’t hesitate to ask! If you can get away with asking another intern, do that first. In general, your boss will be thankful that you had the courage to ask a question rather than try it out on your own & make a mistake.

All in all, I have had an amazing time interning for Intern Queen Inc. If you are interested in interning for Lauren, go ahead & apply for her summer 2011 internship program. You can also join the campus ambassador program (no FSU students please, we already have two!) – email me if you are interested & I will let you know what all you need to do.

Whether you are currently looking for an internship or you will be looking for an internship in the near future, Intern Queen Inc. is your one stop shop for everything you need to know about internships. Lauren Berger, the CEO of Intern Queen Inc., became known as the “intern queen” after completing 15 internships during her 4 years of college. Intern Queen Inc. offers free online internship listings which you can apply for directly through the website as well as career advice through her I Am Intern blog. Whether you are a student looking for an internship or an employer searching for the perfect intern, look no further than InternQueen.com.

Find your dream internship by:
- Looking through the internships online at InternQueen.com
- Following the Intern Queen on Facebook and Twitter
- Signing up for the Intern Queen Hot List – which informs you of what is going on with Intern Queen as well as companies who still need interns
- Subscribe to the Intern Queen’s YouTube channel
- Joining the Intern Queen on Twitter every other Tuesday for #internchat – Ask Lauren any and ALL of your internship questions THIS Tuesday from 7-8pm EST
- Search through the I Am Intern blog to find more tips and advice straight from the Intern Queen herself!