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

Ever since freshman year, I have been a devoted member of FSU’s Collegiate Merchandising Association (CMA). It only made sense that I ran for office in the fall of my sophomore year. This organization is open to ALL majors so whether you are a fashion major or just obsessed with fashion, you will find people who share your same passion. Need more convincing?

1. Make New Friends & Network- At any CMA meeting, you will find a great group of diverse people who all share a similar interest – fashion! The group is rather large but don’t ever be overwhelmed – ask any officer, at one point or another we all went to the meetings alone & were intimidated. Don’t be afraid to talk to the officers & other members & put yourself out there. At each meeting, we try to do a fun ice-breaker game in smaller groups which is how I met a lot of people in the beginning. And of course, you can say hi to me when you sign in! I will always be sitting behind the desk so don’t be shy!

2. Gain Hands-On Fashion Experience – Where else in Tallahassee can you gain hands-on fashion experience? CMA gives you the opportunity to work behind the scenes at a fashion show, magazine & other major events. College is all about building your resume & making yourself look marketable for an employer – being active in CMA can do just that!

3. Get Involved with CLUTCH Magazine – I already stated that you can gain hands-on fashion experience but more specifically, being a member of CMA allows you with the opportunity to get involved with CLUTCH Magazine including voting on colors & covers, writing articles, editing & interviewing for a director position. You can join different committees ranging from PR (my team) to graphic design to advertising.

4. Scholarships – CMA gives out two scholarships to outstanding seniors at Intern Brunch. If you are a Retail Merchandising major, I am sure you are aware that you have to complete an intern block your last semester of college. CMA hosts an intern brunch for all graduating interns during their last week of exams, right before they head off to their internships.

5. Run for Office – A great resume builder is showing that you have leadership skills. In order to do this, you need to run for office. The Collegiate Merchandising Association is composed of 9 officers while CLUTCH Magazine is composed of 18 directors – plenty of positions available for you to join in on.

Other Fun Facts:

Convinced yet? Our first meeting will be on Wednesday, September 8th at 7pm in Oglesby 314-315. I included our entire fall 2010 meeting schedule on the events page so that if you can’t make this meeting, hopefully you can make the next one. I hope to meet some of you there!