Army Green

August and fall are right around the corner! What happened to summer? As sad as I am that summer is coming to an end, I'm beyond excited for fall trends. One I'm already loving? Army Green.

It might be the spartan in me, but I love this green color! It's flattering on every skin tone and can be paired with lots of other colors. Also muted enough for everyday wear. I've put together some of my favorite army green picks:

Backpack, earrings, sweater, clutch, romper, toms, maxi, tank 

What do you think? Will you be rocking some army green in the fall?

Top 5 Reasons Why Sorority Recruitment Can Help You Get Your Post-Grad Dream Job - Guest Post

Sorority recruitment and job interviewing have a ton of similarities. It's one of the many things a sorority teaches you about life. Today, Erica is going to show you how much recruitment can help you get a dream job when you graduate! 

Sorority recruitment — while considerably more fun — is similar to applying for a job. Of course there are a variety of differences between being a sorority recruit and a job applicant, but, aside from a college internship, few experiences prepare a job candidate for an interview like sorority recruitment.

The reason that is the case is because sorority recruits are put through a battery of interviews and activities and are put in a number of real-world scenarios. Without these, it is almost impossible for sorority sisters (or hiring managers) to find out which recruits are best suited for their chapter (or company).

1) Extracurricular Activities: Sorority recruiters typically want to know what positive things a recruit did in high school, aside from study. Particular types of extracurricular activities are not as important as the fact that a recruit had interests outside academics. Not that academics are not important — it’s just that most sororities want well-rounded sisters in the house.

Extracurricular activities are proof of social aptitude and a worldly view. In many cases, extracurricular activities are just as important to sororities as a recruit's GPA.

Most real-world jobs require extensive interviews. Those interviews will invariably include questions well outside the purview of the job description. Extracurricular activities — sorority membership, for example — are a huge plus when trying to land a job. While academic performance is very important, so are outside interests.

2) Community Service: While extracurricular activities are a huge plus, few endeavors impress a sorority recruiting panel as much as community service does. Whether it is helping out at a nursing home, providing help for students who need assistance with their homework or doing community cleanup, community service can be the difference that separates good recruit from a great one.

Interviewers for post-grad jobs feel the same about community service as those conducting interviews for sororities. A job applicant that has shown to have an interest in helping others can be trusted to keep morale up at work, go the extra mile when required and do what's best for the company.

3) Teamwork: Two settings where teamwork is essential are in a sorority and in your dream job. Almost all sororities require members to work with their fellow sisters, and very few jobs permit a person to work alone on an island. While there are jobs in which a person works in a vacuum, the overwhelming majority require a person be able to work within a team.

Sorority recruitment requires potential members work together in a variety of capacities. Doing well during the recruitment process shows potential employers that an applicant understands how to be a team player.

4) Long-Term Goals: All sororities have one thing in common: they want their members to be successful long term. A large part of long-term success is having goals and working toward them. Sorority recruiters will undoubtedly ask recruits what their long-term goals are.

Being able to answer questions about long-term goals during sorority recruitment will help a graduate answer questions during the interview for her dream job. Without question, any successful company or organization wants to know what the long-term goals of potential employees are.

Not only does an interviewee’s explanation of her long-term goals help interviewers understand her in a broader light, it helps interviewers project how she might fit into their company over the long run.

5) "Why Us?" Questions: One of the most common questions for both sorority recruits and job candidates is, "Why do you want to join/work with us?" It is always a difficult question to answer, and for those who are not prepared, the question can be a major stumbling block.

However, by learning to answer the question while rushing for a sorority, a college graduate can use the same answer to land her dream job.

Big Picture

While there are any number of situations and activities in sorority life that will help you land the big job, the recruitment process is probably more helpful than any other!

Erica Wolfe is a proud Delta Phi Epsilon member and a Marketing Associate at Greek Streak – an online Greek apparel retailer providing fraternity and sorority clothing for the Greek community.

Essential Apps for International Travel

Downloading & deleting applications is essential for any pre-travel plan. It's super important if you'll be traveling internationally with your phone on airplane mode. When I was in Europe, I quickly realized there were some apps I needed, and lots I didn't. 

Delete any unwanted apps that you won't be using, especially if your phone will be your main camera source! You don't want the dreaded out of storage notification! 

Google Voice | It took most of my trip before I figured this one out. This is a good choice that gives someone an actual number to text or call and they don't need to download an app. Another good choice is What's App - just make sure you set it up before you go. 

Dictionary apps | Find a language & hit download. I needed the German, French & Italian versions of this app and they were lifesavers at restaurants. Nothing says culture shock like not being able to read a menu! 

City Maps 2 Go | Google Maps in offline mode is great, it's just missing landmarks, restaurants & things to do. That's where city maps comes in. The location feature wasn't flawless in every city I used it in, but the maps were incredibly helpful. You get 5 free maps too! 

Currency Converter | Any idea how much money you're spending? You might want to convert it before you drop any more dough abroad. 

Pinterest | The modern travel guide. I used Pinterest to do research & look at photos of cities we were visiting. There's lots of real people guides (from bloggers) that offer some great advice. 

Dropbox | What happens if your phone...(pick your worse case scenario)? Use Dropbox to auto upload your camera roll to make sure you don't loose any of your precious photos! Also a great tool to keep travel documents safe - I uploaded copies of my passport & health insurance card. 

What are your favorite travel applications?

Failing to Plan...

...is planning to fail. Ever heard the saying? It's never to early to think about a planner for use in the fall.

L to R: Quit Slackin, Lilly Pulitzer, Moleskine, Kate Spade, May Designs, Erin Condren, The Sorority Planner

No matter your organization style, I think every one has a use for a physical planner. I use iCal on my phone for tracking my daily schedule (trust me, it's necessary) but I use my planner for tracking assignments and due dates. At the beginning of every semester I take my syllabi and write all of my assignments and readings on the days their due in my planner (color coded by class, of course). This lets me see an overview of my schoolwork for the week! More on my organization system later.

If you're more of a DIY gal here's a print at home planner. Or even better, some freebie printables to assemble your planner yourself. Just head on over to your local FedEx Office for a durable binding or put it in a binder.

Prefer the digital life? You can always use a cute planner as a yearly journal! You could try out the one sentence journal that will get your creative juices running each day.

How do you use a planner?

Monday Melodies: Summer Playlist Update

As I said before, I've been adding to my summer playlist. Here are some of my favorite additions:

Story time: I saw this music video in Italy and had no idea what the name of the song was. I was so determined to find it when I got home, I actually googled in Italian to find it.

Of course no playlist is complete without a little Beyonce in the mix!

What are you listening to this summer? Anything I should add to my mix?

Independence Day Link Roundup

To be honest, I had really good intentions about writing some super awesome posts for the 4th of July. Sometimes (aka a lot of times) my procrastination catches up with me & I spend a weekend in Tennessee.

So rather than attempting to reinvent the wheel, I figured I would compile the best fourth of july inspiration for all you other procrastinators out there! Whether you're throwing a party, attending one or just going to watch fireworks - there's an outfit and some inspiration here for you!

via

 Start your day off with the spirit of red, white & blue! Toast, cream cheese, jam, blueberries & bananas make for an easy patriotic breakfast.

via

 For a twist on the classic hotdog... make rocket dogs! They are a great addition to usual barbeque fair.

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A super easy dessert option: sugar cookies, frosting and fruit. You may even be able to pull these off as good for you!

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No 4th of July is complete without a classic blueberry pie! Use star cut outs on the crust for a festive flair.

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These flower pots are super easy and add just the right amount of flair to any table top!

via The College Prepster

Outfit inspiration: The College Prepster, College Fashion 1 & 2, Design Darling, A Southern Style, Lauren Conrad, Atlantic-Pacific, Dean Street Society

Check out my posts from the past: Olympic Style, 2012 Patriotic Picks

What are your plans for celebrating July 4th?