College Being

Looking fashionable in college can be difficult. With all your money going towards tuition, fees, books, housing, and occasionally, food, you probably have little left over for filling out your wardrobe with the latest styles of the season. And yet, you don’t have to tour campus looking like a pauper for the next four (or more) years. With a little effort and a lot of ingenuity you can have the fantastically fashionable aesthetic you desire. All you need are a few tricks up your sleeve. So here are some great tips to get you started on the road to a fabulous wardrobe.

1. Shop discount stores. Shopping can be pretty depressing when you’re on a budget, but you’ll get a lot more bang for your buck if you opt for discount warehouses instead of pricy department stores. And you’ll be amazed by the excellent selection you’ll find at retailers like Target, Ross, Kohl’s, and TJ Maxx (just to name a few). Many of these stores collaborate with big-name designers (Vera Wang, Zac Posen, Lauren Conrad, and more) to bring you label outfits at a fraction of the cost.

2. Stay on trend. Use fashion magazines and websites to your advantage. Find looks that you like and then emulate them with less expensive pieces. Of course, you’ll have a hard time mimicking one-of-a-kind pieces like formal gowns, but for everyday items like tops, bottoms, and accessories you can almost always find the trickle-down effect (low-cost alternatives that look a lot like the real deal). So you can easily sport “the look” you see in the media without buying the brand-name versions.

3. Reclaim. Okay, nobody really likes to buy second-hand clothing, but if you want to look amazing without breaking your budget you’re going to need to embrace alternatives. The trick is to do thrift-store shopping the right way. You don’t want to go to the bad side of town to check out the wares at the Goodwill or Salvation Army. Instead, take a bus to the shops that are near high-end neighborhoods. The people who donate there are bound to leave a few treasures with their bag of castoffs. And find out what day delivery trucks come in so you can get a first look at new arrivals.

4. Nip and tuck. There is no better way to get the wardrobe you want than with a talent for sewing, since fabric itself is far less expensive than ready-to-wear clothing. But if you’re not quite at the level where you can sew your own, then simply improve on the work of others. Find inexpensive pieces that are close to what you want and then tailor them. A loose jacket can easily become fitted, and if you can’t find a killer vest, just take a jacket you like and remove the sleeves. Loose shirts can easily become fitted with a nip of the seams and hemlines on pants and skirts are a simple fix if you know how to whip-stitch.

5. Try DOTD. If you find that you’re looking for a special piece but you just don’t have a ton of money, sign up for memberships at a fashion deal-of-the-day site like Hautelook, Beyond the Rack, and Gilt Groupe. You’ll find amazing deals on the labels you covet, with new additions on a daily basis.

This guest post was written by Leon Harris. Find out more about the t-shirt printing site he works with.

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Students now have it so much easier than those that were in school 12+ years ago. Technology has made it so much easier to do online research, stay organized, keep up with deadlines, collaborate with classmates and have online discussions; even 1st graders get to have iPads in the classroom. It’s only inevitable that soon laptops or tablets will be a part of the required school supplies for most grade levels.

With the advancement in technology also comes an abundance of online tools and services for students. The top-notch tools listed below will help any student whether in grade school or college. Let’s take a look at the top 7 online tools students should use.

Notely

Notely is a great time management tool that helps students stay organized with notes, to-do lists and a course and assignment calculator. It’s great for those who need help keeping track of assignments and due dates. Each time you login you’ll get to see which deadlines are approaching. With the calendar, schedule builder and homework planner students can take control of their hectic lives and make time for studying and assignments. The Word-like note taking interface doubles as an online word processor with formatting options that are very similar to Google Docs.

Backpack

Backpack is just what the name insinuates: Click to continue reading…

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In primary school, it is more or less impossible to effectively avoid teachers that are known to be awful. You either get assigned to their class or you don’t. Once you’re in, you’re stuck. Although many a parent has complained about a teacher being “unfair” to their child, it is the policy of most schools that unless there is abuse of some sort, a kid will stay in the classroom they are assigned to.

But now you’re in college and things are a bit different. You not only get to choose the classes you want to take, but even general education courses that are mandatory often come with several time slots and teachers to choose from. And once you get to your major study, you’ll be limited to a smaller department and faculty, but you still have some latitude when it comes to selecting the classes and teachers you prefer. So how can you tell which teachers to avoid? There are actually several ways to find out. Click to continue reading…

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