The Worst Commercial of All Time

The name’s Jess, it rhymes with mess and rightfully so. My favorite holiday is Shark Week. I can lick my elbow. I hate commercials…and rude people. My cat Mark is my best friend. I have a bad habit of people watching in public. I am a Com major/film minor at Drexel. My favorite thing in my bedroom is my carpet, it really ties the whole room together. If I could meet any fictional T.V. character it would be Buster Bluth from Arrested Development. I’m no chef but I can make a mean grilled cheese sandwich. I think Johnny Cash is the man. I live to play volleyball. I get really nervous around attractive people. I love elevator conversations. I hate getting yelled at. I tell way too many horrible jokes. When someone gets a movie/tv show reference I made, it’s the best feeling ever.  One thing I want to do before I die is change someone’s life.

Buster Bluth

 Commercial for "The Emily Manning"

........................................................

I am not a noteworthy person; I do not stand out in a crowd.  I have never been the best at anything, but I have also never really been one for winning.  I am talented at what I find to be important, helping and supporting the people I care about.  If this were a real commercial would never make it on TV.  Because I am not flashy and exciting, like the shiny pieces of plastic that line the shelves of toys store.  I am honest and determined.  My only life’s goal is to be happy, I figure if I can achieve that the rest will fall into place.  That might seem naïve, but I’m 19, I’m allowed to be naïve.

Anthony's Commercial

My name is Anthony Mattera and I am a Business Administration student with a concentration in Marketing at Drexel University. I was born in Brooklyn, New York and lived in Staten Island, New York until I was 10. I moved to Howell, New Jersey and have since lived there. I am an avid sports fan and love the Mets, Jets and Knicks. I am a huge music fan and love to listen to hip-hop especially my favorite artists Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar and Big Sean. For the future, I hope to one day to have a great job in Marketing, hopefully in the nonprofit sector. I want to do work that I feel good about and feel like I am giving back. I want to live hopefully back in my hometown or somewhere in New Jersey so I’m not too far away from family but hopefully work one day in New York City. I just hope that I’m doing something I really enjoy when I’m older. A quote I live by is “Success is what you make it, take it how it comes” and I firmly believe that.

Describe yourself as if you were in a TV advertisement. You only have 30 seconds to sell yourself. Go!

My name is Sabrina and I am a pre-med nursing student at Drexel University. I was born and raised in San Francisco, California (West Coast Best Coast!), which is where I hope to return to after undergrad and medical school. I played piano for 9 years like any good Asian child, but retained only about 1 year of skill. I also spent six years practicing Chinese painting and Chinese dance, and the only result is my ability to do the splits. I have a secret (or not so secret) passion for photography, sewing, and Jeremy Lin. If one day my passions, or more likely job, get me to a place where I have all the money in the world – I’d like to open up an orphanage in China and spend my time playing with the children who have nothing but are grateful for everything.

Meredith's layin down the law

So with Meredith out stopping wrongdoers everywhere,I took it upon myself to ask the question. This weeks topic: You.

Meredith, I took inspiration from your Elevator Speech question from the last round of Co-ops.

Describe yourself as if you were in a TV advertisement. You only have 30 seconds to sell yourself. Go!

Oh gosh, I hope that makes sense. MEREDITH I'M SO SORRY IF I SCREW THIS UP.

Question: Being a college student can be pricy, especially if you're like me and get carry out every night. What are some techniques you use to save money around the house/dorm/apartment?

Sorry this is so late, thanks for the numerous reminders Tuna!

 

"Why tip someone for a job I'm capable of doing myself? I can deliver food. I can drive a taxi. I can, and do, cut my own hair. I did however, tip my urologist, because I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones." Dwight Schrute, The Office

Being a college student can be EXREMELY pricey, so I actually have many different techniques that help me save money.

Technique #1: Pretending to be homeless and collecting money from the general public. JUST KIDDING. Haha, no when I go to a store or "shopping" with some friends I usually just browse and if I really want something I just tell myself that I don't need it, which is harder than it sounds.

Technique #2: I try to avoid using public transportation at all costs and just walk everywhere since walking is free...for now anyways lol. I know the subway and the buses are only $2 but on my budget that is expensive and it does start to add up after a while. So I just try to walk everywhere or take the Drexel shuttle.

Technique #3: I LOVE going to good will or the salvation army (don't judge me). You can find some great deals in those places although it can be hit or miss. Salvation Army is awesome when shopping for ugly Christmas sweaters for the holiday season. When I go home for Thanksgiving I can't wait to go get my ugly Christmas sweater for this year!

Technique #4: NEVER pay more than $25 for a pair of jeans.

Technique #5: Unfortunately, I don't go out to eat...like ever. Which is really hard because there are so many great looking places in Philly that I would love to try.

Technique #6: I don't know if this counts, but I just got a new apartment that is a bit cheaper than the one I am in now so that will help me save a good amount of money. Not to mention I am getting away from one of the world's worst roommates of all time.

Technique #7: My step dad was a stickler for shutting lights off and not wasting electricity. I used to get yelled at A LOT for doing it but now that I pay an electricity bill I totally get it. I always shut lights off and I will do things in the dark unless I absolutely need to turn a light on; I am becoming a pro at brushing my teeth in the dark ;)

Saving Money in College

My post is probably going to be a lot different from everyone else but here we go anyway. Saving money for me has not been a real big issue for me so far since coming to Drexel. Most of the money I have made from my jobs in the summer and over time I have saved up and not really touched that money. What really helps is my parents paying for my numerous colleges expenses, it really takes the burden off me big time and allows me to easily save my money. I guess from a living stand point now though I try to spend my money wiser and make smart purchases. I remember when I first worked at 16, I would spend my money on clothes and sneakers or any other materialistic things I did not really need but had to have. I really wasn’t saving my money a whole lot. Since coming to college and having to buy food and pay for other miscellaneous objects, I have been smart about where I spend my money and making sure I am not overdoing it. Especially while I am on coop, I want to try and save as much money as I can and put it away in my savings. As I said before it is really easy saving the money I earn on coop and my jobs because of my parents and them financially helping me with my college costs. Though I don’t have to be independent of myself like most college students, I think it still makes me a smart individual with saving my money because I show respect to myself and my parents in not just thinking well my parents are paying for my college costs so let me just spend all my money I earn working on stupid things. It makes me appreciate what I have and spend my money on essential needs. Obviously though I like to indulge like everyone else and buy things for myself, what person doesn’t but again it is just being smart about it and not taking advantage of a situation.

When I do try to save in general though and I need to buy food and other needs for my dorm. I try to be smart about what I Purchase. One big way is going to Fresh Grocer and looking for good sales. I look for the best values in products and try to continue to follow that pattern. I also got a Fresh Grocer card to get the most updated sales there. Another way is what Sabrina said and that is buying things in bulk. When I got to Drexel, I already had many of my essential living needs items. Most of which I had got from Sam’s Club, which was a huge help because I still have so many things from there and I have been able to save my money. For me personally, these are the ways I save my money while attending at Drexel.

Question: Being a college student can be pricy, especially if you're like me and get carry out every night. What are some techniques you use to save money around the house/dorm/apartment?

Savings! Something I LOVE. I have a number of techniques which I employ in order to save money...
1. Buy in bulk! Although Costco is ridiculously far away,  I have recently discovered the wonders of BJs Wholesale Club! Even there, sales are to be found! Even though it's in bulk, most of the food is in quantities that a college student can consume within a week. :D

2. SALES! They are amazing. As much as I love shopping, I know that I can't buy everything. Therefore, I pick and choose! Usually I only get what is on sale, unless I desperately need it (ie. work clothes..) Or if something is ridiculously cheap and I feel obligated to make a purchase, I'll buy something really really really big (with lots of fabric) that is really really cheap and try to make something nice of it using my handy-dandy sewing machine!

3. Pre-package lunch. Though I have not been terribly good at this thus far, but last year it was really effective for me. I would make large quantities of food and separate into different containers so I have lunch and/or dinner for the next week. That way, I would feel pressured to eat what had already been made, and would not go out to eat as often. When I do eat out, I try to save half or a quarter of the meal to eat as lunch the following day.

4. Don't go out. Don't make friends. Don't be social. This way, you can just stay inside all day and not have to spend any money outside! I'm only kidding for this one... kind of....

Question: Being a college student can be pricy, especially if you're like me and get carry out every night. What are some techniques you use to save money around the house/dorm/apartment?

Jordan, I so happy you asked this question because yesterday I started extreme couponing.  Pretty soon I’ll be on TLC and I'll share my money saving secrets to the world, but for now I'll just tell whoever reads this blog.  But in all seriousness, living on my own has been really expensive.  I recently started printing coupons off the internet to save money.  Also, I make my own lunch every day and rarely eat out for dinner.  The Drexel shuttle saves me a ton of money on transportation.  Obviously, I take it into work every day, but I also use it whenever I’m going to center city.  Another great way to save money is to go into less than desirable areas of Philly to go grocery shopping, they normally have lower prices.  The greater the risk, the greater the reward.  By far my favorite way to save money is to put all my clothes in a suite case, have my friend sign me into North Hall, and use her washer and dryer. 

The pressure is really on to write a lot here, seeing as the directions said, “Feel free to talk about all of your techniques, I'm not going to accept short answers!”  Too bad I didn’t really live on my own last year.  I had the comfort of prepaid housing, cable, electricity, and food.  Honestly, I have only been an “independent women” for five weeks.  I think I’ve done a pretty good job mustering up those techniques this quickly.  I do have plans to save money in the future.  I am going to try to go to more free Drexel events, like movie screenings and basketball games.  Also, dumpster diving could be a fun new hobby.

Surprise! I'm asking the question this week!

What's up everyone. For simplicities sake, I'm going to keep the center alignment formatting 

so that it's easier to tell what's a question and what isn't.

Meredith, feel free to answer if you want! If not, understandable.

Question: Being a college student can be pricy, especially if you're like me and get carry out every night. What are some techniques you use to save money around the house/dorm/apartment?

Feel free to talk about all of you're techniques, I'm not going to accept short answers!

Don't have many techniques, think of some that you could be using!

What do you think your biggest challenge will be during your co-op with SHM?

I think my biggest challenge will be learning Experient for all of the annual meeting registrations and also learning how to handle so many projects and tasks at the same time. I already have a bad habit of putting too much on my plate and asking for help when I need it. But I am an avid list maker so that has been helping me keep track of which projects have more priority over others. Although it will be a challenge, I like having multiple projects because then I always have something to do. That is another thing I love about SHM. Everyone is willing to let me help out with different projects and I love being a part of all the different processes!

The Challenge of Growth

In an odd twist of good and bad luck, when I left here last year I left (most) everyone with high opinions of me. This is fantastic of course! But now that I have returned, those high opinions have became high expectations! I don't mind, but it's going to be tough to go above and beyond those expectations. Only reaching those expectations isn't good enough, because it would feel like I haven't learned anything or grown. Learning and growth is the whole purpose of Co-op.

So my challenge is going to be growth, to do better than I did last co-op. To learn more, do more, and grow.

Biggest challenge

 

Everyone at SHM has done a great job to help smooth my transition from student to employee.  However, I have still had my fair share of challenges; from waking up early, to learning iMIS, and beginning to work on larger projects, these past three weeks have been overwhelming.  But these difficulties don’t hold a candle to what awaits in the near future.  During my co-op at SHM, I think my biggest challenge will be making time to work on all the projects I have an interest in.  I want to make sure I speak up and work on projects that will give me a better idea of what I want to do in the future, not just projects I’m given.  However, I worry it will be difficult to get all my assigned work done while taking on new tasks.  I don’t want to be overly ambitious, but I also don’t want to leave SHM with missed opportunities. 

Challenges

What do you think your biggest challenge will be during your co-op with SHM?

 I think that my biggest challenge during my co-op with SHM will be getting used to the fact that I'll have multiple on-going projects at once that requires multiple third-party members to assist. I'm more used to having having work where I am able to sit down and work at my own pace until I am able to finish. Learning to wait for others to send back information so that I can continue working has been an interesting learning experience.

My Biggest Challenge

I really can’t believe how fast time is going! It is already my third week here at SHM and it feels like yesterday when I just came here to have my interview. I believe that in the future, my biggest challenge here at SHM will be to balance my time. I have noticed that when you’re working or doing any sort of task that time just flies right by. I know when work starts getting more challenging and work gets busier due to the Annual Meeting, time is going to be against me. Balancing my time will be key for my success here at SHM, as I will have to make sure I stay on top of projects and stay on top of deadlines for anything that I do here at SHM. This is something I enjoy though, is the challenge of time and having to work fast and give a good body of work to Ashley or Brendon or whoever I’m reporting to. I believe that this is where the pros of Drexel come in to play. I really believed the university prepared me well for working situations because, with our trimester scheduling at Drexel, you have to really be on top of things and balance your work and make sure you’re staying ahead of the class. I have noticed many students who have fell behind and have seen their grades drop dramatically. I’m very excited for the challenge of pushing myself and having to work on a number of projects at one time.

So you've been here for three weeks (this week being the third, obviously). It's not a lot - but it's almost been a month already! I'm telling you, the time flies when you are here.

What do you think your biggest challenge will be during your co-op with SHM?

Pick which one you prefer, and explain why:

Class vs. Co-op

I would say co-op because I'm actually allowed to snack on food during co-op, which means I don't have to sneak it! But in all honesty, with the exception of having to wake up egregiously early, I feel as if I am more productive for a longer period of time and still have the rest of the day to work.

The Hans vs. North Side Dining
North Side for sure! Yay for quesadillas and smoothies at Currito, and late night Haagen Dazs blueberry crumble ice cream. Every time I go to the Hans, I end up losing my appetite before I even start eating because of the unsanitary utensils. As a result, people start judging me and think I'm an international student just because I'm eating my salad with chopsticks. 

Greek life vs. All other Student life
All other student life. Greek life basically makes it so that you are really close to everyone in your sorority or fraternity, but not close to anyone else in the student body. The point of college is to make a wide variety of friends and experience new things, not to be friends with only one certain type of people and be limited by all the constrictions of greek life.

The SHM cafeteria vs. Johns
I am a lazy person. SHM cafeteria.

Phillies vs. Eagles (conference rooms at SHM, not the teams)
 I like Eagles because I can't seem to figure out how to turn on the lights in Phillies still...

Concerts vs. Reading
Reading. I still have yet to attend a concert.

Beer vs. Liquor
 Liquor because you can make fruity drinks with as little liquor as possible. Beer will always taste nasty no matter what you add to it.

Tell me your favorites:

Childhood book

Movie

Quote

 “You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget.”
― Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Actor/Actress

Band

 

(Tim Be Told)

Mode of transportation

 

My magic carpet - of course.

Color

Lime Green!

Season

 

 Fall

This or That!?

Class vs. Coop: I would have to choose coop for sure. The main reason being is the lower amount of stress I feel each and every day. While being on coop, you don’t have to worry about homework and exams. It is one of the best things to look forward to while being out on coop. I also really enjoy that I have my nights open and can relax rather than being up all night studying for a midterm or final exam. Also, I am getting an opportunity to get real working experience in the field of marketing which I really enjoy.

The Hans vs. North Side Dining: I definitely prefer North Side because the dining hall food is not very good. Only some days when they have good Chinese food or some great breakfast is The Hans a good choice for a meal. Most days it is not very good, especially for lunch I never got a great lunch there. I like North Side more because you have Chick Fil-A and Subway, two places I really enjoy as well as a lot of convenience items to choose from. Also, it is easier to get too then walking all the way to The Hans. It saves a lot of time in my day.

Greek life vs. All other Student life: I prefer to not be a part of Greek life just because rushing and being a frat boy is not me. I rather go about myself and do my own thing and make my own paths. I am involved in more student organizations and I feel pretty good about the path I have taken so far. I also feel that being in a fraternity would affect my grades because I wouldn’t have enough time to devote to my studies and a lot of times I really stress out about school, so I think it would negatively impact my grades.

The SHM cafeteria vs. Johns: This one is tough because I have issues with both places hahaha. The SHM cafeteria is a good place to eat and they have some great food but the prices are pretty high in my opinion. Johns on the other hand is a great little pizzeria, however they took a very long time to serve us the time we went on Friday. If I had to choose I would say Johns because they have way more choices and a lot of the items are cheaper on their menu.

Phillies vs. Eagles: I enjoy both rooms very much. I would have to say Eagles though because it is much bigger and more open. Plus I am a Mets fan so I have a dislike for the Phillies!

Concerts vs. reading: I don’t really like to read books that often and when I do read it is either for school or an article. I definitely rather go to concerts! I have been to probably over 20 concerts and seen over a 100 different artists. I try to go to a few a year!

Beer vs. Liquor: I shall pass and have a nice glass of lemonade 

Childhood Book: Green Eggs and Ham

Movie: I have a view favorites but top 5: The Godfather, The Godfather Part 2, Die Hard (The whole series), Zoolander and SuperBad

Quote: “Success is what you make it, take it how it comes”-Pusha T

Actor: The Rock

Band: Fall Out Boy

Mode of Transportation: Car, preferably my Kia Soul

Color: Purple

Season: Winter