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This marks the last entry in our Civil War Graduation Countdown. For our final post, we’re talking about - what else? - life after college!

Susie - Oregon State Univ. 

Well, I’ve come to the end of many things: The end of my brass internship (this week), the end of my college career (next week, hooray!) and the end of my time in Oregon (at least for now). After freshman year, college just seemed to fly by. Even at the start of this last term I said to myself, “Oh, it’s still 11 weeks away,” which quickly turned into, “Woah! I have one week left!”

I’ve been a big pile of stress these days: worrying about passing my classes, doing my best at brass, working with my friend on finding an apartment in NYC, and job hunting. With all this on my mind, I don’t have time to think how I’ll fit all my boxes in the car for the drive home to California, and then shipping everything to New York from there. Plus, it’s still important to find time to hang out with all my friends and enjoy the time I have left in Corvallis. I know, it’s a lot. It circles in my head day in and day out, but I’m staying positive.

I’m thrilled to spend a relatively relaxed month home with my family (I haven’t gotten to see them much), not worrying about bills and hanging out at the beach. I can’t wait to veg out and bask in post-graduation glory.

Living in New York is still my biggest highlight, despite all the stress of getting there. I’ll soon have a new apartment and a great roommate; I’ll gain experience job hunting all over New York and be ready to command a new life in the city. I’m prepared to scrimp and search for a job as long as possible.

I think graduating from college brings a lot of different aspects of life to the forefront. You’re faced to make changes and take on more responsibility than ever before. I’m reading through many job ads these days and I’m keeping a positive, can-do attitude.

These past four years were definitely some of the best in my life. There are going to be a lot of people I miss, but I have a lot of growing and learning left to do. It’s all one big adventure after another and I can’t wait!

Jens - Univ. of Oregon

This term went faster than any of my other college terms — I’m almost positive there was a time warp from week 1 to week 10. I graduate next Saturday the 14th and that’ll be the last day I go to the U of O campus as a student. That’s it - I’m done.

The coolest part about all this is that I get to start a whole new phase of my life – one that’s free from homework. I’m pretty excited. What’s better, I won’t be saying goodbye to the Pacific Northwest, my favorite surfing spot, you readers or everyone at brass.

I just finalized my new full time job here as an editorial assistant. That’s right - I’m here to stay.

I’m really looking forward to diving in. It’s pretty awesome to get a job that allows me to use my degree. Not only that, but my job here will help me continue learning.

So, I’ll be around. See you here. 

This week on the Civil War Graduation Countdown, we’re sharing how we paid for our education. 

Susie — Oregon State Univ. 

Paying for college is approached differently by just about everyone. Do you take out loans? Do your parents? Do you seek out scholarships? What exactly is this FAFSA thing people talk about? Or can you afford to simply pay for school outright?

I was lucky enough to have parents that were willing to take out loans and foot the out-of-state tuition bill for me. I am, of course, eternally grateful. Heading into the world without student loan debt will be a reprieve from everything else that will pile up as I become a “real” adult.

I also received a small scholarship from OSU each year, and I applied to the FAFSA program yearly. The aid from FAFSA helped a ton. My parents also had special college funds for my brother and I that they must have started a while back; we used it to pay for my last year of school and to get a shiny new computer for me to take to New York.

My story isn’t exactly riveting, I’ve been fortunate to have a pretty smooth ride. Still, it’s important to know that no matter what kind of financial situation you have - there are programs and people who can help. For example, if you are looking to attend school out of state like me and live on the West Coast, check out the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) Program, which could hook you up with a reduced tuition rate.

Jens – Univ. of Oregon  

College isn’t cheap – the majority of students spend $9,000 per year to earn their four-year degree.

So here’s how I avoided making the sour face with my college funding finances. As a graduating high school senior I applied for and received the Collins-McDonald Trust Fund Scholarship, which paid between $1,600 and $2,000 per term. To qualify for this scholarship you have to complete all your high school education in Lake County, Oregon. Since this probably isn’t an option for most of you, check out collegeboard.com and scholarships.com for information on free college money.

I also applied for, and received, financial aid from the government through the FAFSA program, which Susie mentioned above. Finally, I came up a few dollars short this year, so I took out a subsidized loan through the University of Oregon.

Also, all through college I worked at a local lumberyard, and they went above and beyond in wages and perks. Thanks. You know who you are.

Lastly, you might have noticed that I work here at brass as a paid intern; it’s a pretty sweet gig. 

Check back with us next week for our final entry in the countdown, we’ll talk about the future and how we’re facing it head on. 

– Susie and Jens

College is often about learning plain old life lessons in addition to learning in the classroom. This week on The Civil War Graduation Countdown, we’re talking about things we wish we hadn’t learned the hard way.

Susie - Oregon State Univ.

Apartment hunting is a difficult task, and it proved more difficult at the end of my freshman year. Having lived on campus until then, my roommate and I had no sense of the town or what we were getting into. We found what seemed like a nice apartment for a low price and reserved it – we could even store our stuff over summer! When we moved in the fall, it all seemed to come together.

But after a little while things started to go wrong. Our shower didn’t provide enough hot water. Our toilet started to back up every other week, and the management company was being difficult about fixing it. FYI, there are laws in place to protect your rights as a tenant; here’s a list of tenant rights by state.

We didn’t figure out the heaters until a month into the icy weather (okay… that was our fault). The location of the apartment was super close to a grocery store, but a considerable walk from campus, and far away from our other friends’ places.

Living in an apartment for the first time hit me in a way that freshman year and leaving home never did. My mom jokes how that fall she talked to me on the phone more than she’d talked to me my entire life. At the end of the term I decided to move back to the dorms and my roommate got herself a single bedroom downtown. Luckily we had a month-to-month lease. Without that, we would’ve likely been stuck where we were.

It was a tough lesson, but sometimes learning it the hard way makes you that much more prepared for the future. It could be a small thing, like knowing to test the shower and sinks, or the bigger things I’m now facing, like covering all my bases when finding an apartment in Brooklyn. My friend and I know we’ll be leasing for at least a year and a safe neighborhood, legit landlord and no roaches or bed bugs are a must! Whatever it is, some things we learn the hard way keep us more alert for the future.

Jens - Univ. of Oregon

Lesson #1: It’s not always the best idea to move in with three other guys, especially if one of them is a good friend. The dynamics of four college guys living in one house together just never worked out for me. Before I knew it, one guy who had been a good high school friend and another roommate were moving out over Christmas Break. The other roommate and I were stuck looking for a place to live in the middle of winter (the rainy season in the Northwest) in a college town where housing is in high demand.

The remaining roommate and I didn’t know each other that well, but we ended up living together for two years (until I got married) and became really good friends. But my high school buddy and I haven’t spent more than 10 hours hanging out since we lived together. Sometimes what you think will be a good living situation just doesn’t work out. Choose your roommates and living situations wisely.

Lesson #2: My freshman year I thought it would be a great idea to put off doing my ecology term project until the day before it was due. Don’t misunderstand, I had gone to my chosen ecological test site (the edge of an abandoned field with a few trees along a road) and counted the types and number of plant and animal species. I had also taken some pictures and done some basic experiments throughout the term.

But, I didn’t do any of the writing, graphing or formatting until the day and night before it was due. I worked for 17 straight hours (from 2 p.m. the day before until 8 a.m. class time). Not fun. On a brighter note, I got a high enough grade on the project that I didn’t have to take the final to still get an “A”. Regardless, procrastination is not a good thing.

I’ve found in college (and in life) it’s a lot easier to just stay on top of big projects. If you want to put something off, make sure it’s small enough to handle without causing a mental breakdown.

Coming next week: Paying for college.

–Susie and Jens

College is as much about finding yourself as it is about finding a career path. This week on The Civil War Graduation Countdown, we’re talking about the paths we’ve taken while in college.

Jens - Univ. of Oregon

When I first started college, I really didn’t have any idea of what I wanted to do. I started at a community college and my early idea was to pursue an English degree. After a few terms of English Literature I was cured – there’s only so much fun you can have analyzing Chaucer in a five-page argumentative paper.

So I drifted. But here’s one thing I learned - start meeting with an adviser as early as possible. It wasn’t until the beginning of my sophomore year that I realized I should be pursuing an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree. This degree allowed me to fulfill all my general studies requirements for an Oregon University System school. If I had known this sooner, I could have saved myself some time and money.

Several journalism courses were offered for the Associate of Arts degree. I had taken a journalism class in high school and really enjoyed it, so I decided to enroll. Before I knew it, I was working as a contributing editor with The Commuter.

From there it was on to the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. Once there, I took the infamous Information Gathering class (one of four required pre-major core classes) with its 100-page research project. Most students call it “Info Hell,” but I can’t link to any blogs about it here due to graphic (cursing) content. Let’s just say it’s a pretty intense experience: my buddy’s girlfriend broke up with him because he was up at all hours researching for the class.

Well, I got through it and entered the Magazine sequence. I’ve had some great professors in the magazine program. They’ve taken time out of their lives to help make me a better journalist and to give me contacts in the career field. Also, one class steered me here to my internship at brass.

Who knows where I’m headed from here, but I do know my college experience has given me the tools to pursue my dreams as a journalist. Without my adviser I’d probably still be trying to figure out if I met all my graduation requirements.

Susie — Oregon State Univ.

I’ve said before that I’ve been incredibly lucky in my college experience at OSU. I’ve always had some idea of what I wanted to do with my life, but the classes and chance meetings on campus over my years helped form where I’m heading now.

Growing up, my Mom got me involved in sewing and designing clothes and it stuck with me until college. As much as I originally resisted choosing OSU (my mom went there so I was being difficult), after visiting the campus and reviewing the apparel design program, I knew I belonged.

I loved the classes that first year – I got to color for a final! – but by my sophomore year I realized that while I loved drawing and sewing as a hobby, it was not the career path for me. I revisited my interest in journalism and switched my major to merchandising management. Next, I planned to become a reporter at The Daily Barometer and eventually get an internship at a fashion magazine.

After changing my major, I was a chicken for weeks about stepping in the door at the newspaper to apply. But one day, I was coming out of the craft center (which is across from the newsroom) with a friend. Someone my friend knew was at the door and my friend mentioned I was interested - I was pulled inside and never turned back.

Three months into my reporting experience I became the Assistant News Editor and basically began to live and breathe newspapering. I overcame my shyness - having to cold-call people and conduct interviews at random. There were certainly ups and downs, but staying committed helped me grow, and I credit it some to my success with Glamour.

I made the leap to New York for three months and had a unique summer that solidified my desire to move there after graduation. There really is nothing like running around the city in 100-degree weather carrying thousand-dollar dresses. Of course, I made some great friends too - one of whom I’ll share an apartment with in July.

I discovered this internship at brass thanks to the college paper. Now I feel like I have the experience and confidence to take the plunge. I’ve had a fantastic four years in Oregon, and I’m taking every bit of it with me.

Coming next week: Things we wish we didn’t learn the hard way.

– Susie and Jens

Life in the working world is just around the corner for us. This week on The Civil War Graduation Countdown we’re sharing our stories from the job hunt.

Susie — Oregon State Univ.

On June 15th, I’ll have officially graduated from college. A day after that, I’m packing up my life and driving home to Southern California with my parents. A month later I’ll be on a plane to New York City to start a new adventure. I know most of my friends are worrying about what they’re doing post-college and I’m just as panicked, even if I do have an idea of where I’m headed.

Once in New York, I aim to have job prospects or interviews set up. I know, I know — I’m moving across the country without a job locked in. Being far away from NYC right now inhibits me from jumping on jobs that become available and are instantly filled. Unlike my engineer brother, no one is actively recruiting me or paying to fly me in for interviews – I essentially have to be persistent (but not annoying) to get myself into a nice little entry-level job.

It may sound tough, but I’m determined to be positive. Here’s my weapons chest:
• I had a great boss at Glamour last summer and I’ve kept in touch with her after leaving — she offered to help me out if she could when I arrive after graduation. Maintaining work relationships can mean a helpful contact or reference later in your career path – you never know!
• I met with someone at Marie Claire who has already helped me a ton. She gave me the idea to start sending letters to Human Resource departments of the major publishing companies in May, and following up once a month until I arrive so that they know I’m serious and have a name to remember, which will hopefully keep me on file for any available jobs.
• There’s also my ultimate web source – Ed2010. The website sends newsletters with “whispers” about job openings and internships at magazines, mostly in New York.
• And hey, I can’t forget my awesome editorial experience at brass! I’ll bring solid skills that will amp up my resume and hopefully help open some doors.

Clearly, I don’t have a whole lot of concrete answers for my future, but I know where I’ll be and what I’ll be working toward. I’m counting on my determination and positivity to keep me going until I have that perfect job!

Jens — Univ. of Oregon

Just like the headline says: I have 38 days until this whole college thing is over. That means now’s the time to get looking for a job. In all honesty, it’s been a bit harder than you might think. It’s not always easy to find time to look for a journalism job while taking a full course load and working two jobs – as an intern at brass, and at a local lumber store. As our Editorial Content Director Sarah Higginbotham said, “A teacher once told me that my job after school was to look for a job.”

I’ve been checking the Career Services page for the journalism school at U of O. Also I’ve found a big part of my job search, while still in school, is learning skills that will help me once I graduate. I started out as a writer (and am still pursuing that as a magazine major), but I’ve taken photojournalism courses, and am currently working as a photographer for the School of Journalism and Communication’s capstone newspaper project, Mosaic. I’ve also learned multimedia skills. So far I’ve produced some photo slideshows, set to music, with Soundslides and am in the process of learning Final Cut Pro in the hopes of adding video to my repertoire. Hopefully these skills will help me get a job in a journalism field quickly switching to multimedia.

Another helpful thing I’ve learned is the power of networking. Every time I meet someone in the journalism school, I try to add them as a friend on Facebook. Having a network of friends who all graduated from the journalism school could prove invaluable in the future. I’ve also learned to not underestimate the power of my professors. Many of my profs worked in the journalism field for years before moving into academia – they still have valuable contacts. Building a relationship with them can help me get my foot in the door.

Wish me luck.

Be sure to check in with us next week as we get even closer to the big day.

– Susie and Jens

College is a lot more than just going to class. This week on The Civil War Graduation Countdown, we’re sharing our experiences as volunteers.

Jens — Univ. of Oregon
Living a life of true meaning involves more than just personal material gain. Since starting college, I’ve helped a local youth group that my brother-in-law pastors. One of the best experiences I had was when we took a group of high-schoolers to Carmen Serdan, Mexico. The Mission at Carmen Serdan is an orphanage that takes in physically and mentally disabled children who have been abandoned by their parents – either out of neglect or because their lack of facilities and finances. Carmen Serdan is a tiny village with no paved roads and only a little corner market.We helped out The Mission staff by caring for the kids and doing maintenance work.

It definitely puts things in perspective to see people who devote their whole lives to caring for others. It was an honor to give a week to help support people and a place that helps fill such a big need. But to help others you don’t have to go to another country.

In 2004 I volunteered with a local elementary school in Corvallis as a “Lunch Buddy.” I went twice a week to have lunch with a group of second graders. It’s awesome to see how happy kids are to hang out with older buddies. I spent recess, lunch, and Spanish class with them – they could talk circles around me in Spanish, but I used to crack them up with a New Mexican accent I picked up from my childhood in Santa Fe. The Buddy System is designed to show kids they can succeed in school and inspire them to learn.
Susie — Oregon State Univ.
I’m sure we’ve all heard this before far too many times: Want to meet more people? Join a club! Get involved! Maybe these statements never bothered you, but I’ve always been a shy person. Since I came to Oregon not knowing a soul, the idea of walking into a room full of people who were already a group was extremely intimidating.

To say the least, I was very lucky in the string of events at OSU. My roommate in the dorms instantly became my best friend, and she was an outgoing risk-taker. We learned we had both been a part of Key Club in high school (a community service club – part of the larger Kiwanis organization) and one day came across a booth in the quad for Circle K (the college branch) and decided to check it out. Going into a club of mostly people who know each other was easier with a friend by my side. We jumped right in freshman year and stuck with the club for three years, making friends and having a great time with our various community events.

I learned how to loosen up a lot thanks to the fun and welcoming people of Circle K, and the events the group took part in. I stood in the cold asking for donations during the yearly food drive. I served pancakes and got to know the people of Corvallis. I helped children plant flowers at the Farmers’ Market on weekends. I also helped plan and participate in our Relay for Life team. Over my three years in the club I was treasurer and vice president, and gained skills that definitely helped me in college and will continue to help me in the future.

So, from the both of us — take a little time out of your own life and help enrich someone else’s. To get involved, look for resources at your own school or seek out volunteer network sites like VolunteerMatch.

Also, check out what brass CEO Bryan Sims has to say about volunteering.

– Susie and Jens

Coming next week from our Duck and Beaver fans: The Job Search

This week on The Civil War Graduation Countdown we’re sharing our best college money-saving moves and worst money blunders.

Susie — Oregon State Univ.
College is all about having money issues. Textbook costs are rising along with cost of living (in dorms or off campus), and of course going out and having fun definitely crimps your cash flow.

The most useful money saving tip I’ve learned is to track my expenses. I’ll admit it wasn’t something I planned on. One day my mom sent me sheets of paper with grids on them and told me to start writing down my expenses. These days I use Microsoft Excel to make an easy electronic chart, and websites like wesabe.com can help you manage your budget online. Just realizing I had to be responsible for my spending was really helpful. I make expense categories for groceries, fun stuff, books, tuition and rent. Then, whenever I buy something, I deduct the amount immediately and know exactly what I can still spend. This is especially useful with groceries – I have a bad habit of starting with a list but then going overboard with impulse purchases. Once I realized how quickly I was wasting my money, I buckled down and started paying attention.

Oh money blunders. It’s those moments where you check your account, gasp and say, “Where’d my money go?” My biggest money waste came from not using the university textbook “buyback.” I never went to sell back my books that first year. I wasted a year spending around $200 on books each term and getting zilch back. Sure, sometimes you still only get $15 back anyway, but hey, it’s better than nothing! After I started using the buyback, I lucked out for a while, getting $70 or $80 back each time, which I used to pay for the shuttle to the airport when I went home for winter and spring break. So, my stories all come down to one giant tip: make your money work for you!

Jens — Univ. of Oregon
I spent my first two years of college eating a lot of microwaveable chimichangas, bulk black-licorice jelly beans, and canned food from discount grocery stores – one of which we affectionately called the grocery graveyard.

But speaking more seriously… my best money-saving move was to attend community college for the first two years. The average annual in-state tuition at a four-year college or university was $6,185 in 2007-2008, but only $2,361 at a community college. That’s almost $4,000 less per year. Transfering to university after two years saved me a bunch of cash.

There were times, though, when I wasn’t the savvy-savings guy. When I first started college, I bought my books only from the campus bookstore. After paying hundreds of dollars the first few terms, I learned you can purchase many of your textbooks from online wholesalers like amazon.com, half.com, and campusbooks.com.

In my experience the prices are much cheaper. And if you’re in a rush to get the book, the money you saved should more than offset the cost of expedited shipping.

For more offbeat money saving tips check out these brass articles on temp work abroad and free online sites.

Coming next week from our Duck and Beaver fans: Doing Good With Volunteer Work

This week on The Civil War Graduation Countdown, (for what that means, click here) we’re sharing our best learning experience from college. Here were our “aha!” moments:

JENS - UNIV. OF OREGON

Look, going to college is great, but we all know that some learning experiences are better than others – it’s highly unlikely, for instance, that I will ever want to reminisce about my math classes.

But my favorite – or at least most influential – college learning experience helped set me on the path I’m headed down today.

I was a sophomore at Linn-Benton Community College when I started working for The Commuter, the school’s student paper. It was at The Commuter that I first got introduced to journalistic feature writing and photojournalism. I was able to photograph and write outdoor features on Silver Lake, Oregon; rock climbing; and, my favorites, surfing and night skiing and boarding. Working in a newspaper environment tied together the journalism classes I was taking at LBCC. It excited me with the idea that in the future I could get paid to talk to people, photograph them, and tell their story.

With that in mind I started looking around for journalism schools and found out about the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. I enrolled at the U of O in the fall of 2007 and am now only 59 days away from graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. It’s a great school, but it was those six months at The Commuter that inspired me to pursue journalism as a career – that’s why it’s my favorite learning experience.

Also, check out this brass article for more reasons why a community college can be a great place to start your higher education.

SUSIE - OREGON STATE UNIV.

My best college learning experience comes from working on staff at The Daily Barometer, Oregon State’s student newspaper, for two years. I was a reporter, the Assistant News Editor, a copy editor, the Opinion Page Editor and a columnist. Talk about preparation: Diverse experiences give me fuel for just about any question a future interviewer could throw at me.

It may sound cliché, but I learned a lot about working in a team environment and facing conflict, as well as the value of sticking to my guns – all in the much safer (i.e. you’re not risking your livelihood) environment of a college workplace. I’ll narrow in here on one story: I started at the paper partway through my sophomore year, and after working in news for a few months I became the Assistant News Editor. That fall, the News Editor quit and I was facing pressure to assume the position. My resistance came because I needed that term to focus on applying for my summer internship. I declined to move up, worked hard that term and got my dream internship at Glamour. Now if I had the itch for hard news and was aiming for the New York Times, taking that position moving up would have been the right choice. I was lucky to know where I was heading professionally and made the right choice for me, while maintaining my original commitment to the paper.

Tune in next week for another entry in The Civil War Graduation Countdown series with your two favorite brass interns.

Hey everyone. This is Jens Odegaard and Susie Bafico, the Editorial Interns here at brass. You’ve probably seen our individual blog posts by now.

We’re teaming up to introduce a new brass BLOG feature – The Civil War Graduation Countdown! Both of us are graduating from college this June –Jens from the University of Oregon with a major in Journalism (Go Ducks!) and Susie from Oregon State University as a Merchandising Management major (Go Beavs!). Our two schools are big rivals – the annual Civil War football game was rated one of the Top 10 college football rivalries – and this Duck and Beaver want to enlighten you on our college experiences and give you a peek at our jump into the real world.

Each week in The Civil War Graduation Countdown! we’re going to offer advice and tell stories from our college years, as well as share some of the challenges we’re facing right now. With 65 days until graduation, Jens is concentrating on the job hunt and Susie is starting to plan her move to New York–all while making it to class and interning at brass. Be sure to tell us what you think along the way–and any tips or suggestions are always welcome. Our schools may be rivals, but we’re definitely in this together…at least until football season starts.

Stay tuned for all the juicy details in the coming weeks!

- Susie and Jens