What I Wore for Sorority Recruitment

Sorority Recruitment was a long process but I am so happy that I did it. I started planning what to wear in May, only because I was so excited. I put a lot of effort into making sure what I wore represented who I am, and not what I thought the chapter might want to see. The girls at Wisconsin were wearing a wide variety of outfits so my best piece of advice would be to wear what you love and  to not base it off of what you find online. With that being said, here is what I wore for Sorority Recruitment!

Round One 

For round one we were told to wear a cute outfit with shorts or a skirt, something fun and casual. This round lasted two days, where you visited 6 houses on each day, which meant two outfits were needed. For this round, I wore chino shorts both days along with a cute top. 

Round Two

The clothes for round two were supposed to be something that you would go out to tea with your grandma. I chose to wear a fit and flare, geometric pattern dress I got a while back from Dillard's, but I managed to find a similar one to show you all. This round involved seeing 8 houses and was based on philanthropy.

Round Three

Round three was the same as round two, but I decided to look a little nicer because I just wanted to wear my Lilly Pulitzer Dress. For this round, we visited 5 houses, got a house tour (!) and the basis was sisterhood.

Preference Round

The dressiest night of all. I wore a super cute black dress from Lauren James. I love this dress so much because it has pockets, scallops and an open back. How could you not love it? We visited three houses, and had more intimate conversations as well as some really good food. 

Bid Day

Bid day, or night for my case, is super casual since you are given a t-shirt. I just wore white jean shorts and Birkenstocks. The shirt I got was so cute. It was a light blue tank that said "Dropping Jaws since 1888" which went along with the share theme! 

The whole process had a lot of ups and downs, and being told to "trust the system" but in the end I can safely say I ended where I belonged. I love the girls in TriDelt and I simply cannot wait to get to know them better. Delta Delta Delta was the place for me, and I can say that the next four years will be better because of them. 

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

Week two of college is complete, and honestly it a way better week. There were a bunch of highs and lows, but the highs were really good. My classes are now really getting started and, even though I have a ton of work to always do, I am really enjoying them.

|1|

My goal is the find the best coffee shop in Madison and I might have done it! I went to Indie Coffee one day I didn't have classes and it was probably the best decision I've made so far. I had a waffle and a chai latte. Both were amazing and I am already looking for a time to go back. 

|2|

I went to my first badger game this past weekend and it was a bunch of fun. The weather was amazing for it, and it was nice to be able to go with friends as well. After the game we went for the famous Ian's Pizza and just hung out for a while. 

|3|

Saving the best for last.... Tuesday was Bid Day! I have been going through recruitment for almost two weeks and I can finally say that I found my home with Delta Delta Delta! Bid night was a ton of fun involving cute t-shirts, ice cream and taking tons of pictures. (Catch me on the far right of the second row) I am so excited to start doing things with my sorority and to meet all of my new sisters! 

My posting schedule will probably be getting a little random in the upcoming month. With classes, friends, working out, and blogging I am having a hard time balancing everything so don't be too surprised if I miss a post or two... I am still here! 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie 

Dorm Room Tour

I so wanted to make a really cute dorm room like all of the ones on Pinterest, but I really couldn't since I had no idea what my dorm was really like until I got there. My roommate is an international student, so we couldn't make any plans to match so it is a plainer set up. I still like how it looks, and to be honest, I don't spend too much time in my dorm so it doesn't matter to me.

     My bed would have to be my favorite part. I have always loved my bedding so I decided to bring it along with me since it was already a twin XL. I just added a couple new pillows to make it a more comfortable place to be. I am still planning on buying red based pillows, but no store seems to carry them right now.  

     Under my bed is where I store most of my clothes since the closet is really small, and we have to share it. That doesn't bother me too much because between my dresser and drawers, I almost have too much space (if that's a thing). 

    I really like my oar with my hats (Pinterest inspired) as well as my bulletin board. My issue is that I almost have too much room to decorate that I need a bunch more stuff to fill up the space. I am looking into getting some prints, so if anyone has recommendations, let me know. 

There is an entirely separate room for our desk, which is nice because it allows me to really spread out. I keep my desk pretty clear, and then I use the space over my dresser for storage. This is where I keep all of my class things as well as my makeup and toiletries. 

My bookshelf (i.e. coffee station) is my favorite spot. I love being able to display my mugs and coffee supplies. I keep one of my favorite pictures here for decoration along with jars of shells from my vacations to Florida. 

      I also have a pantry in my dorm room, filled with my favorite foods, but since it is share it didn't want to take a picture of it since its no as organized as I'd like it. Would you be interested in a "what's my dorm pantry" post?

Now you've seen my dorm. I still hope to make it more homey, but it works for now. 

xoxo,

Maddie  

My Fall Fashion Essentials

The school year in now in full swing which means that we have unofficially started fall. Even though the actual season may be summer, the changing leaves, apples at markets and falling temperatures are telling us otherwise. Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons for fashion because nothing is better than looking cute while feeling cozy.

| Vest | Jeans | Riding Boots | Flannel | Sweater | Bean Boots | Thick Socks | Hat |

For me, fall means cozy and cute outfits. Being warm starts to become a necessity this time of year, but thankfully the winter parkas aren't quite yet. Take advantage of being able to show off your cute outfit around campus and in the halls, but wearing cute outwear such as vests that can be a fashionable part of the outfit. One of my favorite combinations is leggings, flannel, a vest and boots for a comfortable outfit. Another one I love is jeans, a pullover sweater and either a button down or flannel peeking out.

What do you like to wear in the fall?

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

Week one at Wisconsin is done! I survived but I would be lying if I hadn't said that there weren't time where I questioned what I was doing here. This past week was filled with recruitment, the start of classes, trying new places to eat (found a great coffee spot) and overall trying to figure out the college life. 

| 1 |

I was able to make it to the Dane County Farmer's Market for the first time this Saturday and loved it! There are so many yummy looking food stands that I went around twice before I decided on what to eat. My sticky bun was amazingly good. I got a scone for breakfast the next morning since the dining halls open up really late on weekends, and that was one of the best scones I have ever had. 

| 2 |

I was getting a little bored at the beginning of school since my roommate moved in later than I did, and I hadn't meet anyone in the first couple of days. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself but I knew that would do me no good, so I decided to try a new coffee shop. This was one of the best choices I made because a) the place was so good b) I actually did something for myself and c) I proved to myself that there is no reason to be upset. 

| 3 | 

Classes started yesterday, and I would be lying if I said I was totally intimidated by the syllabus for each class. I can't help from being afraid that I will mess up a test so badly that I won't have a good grade, especially when I have classes where each test is 30% of the grade. The most important part of the day, was that I didn't get lost which is more impressive than it sounds with the size of the campus. 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie 

UW Madison Bucket List

Madison, WI has not been someplace that I have explored too much before, and combined with being a college freshman means that there are so many things that I have yet to do. Right near campus, there are several restaurants of almost any cuisine, style, and price. There are different activities occurring on campus every week ranging from concerts to meetings to bonfires. Being bored on campus is hard to comprehend if I make an effort to finish off this bucket list.

Go to the Farmer's Market on the Square

Try all of the nearby, local coffee shops (who needs national chains?)

Jump Around at a badger game

Go to Short Stack Eatery in the middle of the night 

Get a Mac and Cheese pizza from Ian's 

Try as many food carts as possible

Find a core group of friends

Study Abroad

Have pitchers on the terrace (once I'm 21 of course)

Find my perfect study spot

Spend a summer in Madison

Learn the words to "Varsity"

Swim in Lake Mendota

Earn a 4.00 one semester

and finally.... sit on Abe's lap after graduation

Tomorrow is the start of classes!

xoxo,

Maddie 

College Application Tips

As I sit here in my dorm room trying to figure out college, It is hard to imagine the stress and worries I had about college applications this time last year. It was something that was always on my mind, sometimes to the point where I would dream about different responses to the prompts. With this weekend symbolizing the end of summer, I am sure that this years seniors have no choice but to face the prospect of college applications. It is a daunting task, so here are my tips to help make the process a little easier. 

| Ask For Help |

Please, Please, Please don't be afraid to ask people for help. Ask them for topic ideas, to read your essay or anything else. This is such a hard time that if you ever need help with anything, don't be afraid to ask. I had both parents and three English teachers read each essay which made me more confident in my work. 

| Start Early |

You really don't want to push off writing these essays any more than you might have already. The prompts are out, so you might as well at least brain storm ideas. The last thing that you'd want is to have an application due at the end of the week, as well as several essay and hours of homework from school. Starting early means you can end earlier, and believe me, being done is the best feeling. 

| If it's Optional, Do it |

Obviously I can't say how much each optional portion matter for every school, but if they went through the effect to make it part of the application then it is probably something you should do. It wouldn't be on the application is there wasn't some purpose to it. 

| Get Letters of Recommendation |

Getting letters of recommendation is so important, and it is even more so to ask for them ASAP. You don't want that favorite teacher to write a sub par letter because she has 20 others to write and the deadline is in a week. Ask early, and make sure you pick teachers that you know will have positive things to say. 

| Apply to a Variety of Schools |

Safety school, reach school and those in between schools should all be apart of your applications. You wouldn't want to see yourself sort by only applying to easy schools, but at the same time, you don't want to not get into a school. Applying to a wide range of colleges will result in a wide range of responses and hopefully some (good) surprises. 

The most important part of this all, make sure you don't worry too much!

xoxo,

Maddie