Where are my Fairfield ladies? How would you like to be ‘University Chic?’
Universitychic.com is a free online magazine created by two University of Pennsylvania law students, Christie Garton and Marina Lemberg. The women have dubbed it, “The site for college, grad school and beyond.”
The web site, which was launched in May 2005, is a forum for women in college and graduate school to “publish your own original work, network with other amazing women, build your career, learn how to get into grad school and find jobs, internships, mentors and inspiration,” according to the University Chic Article Archive.
UChic members can explore eight different sections entitled career, politics, lifestyle, culture, find out, connect, submit and promotions. These sections are constantly updated with news, forum topics and entertaining book releases.
With over 500 members nationwide, UChic is a great place to balance work and play. Members have access to job and internship searches and resume guidelines in addition to fashion, fitness and dating tips.
However, UChic is no run of the mill “girlie magazine,” said founder and president Christie Garton.
“One of the greatest things that differentiates us from traditional women’s magazines is that we give our readers the chance to write and express their opinions for others to see,” she said. “Traditionally, readers do not get to participate in the editorial process.”
Garton also stressed the site’s freedom from commercial influence.
“The big national women’s magazines are controlled by an editorial board that are often influenced by corporate interests,” she said. “Written for and by university women, we understand our readers and strive to be a trusted and reliable source.”
Two of the site’s greatest features are its Q ‘ A sessions and columns. Leading women in different industries describe their life experiences and prepare undergrads for the future. They also help students avoid common career mistakes.
Garton and her team hope to launch a print version of UChic in a year. With this possible addition, they hope that UChic will become “the number one resource for university women nationwide.”
After browsing the site, Logan Carr ’08 agreed that UChic can be very beneficial.
“The site is definitely interesting and creative,” she said. “Some of the articles even apply to concepts I recently learned in my finance class.”
Suzanne Iarusso ’08 enjoyed the opportunities for job networking.
“It’s great for college women who are stressed about their future careers,” she said.
In a recent U-Wire article, UChic was criticized for its lack of portability, pictures and even perfume ads that print magazines contain. Iarusso disagreed.
“Why are people complaining?” she asked. “It’s a free magazine with great information access.”
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