Kristen Pye

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of OshKosh, it was the age of Dunkaroos: oh, childhood. If Dickens was alive today, he would rhapsodize about the days when choices were as uncomplicated as deciding between the sandpit or the ball pit, when cooking was simple as popping a pan in the Easy Bakeor tearing the plastic off a Lunchable, and when heartbreak was no greater than the devastation you felt when that weeknight episode of Full House was a repeat (Uncle Jesse, how foolish we were for crushing on Steve over you!).
 
Indeed, childhood was a time that brought new meaning to the notion of fun and folly, and whoa, don’t we miss it. We know “growing up” is all part of the circle of life (or so we learned at age three from The Lion King), but don’t you wish that it was still socially acceptable to dress up as a fairy princess and tote your teddy bear in public sometimes (whoops, some among us still do)?

While your street cred is higher than the years you rode car seat in your mom’s minivan, there’s something to be said for the days of being a kid. Here are 10 things we miss most about childhood:
 
1.  Perfect Skin

Oh, to return to the days when “Clean and Clear” meant nothing more than the state of your toy box after the clean-up song, and Neutrogena, as far as you knew, was the alien name of the latest Transformer. At some point, perfect skin became a thing you stopped simply having and started striving for with a twenty minute morning and night facial routine. How children maintain perfect skin playing in dirt all day with perpetual Nutellasmears across their cheeks is a mystery to rival why I use Bioréstrips so often when tearing them off makes me want to cry.
 
2.  Nap Time

It’s senior year and you’re on top of the school, at the top of your game, surrounded by an amazing crew to rival S Club 7, and girlfriend, you have got it goin' on.

Except on the inside, you’re totally freaking out at the thought of leaving it all behind. You – easy, breezy, cool-as-a-cucumber you – are suddenly losing it. You keep blurting out wild questions at inappropriate moments like: "What if my dog forgets my scent?!" or "What if my mom turns my room into a craft closet and there's nowhere for me to sleep and I have to stay at my dorm over Christmas?!"

Your anxiety is understandable, but it’s also irrational. So chill out, my friend. While everyone else is only giving you advice on what to know going forward, Her Campus has got you covered on how to manage leaving the things you know so well behind.

College Anxiety #1: "I'm not ready to live on my own yet." 

Throughout high school, most of your energy is devoted to getting out from under your parents’ dominion. In the immortal words of Kelly Clarkson, you’re Miss Independent and Miss Self-sufficient; you don’t need supervision, you don’t need permission, and you most definitely do not need a curfew of (they cannot be serious) 1 AM. So, why are you suddenly feeling so weird about being independent for real?

Nicole, a sophomore at McGill University, understands this tricky transition. "Other than summer camp, I’d never spent much time away from home before leaving for college. And even at camp, there were always counselors keeping an eye on you. It's weird not having someone keep track of you and your whereabouts anymore."

Well, look at you.

I’m impressed! Jealous, yes, but really, really impressed! You—you fabulous collegiette have somehow managed to do the absolute impossible and snag not just one coveted, highly sought-after and generally dream-fulfilling internship, but two! Maybe you’ve snagged even more than two, but let’s not get into that. To be honest, I don’t think I could handle it. I’d turn neon green with envy first. And anyone who knows me knows I look terrible in lime.

But in all seriousness, congratulations.

After all the trying, tedious hours of research, applications, interviews and restless anticipation to rival the outcome of the Season 13 Dancing with the Stars finale itself, you have done it! You’ve succeeded in nabbing the internship—make that internships—you so desired! But now you have to choose which one to accept—and you have no idea what to do.

Fear not! A truly great intern knows that the key to success is being prepared for anything—and fortunately for you, Her Campus is here to be your guide.

Read on to learn the three key points a tactful collegiette must keep in mind when faced with the impressive but vexing reality of turning down an internship.

1. Be Professional

You’ve entered a professional world and with great opportunity, comes great responsibility. If you want to be taken as a professional, you must be professional. You know all the obvious professionalism tips like, “don’t make that photo of you double-fisting pints your profile pic” and “don’t list your 9th grade e-mail address—cute_babygrl_xox17—as the official contact account on your résumé” but you’re waaaay beyond these tips.

In the ephemeral landscape of fashion’s latest, one of the few constants is an oft-punishing exclusivity. As if an invite to Fashion Week or tag on a pair of designer label shoelaces weren’t already exclusive enough, there’s the matter of how your distinct silhouette shapes up in each one of the new season’s trendiest threads. True—when the Hervé Leger bandage dress was ruling the red carpets, and bodycon was the word on everyone’s lips, the body self-conscious among us recoiled in discomfort at the idea of laying it all out there, “it” being one’s every curve (or lack thereof).

But for Fall 2012, bodycon is out, and a revived sense of shape dressing is back in vogue. Indeed, whether your figure is boyish or buxom, the top cuts of Fall are all about playing with the contours of your natural figure, so forget about sartorial exclusivity, and read on for the real exclusive on how to make Fall’s trends flattering for you.

1. Long and Lean: You’re tall and slender from head to toe. Think Karlie Kloss.

How to wear...

The Peplum: Your straight torso is the perfect candidate for an exaggerated peplum. Because you don’t have many curves, the hourglass peplum makes a strong statement on your rectangular frame, cutting out a dramatic waist. Go big here with a dramatic peplum top like this one from Topshop. The peplum was made for you.