There's no single prescription for becoming a rock star. Some musicians like JOSH KELLEY bombarded record labels and music producers with letters and demos, while others like NELLY FURTADO were randomly discovered by scouts at talent shows and open-mic nights.

For CARRIE UNDERWOOD, hitting the big time took a little bit of both drive and chance.

CB Teen caught up with the former "American Idol" to find out about life before and after the show, and how she's grown in the process.

Read all about it at The Making of a Smart Idol.

Photo Credit: Andrew Southam

CB Teen surveyed over 1,000 college-bound students to get to the bottom of some hot issues that affect young people today. If you participated, many thanks. So what did everyone have to say?

When asked:

Do you think it's fair for a college admission officer or a potential employer to look you up on Myspace or FaceBook?

55.64 percent said >> No way! That's a total invasion of my privacy. Applications, résumés and interviews should be sufficient.

44.36 percent said >> Yes. I know if I post something online that it's fair game.

Plagiarism: A piece of writing that has been copied from someone else's words or ideas and is presented as being your own. Based on that definition, have you ever plagiarized anything at all for a school assignment, paper, or exam (remember, this survey is for research purposes, so we won't tell!)?

52.76 percent said >> I never copied someone else's term paper verbatim, but I sometimes use research that I find online so I sound smarter.

37.57 percent said >> Never. I'm careful to attribute every quote or statistic I uses so I'm not accused of plagiarizing.

9.68 percent said >> Yes, but only for subjects that I really hate and don't plan on pursuing. Why shouldn't I focus my energy on subjects that I'm actually good at?!

Which of the following measures do you take to protect yourself from identity theft?

44.76 percent said >> I delete e-mails that ask me to verify my contact information if I'm not totally sure they're legit.

36.90 percent said >> I frequently change online passwords and am sure not to use anything too obvious.

7.02 percent said >> I never use my real name in chat rooms or online gaming portals.

6.71 percent said >> I set my online profiles to private so only invited people can view them.

4.61 percent said >> I shred credit card applications and other mail that includes my personal information.

Would you ever enter a beauty pageant to win scholarship money for college?

60.04 percent said >> Sure. Scholarship money is scholarship money, and pageants are a cool way to stand out from the crowd.

39.96 percent said >> Puh-lease... Pageants are degrading, not to mention lame.

How would you classify your financial aid knowledge?

67.54 percent said >> Average student. I know some people who went through the college process, so I have an idea.

16.81 percent said >> Flunk out. I don't know a FAFSA from a WD-40. I'll figure it out next year.

15.66 percent said >> Head of the class. I've visited my school's college office to get a heads up on scholarship opportunities, financial aid information, and more.

Do you think it's fair that funding for music and arts programs has been cut over the past few years so that more resources are allocated to academic areas including math and English?

82.93 percent said >> No. Music and art are just as important when it comes to well-rounded knowledge as any subject. There's got to be a better solution.

17.07 percent said >> Yes. English and math are more important than music and art, so more funding should go to those subjects. If you're into the arts, then you can learn on your own.

Do you think you'll be able to handle the freedom that comes with going away to college?

81.27 percent said >> Sure. I'm responsible enough to find a study and party balance.

18.73 percent said >> I've been waiting to be on my own for so long, it's going to be hard to have willpower when something fun is going on but I really should be studying.

If you didn't have the opportunity to participate in the survey or if you just want to sound off, comment away!

RIHANNA

She dances, she sings, and she also gives great advice. In fact, you can learn a lot from the pop singing sensation. She will tell you that "you have to want to stand out" and believes you should pursue your dreams like a champ. "You need to become the best. If you go into [the future] like that, you can never go wrong."

For more words of wisdom from Rihanna, pick up the National Fall issue of CB Teen!






In the meantime, listen to Rihanna: "You have to go into your future wanting to make a difference."
No matter what type of difference you want to make, there's a college or career school that's right for you.


As for our next issue, you'll have to wait and see who will grace that cover. But here are some clues in the meantime:
* She frequents the stage
* She was a sorority girl
* There's concrete proof that America loves her

SURVEY CONTEST

If you've taken the "CB Teen Wants to Know" survey, here's the contest scoop:

Be among the first 50 people to request us as a friend and let us know that you've added the following code into your page, and the prize is yours:

The CollegeBound Network helped me with my college decision and future career plans.

Oh, and if you didn't take the survey yet, go now!

Triumph. Victory. Success. Set those goals up in your mind for the upcoming school year, and you'll be set!

Of course, we understand how trying these college-bound days can be, and how insurmountable your goals may seem at times.

If you're just beginning to seriously explore colleges, the overwhelming nature of making such a decision can be quite a feat. Add to that the conundrum of how to choose a major, deal with life on your own for the first time ever, and --gasp!-- figure out how to pay for it all, and you've got quite a challenge.

Which is why we make it our mission at CB Teen to provide you with encouraging stories of teens who struggle and then succeed, as well as resource upon resource of information about finding a college or career school.

Of course, in between the educational tools you need to do well (and -- can anyone say "afford college" -- lots of scholarship info, we know!), we also think it's admirable to merge great grades and glamourous ideas, intelligence with innovation.

Having CB Teen and The CollegeBound Network on your side (add us as your Friend!!!), will help you ride that college-bound wave with ease.

by Amanda Guenther

Halfway during the second semester of my sophomore year at Creighton University (Omaha, NE), I decided it was time to figure out what I should do for the summer. Stay home, study abroad or work in Omaha? Better yet, come to New York City! The glitz and glam of the Big Apple is a dream for a girl like me, who was born and raised in the Midwest, surrounded by farms and fields -- living where I think the next season of The Simple Life should be taped. So I did it -- I set out for the big city, landed an internship with CollegeBound Teen Magazine, and scored an opportunity to work behind-the-scenes of a photo shoot. Heres what happened.

5:00 a.m.
I quickly got out of bed afraid that if I hit the snooze on my alarm, I would sleep through it. This was only after having woken up five times during the night afraid of ... well ... not waking up when I needed to.

I threw on the clothes I picked out the night before and grabbed a jacket in case it rained. I finally stepped out the door of my dorm to help with the event that I had been most excited about since arriving in New York City.

6:35 a.m.
Lori, CB Teens media and events coordinator (my manager); James, the male model; Ysolt, CB Teens senior staff writer, with breakfast for everyone in hand; and I (a media and events intern) arrived at the office on time. We loaded the clothes, accessories, and supplies necessary for the day in the huge tour bus we were taking down to Coney Island. Thats where the photo shoot is taking place.

We did it up like rock stars -- in terms of transportation, that is. There was a long leather couch, a kitchenette area with a microwave and mini-fridge, a bathroom, and a couple of large vanity mirrors -- one to be used for hair and the other for makeup. In the bus rear, there was a small room separated by a curtain with another couch and two bars that will eventually hold the clothes the fashion stylist picked out for the models.

Were on the road to Brooklyn and I couldnt be more excited!

8:05 a.m.
Lisa, the stylist, arrived with even more bags and boxes of garments. She and I started hanging up everything, keeping the clothes separated by gender. Careful, keep all of the same brand names together, she says. All the while, Im thinking how badly I want to shop.

8:20 a.m.
The door to the bus opens and the makeup artist is here. He first started with Sabrina, the female model, while James went to the back with Lisa to brainstorm outfits for the day. Minutes later, the photographer, Mo Daoud; his assistant; and the hair stylist arrive.

10:35 a.m.
Models are made up and in wardrobe. Then it was off to the amusement rides and popcorn stands for the first shot of the day.

Once Mo set up all his equipment, he started shooting pictures of Sabrina in front of the colorful ticket booth.

12:45 p.m.
While Mo was working on finding a third location, Ysolt and I checked and marked every piece of clothing, accessory, and shoe that the models wore on camera making sure the brand names and style numbers are noted. This will come in handy for when Ysolt writes the copy for the spread.

1:50 p.m.
Finally, a break! The whole entourage sat down to have a quick lunch before setting out for the last few shots of the day. Shortly after eating, the models makeup and hair were touched up and it was time to go back out.

3:00 p.m.
The fourth stop was the original Nathans Hot Dogs. It was so entertaining to watch the models pose with hot dogs around Nathans employees and bystanders. After the hot dog poses, Sabrina proceeded to stand on one of the round tables in the middle of the outdoor customer seating, pulling her back leg towards her head, creating these ballerina-form poses. This definitely drew some attention and some awesome photographs, Im sure.

5:00 p.m.
Ysolt and I stayed behind in the tour bus while everyone set out for the last location of the shoot to clean, fold, and organize all of the clothes we have to return to the designers. We packed all the clothes in bags and boxes to take back to the office. Id inevitably have to go through them later to return the garments, accessories, and shoes to the right companies.

7:30 pm
We dropped off all the clothes at the office. Now Im finally heading back to my home away from home, a dorm at Wagner College. Although Im extremely tired and worn out, this has been my favorite day at my summer internship so far.

It can be deceiving to flip through pages of a magazine. You may spend a couple of seconds glancing at pictures that took days and days to prepare for and hours to shoot. Even though it was a tiring 13-hour day, I had a great time with the production team. Hopefully someday I will be able to plan and carry out a fashion shoot of my own.



After a hard day's work, the entire team posed before saying our goodbyes.
from left: senior staff writer Ysolt Usigan, fashion stylist Lisa Schulner, makeup artist Robert Szczesniak, me, hair stylist Deirdre Novella, media and events coordinator Lori Chyla, models James Denapoli and Sabrina Sikora, senior graphic designer Nicole Block, photographer's assistant, and photographer Mo Daoud

When it comes to choosing a celebrity cover for the Lifestyle section of our upcoming Back-to-School double issue of CB Teen, it's like preparing for an exam. You want to trust your gut and choose the answer that makes the most sense... but what if they all make sense in their own way?

If only it were as easy (yes, easy....) as applying a mathematic formula to the whole celeb-cover-conundrum (how's THAT for an SAT word?!):

"X" (Pop Star Du Jour) + "Y" (Cool TV Chic) = "Z" (Smart, Savvy Superstar)?

Ha, not quite.

Keep checking in... Just like that cool substitute teacher you love, we'll start hinting around to the answer -- who we ultimately deem worthy of our "Celeb Cover A+" -- soon... very....soon.

GL