College Q&A. You Got Questions? We Got The Truth.

"And that, my little freshmen, is why that boy didn't call you back."

College. Sigh. It’s unlike any other time in your life. It has its own set of rules, it’s own unique circumstances. And it’s not always easy to navigate. Enter…me! Every week I’ll be tackling your questions about college. From classes to keggers, I’ll do my best to respond and be your Pez dispenser of collegiate wisdom.

By Melanie

1. How do I avoid that sneaky Freshman 15?
The most obvious answer is don’t drink. Drinking adds those extra calories that you didn’t have in high school, not to mention the drunk munchies. Who hasn’t gone to bed at 4 AM on a Thursday spooning a box of Lucky Charms? Leaving behind sports teams in high school and replacing field hockey practice with marathon drinking is a surefire way to pack on the pounds. Weekday drinking is probably the number one contributor to the Freshie 15, in addition the dining hall, the University equivalent of an all you can eat buffet in Vegas. Think about it. Not ready to give up drinking on Tuesdays or the tater tots at the dining hall? Utilize that gym on campus, join an intramural team and try to stay on a good sleeping schedule.

2. That guy that I hooked up with drunkenly at a party isn’t calling me?! What gives?
Pick and choose your reason(s):
- You were so blacked out you had a penis drawn on your face while you were making out with him. In front of all his friends. First impressions last.
- He has a girlfriend
- It’s a little awksauce calling someone after a sloppy hook up
- He doesn’t remember hooking up with you

Drunken hookups happen. Just because you kissed some guy in a bar doesn’t mean you’re dating. Just because he calls you to “hang out” only when he’s drunk doesn’t mean he’s your boyfriend. Welcome to the wonderful world of college guys.

3. How much studying is enough?
The rule of thumb is you study nightly three times the length of your class. So, if your class is 45 minutes, you study a little over two hours. Well, in a perfect world, at least. But this is college; life, drinking and Top Model sometimes get in the way of academics. I’m not suggesting that you skirt around your academic responsibilities, your primary focus in college should be studying. However, if you don’t do all the reading for class the next day, it’s not the end of the world. Just put in those extra hours you skipped when midterms and finals roll around.

4. I’m totally crushing on my professor, what do I do?
Ogle him in class. That’s it. I promise you, nothing good comes of a student/professor hook up. Except an “A.” Kidding. Kinda.

5. I’m failing a class… help!
Talk to your professor, they’re there to help you. The worst thing you can do is put off getting help in a class until the last minute. When you’re struggling with a subject and constantly putting in the effort, showing up to office hours and doing everything you can to pull your grade up, professors are more than likely to help you out. They want to see you succeed! They don’t want you to write a page-long explanation on the back of your final exam detailing why you did so poorly. They will not take pity on you at that point. Trust me. I’ve been there. And I got a D.

[Got a question you want answered? Leave it here in the comments or shoot me an email at Melanie@CollegeCandy.com!]