A few weeks ago, when my alarm went off at 6:30 in the morning (after hitting snooze at least four times), I rolled out of bed feeling like the very definition of a hot mess. My hair was stuck to my cheek, I reeked of alcohol, and my head was pounding. I stumbled into the bathroom, convinced I was still a little drunk, looked in the mirror, and thought about the 12-hour day I had ahead of me. “I am never drinking before my internship ever, EVER again.”

The next week, the same thing happened all over again.

I think you can all understand – making time for both work and play in the summer is hard.  In the winter, when it’s cold and gross out and there’s not as much as to do, it’s a little bit easier to get cozy in bed at a decent hour when you know you have to be up bright and early on a Wednesday. (Or, if you do enjoy a Tiki Tuesday, you can always sleep right through lecture the next morning….) But in the summer… not so much. There aren’t just bars to go to with your friends, there are barbecues and beach bonfires and house parties and fun things going on almost every single night. And it makes it even harder when a few of your best friends have nothing to worry about but part-time jobs. So this whole summer, since I have a little problem turning down doing something fun, I have been trying to figure out the perfect mix of working and going out. Unfortunately for me, I don’t only have my internship to worry about (although it is the most important) – I also have my part-time waitressing job which PAYS for my internship.

When I first started my internship, my social life kind of died for a little bit. During the winter and spring, I made work a priority – not only did I have to wake up at 6:30 am and travel into New York City three times a week to intern, but I also had to waitress every other night until pretty late, and make time to cover events in the city. I stopped going out and getting wasted all the time because I was either too tired from work, or I knew I had to be up early. And let me tell you – it was no fun. At all. Read More »

Polls are closed on this portion of the bracket, but vote on Pastimes and Events right here.

It might be 2010, but here at CollegeCandy we’re still stuck in the ’90s. All you have to do is say Chumbawhumba and we’re off and running on a ’90s nostalgia debate that lasts the entire day. We know we’re not the only people out there that still rock out to N’Sync and still remember the desperation you felt when you lost your favorite Pogs slammer. So instead of constantly arguing amongst the CollegeCandy team, we decided to throw the question out to our readers and choose, once and for all, what is the best thing to come from the ’90s (besides our many devoted readers, of course).

So, in the fashion of every guy’s wet dream, March Madness, we’ve created an “I Love the ’90s” bracket. Today we’re voting on the best of entertainment and trends from our favorite decade, and on Thursday we’ll narrow down our ’90s pastimes and events. Keep checking back every Monday and Thursday this month so you can keep letting us know what is the best thing to ever come from the 1990 and beyond.

P.S. We know, we know – we’re missing a lot. It was a hard decision narrowing it down to 64 awesome things and we’re still upset that there’s no face-off between Britney and Christina. Did we miss something major? Let us know in the comments. Read More »

A girl can only own so many pencil skirts. Actually, let me rephrase that. A girl can (and most likely will) own a ton of pencil skirts, but can only wear them so often before it starts to feel like all sense of a fashion identity has been lost.

Only two short months into the post-grad working world, and I have already reached my limit. It’s not that I don’t like pencil skirts – much to the contrary I actually think they are extremely sexy and flattering on almost all body types. But the staple black pencil skirt with cute-but-not-too-revealing-top uniform can get really boring, really fast.

So instead of stuffing my closet full of yet more simple, streamlined skirts, I’ve decided to spice them up just a tad with unique details that give an outfit just a ounce of wow factor. I’ve gone on a hunt for pieces that are still totally office appropriate, but keep me from falling asleep when looking at my outfit in the mirror.

The perfect skirt? Banana Republic’s Silk Pocket Skirt.  From a block away it appears to be your standard black skirt, but a closer look reveals understated detailing that takes an outfit from average work attire to office chic. Read More »

It's all smiles when you communicate openly.

It’s back-to-school season and that should mean you’ve figured out your living situation for next year.  Regardless of where you’re living – be it in a 10X10 cell in the dorms or a dingy old apartment off campus – or who you’re living with, now’s the time to set ground rules and figure out how to make your living situation work for the school year.

I’ve had a lot of roommates – nine in four years to be exact.  I’ve also had varying degrees of success with roommates, and the common factor that determines whether things are good or bad in all situations is the level of communication.  If you communicate early on about what you want your living situation to look like, it will make things easier in the long run, guaranteed.

To help you start the conversation with your roommate, here is a list of questions you should be sure to ask. Will it be weird to bring these up with the stranger assigned to you by the school? Maybe, but 3 months from now, you’ll be glad you had the awkward convo.

1.  What’s your stance on overnight guests?
This question can refer to both friends visiting and people you are hooking up with.  Figuring out your policy on this question is probably one of the most important.  You’ll want to figure out how often people can stay, if it’s okay if anyone stays over on a school night, and, if you share a bedroom, what the roommate is supposed to do. I don’t think I need to tell you this, but it is NOT okay to hook up while the other person is sleeping in the same room, even if they’re passed out.

2. Do you smoke – cigarettes or otherwise?
Most residences try to keep smokers and non-smokers apart.  If you are a non-smoker living with a smoker, try and set up a designated smoke area outside, and have rules about cigarette butts.  Finding out if your roommates do drugs is also important, as you should make them aware if you are not comfortable having them use (or bring their shady lady friends over) in your place of residence. Read More »

Ever since I flipped through the many college brochures in high school, I had my own college fantasy.  I saw frat boys making out with sorority girls under a sycamore tree in the quad a Sports Illustrated swimsuit poster while double-fisting a Coors, ‘Van Wilder’ playing in the background. It’s a strange college ideal, but let’s face it: in college, hooking up comes as natural as canning two Red Bull 30 minutes deep into a study session. What do you expect from a slew of horny, freshly-free kids placed in a small colony of dorm rooms?  From the very first night of college the constant pressure to hook up with people looms like the haze of a drunk-buzz. And it’s the norm.

Random hook ups are not only not shunned in college, they’re expected. College is a get-by-free pass for having fun and making out.

I’m not saying everyone hooks up in college, but for the majority of the student body, hooking up is a given.  Meeting new prospective hook-ups you’ll most likely regret in the morning and dish with your roomies is as expected as walking into the library and walking out with a book. It’s free and returnable.

Under most circumstances, girls will say hooking up is fun and carefree.  After a few beers, there is nothing wrong with making out and fooling around with a cute college boy that has a baby-face and likes to dance with you next to the beer pong table.  And hooking up doesn’t have to involve drinking either.  We’re all familiar with the term ‘booty-call.’  Simple attraction and a life sans parental units can ignite hook-ups and the ‘no strings attached’ attitude.  That’s why hooking up is fun!  You never have to worry about meeting families, what his favorite baseball team is, or if you should text him or call him the next day. Read More »

If you’ve read my previous posts, you would know that I am a pretty active person. I started playing tennis at a young age and about a year ago, I received my Turbo Kickboxing certification. As much as I love working out and pumping iron in the weight room (you can’t blame me – that’s where all the ripped guys hang out!), one thing I’ve always hated is running.

At the gym, running on the treadmill gave me a headache as soon as I stepped off the conveyor belt. Outside, the bugs just enjoyed flying into my face….and my teeth.  It just wasn’t working for me. I was not a runner and I was a-OK with that.

That is, until I realized the many health benefits of running. Obviously, it keeps you in great shape, but, more than that, it relieves stress. I’ve mentioned before that stress is bad on the body and that exercise helps you through it, but running specifically gives you a natural high. Running long distances allows your breathing pattern to stabilize and gives a similar effect as meditation. The perk? You’re burning a few more calories when you run! Read More »

And homegirl looked gorgeous on her wedding day.

Did Ali Lohan get implants?

Mmmmm Mark Wahlberg looks good.

9 innovations that are gonna make school ROCK.

Do guys like us better in heels or sweats?

L’oreal Go 360 Exfoliating Scrub – a review.

Who doesn’t love a good summer blockbuster? On those dreary, rainy summer days, sometimes all you want to do is head to your local movie theater with some friends (or the bf) and shove popcorn in your face while Leonardo DiCaprio confuses you entertains you for 2.5 hours.

However, along with the blockbusters, there are some serious summer blockBUSTS. Here are the trainwrecks I won’t be shelling out twelve dollars to see.

10. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Really? If the creepy pun on “Pussy Galore” wasn’t enough to terrify me, the mere prospect of talking cats is enough to give me nightmares until December. I like my dogs to woof and cats to be a mysterious part of my Chinese food.

9. Charlie St. Cloud
Enough with these commercials. Why is Zac Efron (aka Disney’s version of Chase Crawford) talking to dead people? Shouldn’t he be singing and dancing in some made-for-TV movie and prancing around with his new teeth and his girlfriend who loves to sext? Terrible. F.

8. Eclipse
I have no words for how much I despise this franchise and everyone who fawns over it. I understand that Twihardation is a disease. Seek help immediately if suffering from the illness and read a decent book or watch a classic film.

7. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Nicolas Cage is in it. And he’s wearing a toupee. PASS. Read More »

The beginning stages of a new relationship are always the best. Thinking about the other person gives you butterflies, every date is an exciting new adventure, and you aren’t close enough for him to start discussing his farting habits with you.

But it is also a little scary. You want to show that special man who you are, but not enough to scare him off before you have the chance to steal his super-comfy sweatpants. And you find yourself constantly wondering if he thinks about you as much as you think about him, why he hasn’t called yet and if he minded that you screamed really loudly while watching Saw 3 the night before.

When I was younger, the scariest part of a new relationship – especially with someone I really liked – was walking the line between being myself and doing/saying things that I thought he wanted to hear. I know it sounds pathetic, but you know you’ve been there too; telling him you love Bob Seger only to freak when he asks your favorite song. Or pretending to be obsessed with The Sopranos and then wondering what station that show is even on.

Now that I am approaching adulthood (graduation is coming at me quickly!) I have finally come to terms with who I am on my own and in a relationship. I now realize that there are plenty of really good guys out there for me so I don’t have to settle for that douche bag who pops his collar and wears a giant gold chain.

But, I can’t be too stubborn. There are a few things I will tweak for a boy:

1. Hair Maintenance: Singledom means a break from leg/bikini cleanups. But even I know that it is only fair to do a little tidying if I expect anyone to approach.

2. Music Preference: Not that I will ditch my own amazing music collection (ranging from the tunes of Sister Act to the infamous Beastie Boys), but being in a new relationship is all about experiencing new things. Plus, it makes the option of a cuddly concert date much more probable. Read More »

[Everyone’s got a morning after story (though most don't include campus-wide makeout tours) and we wanna hear yours! Send it over to us and we’ll post it – anonymously, of course – right here!]

I think we can all agree that it’s exciting when you run into someone wearing your university’s logo/mascot/colors when you’re far away from campus. You instantly wanna give them a “Go [insert team name here]!” before high fiving them and talking about all the wonderful things you have in common.

Or, in my case, going back to their dingy sublet and cab-of-shaming it home the next morning.

I’m currently living it up in Chicago, doing the whole summer internship thang. Last weekend, a few of my college girlfriends came to visit and I planned a big night out for all of us. OK, so maybe I just bought a handle of Skyy and figured we’d stumble to whatever big-city bar was closest to my studio sublet. Whatever. Details.

So we drank some vodka, did the obligatory “Party in the U.S.A.” dance (twice for good measure), then drunkenly navigated our way to a new sports bar that had opened up down the street. We were making our way to the bar (“SHOTS!”) when I spotted a boy wearing a hat with my school’s logo on it. Nevermind the fact that said hat was perched on his head at a 45 degree angle (read: he was a bro) or that he was was way skinnier than me, I approached him and gave him a hearty “Go team!”

Fast forward an hour and we’re making out in the corner. Read More »