We’re well into another new school year and to honor that, we at CollegeCandy are bringing back the fan-favorite series, “We’ve All Been There.”  (We tried to get another national holiday/long weekend for you guys but it’s way harder than we thought so this will have to do.) Every week, Lauren – University of Michigan will comment on the common experiences all college women share – like procrastinating or using the not-so-private bathrooms. Read, relate, cringe and enjoy.

It might be your roommate’s birthday, or your birthday, or just another Saturday night on campus. Either way, you are currently standing in front of your over-stuffed closet in a towel with wet hair dripping down your back. You’ve got your pre-party mix blasting from your laptop as you scan your closet for something to wear.

To the left is a pile of jeans. 13 pairs of jeans to be exact. Dark wash, light wash, skinnies, trousers, wide leg, bootcut. To the right hangs your shirts: long sleeve, short sleeve, camis, halters, all in every shade of the rainbow.

You put on some underwear and your sexy black going-out bra, pull out a pair of jeans and squeeze/lunge your booty into them. “No late night pizza,” you think to yourself as you suck in your belly to button them.

You pull a low-cut black shirt from the closet and put it on. You check yourself in the mirror. No good.

You grab a different shirt. Nope.

You pull a blue cami off the hanger and put it on. The bra doesn’t work with it, so you slip out of the cami, swap on a strapless bra and put it back on.  Now the jeans don’t work, so you kick them off and grab a lighter pair from the stack. Read More »

Recently, our buddies at Brobible.com constructed a pretty impressive list of the ‘Top 350+ Must-Have Movies for Every Man Cave.’  Between watching over 350 movies and bumping chests, where did they find the time to create such a list?

But that’s neither here nor there. The real issue with this list is that, after intensely reviewing it (and wasting a good hour of my day that could have been spent shaving my legs…which really need it), it seems that a lot of “dude movies” that bros hold near and dear to their mustachioed hearts are really just chick flicks in disguise!

Yes, behind all the fart jokes, drug trafficking, and occasional airborne Porsches, these flicks are basically muscled up girl movies. Read More »

[When moving into either a dorm or an off-campus apartment, your wardrobe will face two major challenges: 1. A major lack of funding (to add more to it), and 2. A major lack of storage space (for all the crap you've got). For these two reasons, maximizing what you already own becomes essential. That's why you need to learn to Shop Your Closet. Each week, I’ll show you how to wear 1 item 3 ways – with the stuff you most likely already own! – to get the most out of your purchases.]

One thing I’m sure you everyone owns is a black cardigan. It’s definitely an essential item for the college girl – it goes with anything, is easy to wear, is perfect for layering when going from a cold classroom to a steamy library, and doesn’t show the dirt that’s accumulated since your last laundry day….3 weeks ago.

As it gets closer to Thanksgiving you might be putting off laundry, in hopes that your parents will help you with the garbage bag full of dirty clothes you bring home. The longer you put off that trip to the laundry room, though, the harder it is to get dressed. Luckily, your black cardigan will help fill in the gaps between now and hooray-mom’s-doing-my-laundry day (or even now and next spring!), and I’ve got three outfits to help you get up, get dressed and get out of your room in style.

Thank you, god of black cardigans! Read More »

AHHHHHHHH!

Hi everyone, my name is Jenn. And I’m a grad school application survivor.

The experience was traumatic and tortuous and for a while there I didn’t think I’d make it through.  But now that I’ve seen the other side I thought it was time I shared some of my lessons learned with you. (While editing out the banging my head against my desk, pulling my hair out, staring at a blank computer screen as I read the application essay over and over parts.)

This is not a full proof guide to getting into grad school. In fact, it’s not a guide to getting into grad school at all. (I may have finished the applications but I haven’t gotten into any of the programs yet…) These are just some tips, things I wish I knew before I started the application process. So I thought I’d pass on my infinite wisdom to our lovely readers…

1. Make friends with your professors. And no. I’m telling you to make him your beer bong partner. Or a friend with benefits. But make sure at least one or two of your professors know who you are. Start with your advisor. They’re supposed to have a vested interest in your academic career so sharing your goals and aspirations with them, and asking them for advice about graduate programs is a great way to start talking about the application process. Once you’re comfortable with them, then you could start fishing around for recommendation letters. Some professors might even offer. It’s much easier than awkward e-mails or a post-class request when they have no idea who you are. I promise.  

2. Take the GRE the summer before you senior year. Even if you don’t think you’ll be applying to graduate school, do it anyway. This was my original plan. And then I started to have doubts. Should I put myself through the tortuous process of studying and stressing when I wasn’t even sure I would be applying to graduate schools? I didn’t. But I should have. Because then I ended up prepping for the GRE in the midst of a million other things that needed to be done. Take the GRE. And take it early.   Read More »

It’s finally here, Thanksgiving.  The only American holiday that goes hand and hand with elastic waistband pants. Just a few months ago your parents dropped you off at school with advice like “study hard” and “don’t drink anything out of a trashcan.” Since then, you’ve basked in the glory of freedom and the scent of stale beer and your first walk of shame.

However, you’re still excited to travel home and relax.  Quite frankly, studying and your hoppin’ college social life has wrung you out like a dishcloth and you’re ready for some R&R, hot gravy, and a serious post-feast nap.  It turns out though, freedom has sent everything your mother taught you completely backwards, and you’ve endured some weird habits in college.  Let’s just keep one thing straight, like your orange zubaz don’t quite ‘go’ with your blazer, some college behavior doesn’t transfer well into cute, family time.

Let us examine the do’s and don’ts of being home for a lengthy weekend: Read More »

[For this week's Body Blog, we're turning to our friend and college nutritionist Melanie Jatsek to help a reader in need. Though we're pretty sure the girl who wrote in isn't the only one with this problem....]

Dear College Candy,

Thank you so much for your topics on health and fitness. As a college student, I feel very self-conscious about my body, and it causes a great deal of self-esteem issues. Especially around midterms, eating binges for me are fairly common.  What is the best way to prevent this?  Also, I live with two boys who eat WHATEVER they want… how do I avoid eating what they eat??

Thank You,
Binging Betty

Dear Binging Betty,

When you’re tired, you sleep.  When you’re thirsty, you drink.  When you’re hungry, stressed, sad, or bored…you eat!  Get the picture?

Food is medicine for the body, but often times we eat it to self-medicate.  We aren’t self-medicating with carrots sticks either – it’s more like M&M’s, chips and ice cream.  This doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you human!  When it occurs too often, however, it can lead to food binges.  Depression, guilt, name-calling and a zap in your energy level are usually the result.

The two best ways to stop your food binge:  Plan your plate and follow the 80-20 rule. Read More »

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On Wednesday, I sat down after a long day of work, classes, and caffeine to find the only thing that could turn my day around waiting for me. My Glamour magazine had arrived. Eagerly, I sat down to indulge in some horoscope reading and horror story retelling. But before I even reached the cover story on Fergie I was sidetracked by something else entirely.

Glamour had listed their top six movie kisses of all time. And I have to say, I was a little disappointed.

The kisses they chose were certainly swoon worthy, but I didn’t think all of them deserved a top spot. And there were other kisses that were most definitely missing. Lots of kisses missing. Kisses that needed to be mentioned. So I selflessly spent hours and hours poring over YouTube video after YouTube video to compose this list for you, my top ten movie kisses of all time.

10. Jack and Rose, Titanic. Leo has come a long way since his days of freezing to death alongside a glacier, but I don’t think our generation will ever let him forget his days as a teen heart drop. This kiss, though not particularly impressive, sums up our teeny bopper days perfectly. It’s nostalgic and sweet and we’ll never let go.

9. Blane and Andie, Pretty in Pink. This list wouldn’t be complete without at least one Brat Pack shout out. And for me at least, it couldn’t be anything other than this movie. That final scene in the parking lot when Jack and Andie reunite at the senior prom after a huge fight just epitomizes everything I love and hate about teen angst and chick flicks. It’s cheesy and incredibly cliché but I would be lying if I said I didn’t wish something like that had happened at my high school prom. Read More »

You didn’t leave all your work until Sunday night did you? What!?! You did. That’s okay. No stress. You’ll get it all done. We’re so sure that you’ll get it all done that we’re giving you a few more excuses to procrastinate.

You’re welcome.

Read More »

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, you’re probably busy scheduling in every second of your break – a reunion with your high school pals, obligatory family time, and Black Friday madness – without giving much thought to what you’re going to pack.

Why should you plan out your packing now?

Because unless you are driving home alone, chances are you have limited packing room. (Do you really want to spend even more money for your overweight suitcase at the airport?) Packing smart helps you to maximize bag room, in order to a) bring home more laundry, b) return to campus with more leftovers and c) return to campus with an entirely new wardrobe.

Are we on the same page now? Here is a guide to items you should pack:

Clothing : Assemble clean outfit options for the first few days before you go home so you’re not scrambling to wash something (or forced to steal something from mom’s closet) before you head out with your high school buds on Thanksgiving eve. I’d take options for Thanksgiving eve, the Thanksgiving eat-a-thon, and Black Friday. By the weekend, you’ll either have a whole new batch of clothing (thanks to mom) or you can re-work what you’ve already got for what will most likely be major couch time.

In order to truly save space, pack smart. I recommend versatile items like leggings and long cardigans to:

1) Maximize eating capacity – the stretchier the clothes, the better.
2) Maximize space - not only are leggings small in a suitcase, but they can be worn dressy or casual, so you can pack fewer items, mix and match the pieces, and get more wear out of all of them.
3) Maximize your Black Friday shopping time – Layering leggings, a tank and a sweater means you can avoid those brutal lines for the dressing room and try everything on right there in the middle of the store!

Read More »