Last week I went to my university’s health center for a birth control pill issue. As soon as Dr. Nancy scurried in with her Lisa Frank name tag and orthopedic shoes, I knew that this was going to be trouble. I answered the routine questions and then braced myself for what was next; the question that every single girl dreads.

“Are you sexually active?” inquired Dr. Nancy with her beady eyes judging my contraceptive-popping self. What the hell are you supposed to say in that situation?

“Well, you see Nance, I did hook up with my ex-hook up two weeks ago but other than that it’s been quite the dry spell…” Nobody really wants to delve into their complicated lust life with a complete stranger.

This got me thinking, how does anybody really know if they are “sexually active”? To me, activity isn’t all-or-nothing; there are several levels to be aware of. Dr. Nancy, for instance, would abide by the criteria of “hyperactivity.” In other words, if you have ever touched a boy or even really thought about it, you are sexually active for the rest of your life and probably well after you’re dead. Read More »

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Our favorite he-man women hater’s club, Brobible, popped the question.

Not that question.

The more important question: should a guy shave his chest until it’s nothing but a gleaming six-pack or should he go all natural and hairy like a man’s man? And tell ya what, we don’t know the answer! So we’re throwing the question out to you, our boy-crazy readers, what do you prefer?

It’s the last night of Hanukkah. Some of you are elbow deep in blue and white wrapping paper, your stack of awesome gifts by your side. Others, like us, are left with nothing but an oily latke breakout; fond memories of Hanukkahs of  yore; and pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal’s six-pack, Drake’s tasty mug, Zach Braff’s adorableness, Mark Salling’s general hotness, Jason Segel’s not-so-full frontal, Daniel Radcliffe’s across-the-pond sexiness and Andy Samberg’s boyish good looks bookmarked on our computers.

Either way, there’s one last candle to light and we saved the yummiest for last.

Sure we love good-looking, funny, charming, magical, stand-up comedian, scrub-wearing Jewish men. But at the end of the day, our hearts lay with our one true love: Jewish food. Rain or shine, straightener or no-straightener, memorable Bat Mitzvah party favor or throwaway gift, Jewish food has always been there for us. Through the ups and the downs, the millions of yearly Jewish holidays, and the sadness that comes when no TV show – not even Glee – recognizes Hanukkah during the holiday season.

And that’s why we saved the last candle for our favorite cuisine. Read More »

Dear Dude,

I have been dating my boyfriend for two months or so now. Unfortunately, he goes to another college and we don’t see each other as often as we would like. Neither of us dated in high school; neither of us has any experience with dating or sex. Recently, the time we do have together has been getting very sexual. He is a little bolder than I am (although always a gentleman) and the last time we saw each other things got a little out of hand. By the time I asked to slow down (which he did immediately), neither of us had clothes on.

He always touches me and makes me feel wonderful, and I want to return the favor–but I feel like if you’re going to go below the belt on a guy you should be prepared to finish the job. I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I’m certainly not ready to lose my virginity.

I care about him a lot. I want to respect his needs and wants without being selfish, but I don’t want to push myself into territory that I’m not ready for, either. I definitely don’t want to be a tease. He makes me happy. I just want him to be happy, too.

What do I do?
– Searching For Boundaries Read More »

These days, it seems like everyone is doing whatever they can to get into the best possible school, from loading up on volunteer hours, to shelling out cash for SAT prep classes, to hiring expensive college counselors. And for good reason; with all the competition out there, we all want to do whatever we can to get that edge when our school days (finally!) come to an end.

But does all that matter? Does it make a difference?
As our friends at Lemondrop recently asked: does it matter where we went to college?

At first thought, I’m not sure where I stand on this issue. On the one hand, people who attend great schools (i.e. the ones U.S. News World and Report rank highly, or those esteemed Ivy Leagues) are obviously qualified, and the amount of work prestigious schools put into giving their students the best possible education is remarkable. On the other hand, there are so many people at “average” schools who have extraordinary promise in their fields and work just as hard, if not harder, than those who attend an Ivy League institution. Maybe they couldn’t attend a more prestigious school because of financial reasons, or because they didn’t truly learn their potential until college started, or because their test taking skills weren’t the best, leaving them with less than stellar SAT scores.

Yet all of that considered, Ivy Leaguers with those cushy names atop their diplomas certainly have an easier time navigating the “real world.” Hiring managers and grad school admissions counselors are naturally awed by their  education and where they received it, and Harvard grads have a much easier time landing coveted positions than their state school counterparts.

But is this the right way to go about things? Who is ultimately a better candidate – the brilliant student who aced his SATs and went on to attend a top school where he simply coasted, or the girl who struggled to make it into a state school, where she worked hard and learned a lot, earned a good GPA, participated in as many activities as possible, and held a few internships? Read More »

[Hey everybody! Sarabeth here with a new feature that, quite frankly, I'm stoked about. Each week I'll be bringing you an album that I feel is particularly awesome in the hopes of building iTunes libraries everywhere! It could be something new, old, hugely popular or fairly unknown, so keep checking back for our suggestions to awesome-ify your music collection.]

Boof. Finals Time. AKA the darkest of dark times for college students who are holed up in libraries with nothing but a Jimmy John’s sandwich and a prayer.

Oh and maybe 12 used up highlighters.

If you’re anything like me, you might be freaking out right about now due to the copious amounts of work on a to-do list that somehow keeps on growing. That’s why this week I’m bringing you what is quite possibly the chillest album in the world in the hopes that it’ll get us all to calm down and relax admist the finals stress.

I give you: Alaska in Winter’s first album, Dance Party in the Balkans.

About the Band
Alaska in Winter is the brainchild of Brandon Bethancourt after he supposedly spent a semester out in a tiny cabin in Alaska making music on his laptop all day long. When he returned to civilization, he sought the musical help of Zach Condon, Heather Trost, Hari Ziznewski, Stefanie Lamm, Rosina Roibal, Hilary Bethancourt, and Naila Dixon. Together, they created what has become my zen.

Top 3 Tracks

Close Your Eyes – We Are Blind

Lovely Love Love

Your Red Dress (Wedding Song at Cemetery)

Why You Should Listen to It
This is the perfect de-stress, unwind, regain your sanity album. The sounds are calm and soothing, but get upbeat every now and then to keep you interested and not snoozing off to sleep (although I have been known to put this on while I’m trying to fall asleep. It’s just so relaxing!) Definitely give this a try if you need something to drown out the sounds of the heavy breather at the table next to you and want to listen to something chill, but different.

Need some more music recs? See what else Sarabeth recommends. And for the after-finals celebration, we’ve got just the playlist for you.

[Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review purposes.]

What it is: Clarisonic Mia Sonic Cleansing System

Why this should be in your bag
Clean skin is the base for a great looking face. If you’re broken out, you’re going to slather on the heavy foundation and no one likes a cake-face. It looks unnatural, to say the least.

I have fairly decent skin, except when I get stressed. I get these little bumps all over my chin and forehead. It’s just atrocious and being stressed about my skin does nothing to help these bumps go away! I’ve heard rave reviews about the Clarisonic Sonic Cleansing Systems, so I was pretty excited to test out the Mia. The Mia is a compact version of the original Clarisonic, with all the same benefits in a smaller form. It’s perfect for busy students and traveling. Read More »

The following is a guest post by our (nerdy yet totally helpful) friends at Hack College. Check ‘em out for all your techy needs. They’re like the nerdy boyfriend you never had but always needed.

Given the recent cases of alcohol poisoning and whatnot, I can’t say this is very surprising, but it looks like the FDA has banned Four Loko nationwide.  I won’t touch the stuff, but if you can’t imagine Friday night without the colorful concoction, Buzzfeed has posted this excellent tutorial on crafting your own version.  Looks incredibly nasty, but it will definitely keep you drunk and awake.

Seriously though, be careful with that stuff.

Being home for a month can do wonderful things for your sex life, let’s just put that out there right now.  So maybe you’re down in the dumps because that guy from school you were just starting to hit it off with (and might really, really like) is now hundreds of miles away.  Well, you know what they say about abstinence and the heart growing fonder.  Or wait, was that “absence”?  I suppose it doesn’t matter, because in your case, both are applicable with this dream dude until you get your tush back to campus.

But don’t think that because one door is closed for four weeks, another one can’t become gloriously open.  (I believe the adage that fits here is the one about not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.  What’s that?  No, I know you’re on the pill.  You’re missing the point.)  What you might be failing to see in your momentary don’t-make-me-go-home-yet sorrows is that there are bound to be at least a few eligible men to call once you’re back bunking with Mom and Dad.

If you think about it, Christmas break is basically the ideal scenario for a no strings attached hook-up fest.  Your high school boyfriend?  You know he’ll be game.  The hot guy who wouldn’t even look at you in your pre-hair straightener days?  It’s time to change his mind.  Your totally cute best guy friend?  Turn him into a friend with benefits.

So now that we’ve got it hammered into your head that the tough part won’t be finding someone to pass the time with, as it were, allow me to introduce to you the real challenge of the holiday season:

F*cking in your childhood bedroom.

Read More »