It’s that time of year again: lease-signing season! But before you head out into the jungle of real estate and red tape to search for a new nest, check out our top five things you need to know before you go apartment hunting!

1.    Who do you want to live with? Sure, you’re best friend is awesome to hang out with, and she’s promised to stay tidy and bake cookies every Saturday, but is she really going to hold up the deal? And even if she does, is it really the best idea to spend 24/7 with your BFF? When considering roommates, make sure you consider how you will live with someone and not just how you feel about that someone. There is a very big difference and knowing that could make or break your friendship.

2.    Where do you want to be? Location is the most important factor in real estate, so really think about where you want to be. Do you want to be close to class or close to your boyfriend? What is more important to you when you oversleep: a short walk, or being close to quality coffee? These are questions that only you can answer, but you should think your preferred location through before you get swept away by the in-house washer and dryer in an apartment on the wrong side of campus. Read More »

After the love-bug graced us with it’s sappy presence for Valentine’s Day last week, it seems like a new bug has fluttered into the hearts (or sinuses) of many.  I have been stacking my pillows a mile high (so I can breath at night) and rushing out of class to blow my nose for quite some time now. While friends are going out to the bars, I’m surrendering with a tie blanket and Lauren Conrad’s new book (don’t judge – I’m sick). And when I make it to class in the midst of a blotchy-faced sneezing attack, I try to sit in the back so no one can hear my whistling nose and staggered breathing.

It’s a hard knock life, being ill. Especially at the age of 21, while attending college where you are hardly ever alone, and (I am convinced) the terms ‘Sunday Funday’ and ‘Thirsty Thursday’ were invented. It’s not like it used to be, back in elementary school, when you’d fake a cough just to stay home and enjoy that coveted sick day. Now, well, I really miss those sick days… Read More »