Well boys and girls, we’ve come to the fourth and final installment of “What the hell did I get myself into?”: Online Dating Edition. It’s been a whirlwind of a month, and I am sad to say (spoiler alert) that I did not find a boyfriend. Cue the tears, cue Adele, and cue me shoveling Ben and Jerry’s down my throat. I’m okay though really. No tears for this girl. I might sound a little cocky when I say this, but the reason I didn’t find a boyfriend wasn’t because I couldn’t get a guy to look in my general direction. I got several messages from men throughout the day, everyday for four weeks. I had many guys interested in “me”, and I put “me” in quotation marks because I’m not sure how many of the guys really wanted to get to know me or just have sex with me (and I guess I’ll never know!). The reason why I didn’t come out of this challenge with the desired end result is because I realized that I don’t want a boyfriend.

I repeat: I do not want a boyfriend.

I am not saying that I don’t have those moments when all I want to do is cuddle up with someone cute and have him play with my hair while I drift off to sleep. I have a deep desire to eventually find “The One” and have a marriage and a family. I will never let go of that dream. I will always have that dream. I think what I am saying is that I do not have a desire to pursue that dream right now.

I came across several men that were sweet and sexy, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I was really into Mitch for a few weeks, but I soon realized that there was no chemistry there (I know, that sounds like a cop out, but it’s true!), and he also looked way too much like my ex-boyfriend. I thought I could get over it, but I cannot. After our second date, he leaned in for a kiss. I accepted. When I opened my eyes, I saw my ex. I did not see Mitch. My sight was blurry. Once I re-focused, I knew it wasn’t going to work. Not only because Mitch was a clone of my ex but because I wasn’t putting my whole heart into it. I wasn’t fully there. I did not want a boyfriend.

Though I didn’t get my “happy ending”, being a member of OK Cupid did open my eyes to a lot of things that I had never really thought of before. One huge revelation was that there are so many men out there. And yes, there are going to be some creepers and guys you’re not attracted to, but let me tell you, there are a lot of guys on OK Cupid (and other dating sites, I’m sure!) that have attractive, sweet, educated men that are looking for the same thing that women are. You might wonder, “Why is he trying online dating? What is wrong with him?” The answer is nothing! You’re completely normal (minus the standard level of crazy that each and every girl possesses, let’s be real) and you’re searching through dating profiles on OK Cupid too! Therefore nothing wrong with him. There is nothing wrong with you.

Some people just need a little help.

I hope you guys enjoyed my small stint in the online dating world and learned a thing or two in the process.  I definitely wouldn’t steer people away from online dating after doing this one-month challenge because my mind has truly been changed about the whole process and stupid stigma that comes with dating on the internet. It’s not as scary as you think. It’s not pathetic. It’s not desperate. It’s just another way to meet a person that you might build a relationship with and maybe fall in love. Now what doesn’t sound good about that?

Hello and welcome back ladies! I hope you enjoyed our pick this month, the book blowing up all over the world, “Fifty Shades of Grey” by EL James. It’s being touted as “mommy porn” and has made it okay to read a sexy, yet cheesy, romance novel during your morning commute. Check out my thoughts below, but be warned, there are some spoilers!

Fifty Shades is your typical girl-meets-boy story where the girl is totally and completely smitten with the boy. Anastasia Steele is a meek, soon-to-be college grad who is forced into interviewing super-rich, playboy CEO Christian Grey. Anastasia stumbles into his office and through a series of events, ends up entering into a relationship with him. Pretty normal right? Well this is where it gets…different. Christian Grey is a dominant, meaning that he doesn’t snag himself a girlfriend – he gets a submissive. Anastasia is a virgin when they meet and she is obviously cautious of this potential relationship with Christian, but she feels so drawn to him that she can’t just cut ties.

The book is chock-full of erotic scenes, including some that border on the dominant-submissive lifestyle, which have turned it into a scandalous read. After some trials and tribulations, including the woman who taught Christian Grey everything he knows about BDSM and Christian’s sad childhood Ana decides that she can’t handle Christian’s lifestyle and leaves him near the end of book 1 of the trilogy.

Any of this sound similar to Twilight? Maybe not the sexy stuff, but the underlying storyline of girl-enthralled-by-boy? That’s because the book found its beginnings as Twilight fanfiction. I have to be honest, that tainted my opinion of the book a little bit, as I find Bella Swan to be one of the most annoying characters in all of literature (if you can call it that). This was also a problem I had with “Fifty Shades”; Ana isn’t really a strong character and bends a lot to other people, Grey included. She seems so weak and not at all the strong, independent woman I like to see in fiction. I also found the sex scenes to be a little gratuitous. That’s not to say that I had a problem reading that stuff at all, but it got a bit boring. Honestly, it got to the point where it was like “Oh, just another sex scene” and I skimmed through it until I reached more of the story. I believe James realized that the sexiness of the book would be her hook and packed as much of it into the novel as possible. Some of it seemed natural, but those two get it on an awful lot!

Overall, I found “Fifty Shades of Grey” by EL James totally entertaining and a good book for lounging by the pool. Sure, it’s not a great work of fiction, nor a classic, but it will keep you occupied on a commute or long plane ride. If you’re skittish about sex, then you probably won’t enjoy the book, as about 1/3 of it involves Ana and Christian doing the nasty or talking about his BDSM tendencies.

Did you read “Fifty Shades of Grey” with us? We want to hear your thoughts! And, don’t forget to recommend us a book for June.

After a two week adventure on the Mediterranean Seas, I thought about what made my journey unforgettable. Yes, the azure water and volcanic mountains left me speechless, but what I found most alluring were the hidden treasures that I found in places that were once home to ancient empires, gods and goddess, shipwrecks, and sea creatures.

It’s really more fun when you can shrug off the whole tourist agenda and dive head-first into your travels. So how exactly does one assimilate into a new culture? Well, I’ve got some of my tried and true tips gathered here so you can embark on your own adventure!

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[Lead image via Maridav/Shutterstock]

Newly released info from the U.S. Census revealed that more than half of babies born in the U.S. in the last year were minorities. This shouldn’t come as a shocker, considering the reported demographic changes over the past  few years. But still, the milestone represents a significant change in what our country will look like in the next decades. What does it mean? Firstly, the gap between white and minority privilege has to disappear. Only 13 percent of Latinos and 18 percent of blacks earn college degrees, compared to 31 percent of whites. Maybe this shift will finally give society the push it needs to change things.

JP Morgan Chase, one of the more successful banks during the economic crisis, has lost big-time. The company reported trading losses of about $3 billion this week because of risky trading practices. The big risks didn’t pay off (obviously), and the head of the chief investment office, Ina Drew, has resigned. The bank will recover, though. Even with these massive losses, they’re expecting a profit of at least $2 billion over the next quarter.

Columbia Law School posted a 400-page investigation online alleging that Texas wrongfully executed an innocent man back in 1989. According to the piece from the Columbia Human Rights Law Review, Carlos DeLuna did not kill a Corpus Christi convenience store clerk as prosecutors suggested. Instead, the murderer was probably somebody else named Carlos. This comes after another Texas execution has been called into serious doubt. Cameron Todd Willingham was put to death for setting a fire that killed 3 of his daughters, despite extensive evidence to the contrary. If you have lots and lots of free time, Columbia Law School’s multimedia report is online here.

Pic o’ the Week

Patrick Kovarik / AFP – Getty Images

Au Revoir! Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy walked down a massive red carpet after he ceremonially handed the presidency over to his successor, Francoise Holland, on May 15.

Graduation is such a bitter-sweet time for students. On one hand, the promise to never again pull an all-nighter for organic chemistry takes a huge load off your back. On the other, the threat of paying bills with a real job that you may or may not have already brings you right back down… and probably scares the sh*t out of you. CollegeCandy had two of our graduate writers, Michelle and The Dude, offer up some advice they wish they had gotten when they graduated. Here are their 10 tips for surviving life post graduating!

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Graduates, what do you think? What would you add?! Tell us in the comments!

[lead image via olly / Shutterstock]

Whether you just graduated or you’ve had another year of college under your belt, the post-school slump is about to hit. It’s that period of time after the first few weeks of summer where you become gloomy because you miss your friends, your parents are getting on your nerves, and you don’t really have much to do except watch Netflix. The first couple of weeks are great. You’ve caught up on your shows (um Vampire Diaries, yes please!), you’ve been Skyping and Hey-Telling your friends in far places, and you’ve been sleeping in a lot and going to the pool.

But now the novelty of summer is starting to wear off. You’ve watched all of the episodes of current seasons so you resort to watching strange movies, you and your friends aren’t busy but talking proves to be more difficult, and you’re super tired and bored. Welcome to the post-school slump. I’m starting to experience it right now, although mine is paired with the anxiety and terror of the post-grad world. Don’t worry though, we can get through this together!

Here are some fun ways to get over it…

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Caitlin is a senior at the University of Alabama who has an obsession with cupcakes, coffee, and Harry Potter. She always has random fun facts on reserve and aspires to be a professional blogger, social media bug, and/or James Franco’s assistant. Follow her fabulous life @caitlincorsetti. You’re welcome!

[Images via We Heart It]

Spring/ Summer 2012 is upon us. That means throwing on a tank top and slipping into shorts. Frankly, I’m not ready for this. I’ve spent the last few months hibernating under heavy jackets and thick boots. I’ve used winter as a vacation from being healthy. Instead of salads and yogurts, I’ve been eating pizza and ice cream… for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But no more. It’s back to reality. The warm weather has been helpful, but if you’re like me you need a bit more encouragement. I have just the thing: an awesome workout playlist. It’s a mix of house music, pop and a bit of rap.

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So throw on your sneakers, put on that cute Nike workout outfit you’ve stowed away, pop your headphones in and you’re off! Fitness, game on.

This past week, I’ve been getting the same old shtick from the guys on OK Cupid. Some are creepy, some are nice, and some are just not my type, but it is what it is. I stopped messaging guys I thought were cute/interesting/worthy of my time, because I am still really interested Mitch. Am I kind of defeating the whole purpose of this task? I’m supposed to be shopping online for a boyfriend right? I feel like I’ve been walking around the store, browsing all the stuff, trying some of it on, but I’m still holding onto that one really cute shirt I loved. (Just haven’t made it to the check out to purchase it…) Will I ever be ready to purchase the shirt? I don’t know.

I was out of town his weekend and unable to communicate with Mitch much, which was kind of a bummer, because we had a good flow going, but we are planning another date soon. I think there is something different with Mitch. And I truly think it has a lot to do with OK Cupid. It’s nice to talk and communicate and see someone’s photos and bios. It’s different than someone’s photos and bios on a Facebook or Google+ page because on OK Cupid, everyone is looking for a similar thing! Whether it’s marriage material, a fun fling, a nice date, friendship, etc. I never thought I would be saying these things, but now more than ever, I truly get the phrase, “Don’t knock it ‘till you try it!” I’ve been converted.

So now that you guys are caught up on how I’m feeling about the whole concept of online dating, I thought I would share a pretty hilarious/weird/interesting anecdote from this week that I took mental note of, because it was just too good to keep to myself and not share with the entire Internet. That’s another great thing about online dating—nonstop entertainment

That time I got matched up with my best guy friend…

 So, I was just trolling OK Cupid, minding my own business when I get a notification that OK Cupid has some new matches for me to check out. I went to check it out, and what do I see? I see my best guy friend in the world’s face staring back at me. I didn’t even know what to think at first. I had about a million thoughts running through my head. Why didn’t he tell me he was on OK Cupid? Why was he on OK Cupid in the first place? How did we get matched up? And obviously the most important thing: Why did he use a photo of us for his profile and then CROP ME OUT? I’m allowed to be offended about that, right?

I immediately called my best girl friend to tell her about this kismet moment, and when she started cracking up, I loosened up a little. I guess it was kind of funny. She recommended that I tell him I’m on OK Cupid, too, before he finds me just like how I found him, because he might feel as weird as I did about it. And then she asked me a really strange question–“Are you mad that he’s on OK Cupid?” Was I mad? Why would she even ask me that? I guess I should preface that this best guy friend and I have had a pretty complicated and long “friendship” for years. Basically consisting of love confessions (both of us at different times…), love rejections (both of us at different times…), and drunken hookups (both of us at the same time, obvi). I guess I kind of always had this notion that he needed to be in love with me forever (even if I didn’t love him back), and he was supposed to pine over me for eternity and go to his grave never loving anyone but me. That’s fair, right?

In the end, I respected his decision to look for love other than me, and told him that I was on there too. He seemed kind of embarrassed (because of the dreaded Online Dating Stigma), but then questioned why I was on it. I told him about the CC article, and that I was doing it for my art (not fully true), and he just rolled his eyes. He told me he’d been on a few dates, but nothing serious. Then I started getting this weird feeling in my stomach—jealously pangs. Guys and girls can’t be friends, can they?

So guys, here I am, wondering if OK Cupid just led me to where I needed to be a long time ago—with a guy I’ve known for years. We did get matched up after all, and I have always wondered what it would be like if we finally took the plunge and started dating. We made plans to go out to dinner later this week, and I’m not sure if I should say something or if this is just my head playing tricks on me. Did I find my future boyfriend on OK Cupid after all? What about Mitch? This is turning into a daytime soap, guys! I’ll keep you posted! Until next time!

I knew it was coming. On Saturday night, I chatted with my mom about the most random topics from family gossip to “Celebrity Apprentice.” Somehow, we got on the subject of relationships – mine.

“Any future prospects?” she innocently asked. “Anyone you want me to meet?”

I laughed it off and told her that I hadn’t had much luck yet. I’d be a fool to think that she hasn’t noticed the fact that I’ve yet to bring home a gentleman to the house. I didn’t have elementary school valentines or a high school prom date. My mom’s been delicate about my undateable status thus far. Once, I overheard her gently explaining to a friend that I’m a late bloomer. Hello, embarrassment!

Mama Undateable seemed genuinely concerned when she asked about my love life. I can understand why, though. My parents met in college. She’s told me the story of how they got together plenty of times. She was in hanging out in the caf. He stared at her through the glass window until he mustered up the courage to speak, and the rest is suburbia history. I’d love to meet and marry my college sweetheart, but I’m not banking on it. It sucks that my mother is.

Sure, I want love, but I’ve found and done so many more important things in college. I’ve developed a love for my major and the field of journalism. There’s nothing better than finding out what you really want to do in life! I just wish that I could discuss bylines rather than boos with my family!

For the most part, I do everything I’m supposed to do. I never got in trouble at school, I keep my head in the books, and I’m passionate about what I’m pursuing. Shouldn’t that be enough? I know that she’s looking forward to doting on grandkids and spoiling my future hubby. So am I! But the pressure from my mom won’t get a ring on this finger any faster.

CollegeCandy, do you deal with relationship pressure from your parents?

When she’s not watching for Blue Ivy sightings or doing some serious Facebook creeping, Khalea moonlights as a print journalism major at the REAL HU, Howard University. Follow her on Twitter at @letsbeKHAlear, or feel free to Twatch. Whatever works for you.

Unless you’ve been living under a wi-fi-less rock lately, you know that you too can own a little slice of Facebook now. No hoodie purchases necessary! Mega-billionaire Mark Zuckerberg has decided to move Facebook from the private to the public sector with the most anticipated initial public offering (IPO is that word you’ve heard about ten thousand times today) of the millennium.  I’m sure the Winklevoss twins are chopping at the bit to grab up some shares.

Zuckerberg was expected to make up to $20 billion. Unfortunately he only made $16 million, the poor guy. But, that got us thinking here at the CC offices. What can you buy with $20 billion? The answer is: a lot.

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Ariana Romero is a student at Syracuse University. That would probably explain why she once had a load of laundry filled solely  with orange tee shirts. She watches too much television and reads too much entertainment news than is probably healthy. Follow her on Twitter @ArianaRomero17.