I’ve never liked my summer birthday. It’s June 30^th, smack dab in the middle of summer. In elementary school I never got the chance to bring in cookies or cupcakes to celebrate, nor did I ever get the chance to be “Student of the Day” and wear the special birthday crown.  In elementary school, that’s a BIG deal!  Because of this, my birthday was often forgotten by my classmates. Few could ever attend my birthday parties because usually my birthday fell on the weekend of July 4^th so most families were out of town celebrating Independence Day. It sucked, and mostly because that meant I received fewer presents. Not to sound spoiled, but little kids LOVE presents and I was always jealous of those with birthdays during the school year because they received a ton of gifts. (Mostly the same variation of the coolest Barbie doll, I might add!)

Now that I’m turning the big 2-0 this year and my teen years are behind me, I’ve learned to appreciate my summer birthday.  Not many kids can say that they don’t have to go to school on their birthday…well I never had to. Summer babies are blessed with the greatest gift of all—no school! Although that might mean no special birthday treats and balloons, summer babies never have to sit through hours of grueling lectures and boring teachers. And that may just be the greatest gift of all. Having a summer birthday also lets you escape, meaning those with summer birthdays can treat themselves to a nice vacay! It’s awesome to get the chance to celebrate your birthday in a new environment, somewhere so different and exciting from your hometown.  One year, I was cruising the Caribbean during my birthday, and that my friends is pretty darn cool—cooler than any birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to love my summer birthday. It allows me to do some pretty awesome things on my special day, like stay out late, be carefree with no commitments and maybe even go on a vacation. It’s pretty awesome. My only complaint about my summer birthday—all my friends will be 21 before me. Bummer!

[He Said/She Said is a series designed to help all our wonderfully confused readers figure out what he’s really thinking. So every week we’ll be throwing out a topic for debate…and unlike our fave dude, these guys won’t be sugar coating anything for you. But before you jump into their heads (which seriously will make you feel like you need to shower), check out what we think!]

I remember the first time my mind was totally blown. One of my guy friends was turning 21 (which I only realized thanks to Facebook), the first of our group to reach such a milestone, and I was shakin’ in my Havaianas with excitement.

“Who’s making the birthday cake?” I asked.

He stared at me. For a long time. Like, uncomfortably long. I stared at my feet. God, I needed a pedicure.

“Cake?” He asked.

“Yes, cake. It’s your birthday party! Hello! There’s gotta be cake and a pre-party playlist and some fun accessory for you to wear. Oh, and where’s my Facebook invite to dinner? Wait, am I not invited to dinner?”

More silence.

“Dinner?” He asked. Read More »

L-E-G-A-L.

No more slipping your older, cooler friends a twenty in line at the liquor store for getting you your goods. No more getting completely annihilated before the bars because your drinking has to end the second you leave the security of your own home. And best of all, no more trying to scrub off those despised black X’s in the bathroom sink of the bar.

Ladies, you’re about to enter a magical time in your life where paper wristbands are your new favorite accessories and Tylenol is your new best friend. So toss that fake I.D. aside and get ready for a ride.  You’re turning 21.  Now how do you survive it?

Pre-Drinking Preparation. It’s all about getting your room ready for your future drunken self.  Before you go out for the night, make sure your room is ready for your return because you might not even know who you are, let alone how to get into a bed, by the end of the night.

1. Pull the covers back on your bed to make it easier to pass out in.
2. Put the garbage can next to your bed. Obvious reasons.
3. Set a container of bottled water next to you. When you wake up, you’ll be thirsty…but there’s a good chance won’t feel like moving.

It may seem pointless now, but you’ll thank yourself later.

Read More »

Just last February, I was planning my 21^st birthday party. Now, I’m facing 22 (or as I like to call it 21+1) straight on. Even though the last twelve months have gone by, it feels like just yesterday I was indulging in jello shots and margaritas. For my 21st. Because just yesterday I was indulging in jello shots and margaritas.

Looking back, though, much has happened in the past year. It seems I’ve learned a lot while Ke$ha put a dollar sign in her name and started brushing her teeth with a “bottle of Jack,” John Mayer proclaimed that he is on the search for “the Joshua Tree of vaginas,” and the Jersey Shore became a national phenomenon.

So here (in no particular order) is what I know for certain after turning 21. Perhaps you youngsters can take a few things from this:

1. Friendships should make you happy — not pissed off : Friends should be so much more than people you dance on tables with and dish about the weekend to. They should be there for you, and you should be there for them. They also should not steal your alcohol on your 21^st birthday and make out with the fraternity guy, all while puking as your boyfriend helps take care of them.

2. Raincoats are amazing: They are often understated and overwhelmingly overlooked when it comes to fashion. But even if they aren’t fashionable, really, you can’t complain when that slicker keeps your from frizzing. Without a rain jacket I wouldn’t have made it through the summer in London. And I think it actually kept me going to class this past semester. Why didn’t I realize this sooner? It doesn’t matter if you have a basic from Lands End or a super sexy trench from Dillards, just get one!

3. Go to the gym: Surprisingly enough, it is worth your time. Who knew? I sure didn’t, until I started going religiously with my boyfriend back in September. If you actually go to the gym and do more than hang out on the treadmill and elliptical for thirty minutes, you can see results. Plus, it teaches you patience on so many different levels.

Read More »

When most people think of Groundhog Day, they probably picture a medium sized rodent climbing out of a hole in an attempt to determine whether we’re going to have an early spring, or if the mountains of snow are just going to keep on coming. But when we think of Groundhog Day, we think of Bill Murray.

You know, Groundhog Day. The movie. You’re with me? Right. Well in Groundhog Day Murray gets to relive the same day over and over again, Groundhog Day, which wasn’t so great for him because he kept messing everything up. But still, we’re a little bit jealous. There are plenty of days in college we’d love to live over and over and over again, and never change a thing. (Editor’s Note: Or the whole thing? Please?)

Here are our top 5:

1. Your 21st Birthday. This is it. The day you’ve been waiting for. The day you take your first legal drink. The day that’s all about you. An excuse to splurge on a fabulous new, totally 21 outfit. Silly hats. Sashes. Maybe even a tiara to go with that sparkly dress? Free shots. Lots and lots of liquor. And the perfect excuse to go up to a boy and ask him if he’ll buy you a drink. The perfect excuse to do whatever you want, whenever you want to. Because nothing is a better excuse for drunken bar top dancing than “It’s my 21st birthday!” It should be noted though, powers that be, that we want to relive our 21^st birthdays, not the morning after hangovers. Read More »

Just last February, I was planning my 21^st birthday party. Now, I’m facing 22 (or as I like to call it 21+1) straight on. Even though the last twelve months have gone by, it feels like just yesterday I was indulging in jello shots and margaritas. For my 21st. Because just yesterday I was indulging in jello shots and margaritas.

Looking back though, much has happened in the past year. It seems I’ve learned a lot while Ke$ha put a dollar sign in her name and started brushing her teeth with a “bottle of Jack,” John Mayer proclaimed that he is on the hunt for “the Joshua Tree of vaginas,” and the Jersey Shore became a national phenomenon.

So here (in no particular order) is what I know for certain after turning 21. Perhaps you youngsters can take a few things from this:

1. Friendships should make you happy — not pissed off : Friends should be so much more than people you dance on tables with and dish about the weekend to. They should be there for you, and you should be there for them. They also should not steal your alcohol on your 21^st birthday and make out with the fraternity guy, all while puking as your boyfriend helps take care of them.

2. Raincoats are amazing: They are often understated and overwhelmingly overlooked when it comes to fashion. But even if they aren’t fashionable (and there are plenty that are!), really, you can’t complain when that slicker keeps your from frizzing. Without a rain jacket I wouldn’t have made it through the summer in London. And I think it actually kept me going to class this past semester. Why didn’t I realize this sooner? It doesn’t matter if you have a basic from Lands End or a super sexy trench from Dillards, just get one! Read More »

[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman (unless she happens to be charging at us with her fists raised), so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like super-seniors!) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

This week, the last bar in State College (that’s the town where the main campus of Penn State is – the name confused me for a while too) to hold out on the 21^st birthday tradition of doing way too many shots decided to amend it’s stance and stop serving shots to new 21 year-olds. All of the bars in State College now abide by this policy – you can still get beer or mixed drinks, just no shots – where 21^st-ers will have to wait an extra 36 hours after their birthday before they can purchase tiny little glasses of liquor. The question is, is this fair?

Ok, now the whole impetus behind the ban is that Penn State (known as the biggest party school in the country) has had some trouble with it’s students binge drinking, and since 21^st birthdays are usually a big drinking night (yeah, baby!) they hope that preventing these (supposedly) new drinkers from getting shots, they might cut down on some of the dangers of overdrinking on the big night. Read More »

Sometimes being a girl sucks. High heels hurt, cramps hurt, bikini waxes hurt (like a bitch), hell, even skinny jeans hurt. But all that is worth it for one simple reason: free drinks.

Yeah it’s not the fairest thing in the world and we really shouldn’t have to depend on guys for anything, let alone a vodka soda, but I like to think we deserve a free cocktail now and then for everything else we have to deal with. And if the guy is willing to buy it, who are we to say no?

Let’s be honest: we’re in a recession, college tuition is going up and we’ve gotta save all the money we can for when we’re jobless after graduation. We have to be wary of what we spend and creative in how we save. And, thanks to our XX chromosomes (and our boobs), there’s no easier way to save a few bucks than at the bar.

And here are three very easy and creative ways to do so.

Bachelorette Party
This one probably won’t work on a college campus where a) everyone knows who you are and b) most people aren’t getting hitched, but it’s the quickest way to free drinks if you head off campus for a night or hit the bars in your hometown. Pick a girl in your group to be the bachelorette and go all out. Get her the veil, the sash, the tank top with “Last Night of Freedom” printed across the front. Then hit the bar. Dudes love a challenge/hate impending nuptials  and will be begging to buy her (and her friends) drinks. And if they’re not beating down your door and throwing Jager shots your way, ask them. Pretend you have to do a scavenger hunt and one of the items on the list is getting a guy to buy you a beer (and then another is to get a Long Island, and a vodka tonic, and a Red Headed Slut shot….) They won’t be able to say no. Bonus: seeing as you’re so obviously in a relationship, none of them will expect anything in return!

21st Birthday
The big 2-1 is a sacred event and everyone, whether they know you or not, wants to make sure you have the best night of your life. Already 21? No one has to know that. Just put on that birthday crown, grab a group of friends and head out. Make sure everyone at the bar knows it’s your 21st and you’ll be elbow deep in shots and cocktails in no time.

Bad Break Up
You’re going to have to bust out some acting skills for this one, but it will all be worth it in a few hours when you’re chowing down on late night pizza and haven’t spent a dollar all night. Gather a group of a few friends and designate a dumpee. Stand next to the bar and start chatting it up with some guys. Once the conversation is flowing, make mention of the fact that you were just dumped. Via text. After a year long relationship. Pepper the convo with a few “I need to just not think about it for the night”s, and “I’m single and ready to mingle!”s and you’ll be sipping on something tasty (and free) soon enough.

For those of you who don’t know me and for some reason wish you knew more, my 21st birthday is Friday. That means no more sitting at home while my friends go to Austin’s famed 6th street, no more waiting in the car while my boyfriend buys booze, etc. It’s time for me to face it, I’m getting slightly older. With this lovely realization makes me realize that I’m not just growing old, I’m growing old with my boyfriend, Matt.

So far we’ve spent 2 birthdays each with one another, and with every year our relationship seems to get much more permanent. I know this shouldn’t just be dawning on me now, but if all goes to plan I’m going to be spending all of my birthdays with Matt. It’s a really comforting thought, but it’s also a bit scary.

On the one side, it’s really comforting because, well, let’s face it, nobody wants to die alone. I sleep better at night knowing that there’s somebody who’s going to love me when I’m old and wrinkly. On the other side, it’s kinda scary because, while I’m getting older, I still feel really young. Trust me when I say there are a lot of people who think I’m crazy for being committed to someone in my very early twenties. What if they’re right? Read More »

#9: Reading for pleasure is magical. Make time for it!

Just last February, I was planning my 21^st birthday party. Now, I’m facing 22 (or as I like to call it 21+1) straight on. Even though the last twelve months have gone by, it feels like just yesterday I was indulging in jello shots and margaritas. For my 21st. Because just yesterday I was indulging in jello shots and margaritas.

Looking back, though, much has happened in the past year. It seems I’ve learned a lot while Ke$ha put a dollar sign in her name and started brushing her teeth with a “bottle of Jack,” John Mayer proclaimed that he is on the search for “the Joshua Tree of vaginas,” and the Jersey Shore became a national phenomenon.

So here (in no particular order) is what I know for certain after turning 21. Perhaps you youngsters can take a few things from this:

1. Friendships should make you happy — not pissed off : Friends should be so much more than people you dance on tables with and dish about the weekend to. They should be there for you, and you should be there for them. They also should not steal your alcohol on your 21^st birthday and make out with the fraternity guy, all while puking as your boyfriend helps take care of them.

2. Raincoats are amazing: They are often understated and overwhelmingly overlooked when it comes to fashion. But even if they aren’t fashionable, really, you can’t complain when that slicker keeps your from frizzing. Without a rain jacket I wouldn’t have made it through the summer in London. And I think it actually kept me going to class this past semester. Why didn’t I realize this sooner? It doesn’t matter if you have a basic from Lands End or a super sexy trench from Dillards, just get one!

3. Go to the gym: Surprisingly enough, it is worth your time. Who knew? I sure didn’t, until I started going religiously with my boyfriend back in September. If you actually go to the gym and do more than hang out on the treadmill and elliptical for thirty minutes, you can see results. Plus, it teaches you patience on so many different levels. Read More »