[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, 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 the ever controversial jeggings!) 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!]

The time has come once again to start picking classes for spring semester (really? didn’t we just do this?) and my mind turns to places that won’t be covered in grey slush come January. Places with warm, sunny vistas and boys with sexy accents. In other words, places abroad.

The appeal, of course, of study abroad is distinctly held in the ”abroad” part. It’s a chance to go off and live somewhere exotic, and yet, have the safety net of a very specific purpose and time period (not to mention a built-in group of people who speak your language). With study abroad, you get the chance to soak up a new culture and really be a part of it, instead of the way you rush through on vacations. Plus, you can go to a place you’d never really be able to afford to live in and because of the school, you can make it work. Read More »

Let’s be honest here for a second: books like “He’s Just Not That Into You” exist for a reason. And that reason is that women, as a collective, are really good at convincing ourselves of feelings and relationships that just aren’t there. We get so caught up in luuuurve that we don’t let ourselves see what’s really going on.

You know you’ve been there. You get a drunk text from a guy you heart at 3am and think, “Awww, he’s thinking about me!” You’re giddy and excited (and secretly start planning his birthday gift) and when you don’t get a text the next day (or 3 days after that…) you reason that he’s busy, he’s stressed out, or he has a knack for flushing his phone down the toilet when he’s drunk and he did party pretty hard last night. And your friends totally agree.

But, no matter how delusional we get (and, home girl, you know you get delusional), there comes a time when the signs are bright and flashing and undeniable: this kid is over it. Done. Dunzo. See ya never, biatch.

For me, it was when I made plans to go camping with my boyfriend, only to meet him at his house and see him leaving with another chick. (Yeah, it was rough, but I had the can opener, so I’d like to see how that turned out for him!) Or the guy who told me he was moving home for the summer…and then I saw him at the bar later that week.

For the CollegeCandy writers, there were equally obvious signs: Read More »

You don’t have to have a Valentine to celebrate on February 14th. The holiday is all about love, be that the love for a family member, a friend, or chocolate lava cake. It is a day to stop, think, and really honor the things and people in our life that we love. Yes, it is mostly celebrated by disgustingly cute and happy and perfect couples, but the rest of us can get a little love too.

This week, in honor of the day of lovin’, we asked our writers what they are just loooovin’ right now.  Me? I’m head over heels for Chelsea Handler, Thai carry-out and 2 Buck Chuck.

Sigh.

Gemma – NYU: I am love love loving on all the awesome tights from American Apparel!! I am SO sick of bundling up all the time, and with them I get to wear my dresses in the cold, and I can’t get enough!  Also, still lovin on Obama. And not necessarily in that order.

Coco: I love the warm weather streak in the middle of winter.

K – GWU: I hate global warming, but I love wearing flip flops in the North East in February…and having a reason to get a pedicure prematurely.

Lauren – University of Michigan: Fiber 1 Toaster Pastries. They are like healthy Pop-Tarts!

Ashley Elizabeth – CU Boulder: Kissing in the rain. Read More »

And dressed in leather.

$400 of makeup products for free? Sign me up!

Don’t like Obama? Here are some tips for livin’ abroad.

Everyone was lookin’ hot at last night’s American Music Awards.

Spend less money at the bar.

Megan Fox hearts Zac Efron. Get in line, sister.

No more selling sex on Craigslist for free, ladies.

The First Lady has quite a booty.

Is Suri Cruise the next Paris Hilton?

Mac teams up with Hello Kitty. So cute.

Note to self: keep potatoes away from butt.

I love Oprah. I DVR her show every day, I read her magazine every month and I have even flown out to Chicago to see her.

Obviously, when her new show, The Big Give, kicked off on Sunday night I was sitting in front of my TV to see what my diva friend was up to now.

For those of you who don’t have shrines to Oprah in your bedrooms (not that I do or anything…) the premise of The Big Give is quite simple: each week contestants are given a large sum of money and a picture of someone in need. The contestants must then use the money (and a whole lot of help) to come up with a way to make that person’s dreams come true.

In other words: a total tear jerker.

And while there are many things wrong with the show (the fact that these people are on an Oprah show allows them to enlist the help the corporations and celebrities), it really did infuse me with a desire to give back. There are so many ways to help those in need – both big and small – and Oprah’s new show reminded me that no matter what we are capable of, everyone can and must do something. Read More »

For most of my life, I’ve somehow escaped getting pulled into prime-time dramas. It’s probably because I’m ususally too busy doing other things during prime time to care about Joey + Dawson, those crazy kids in the OC, Buffy, or even (on a slightly less teeny-boppery note) anything that happens on Law+Order--that goes for SVU too.

But all that changed for me the summer of 2006. I was spending the summer abroad in England, and countless phone calls to my then boyfriend back in the states would go like this:

Me :”I miss you honey!”

Him: “Me too, Babe!”

Me: “So how are you!?”

“I’m gr–Oh babe, gotta go–the guys are about to watch LOST,”

“But-”

“I love you! I miss you! Bye!” Read More »

Every once in a while I’ll be walking down Second Avenue and see a guy with a cat on his head and think, damn! Why don’t I have something to record this with?! Or I’ll be home after a night on the town and catch my roommate spouting off some of the best drunk philosophy ever and wish there was a way to capture her wisdom.

But being the poor individual that I am, I can’t even afford a digital camera, and the tiny, no sound video application on my phone takes such a long time to start working that whatever I wanted to record is gone and over by the time I’m ready.

And what about those of you about to go abroad? Don’t you wish you had something to capture the exotic sights and sounds with that didn’t cost an entire semester’s tuition to buy?

Well, I think I might have found something that could help us all.

The Flip Video camera is a pocket sized digital camera that comes with a built in USB port and it’s own simple editing software—all for less than about what it would cost you to buy a new outfit. Read More »

I don’t have many regrets from college.

I don’t regret that “B” I got in English my sophomore year because I opted to go to a date party instead of the library. I don’t regret hooking up with a good friend, even if it turned out horribly ugly in the end. I don’t even regret catching a terrible cold that lasted 3 weeks after wrestling in Jell-O in the middle of October…in Michigan.

But if there is one thing I do regret from my years of undergrad it is that I never went abroad.

When my friends first started discussing going abroad for Junior year I was wary. Living in another country sounded interesting, but I was worried about being half way around the world for such a long time. I would miss my family. I would miss my friends. I would definitely miss late night pizza in Ann Arbor.

My friends moved forward, signed up to study in Australia and I opted out in favor of more time in good ole’ Michigan.

And I didn’t regret my decision…then. I had a great time! While it seemed like everyone I knew was going to be abroad, I ended up having tons of friends stick around Michigan with me. We all got a ton closer, I got more active in things around campus, I had an awesome spring break and it was a really fun semester (turning 21 helped, obviously). So what if my friends were off in Australia learning how to surf, camping in the rainforest or travelling through East Asia on their way home? Ann Arbor was just as great.

Then I graduated, got a job and realized that I only get 2 weeks of vacation time a year. Not nearly enough time for me to settle into another country, experience other cultures or see the world.

And the regret sunk in. Read More »

One of the great things about college today is the opportunity to travel.

No matter what school you go to, it will most likely have some sort of abroad program. Or, if yours doesn’t, look into going with another school and transferring the credits. And seriously, what other time in your life will it be acceptable to take months off and travel the world?

Take it from someone who has recently joined the 9-5er workforce and regrets that she did not take advantage of the traveling opportunities available in college. So, for those brave and adventurous souls preparing to travel, there is one aspect that you may not have thought too much about in the midst of getting your passport, figuing out living arrangements, etc. That small, but important, detail being how to stay healthy while abroad. For example, the last thing you want to do is contract a UTI while traveling in a country with a lack of public restrooms, and have no medication on hand…

Lucky for you, CNN provides a great article from Health magazine on how to avoid health problems while overseas by taking preventive steps before and also what to do once you’re there. Read More »