Overall, this is sad, but in a couple of weeks I’ll be getting nearly a G in tax returns.  Yeah, that’s a crapload of money.  But when I look back at all the hours I worked in 2008, it also makes me realize… I made jack sh*t.  Still, this hefty lump sum couldn’t come at a better time for me, as I’m watching my credit card debt grow, next month’s rent is looming on the horizon, and summer (aka a full-time waitressing gig) can’t come quick enough.

In reality, I’d love to take my refund check and spend it in one go at the mall, especially since warm weather means I have to chuck my so-worn-they-belong-in-the-What-Not-to-Wear-dumpster sweater boots, and I don’t have ANY cute flip flops to wear in their place.  But, since I’ve been struggling all winter, I am going to use this money wisely.  And by use “wisely,” I don’t necessarily mean put it back into the bank.  We all deserve to splurge every now and then, and here are some of the best guilty pleasures your tax refund can buy.

1.  Upgrade your phone.

Am I the only campus coed who has never known the joys of an iPhone or Blackberry?  I recently lost my cell in a drunken stupor, and, though I had been waiting for the summer to upgrade, I figured it’s now or never.  Best buy of my life.  I got a refurbished 16-gig iPhone for under $250.  And it’s not just a phone– I can check the weather without getting out of bed or waiting for Weather.com to load on my slow-ass computer, I can check my email for last minute class cancellations while on my way to a lecture, and once I figure out these apps, I’m pretty sure I can load a calorie counter onto my phone to use in the dining hall.  How did I live without this baby? Read More »

While some colleges have a quick one-day orientation or even a simple online registration, other colleges have week-long activities ranging from seminars and lectures to outdoor orienteering adventures. The goal of orientation is to make sure students feel at home on campus or, at least, well versed on where to go, whom to talk to, and what the school offers. Orientation is a way to make nervous first-years feel connected to their academic community of students.

I will never forget moving into my dorm during my first year orientation week being completely scared out of my mind. However, at Hollins, meeting people came easy. In fact, we were put into groups of six or seven students with a student advisor, who was a grade or two older than us, to spend the week with. We played ice-breaker games, talked about high school, and spent the days getting to know each other in the August heat. My student advisor, known as a Student Success Leader (SSL), was a quiet sophomore, English major (just like me). She helped my fellow group members put together our schedules, get to our seminars on time, and learn all about Hollins and its academics.

Although orientation went quickly, I never forgot how amazing my SSL was. She went out of her way to stay in contact with all of us first years, even leaving us goodie bags of finger puppets and Hello Kitty stickers. She always made herself available, and I couldn’t have thanked her more. Read More »

I’ll be honest; there’s nothing I enjoy more than just lounging in my room with my playlist eternally on shuffle, nodding along to Red Hot Chili Peppers while doing whatever else happens to only have half my attention.

But at home, I can’t exactly play “Suck My Kiss” with my mom right downstairs, and my roommate doesn’t exactly always wanna hear “The Mean Kitty Song”. Thankfully, someone out there sympathized with the plight of music lovers who wanted to keep music to themselves and gave the public headphones starting way back in the 1930′s.

Of course, there are hundreds of thousands of options when it comes to headphones. You want something good, but you may not necessarily want to pay a lot – and even if you do, you don’t want to give away a hundred bucks for headphones that aren’t worth it. I’ve gone through my fair share, and I’m gonna recommend four models, all of which I’ve owned or at least used. I promise one of them are just the pair for you, and all of them are infinitely better than the crap you got with your iPod. Read More »

Where other energy drinks barely deliver what they advertise – giving you a quick rush accompanied by a feeling of spacey-ness and lack of concentration – E-Boost picks you up while providing the B12 necessary to boost your mental alertness and immunity levels.

I’ve never been a coffee drinker and energy drinks are either too surgery, giving me a pounding headache or taste like ass but E-Boost tastes great (very similar to orange-flavored Gatorade or Tang!).

I never realized how unproductive I am between 11:30AM and my 2PM lunch break until I threw down a packet of E-Boost. It allowed me to properly organize the day’s tasks and start knocking them off from top to bottom. I was a first time user that got hooked right away. Read More »