The following post is written by Aaron Johnson from University of North Texas, one of our many friends at Uloop, a student powered marketplace. Read more great posts in their blog.

With college classes well underway, many, myself included, look to the ever-daunting decision of picking a major. Do I want business? Engineering? Journalism? Art? A foreign language? What does this do for me, anyway? What if I hate it?

Academic advisors kept asking me what I liked to do, and my reply continued to be: everything. While there were a few obvious things (most involving too much math) I knew I didn’t want to do, there were very few things I couldn’t see myself doing on the long list of majors they displayed for us.

As I continued to go to these advising sessions, I slowly began to narrow my choices down to a few. I don’t want to do something just because I’d make money; I want to do something I enjoy, or at least tolerate. I want to learn about it before I choose something. Thus, I continued to take exploratory classes.

As you look for what you’d like to choose in a major, don’t settle for something simply because you could see yourself doing it, or you think you’d make bank doing it. All too often you see people returning to college because their first go-round left them getting lots of money, but miserable, as they couldn’t stand the career path they had chosen.

You don’t have to officially declare a major until you have finished up all of your perspective university’s core curriculum. At UNT, as is common with most universities, you’ll likely use the first two years of your college career to fill your brain with core classes that everyone has to take regardless of their major.

So, what’s my advice for upcoming and undecided college students? Take your time. You don’t have to decide right away. If you’re not completely assured in a decision for your major, do what I like to call major-shopping. Experiment with things you think you could see yourself doing, and even those that you aren’t so sure about, to get a well-rounded viewpoint. Find what you’re passionate about and strive towards it.

Some may come into college already knowing that they are passionate about something that may not necessarily yield a high-success rate, and are discouraged from it by the people and advisers that these students have come to respect. Go for it! When you know what you’re passionate about, stick with it, hone in your skills and work hard! Nothing says you can’t be what you want to be just because those telling you not to decided to discard their passions.

In the meantime, don’t stress. College is a time to enjoy the little things and your first experience of freedom. Find out what works for you and chase it! There’s little else to it than that.

Contrary to what Animal House and Old School portray, college students lead a very busy and hectic life. And it’s not always easy to manage. Balancing lectures, all-nighters, student groups, on-campus jobs and a social life requires more than just a planner and a fake ID.

Luckily, there are new products popping up faster than next semester’s classes are filling up to make the college student’s life a whole lot easier:

iBottleOpener
Apple claims there’s an app for everything these days, but I have yet to see one that will actually help us pop our bottles open to get the party started. Thankfully, the iBottleOpener has one built into an iPhone case so you can get your drink on while texting your booty call to join you at the party.

Spoonachos
Is there anything worse than chowing down on chips and salsa only to dip your thumb into the salsa again and again? Probably, but it still sucks. Current versions of tortilla chips claim to solve this problem but if my orange-tinted thumbs are any indication, they come up short. Literally. If only they had a handle. Wait! Now they do. Crisis averted.

The Racktrap
We all know accessories can make an outfit but sometimes you just don’t want to carry a purse. What, then, are you supposed to do with all your stuff? It’s not like those leggings come with pockets. Behold: The Racktrap. It keeps all your ish organized…in your bra. If that’s not amazing enough, it comes in lace or a sporty, sweatproof version! (And for those of us not so well-endowed, they add a little cushion for the pushin’.)

Effective Alarm Clock
Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy a kid again by matching blocks and shapes when this alarm goes off. Having to solve a puzzle will definitely get you out of bed….or at least make you earn that extra snooze time.(I imagine it would double as a great drinking game. Just sayin’.)

Nature Calls Toilet Deodorizer Drops
Pooping in public: every college student’s worst nightmare (along with sleeping through an exam and running into a prof during the walk of shame). Not anymore, with these little drops of heaven. Just toss one in the bowl and say TTFN to the smelly embarrassment in the dorm bathroom. Or at a party. Or your date’s apartment.

College in the fall is really a beautiful thing. All of those boys wear those cute knit beanies and I can finally whip out my buttery chestnut tall boots and vintage scarf.  There is a valid excuse to drink Baileys and hot chocolate instead of doing homework on a Saturday afternoon, and you can fall asleep to the distant hum of college football.

Whew, is it getting hot in here or what? Before you get too excited (and I get so nostalgic for my college days that I curl up in the fetal position for a week), let’s look at a glorious week that was.

* Dorm living should seriously come with a long list of rules.  Shiz can get technical and difficult to endure! Here is a list of 4 unofficial dorm living rules we at CollegeCandy have collected. And it’s up to you to come up with the 5th rule (and win a hefty prize!).

* It seems like every day I’m on Facebook, someone has one of those incredibly in depth status updates about their love life, their bowel movements and other various things I just really never want to hear about ever again. Can we hold on the facebook overshare, people??

* I thought Math was my worst subject. Until it came to Chemistry. . .and dating.

* August has been a month of ’90s nostalgia.  After intense voting, you have dubbed your favorite thing about ’90s…(drum roll please)….Cory and Topanga! And Cory Matthews (or Ben Savage) says thank you.

* MySpace to Facebook. Facebook to Twitter. What’s next? Apparently Facebook to CollegeOnly.  Would you leave Facebook for a CollegeOnly world? I say I’ll consider, if they give me candy.

* Argh, do college graduates know anything?? We discovered five lies people will tell you about your freshman year.

* If anything is difficult in life, it’s getting over that dude you’d been dating since Heidi Montag still looked human. Here, let us make it easy for you to get over him.

* It’s almost that time of year again: college bar season (insert celebratory fist pump). We’ve got a heads up for you; the ten most annoying peeps at the bar.

* OK, before you go enjoy your busy/lazy/hungover weekend, be sure to help out the flood victims in Pakistan. And get off Facebook. It’s beautiful outside!

Grab your notebook and furry pencils (or whatever it takes to get you ready to hit the books), because I’ve got a list of things you can do to get on another list: the Dean’s List.

10. Invest in a planner: Good grades begin with organization (and writing down your assignments). Find a planner that works for you, whether it is the one provided by your school or that handy little calendar in your iPhone. Once you have it, write everything in it. Meetings, to-do lists, homework assignments, phone numbers. It is so much easier to manage all your information when it is centralized in one place.

9. Get to class: Self-explanatory. Abide by your class schedule and don’t skip. Though you may laugh in the face o that 8:30a.m. Theology class on Friday morning, remember that professors can and will deduct for absences. It would be a shame to miss that letter grade because you could not roll out of bed to get to your desk in the morning.

8. Get a change in scenery: The library is not for everyone. Some people cannot cram themselves into a desk on the third floor and work until 2 a.m. Others openly admit that the library is a better social scene than a bar on Friday night. Find a study space that works for you, and you ALONE. My personal study space is a Starbucks near my school. I pack up all my books, grab a skim latte and park myself at a table in the corner for hours at a time.

7. Employ the help of some dead composers: Music has been proven to help students while studying, but lyrics have the potential to get in the way of the thought process. Good thing Bach never set out to write words with his pieces or attempted to match Drake’s raps. Classical music can improve studying for tests and quizzes. Feel free to judge me on this: I have all of Peter Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker on my Ipod, but I am thanking those sugarplum fairies graciously when the As start rolling in.

6. Unplug from the world: I know it sounds nearly traumatic to even conjure the thought of turning off the iPhone, but cell phones and social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook will only end up working against you for the 12-pager due tomorrow. Allow yourself a Facebook break or texting session if you need it, but when you are in front of the Microsoft Word document or textbook, keep your eyes and fingers focused on the task at hand.

5. Take good notes: Do I sound like your professor yet? Though I do not want to get into the boring rhetoric of “good study habits,” I cannot express how important it is to take good notes. Anyone can agree that notes are no fun to take, but when it comes to studying late Sunday night you will thank yourself for being so diligent with that highlighter.

4. Get a study buddy who knows their stuff: Most college campuses have free tutors and study aids. FO FREE. And no one seems to really know it.   Tutoring sessions take up only one hour of your time but will save you a lot of frustration and confusion. Having a tutor does not mean that you are not capable on your own, just that you are smart enough to want to improve with someone’s help.

3. Abuse office hours: Yes, that is right. Do not take advantage of office hours, abuse them. Professors are in their office for a reason and if you are having any kind of difficulty you should see them first. They know the work better than anyone else. Write down your professors’ office hours and keep them in a place that you can refer back to when you need the extra help.

2. Reward yourself (always and often): Rewards are totally acceptable. Although I highly recommend pats on the back, why not take it a step further? Think of something you love and find a way to reward yourself with it when you do a good job. One paper down? Grab a chai latte. B+ on that killer math test? You totally deserve a shopping spree!

1. Map out your goals and keep them where you can see them: The key to getting the grades is actually imagining that you already achieved them. It is a timeless secret, but it really has been proven to work. At the start of every semester write down your goals – short-term and long-term. Keep those goals in a visible spot and look at them daily. I kid you not; those who can see their goals written out for them are more apt to move towards the direction of achieving them.

And make sure you keep my number one motto in mind as well: Work hard but play hard too. When you have finished studying and you have taken the test, don’t be afraid to go out and have a good time. Just be ready, with brain cells intact, to get back to books come Sunday night.

But before you unpack those Yaffa blocks and stock up on the highlighters, allow me to dispel a few of the myths your older, wiser and drunker friends have told you about your freshman year. Is freshman year awesome? Hell to the yes. But there are some things you just gotta prepare for.

“You’re going to become best friends with your floor.”
Maybe. Or maybe not. Yes, while the people on your floor are going to be the first people you meet and become friendly with, don’t feel pressured to become best friends with them. The only thing you may have in common with these people is that you live on the same floor in the same dorm at the same school. They’re great for trips to the dining hall, party wandering in the first week of school, and swapping hangover stories on Sunday mornings, but don’t feel bad if that’s it. You might find yourself laughing a month or two into school saying, “OMG, I can’t believe I used to go to breakfast with her” if your neighbor becomes “that girl” at parties on campus. Your real friends in college will be eclectic, and while many people find them on their floor, many do not. Friendships are rooted in a sharing of values, not a sharing of a hall. You’re lucky if you find both in the same place.

“Your classes aren’t that hard.”
Kind of a lie. Senior year you don’t do any work at all, and it’s really hard to turn your brain back on and retrain yourself to read and understand 60+ pages of reading a night. This lie depends on the school you go to and the classes you take, but the way I experienced it and the way most of my friends experienced it is that your classes are kind of hard. Especially when you’re trying to decide on a Tuesday night between $1 pitchers of beer and making notecards. You need to do a lot of the learning on your own and if you’re not careful, it’s very easy to fall behind. You might have floated through high school, but college is an entirely different ball game. You’re going to have to retrain your study muscles for those college classes!

“Being a freshman in college is nothing like being a freshman in high school.”
Such a lie. Everyone knows you are a freshman. Everyone. Between the maps you carry, the way you lug all your books to the first day of class, and the way you travel in huge gaggles down the streets of your college town trying to find parties, you’ve got freshman written all over you. But the thing to remember is that everyone has to experience that. Carrying the maps and traveling in the gaggles teaches you how to adjust to college life so that second semester, you don’t scream freshman. You definitely have to pay your dues a bit as a freshman, just like you did in high school, but don’t expect any mean seniors to shove you into lockers or try and sell you tickets to the pool. Unless someone’s having a pool party and they charge you for alcohol and you end up getting so plastered that you wake up in a locker.

“If you don’t go out every weekend, you totally miss out.”
Definitely not true. While partying is really fun at college and very different than at home, you do not miss out at all if you decide to skip a night out or go somewhere else for the weekend. If you feel like sitting in your bed in sweatpants and catching up on your shows, do it! There is always going to be a party, and there will always be an opportunity to go to the bar. Don’t burn out. If you need to study, study. You might miss out on making a few drunken memories, but you have four years to make more. Your report card, mental health, and physical health will thank you when you follow your instinct if you don’t feel like going out. Plus, your friends will be excited to tell their stories to you the next day and start planning the next time you’re all going to go out together.

“You’re going to love everything about school right from the get-go.”
Doubtful. You move into this tiny dorm room in the unbearable heat of your non-air conditioned dorm with a stranger. Your stuff is a mess and everywhere, and your parents kiss you goodbye and are on their way. And then you’re there. And you don’t know anyone. While yes, the first few nights of college are exciting, fun, and usually pretty drunk, they’re definitely uncomfortable. You need to be awkward (all the time) and put yourself out there to meet people more than you have ever tried in your life. Sometimes you just want your mommy to hug you at the end of the day, make you dinner, and ask you how your day was. But all you have is your roommate and the ice breaker games your RA facilitates. It’s rough at first, but the thing to remember is that everyone is in the same place as you. Everyone is feeling the same way, but most people won’t admit it.

Here’s the deal: The word “lie” is subjective, meaning a lie is found in the mind of the individual. What I view as a lie, you may not, so don’t put too much stock into what you read about freshman year. Just because I view these comments as lies doesn’t mean that you will feel the same way. Everyone has a different experience in college, and no matter what happens, you’re going to enjoy parts of freshman year and you’re going to learn a lot about yourself. So get ready, because you have a lot to look forward to.

No, I’m not talking about how Facebook is actively ruining the dating world.  I’m referring to all the potholes you’ll encounter by selecting your own college roommate.

Trending on campuses all over the country are websites that allow you to cherry pick the “perfect” roommate.  Gone are the days where the punky goth ends up living with the preppy, bubbly cheerleader.  No longer will the study bug bunk with the party animal.  The revolution is upon us, and now you can select your own freshman fate.

Think answering a questionnaire and having your personality matched with another’s sounds great?  Well, to me it sounds as accurate as an “Are You Robert Pattinson’s Soul Mate?” quiz pulled from the pages of Teen Beat.  Here are all the things you’re going to be doing for yourself simply by going rando:

Diversifying your day-to-day.
Yeah, I said it.  If you live with your friends, or even someone who’s got similar tastes, you miss out on the whole “getting to know you” experience.  Finding out that your roomie likes to wake up at 5 a.m. for a little Incan meditation and chanting, or sharing your fear of avocados with a girl who loves making guacamole on her desk- these are the situations that help you learn two very important life lessons: not everyone is you and not everyone gets along all the time.

Learning to communicate
Okay, so you were star of the debate team and aspire to be a presidential speechwriter.  Congratulations.  Still doesn’t mean you know how to navigate real-life sticky situations with flexibility and kindness.  You’re in luck, however, because rooming with your complete opposite is the perfect place to learn such skills.  While Ms. Avocado is slicing and dicing on her chem book, you could a) throw a fit and have a panic attack or b) politely explain that you’ve got an aversion to the gooey green and request that in the future she Bobbly Flay elsewhere.  Communication’s not hard, but you never would have learned had you roomed with your salsa-only BFF.

Acknowledging that just because you both love Full House doesn’t mean you’ll love each other.
You know that phrase “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”?  Yeah, that applies here.  I’ve seen it firsthand.  Girls meeting at orientation or finding each other on Facebook- Ohmigod your favorite crayon is Purple Mountain’s Majesty and you want to marry John Stamos, too!?  Five minutes later, they’re instant roommates and friends for life.  Or so they think.  Introduce boys, booze, and a little study time…by Thanksgiving they’ll be applying for a dorm switch.

Discovering things about yourself.
Pretty much everyone goes into college thinking three things about themselves.  First, that they’re moderately clean people.  Second, that they’re not that whorey.  And third, that they’re totally laid back.  But guess what?  You’re a slob, you’re absolutely a whore on weekends, and you’re uptight at least three other nights a week.  You’re not always the person you think you are, so going in with preconceived notions of how you’ll work with a particular roommate could become irrelevant once you’re actually living with one another.

Just like you think you’re going to have to deal with some stranger’s crap, they’re going to have to deal with yours.  And you might surprise yourself in finding that your crap’s the same.  It goes beyond the basics, too.  Sharing a DVD collection, finding out about new music, mixing with a different crowd…that’s what college is about.  Exploring the outer limits of your comfort zone and maybe making some new friends in the process.

Agree? Disagree? Make your voice heard by voting in this poll!

Yes, it’s time to be ready for the school year. It’s time to start packing and gaining ultimate pre-college essentials to give you a chance for an easy ride through the first semester.  Alright CollegeCandy chickas, nurse those excited pangs of pain desire in your liver – we (with a little help from our college blogging friends) are going to get you ready for school!

* Before you even pack up the car, make sure that you don’t forget those necessary items that everyone always forgets to pack.

* Ok, I’m going to be the one to put it out there – I wasn’t much of a ‘laundry-pro’ going into college. I’m not kidding, can I say on here that I Googled ‘how to separate colors’ before doing my very first load? Yeah, embarrassing. Allow me to protect your Google history: here are some things you can think about in regards to doin’ the dirty laundry pile.

* Before I went off to college, shoved in between a thick pile of clothes and a dresser in my dad’s truck, I would have paid a fortune to have a 100+ list full of things to know in regards to college. Here’s the dream realized, free of charge.

* Come finals week, this list will be pasted to your forehead.

* Ok enough of this ‘super prepared for college talk.’ It’s time to talk ‘college drinking.’ Looking for some fabulous future drink mixers? Chasers? Or simply a healthy drink to accompany your future study sesh? Turn to these tasties.

* And to be able to afford all these tasties, check out the 45 weirdest scholarships that you can get.

* Since it’s almost time to start getting ready for classes, why not get in gear early?

* Craving a stress-free moving day more than a Lindsay Lohan US Weekly cover story? I thought so. Say it out loud, “stress free move in day, here I come!”

* I bet while college creeps closer and closer to your North Face backpack, your stress level begins to increase.  Margarita nights with your girlfriends will soon be replaced with lots of stressed out evenings thinking about what classes you need to start taking. Well, stress be gone.

* While you will be saying farewell to your very own bathroom at home, a cupboard dedicated to your favorite types of cereals (guilty), and lots of baggage, you will be saying ‘Hello’ to lots of ramen and never a moment to yourself. Take some of these college dorm tips with a grain of salt entire margarita on the rocks.

* Set up your very own Fashion First Aid kit for your dorm room.

* Oh and while you’re at it – set up a Walk of Shame Kit before you go, too.

Are you a college blog who wants to be included on this list? E-Mail us at editor@collegecandy.com with your back to school link.

I LOVE you, Hulu!

What I am about to type might shock and disturb some of the readers. However, for the sake of our internet browsers’ sanity, I am just going to say it: There are more websites out there besides Facebook and Google.

Did everyone survive that truth? Though I adore a good Facebook stalking sesh and Googling my name from time to time, I believe that the following sites don’t get enough cred. So let’s bookmark these babies and get our computer mouses (mice?) acquainted with them sometime soon. Perhaps on the next study break, after the email has been checked several times or maybe when we finally realize that the cute guy in Bio has his profile set to private. Bummer.

1. Notecentric.com: No more unwanted panic attacks from losing Wednesday’s notes from Chemistry. Notecentric is a web based note taking application that allows you to type, store and organize all your notes onto one site. All the notes you type are saved and stored together so stray lectures on loose leaf will no longer be an issue.

2. Chegg.com: I think we can all admit that the last place we want to head to at the beginning of the semester is the bookstore. Although we can hardly resist a new hoodie, it’s the close to $700 that we spend on books each semester that puts the dent in our bank accounts and our spirits. Chegg is a textbook rental site where college students can sell their books to the site and also rent books. You simply order the books, have them shipped to you, and return them at the end of the semester. A sweet bonus: Chegg plants a tree every time someone rents books; financially AND environmentally friendly!

3. MakeMeBabies.com: Here is a side tip for the upcoming frat parties: DON’T tell that guy you have been eyeing all night just how adorable you think your children would be together. But feel free to find out for yourself in the privacy of your own dorm room. This hilarious site allows you to upload images from your computer and morph them together. The outcome: your “future children.” Between you and I: Bradley Cooper and I would make some really attractive children together.

4. 6pm.com: A gal pal of mine turned me onto this site and my life and wardrobe have never been the same since. Looking for a little red dress to wear out to the bar? How about choosing from 234 options? 6pm offers the best sales and discounts on name brand clothing and puts them all in one central location so it is easier for you to shop. Bonus points: You can snag a pair of leopard pumps for 50% off without even having to take your slippers off to try them on.

5. FreeRice.com: Instead of merely writing that 1,000 word essay on world hunger why not help end it? FreeRice.com is a site that donates 10 grains of rice to the World Food Programme for every question that you answer correctly. So put those multiple choice skills that you racked up during SAT class to good use! I give you full permission to let your professor know you were flexing your brain muscles while actively relieving poverty across the world. The more answers you get right, the more rice you give.

6. Fastweb.com: I wish I had taken advantage of this site more during my four years at college. I say this now, when I am up to my hips in student loans. Fastweb is a quick college search engine for financial aid, student loans and college choices. Create a profile, fill out the surveys and watch as Fastweb matches you up with scholarships that you are eligible to apply for. Some are essays while others are creative projects but it does not hurt to take on an extra opportunity or two to rake in some cash to put towards the tuition.

7. CollegeFashion.net: It is a known fact that college students are not exactly on the level of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” status during a four year stay at a university.  Aside from thanking Easy Mac and local pizzerias by campus for their amazing delivery deals, we should also thank CollegeFashion.net for making our wardrobes more affordable. College Fashion is a blog for stylish college girls in need of updates on the latest trends, deals, steals and tips in the fashion world. College Fashion is the only fashion blog written for college students, by college students; it is nice to know that these fashion tips are not coming from a woman behind a desk whose jean style expired and retired nearly three years ago.

8. Pandora.com: The other day my brother came up with this idea to create radio stations that played music similar to your favorite artists. I introduced him to both a reality check and Pandora. Simply create a new station, whether it be an artist like Drake or a song by the Frey, and let Pandora come up with matches to keep your eardrums happy for hours to come. This free site may be killing off radio stations everywhere but you won’t see me minding as I turn on the Jack Johnson station.

9. Hulu.com: So once you draw yourself away from the three-year-old Justin Bieber fanatic on YouTube hop on over to Hulu. The love child of NBC and FOX, Hulu gives its worldwide Webbers free access to streaming movies and TV shows. Miss that episode of Grey’s? Needing to get caught up on LOST before someone spills the finale to you? Now you have it right at your fingertips. Did someone say popcorn and a study break?

10. Supercook.com: This is a major life changing website for all you CollegeCandy readers who have a kitchen. Instead of the typical cooking site where it lists the ingredients and you head out to the grocery store, Supercook asks you to type in the ingredients you have. After you have entered in the data, Supercook searches its database of recipes and spits back a variety of delicious meals. You can start cooking right away! This is perfect for a last minute dinner with the roomies. Simply type in what is laying around your kitchen (skip the moldy milk in the fridge) and let Supercook dish back the dinner.

Bonus:

CollegeCandy.com: Oh my goodness. Look! You are already here! No, but in all seriousness, CollegeCandy is a top site to read up on issues and topics written by college girls for college girls. Even before I began writing for CollegeCandy it was my go-to site for advice on roommate issues, blind date traumas and the sweet secrets of college life.

This post provided by college nutritionist, author, and all around excellent source of healthful info, Melanie Jatsek.

It’s the start of the new school year.  For some of you this will be your first time away from home and you may be feeling a little nervous about meeting your new roommate and dorm life in general.  For others it’s like coming home again, only this time you are moving into your own apartment.

Let’s face it, there are many things in college you can’t control, but what you eat isn’t one of them!  Because certain foods improve your focus and brain health (while others destroy it), your food choices will have an impact on your grades.  What about the so called “Freshman Fifteen”?  You don’t have to fall victim to it or poor eating habits if you play it smart from day one.  In fact, your eating habits can actually improve in college (yes, I did just say that)!

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be hard if you keep it simple.  All you really have to do is remember the 5 basics and build your meals and snacks around them:  fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meats/meat substitutes.  Whether you are a first year college student and only have a tiny dorm room refrigerator (and an even tinier cupboard to store your food) or you are a returning student living in an apartment with a kitchen, here are the 13 foods you must stock up on to stay on track:

Fruits:

Apples
Unsweetened applesauce
Dried fruit (plums, apricots, raisins, mangos)

Sure fresh and frozen fruits are always best, but if you don’t have the means to go grocery shopping on a regular basis, you need to be prepared and have shelf stable fruits on hand to snack on.  If you are a freshman, chances are you will be eating most of your meals in a dining hall anyways, so it should be pretty easy to find fresh fruit.  Just like fresh and frozen fruits, dried fruits are also rich in disease fighting antioxidants, but try to keep portion sizes in mind because they are higher in sugar and calories.  A small handful is plenty!

Snack idea:  4 dried plums with a small handful of lightly salted peanuts

Breakfast idea:  1 chopped apple mixed in a bowl of cooked oatmeal (for extra fiber, leave the skin on the apple)

Vegetables:

Baby carrots
Low sodium V8 Juice

Baby carrots are ready to eat, fiber-rich and low in calories.  If you are short on refrigerator space, individual cans of low sodium V8 Juice count as a vegetable serving too!  They come in packs of 6 4-ounce cans and don’t require refrigeration.

Snack idea:  14 baby carrots with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter for dipping

Grains:

Quaker Oatmeal
Kashi cereal bars
Triscuit crackers

The American Heart Association recommends 3 servings of whole grains every day for good health.  Quaker Oatmeal is one of the quickest and most affordable whole grains you could stock in your cupboard.  If you want to save money, forget the instant oatmeal in individual packets and go for the large 42 ounce cylinder instead.  Even though it isn’t instant oatmeal, it can still be cooked in the microwave.

Kashi cereal bars are one of the most nutritious whole grain cereal bars on the market today.  They make a perfect snack for in between classes.  My personal favorite is the “Honey Almond Flax” bar.

Trisuit crackers are considered whole grain and make a great substitute for greasy potato chips when you are in the mood for something on the salty side, but with some nutritional value.  They come in a variety of flavors too, from “Garden Herb” to “Fire-Roasted Tomato.”

Snack idea:  6 Triscuit crackers with 1 string cheese

Breakfast idea:  Oatmeal with a handful of walnuts and a touch of brown sugar

Dairy Products:

Yogurt
String cheese

Calcium is so important for your health.  I’m sure you know it is essential for strong bones and teeth, but did you also know that it can help to ease the symptoms of PMS (premenstrual syndrome)?  Really!

Just like with oatmeal, yogurt can be purchased in the larger containers to save money.  Low fat yogurt is a balanced source of protein and carbohydrates.  Be careful because they can be pretty high in sugar too, especially those with fruit on the bottom!  Low fat Greek yogurt tends to be a little pricier but is also higher in protein than traditional yogurt.

Snack idea:  8 ounces of yogurt with a small handful of lightly salted peanuts mixed in (a deliciously salty and sweet combination!)

Meats/Meat Substitutes:

Peanut butter
Nuts
Tuna fish

All three are easy to store, do not require refrigeration and are packed with nutrients.  No need to worry about the fat and calorie content of peanut butter and nuts if you keep the portion sizes small:  2 tablespoons of peanut butter, a small handful of nuts.  Studies have shown that people who eat a small portion of nuts every day have an easier time managing their weight.  Why?  Because they fill you up and curb your appetite!

If you like tuna fish, go for it!  It is loaded with omega 3 fatty acids, which are important for your brain health.  Fish really is brain food!  Choose Low Sodium Light Tuna Fish by StarKist for the best nutritional buy.  It comes in convenient, portion controlled packages of 3 3-ounce containers.

Snack idea:  6 Triscuit crackers topped with 3 ounces of tuna fish

Well there you have it – 13 cheap, quick and nutritious foods to have on hand at the start of the 2010 school year.  Don’t wait until the pounds start packing on; be proactive and start building healthy habits now!  Remember, you have 100% control over what you eat.  Choose a balance of nutrient-rich foods everyday to stay healthy, fit and focused this year.  You can do it!

Melanie Jatsek is a speaker, author and registered dietitian who teaches college students how to eat to look better, feel better, think better and stress less!  Send her an email at melanie@melaniejatsek.com or connect with her on her new Facebook page for college students: “The Healthy Campus Project”

There are a few certainties in college.

You will study.
You will dress up in costume at least once.
You will eat more Easy Mac than you have ever eaten before. And sometimes you will eat it on a cookie slathered in cream cheese.
You will have a roommate at some point.

Yes, roommates and college go together like SoCo and Lime. They’re good goin’ down, but sometimes things can get ugly very quickly.

You may come from a home with tons of siblings, or you might have enjoyed bunking with a girlfriend on a week-long camping trip, but nothing is quite like living with another person in the tiny hole we call a dorm room. While having a roommate has its challenges (hello, you’re sharing a tiny room, you’re bound to disagree at some point…most likely over the TV) it can also be fun. That is, if you do it right. Here are 10 little nuggets of wisdom to ensure your roommate experience is a great one.

1. Be honest and clear from day one.
Don’t lie to the poor girl and tell her you “don’t mind a little mess” if the thought of a dirty sock being on the floor makes you cringe. Do you snore? Are you uncomfortable with people being in your room until 4 am? Are you just not a morning person? Let your roommate know these things about you, even if it’s your BFF from last year. It isn’t fair to just expect them to know little quirks or preferences about you unless you verbalize them. Communicating these preferences is one of the best ways to eliminate roomie mishaps in the future.

2. Address problems as soon as they happen.
Talking to your roommate about things that bug you immediately keeps you from holding it in until you finally go on a rampage a month later. Trust me, this happened to me this past year. Little things bothered me until one day I cracked and the grumpy-running-on-4-hours-of-sleep-because-of-exams me came down on our suite like a tsunami. Next thing I knew I was cursing, slamming doors, and glaring at everyone who came near me. Save yourself the frustration and stop being passive aggressive; just address the issue at hand. It’s the adult thing to do.

3. Do not steal your roommate’s stuff.
Do not steal your roommate’s stuff.
Do not steal your roommate’s stuff. I can’t stress this enough.

4. Be considerate when bringing people to the room.
No one enjoys being sexiled when they have a paper due in the morning. No one likes walking back from a long day of exams to see the room filled with people. Again. For the fifth time that week.

5. Lock the door.
Just because you trust that no one will go into the room and steal your stuff doesn’t mean it can’t happen. How would you feel if your roomie’s laptop was stolen because of you?

6. Try to have an open mind.
Your roomie may be the complete opposite of you (different religion, from a different town, likes different music) but try to be open to experiencing something new. Part of college is being pushed out of your comfort zone, and that is also true of your roommate. Who knows, you might end up having more in common than you would think.

7. Be open to change.
As the year goes on, new preferences might come up. Try to be flexible. That includes setting new rules, and possibly rearranging the room.

8. Don’t expect to be best friends with your roommate.
Don’t get me wrong – it could happen, but don’t set yourself up for disappointment. Unless you have awesome luck, chances are your roomie will be just that: a roommate. Yes, two of my friends randomly got assigned to room together and they got along so well they’ve roomed together ever since. But that’s not the norm. Most of the time, you simply can’t be best friends with someone you share a hole-in-the-wall room with. Little habits will annoy you, no matter how much you like the person. Lower your expectations about roomie-bonding and find other friends with more in common with you than the room you sleep in.

9. When problems arise, address them calmly.
That doesn’t mean leaving sticky notes in the room with a demand and ending it with smiley faces (honestly that just reminds me of Diddy in Get Him to the Greek, but I digress). Try to keep things from turning into a Jerry Springer episode and calm yo’self before confronting your roomie.

10. The Golden Rule.
This is the best advice I can give to roommates. Treat your roommate as you would like to be treated. No matter what your relationship is at the end of the year, at least you can look back on the year and know you treated them with respect.