Summers’ winding down and the back-to-school countdown has finally begun. This year, we want to prep you with some must-haves that’ll be sure to make the transition from summertime laziness to school year craziness a whole lot smoother. Check out the latest gear that’ll get rid of those restless nights, pesky extra wires and low quality tunes. We’re hooking you up with the latest gadgets, gear and devices to help with a successful (and less stressful) semester.

initiating the gallery...

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: Read More »

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, TFLN…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like College Bar Finder, Unhear It, and ReQall) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

I’m a ridiculously sound sleeper (seriously, I’ve slept through earthquakes), which makes it really difficult for me to get up in the morning.  When I first went away to college and I didn’t have my parents or sister to yell at me to get up when I hit the snooze button for a third time, I realized how big of a problem this could be.

I tried to use a regular alarm clock next to my bed, but I’d just turn it off and fall back asleep, causing me to keep missing my early-morning classes. Any by early-morning, I mean 12pm. Either way, though, not good.

If only WakeupDialer.com had existed back then!  WakeupDialer.com has a simple but oh-so-useful purpose: providing free wake up calls (no matter where you pass out). Type in your phone number (or the number of a friend who could use some help waking up in the morning), and the time of day you want to receive the call, and that’s it!

Each call features a hilarious random message from a “butler” (voiced by British actor/comedian Stephen Fry) that will make you momentarily forget about your messy dorm room and make you feel like you’re staying in a swanky hotel (cuddled up next to RPatz, perhaps?) instead. Read More »

Got something awesome everyone needs to know about? A really rad singer? A wicked new book? Plus size designer threads? Email your “The Know” ideas to Jill@collegecandy.com or tweet me and I’ll pass them along to everyone right here, every week. Make your kindergarten teacher proud and share!

Here’s a fact: If there was an award for the worst morning person, I would win. By a landslide.

I FAIL at early mornings. I set four alarms, hit snooze on all of them 6 times and then eventually turn them off. I’ve even tried setting alarms across the room… only to hop back into bed for “five more minutes.” I’m a morning disaster. If I had to describe myself in one word: Over-sleeper would probably win over ‘fantabulous’ (although I like to think I am that too. Maybe a fantabulous over-sleeper? That I definitely am!).

But last night my friend just told me about a GENIUS alarm clock that I totally dread trying but figured we all should know about because, even if you are a morning person (I will NEVER understand you weird breed of people), we all have those days when we are up studying/out drinking and have about 2 hours of shut eye before class… and fear turning off our alarm clock in our sleep. Read More »

August has arrived, and for those of us that are college-bound, that means shopping for dorm items! Everywhere you go right now there are pillows and posters and chairs, all of which would look perfect in that 10X12 box you’re about to call home.

You could go with the typical Yaffa blocks and collapsible hamper (like every other kid on your floor), but that’s just boring. Especially now that there is some pretty awesome new dorm-wear on the market. It’s all unique, adorable and totally functional. And, OMG, I want it all. Here are some of the best things I’ve seen on my daily hunt for the perfect dorm decor (I’ve got a lot of time on my hands…): Read More »

If you’re heading off to college in the fall, you might already be thinking about what you need to buy before you get there. And if you’re already there, there are things you must have but definitely don’t know about yet.

I’ve done some of the work for you and picked out the top five things that every college student needs.

1. Alarm Clock – This is an absolute necessity, although an annoying one. With all the fun stuff that you’ll do in college, it’s sometimes easy to forget why you’re actually there in the first place: CLASS! To make sure you’re getting your tuition’s worth by actually going to class, you’re going to need a reliable alarm clock. Of course, any old alarm clock or clock radio will do, but there are definitely better options out there. With the iHome iH4B, you can fall asleep and wake up to your favorite music. Plus, it charges your iPod, so you’re never stuck with a drained battery. I also really like the Clocky ® alarm clock, designed for people like me who turn off their alarm clocks without getting out of bed. I used to have to put my alarm clock across the room and run to the other side to shut it off, much to the annoyance of my roommates. This one, which has wheels and rolls around the room, probably would have annoyed them even more, but it definitely would have stopped me from going back to sleep and missing class for the umpteenth time. Read More »

After talking to my friend about his latest foray into the dating world – and his love for early morning sex – I started thinking.

Not that it takes much to get me thinking about sex. Since I am not having any. And everywhere I look it seems that people are having it. All. The. Time.

I remember the first time I ever had an early morning romp. I climbed into bed with my then boyfriend, set the alarm for class the following morning, and fell asleep. I was awoken the following morning not by my alarm clock, but by a very delicious nibbling on my ear. Followed by an even more delicious round of sex that may have acted as the alarm clock for the rest of my (8) roommates.

Then I ate 2 bowls of cereal, a few waffles and grabbed a bag of pretzels on my way to class. And it all tasted so good. In fact, everything was so much better that morning: the birds were singing, the sun was shining, and I was in a great mood. Even with 3 straight hours of lecture and a night of paper writing at the library ahead of me.

Other people noticed the difference, too: Read More »

Try your best to not punch me once I say this, but the summer’s end is fast approaching.

It’s a time for lists, and packing, shopping, lists, and laundry, and did I mention lists?

Not only do you have to worry about transporting your enormous shoe collection (“I swear I’ll wear those grey pumps this year. I need them! They were on sale!”), but you’ve also got to fumble around with a bedspread, desk supplies, towels, food, microwaves, laptops, all of it. Your whole life and being.

It’s a bit stressful.

Luckily we here at CC have taken the time aside to compile a list of ten things you most definitely should not forget:

1. Digital camera. Trust us, there will be many a worthy photo op, (though I suppose a four story beer funnel doesn’t really qualify as a thoughtful Kodak moment) and who doesn’t enjoy a trip down memory lane later on? Besides, what else will you show your grandchildren? (“…and this is granny doing a kegstand…and this is granny dancing on the bar…oh yes! There’s grams kissing a nice boy…what? No, no…not grandpa…”)

2. Lots of spare change. You’ll be surprised how much laundry you’ll have, namely your sheets. It used to be a Sunday morning tradition during the school year, for a guy friend down the hall (who gained a beaming record as drunken bed-wetter) to enter our room collecting spare quarters. We coined it, “the piss stain fund.”In case you’re unconvinced, (those of us who manage to control our bodily functions most likely), my sister will tell you different. Read More »