The best college towns in the country.

Christian Siriano rocks Fashion Week.

Is Willow Smith the next Rihanna?

And with that, we officially hate Rachel Bilson.

Craigslist people are really weird.

Would you de-friend an ex on Facebook?

While most people will celebrate this national holiday behind a hanging tapestry in the privacy of their dorm room with 12 bags of chips and a tub of frosting, there are some schools that turn it into a campus affair.

Cue my regret for choosing the wrong school.
And pass the Cheetos.

UC Berkeley – People’s Park Celebration
Last year, more than 1,000 people joined this pot-extravaganza to celebrate with (slow) dancing, (lots of) eating, and (passionate) speeches. I can just see it: people cooking rice and beans under the shade of a willow tree, with and endless supply of Cliff Bars and positive feelings. Utopia.

University of California, Santa Cruz – Celebration at Porter Meadow
Not even a lack of shuttle services or parking stops UCSC students from hiking up Empire Grand for a glassy eyed, sunny day in Porter Meadow come 4/20. “National Pot Smoking Day” has turned Parker Meadow into a ‘baked circus’ every year at the University. Vendors set up in the field to feed the munchies of nearly 5,000 people while bands perform, ‘Santa Cruz 420′ t-shirts are handed out, and a soft haze sits over the meadow. Sounds like a party.

Colorado University at Boulder – 4/20 Smoke-out
Last year 10,000 students and residents came out to Norlin Quad to hit the bong. 10,000! Campus police have announced they’ll be ticketing people in possession of marijuana going to or from the Smoke-out this year, but I have a feeling no one’s gonna care as long as they’ve got a $5 foot long in their hands.

University of Redlands – ’4/20 Fest’ at Pharaoh’s Theme Park
Although this concert celebration does not outright announce it as a pot-smoking event, it is held annually during the infamous 4/20 weekend. And this description may say it all: “…the audience is encouraged to dream and immerse themselves into otherworldy magic.’ Read: come stoned.

University of Michigan – Hash Bash
Centered around the goal to reform the legalization of marijuana, this celebration is sprinkled with speeches, live music, a man dressed as a hot dog, street vending (which, I’m hoping, means lots of grub), and a whole lot of hashish. Hash Bash has been going strong (or stoned…) for 28 years. Last year, thousands came to get really baked support the event.

Welcome back to The Rival Rundown! If you’ve always wanted to give props to your school on CC, now’s your chance! Shoot us an email explaining what’s awesome and unique about your school (or what stinks about Rival U) at rivalrundown@collegecandy.com!

This is it, folks, the grand daddy of all college rivalries! Noted by ESPN as the greatest North American sports rivalry today, the bad blood between the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University is unequaled. This weekend marks the one hundred and sixth meeting of the two teams, in the last regular-season football game. If you don’t happen to be one who bleeds maize and blue, or scarlet and gray, now’s your chance to catch up on the rivalry that will be on the tips of everyone’s tongues this week.

Quick Facts:
University of Michigan: Public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Enrollment of over 50,000. Mascot is the Wolverine.
Ohio State University: Public research university in Columbus, Ohio. Enrollment of over 50,000. Mascot is the Buckeye.

1. Football Victories

Michigan: 52 wins, 42 losses, 3 ties
Ohio State: 42 wins, 52 losses, 3 ties

Three credits to: Michigan. The Wolverines have also won 42 Big Ten conference titles (compared to Ohio State’s 33) and 11 national titles (compared to the Buckeyes’ 7).

2. Memorable Moments

Michigan: In one of the most famous football games in history, the 1950 Wolverines fought their way to victory 9-3 in Columbus.  In what is known to history as the “Snow Bowl,” the match took place in one of the worst Ohio blizzards on record. Before its start, Ohio State had the option of forfeiting the game and retaining the Big 10 championship title. However, since they decided to play, the two teams duked it out in the cold and snow, punting 45 times, occasionally on first downs. Michigan stealing the victory, and the title, on enemy turf? How sweet it was!
Ohio State: In the 1973 match-up between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes, both teams entered the game undefeated. The match would decide the Big 10 conference champion and which team would travel to the national championship at the Rose Bowl. When the game ended in a heart-wrenching tie, athletic directors of the other Big 10 conference schools had to vote by secret ballot for their choice of a winner. Ultimately, OSU became the victor, in what was one of the most legendary games in history.

Three credits to: Ohio State. With stakes raised to the limit–a conference championship, a trip to the Rose Bowl, and a tie with your most storied rival–having the confidence of your fellow conference members is something to relish.

3. Terrific Traditions

Michigan: American composer John Philip Sousa, who made a career of writing march songs, once declared the UM march song “the greatest college fight song ever written.”  Called “The Victors,” it has not only been played on the field and at commencement, but as the entrance theme song (in lieu of Hail to the Chief) for proud alum President Gerald Ford.
Ohio State: A seemingly cliche quote by one of OSU’s coaches turned into a legendary tradition for the Buckeyes. When asked about how he he planned to approach the Wolverines, Ohio State coach Francis Schmidt said, “They put their pants on one leg at a time same as everyone else.” Since then, the “Golden Pants Club” has awarded statues of golden pants to each OSU Buckeye who has scored a victory over Michigan.

Three credits to: Ohio State, for marrying college tradition appropriately with potty humor!

4. Ass-Kicking Alumni

Michigan: James Earl Jones, Tom Brady, Lucy Liu, Arthur Miller
Ohio State: Roy Lichtenstein, Jesse Owens, Patricia Heaton, Jack Niklaus (attended)

Three credits to: Michigan– how can you argue with the voice of Darth Vader (and CNN), and Super Bowl MVP?

5. Acceptance Rate Agony

Michigan: 42.1%
Ohio State: 52.3%

Three credits to: Michigan, definitively.

I watch the Olympics every night in awe. Here I am sitting on my couch – MacBook on my lap, ice cream sandwich in my hand – as the world’s best athletes compete.

These are people who have sacrificed so much and worked so hard to be the best in their sport. These are people who have given everything they have (and then some) to get to this point in their athletic careers. These truly are the best of the best on the planet.

It is really something to think about.

And then there is Michael Phelps who is not only the best guy in the pool this year, but ever. Ever in history. 8 gold medals in a single Olympics. Pretty freaking amazing.

It was actually watching Phelps win his 8th medal that got me thinking about all of this. Yeah, watching a 48 year old woman win the Olympic marathon was pretty sweet, but Phelps really hit home for me. After all, he trained at Michigan; we walked the same streets, ate at the same restaurants and, if I ever even knew where it was, could have swam in the same pool.

I rarely saw Phelps on campus, mostly because he was always training.

And I was not.

In fact, While Michael Phelps was training to be an Olympic God and win 8 Gold Medals I Was:

- Laying in my living room watching Law and Order SVU marathons with my roommates

- Drinking Boones Farm Strawberry Hill on my porch

- Planning elaborate parties that included A Groundhog’s Day fiesta, a Jell-O wrestling tournament, and back to back Beerlympics.

- Sneaking Jimmy Johns into the reading room at the library where I spent hours IMing my friends about the douche bags who walked in

- Shopping with my parents’ credit cards

- Figuring out ways to “bump into” the boy from last weekend

- Making power hour CD’s

- Baking brownies, smoking pot and then eating those brownies…and everything else in the kitchen

- Constructing ridiculous costumes to wear to the bar (and not for Halloween)

- Watching Peanut Butter Jelly Time on my laptop and dancing around my room

I am not saying that I regret any of those activities or decisions (well, maybe the whole pot and brownie thing…), but I do now realize just how great I could have been if I had applied myself to something besides drinking, eating and trying to get a guy to hump me.

Because besides the Gold Yogurt Cap I earned for Survivor Flip Cup in the Walnut Street Beerlympics of 2005, no one awards medals for the activities I devoted my life to.

I obviously should have gotten the hint, but I just couldn’t let it go. We had such a great date; how could he just stop talking to me? What did I do wrong? Why would he tell me he’d call if he never planned to? I needed to hear it – I needed to know he wasn’t interested. I needed that closure.

Eventually, which was far too long in any sane person’s book, I gave up and moved on. He wasn’t going to call. I had my closure. Looking back, I realize just how crazy I was. Literally, crazy. No wonder he never called back; he was probably at the police station trying to get a restraining order. But I was young and alone in a giant new city. That boy was the one thing I had to hold onto while I started a new job, found a new apartment and adjusted to life outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

I know now that no answer is the loudest and clearest answer a guy can give. Yet, even now, as a more mature and experienced adult, I can’t shake my desire (or relentless need) for some verbal communication. Not so much for the closure anymore – completely losing my dignity got me over that one quickly – but more as a much needed learning tool. If I did something wrong, I want to know so I can fix it for future experiences.

Like, if I came on too strong, or not strong enough; if my humor was a bit overwhelming on the first date, or if I came across as a bitch. Something. I just want to shake these guys sometimes; just tell me something! I know that it’s always easier to just let things fizzle and die, but I just want some answers, damn it. I am trying to grow from this experience. Help me grow, will you?!

It’s like getting rejected from a job. Imagine getting that generic rejection letter or, even worse, no rejection letter at all! You would want to know why you didn’t get the job, wouldn’t you? You know, so you can spruce up your resume for the next time, or wear a nicer suit on future interviews.

I just want to know which suit to wear on my next interview. At the bar. With a single man.

I know those answers will never come – and that I will never ask because that makes me look crazy – but I can’t help but need to know. It seems so much more productive than blaming the guy and assuming I am perfect. Even though I am damn near close.

Am I alone in this one?

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.

My mother makes fun of me whenever I bring this up. “Oh, poor baby,” she tells me. “You have such a hard life!” But she just doesn’t get it. I missed out on a truly once in a lifetime experience. I will never again be able to pick up and just go. I will never again have the time (and total lack of responsibility) to do serious travelling. So, instead of whining like I usually do, I decided to keep others like me from making the same mistake.

Go abroad! Travel! See the world!

If you have the opportunity to go abroad do it. Don’t let the little things keep you from such an incredible experience. Never again will you have an unlimited amount of time to escape from life and do something so rich and fulfilling. Going abroad is so much more than just meeting new people and seeing new things; it can really change you. Don’t miss out on that chance because of a boyfriend, a fear of the unknown, or any other dumb reason you keep coming up with. There is no good reason not to go abroad. None.

Unless, of course, you like the idea of spending your post college years sitting on your couch, watching the Travel Channel and crying about never having seen those things first hand.