Remember when you were a freshman and lived in a dorm that smelled like mildew? Well check out Dakota Fanning’s freshman crib. She has a two-bedroom apartment all to herself. At many colleges, all freshman are required to live on campus, but I guess that doesn’t apply when you’ve been in The Cat in the Hat. It’s probably going to be amazing living in that apartment her freshman year, but she’s also going to miss a lot of things many freshman get to experience, so there’s a lot of pros and cons about having that apartment (although I would have totally taken that place if someone offered it to me freshman year). Read More »

You finally made it over to the bed. His shirt is off, your underwear is soaring across the room. The lights are dim. The bed is quickly being destroyed. Lips are locked and you’re ready for sexy time. And then you hear the tap, tap, tap at the door.

Ah, interruptions during sex.

Everyone hates it, but in college, it seems unavoidable.  Maybe college students just don’t have the decorum to realize that if the door is shut, locked, and the person inside is yelling and pleading for you to go away, you should just walk away. Or perhaps since most college students are used to sharing everything from computer labs to showers, they think trying to walk in on their roommates sexy time is a-ok.

Seriously, whenever my boyfriend and I are trying to have some alone time, one of his three idiot roommates ruins the moment. It is usually like clockwork. If one of them isn’t sliding pennies under the door (yes, this happens. It’s strange, I know) to get my boyfriend’s attention, it is his annoyingly pompous roommate knocking to “inquire” about a bill. Oh, and my personal favorite is when they need to borrow my boyfriend’s stapler. It’s 1am on a Saturday, why the hell do you need a stapler?

If we wanted them to join, I’m sure we would leave the door open. But we don’t. And I don’t get it. If we just said goodnight twenty minutes ago, why are you sliding pennies under the door? What is it that makes people so oblivious to the need of alone time with a significant other? Maybe human beings secretly enjoy ruining the moment for someone; a little satisfaction knowing that a simple interruption can make a couple lose the desire for the moment. Or maybe that need for the stapler really is that imperative. Read More »

Study hard, play hard – right? College is a major balancing act. It’s delegating what needs to get done and when, setting priorities and holding yourself to deadlines. And after a long week of working hard (attending class, writing papers, and staying ahead in the reading, just to name a few tasks), it is no wonder that college students have a reputation of wanting to party.

No one should be expected to sit in the library or stare at their dorm room walls every day of the week with their nose in a book. Everyone needs something that helps them unwind, especially on the weekends.

Sometimes finding something to do – especially on a campus where parties are a rare occasion -  is hard. I knew when I signed my life away as a Hollins woman, I was going to be living in Roanoke, Virginia,and that I wouldn’t have a big city as my playground on the weekend. I knew I wasn’t attending a huge state school where fraternity parties are the social factor and that club activities would be endless. As a prospective, I remember asking about the student life on the weekends only to hear the same fib that my fellow peers heard themselves as prospective students: “Don’t worry about it, you will always find something going on.”

Oh, but that is very far from the truth. Options on campus are very bleak. From the first weekend as a first year, I realized as no one was around on the weekends I would have to be entirely responsible for finding something to do Friday and Saturday nights. While not feeling bogged down by having too many social activities planned, I like that Hollins has a sleepy atmosphere (especially for those weekends I need to do a lot of work), but for the most part – I don’t understand why we can’t have some sort of decent entertainment when the weekend rolls around.

Read More »

It’s Superbowl season and you know what that means. Well, if you’re me it means nothing as I hate sports, but to others it’s the season of greasy snack food, beer, and two toned shirts.

And to retailers it’s the season to lower prices on TVs.

Yes, this is the season to buy a new TV.  As this is one of the largest viewing events of the year, the prices of TVs are being slashed to make purchasing that new set as easy as possible for that avid football nut. I mean, it’s far easier to convince your wife/girlfriend/sig other that it’s a good buy when it’s $500 off (after mail in rebates).

But even if you’re not really into the game, now would still be a good time to upgrade from that old tube set. Flat screen TVs are easier to fit into small spaces, provide a much better picture and are just so pretty. Below are some pretty fantastic deals happening now. Read More »

Craigslist has become something of a staple in the 18-24 lifestyle. I admit without shame that my current roommates and I were set up through the website. It’s got a little bit of everything, so long as you’re smart about it. Can’t trust everyone, remember, so use your judgment, but it’s good for tons of stuff if used carefully.

You need an apartment? Want to sell your furniture? Need a date for this weekend? Looking for a random job on the side, or maybe job, period? Voila. One website has made it possible to kill about forty-seven birds with one stone, AND you get to search by city. How convenient!

But of late, Craigslist has become notably more useful for killing time and sheer entertainment. That’s right, if you haven’t already guessed, the Missed Connections section. See here for one of the “Best of Craigslist” postings that you can’t help but chuckle over, or pray won’t be you. Read More »

“Good Morning Upper East Siders…It’s Gossip Girl here...”

Similar to the infamous and mysterious Gossip Girl, I too can wake up in the morning, open my curtains, and look out over a street that is located in the idealized glamorous neighborhood of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. But, unlike Blair, Serena, and the other over-privileged characters, my window looks out over the street from my fourth floor tiny studio…in a walk up building (this means i climb four flights of stairs everytime I come home to my apt, no elevator).

You may be wondering how this is possible for a recent college graduate struggling to make it in the most expensive city in the world to be living in such close proximity to those who live the wealthiest and most luxurious lifestyle imaginable.

Well, contrary to what many people think, beyond the extravagant buildings and penthouses occupied by the rich, this area is actually one of the most affordable in the city for young adults. Why? Many prewar walk up buildings (like mine) that are older, lack an elevator and doorman, and are closer to the river (a farther walk to the subway) are in this area. Read More »

I Love New York.

No, I am not talking about the VH1 show, or the person (really, who is named New York?), but rather, I love New York City. The diversity, the nightlife, the arts, the shopping- NYC is the ideal city… if you’re crapping out money, that is.

A cozy apartment, dinners at the trendiest restaurants and of course, as many Manolo’s and Jimmy Choo’s that will fit into my apartment. If that was life as a journalist for Carrie Bradshaw, then surely, my life couldn’t be much different. My biggest challenge would obviously be learning how to run down 5th avenue in heels or pull off that black bra/white shirt combo that she made look so effortlessly cool.

Just when I was about to boycott Sarah Jessica Parker for giving me false hopes, Urban Hostess looks like it can make my dream a reality. Read More »

I have these neighbors. On both sides. Who are horrible.

My roommate and I call our apartment the Bermuda Triangle of Loud. We call it that because both sets of neighbors are completely and totally oblivious to the fact that they’re living in a place where the walls are as thin as cardboard.

On one side we’ve got the couple who scream obscenities at each other at midnight, throw things, and watch horror movies into the wee hours of the morning, forcing my roommate to close her eyes to the sound of people getting their heads ripped off. On the other side we’ve got a posse of flipped-collared college boys who can’t be any older than 22, throwing ginormous parties every day of the week (and who pee off their balcony when drunk).

Now, I’m a big believer in letting people live their life how they see fit, but when it starts to interrupt my daily activities (and my roommate’s dreams), I get pissed. How does one not understand the basic rules of living in an apartment? How is one so rude that they just don’t care? And most importantly, how should I go about telling them off?

If you’ve got noisy neighbors (and those of you moving into college for the first time next year most likely will), there’s a few ways to go about it.

At first, give it some time. Not everyone is used to close quarters living, and some people may not even know they’re being as obnoxious as they are. Let them settle in, get the hang of the place, before deciding you live next to idiots. Read More »

Every morning I wake up to the Daily Candy newsletter in my inbox. Usually I quickly scan through whatever new hip or trendy information it dispenses, but don’t really take too much from it. That all changed the other day when I read about a new website called usedcardboardboxes.com.

After four years of moving my whole life in and out of dorms and apartments every few months, I became a pro at packing and unpacking. Yet, I always seemed to reach a point towards the end where I would just throw clothes and shoes in a garbage bag and throw it in my car. Needless to say, it was not the most organized way to pack.

If only I had known about this website where you can preorder a moving kit that includes, medium, large, and XL boxes, packing tape, packing paper, sharpies, and a box cutter. You can also choose the size of the kit depending on where you are moving from or to. Whether it’s a dorm or a six bedroom apt, they’ve got you covered.

Read More »

Moving SUCKS. In any capacity, really — from apartment to apartment, dorm room to home room, home room to dorm room, even across a room. Generally, I try to move as little as possible.

So when I was told by my landlord that I needed to be out of my apartment by May 31st because of “renovations,” I was a little upset. To add insult to injury, the landlord also informed me that these “renovations,” which include but are not limited to things like granite countertops and slate flooring (things a college student really needs!), would cause my little studio’s rent to increase by $150.

Not. Cool. I had no choice but to move.

Despite my bitterness over being uprooted so suddenly and heartlessly, I tried not let the situation stress me out. The entire year, I had prided myself on living lightly, frugally — It seemed as if my only possessions were a frying pan, a laptop, and a rainbow assortment of tank tops. Moving, I thought, would be a cinch. Just throw everything into a box and haul ass. Read More »