After months of sweltering heat and humidity in New York City, I am officially ready for fall—bring on the pumpkin lattes, cozy sweaters and crisp air. And the best part about the changing seasons? An excuse to go stock up on back to school fall essentials. And I’m not talking about school supplies (though I do miss the thrill of purchasing fresh erasers and binders). I’m talking about some rockin’ new outfits to help start the semester right!

Accessories are the easiest way to keep your rotating pieces looking bold an on-trend. When they’re from Payless, you don’t need to drain your piggy bank for cool new looks. You can mix up your go-to looks with bags, cute new shoes and awesomely glitz and glam jewelry. After a few purchases, you’ll swear you have a whole new wardrobe.

All of the fall finishing-touch accessories in the following looks are available at Payless and brashgirl.com and are from the retailer’s new edgy brand — Brash!

 So you’re off to class and want to add a little something something to your outfit…here’s what you should wear!

Product Info: Tee: American Eagle, $15.50; Jeans: American Eagle, $29.99; Earrings: Payless, $7.99;  Ring: Payless, $9.99;  Bag: Payless, $29.99; Trench: Banana Republic, $198; Shoes: Payless, $17.99

It’s that magical night when a knight in shining armor that kid who lives down the hall changes out of mesh shorts and take you on a date…here’s what you should wear!

Product Info: Cami: J.Crew, $65; Ring: Payless, $12.99; Jeans: Gap, $69.50; Necklace: Payless, $12.99; Bag: Payless, $22.99; Pumps: Payless, $29.99

It’s Sunday night and that means it’s time to crack open the books and head to your study group…here’s what you should wear!

Product Info: Necklace: Payless, $9.99; Top: J.Crew, $45; Shorts: Hollister, $39.50; Earrings: Payless, $7.99; Shoes: Payless, $29.99

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Whether you’re heading back to school, entering the college atmosphere for the first time ever as a freshman, or maybe you’ve already graduated and just wish you were still back at school, CollegeCandy has everything you need to go back to school in the know, in style and with some great conversation starters.

• Need some dorm decorating tips to bring your 10×10 abode to the next level? We’ll get you started.
• Feel like a naive Freshman but don’t want people to see you that way? Take some advice from an upperclassman.
• Want to throw an impressive party to meet some new people (and hopefully some lifelong friends)? We’ve got all the tips on how to dress, how to act, and even how to drink.

I mean, let’s be honest: we all wish it could be summer forever, but eventually the time of papers, lab partners, and sorority sisters returns. Good thing you have all of us here at CollegeCandy to help you get back into the swing of things!

Click right here to check out our back to school section!

It’s the start of a new school year and to honor that, we at CollegeCandy are bringing back our favorite series, “We’ve All Been There.” Every week, Lauren – University of Michigan will comment on the common experiences all college women share, like the dreaded move-in day, including some new ones thrown into the mix.

You’ve spent the last 3 nights enjoying the free booze freedom that Welcome Week allows, but as you wake up with the garbage can next to your bed – again – you realize it might be time to buckle down. Classes are looming ever closer and not only can your body not handle another 12-hour hangover, you’ve got a lot of stuff to prepare before those 18 credits take over your life.

So while your friends watch another SATC marathon/discuss what they’re going to wear to the night’s festivities, you grab your schedule and head out for something a little more….fun: school supplies shopping (!!).

Most people wouldn’t find this particular type of shopping exciting, but back-to-school shopping has been the highlight of your Augusts since you were 6 years old. The smell of fresh books, the feel of a new (medium point) pen as it runs across the pages of a fresh, crisp college-ruled notebook. The richness of a new, juicy highlighter. You can’t wait to get it all home and organized for the first day of classes.

You skip through the aisles of Office Depot (or the campus bookstore if you’re smart and you can use your campus card…that your parents pay for) picking up color-coordinated notebooks and folders. You grab a pack of highlighters then, feeling ambitious, pick up one more. You plan on doing all your reading this semester – you need to be prepared. You grab your favorite pens (uni-ball vision elite, what what), a pack of pencils, the super pack of Sharpies (Ok, so this one is for game-day shirts, but whatever), then move onto the planners.

You’re picky about your planners. There needs to be both “Month at a Glance” and “Week View.” You need to be able to see when exams are coming so you can start studying early, but also have plenty of space to write down (and cross off when you’re finished) the important daily assignments. You need to stay organized so you can kick some ass this semester. So you spend 10 minutes staring at the planner display before you pick one out (“WHA? Planners are $30!), put that one down and pick another.

Once you’ve got all your supplies, you head back home (where you find your roommates passed out on the couch with an empty pizza box on the floor) to organize. You label the notebooks and folders, fill out the information card in the front of your planner, and put all your new pens/pencils/highlighters into your bag.

On the first day of class, you are on top of everything. You arrive early, you copy all important dates from your syllabus to your planner, you organize all your papers into the correct folders and even take serious notes in class. You know what to do and when to do it and you are excited for all the learning that is to come this semester.

But then the second week rolls around and you still haven’t purchased your books let alone highlighted in them. Then you start rolling into class five minutes after it starts. And then you have some quizzes, which are a surprise to you since you have no idea where your planner went. By the time midterms arrive, you’re back into your old all-nighter habits, praying you make it out of the semester alive.

Yeah, we’ve all been there. At least you had good intentions.

One of my favorite places to shop before school is J.Crew.  Everything about it is sophisticated, fresh and fabulous.  But my only issue with the store is that all that sophistication doesn’t come cheap. Sometimes I’ll walk in, pick up a cute skinny belt for my new pencil skirt (from Marshalls…), look at the price tag and try not to strangle myself with it.  $89 dollars for a string of leather???

As I repeat to myself, There are people starving in Africa, there are people starving in Africa, I promptly leave the store empty handed, looking wistfully back at the perfectly put together outfits in the window.

But thanks to store turnover and a whole new crop of Fall fashion pouring into J. Crew stock rooms nationwide, I can finally fulfill my J. Crew dreams. Yes, it’s time for their end-of-summer sale they’ve got some really great goodies to offer, all under $20!  I even spotted a leather skinny belt! Let the celebration commence.

I am totally for this all-over-mini-ruffles flirty number. The neon elastic waistband makes a perfect fit for tucking in (with a cute white tee), or going casual.  I’m loving the stone blue color for fall as well; with a cute pair of tights this skirt can be transformed into the perfect fall outfit.

Imagine this: sitting in the nearest coffee shop, poring over your laptop, sipping a latte….wearing this. Isn’t that a perfectly painted picture? That’s immediately what I thought of when this beautiful double knit sweater graced me with its presence.  It’s an easy pullover for a chilly day, sheer, and super soft (for all of those cute boys hanging all over you in the quad).

This rocker-glam inspired accessory is perfectly balanced with the super feminine attitude of the skinny belt. I love it! It also comes in mustard yellow (i.e. bronzed avocado). Buying Tip: It’s designed to be worn on the natural waist, so get a size bigger if you want to wear it lower.

I am a BIG fan of cardigans for fall. Or always.  And I am constantly looking for another one to liven up my layering.  This one is the perfect color to brighten up those dreary fall days and cropped to perfection. It will look adorable with flats and a light-weight scarf. And can you see the chic add-on of those blingin’ buttons? Heaven.

While some people think tie-dye should stay at summer camp, JCrew proves that it can look modern and chic. You can wear it (like the picture) tucked into a skirt, or pair it with a pair of dark wash jeans. Beautiful. And is it just me or does it look extremely comfortable??  Hurry before this gem sells out!

This is such a dream come true! This sweet, dressy rendition of a romper can be dressed up with tights or dressed down with a straw fedora. Can you hear my excited squeals?? You could wear this flirty frock with classic kicks or sweet flip flops.  It’s so versatile and fresh, it will be hard to pass up (especially since it’s only $19.99!).

In a world full of blazers, this is a perfect casual alternative. This silk cardigan looks extremely comfortable, it’s fashion-forward, has front pockets, and would look so fab with all of those simple knit tops I always end up buying. Hmmm, yummy.

Of course, I couldn’t leave this funky and sweet skirt out of the mix.  It’s a triple threat of F: flirty, flattering and fuss-free.  It would look adorable with a loose-fitted button up or with a simple tee.  And, thanks to the built-in bikini, you can jump in that pile of leaves without worry of showing the world your lady bits.

However, amidst all that excitement, there’s one gray cloud looming: you’ll be leaving your best friends from home behind.

No matter how much fun we have with our school best friends, it always sucks to leave behind your home BFFs – the girls and guys you grew up with, who know all about the times you made a fool of yourself in 9^th grade homeroom, and whom you can still go out with and have a good time. It especially sucks after a summer spent with them, when you’ve gotten used to seeing them on a daily basis, and you know that when school starts things will be different. Because let’s be honest: despite all of our best intentions to stay in touch with our BFFs during the academic year, it’s usually pretty tough. Between the parties and the actual work, it’s easy to start speaking only once a week or learning about one another’s lives through Newsfeed.

For those of you who are bummed about leaving behind your best girlfriends, don’t worry – you still have a few more weeks of summertime fun left, which means plenty of time to stock up on some serious BFF bonding sessions. So here is a list of things you should make time to do with your girls before you’re all back in school, back in the grind, and back to intermittent IMs.

1. Make dinner together.
Whether you’re a cook or not, I guarantee you and your girlfriends will have a good time making dinner together. Choose a yummy meal that is also pretty easy to make (no reason to get in over your head), and let the fun begin. Me and my friends do it every few months that we can all get together, and we absolutely love how cute and kitchsy we feel making our own dinner. Go food shopping together, get a bottle of wine, and give each other cooking jobs. Just please, trust me on this one, try to have at least one person who knows what they’re doing.

2. Have a sleepover.
Remember when you were 13 and you begged your parents every weekend to let your best friends sleep over? Well, now that we’re in college, we have sleepovers on the reg – but they’re  usually of the drunken variety, when one of us is too hammered to get ourselves home in one piece. These are always fun, no doubt about that, but try doing it with your friends when you’re all sober. Watch funny movies, eat popcorn and ice cream, play your favorite childhood board games, talk about that cute guy you hooked up with last week, and get through the night without someone throwing up in the bathroom. You’ll feel like you’re in middle school all over again. Only with bigger boobs and better stories.

3. Go out – ALL of you.
Pick a date, make sure all of your girls have off of work, and go somewhere fun (instead of just the local bar you’ve been frequenting all summer). Get dressed up in cute dresses, heels, do your hair… and get wasted. Everyone, no excuses allowed. Have that one last night of drunken debauchery to have something fun to talk about with your roommates on the first day back.

4. Road Trip to the Outlets.
Since you obv have to show up at school wearing something cute and new, a shopping trip before the semester starts is a must. And a shopping trip that involves tons of cheap threads and a mini-roadtrip is a BFF bonding mega-must. You’ve got girl time, fashion shows, Auntie Anne’s pretzels and a ton of new duds to show off during Welcome Week.

5. Make legit plans to visit each other.
At the end of the summer when you’re with all of your friends, you’re all inevitably going to talk about how much you’re all going to visit each other. And 85% of the time, it doesn’t happe. Take out your calendars and set a date for a reunion. It can be at one of your schools, back at home, or at some fun and fabulous destination (Vegas, anyone?!), just as long as it happens.

I remember the days of running around Bed Bath and Beyond with my parents, frantically scrounging the aisle for that perfect plastic bin to stash all of my Ramen. Talk about a brutally long scene of events.  I stood in the florescent-lit aisles of so many department stores I started dreaming about shower caddies, futon throw blankets and Audrey Hepburn posters.

However, my parents were more than generous when they stashed the cart with college-goodies.  Especially food.  I think my mother thought I was going to eat all my food the first day, never have the desire/money to buy anymore and end up looking like a famished kid come Christmas.  Bless their hearts, ma and pa provided me with everything I would ever need in a my 8X8 dorm room.

And they didn’t even realize the half of it.

Although my parents made sure I had just about everything to satisfy my college-soul when I hightailed it to party-town, there are some sneaky things they didn’t even realize they’d purchased.  I’m not saying I smuggled a box of Trojans in between my binders; I’m simply stating there are some things out there your mama and papa can buy you that serve a college purpose they’ll never know or understand.

Allow me to explain.
Note: I really hope my mother never reads this. I love you, Ma!

1. Bed Sheets
As you cruise the household aisles for the sheets, make sure to snag some with the highest thread count best potential for toga parties. Read: a solid set. How will the parental units ever know?  My mom always insisted I had an extra set of sheets “just in case I never had the time/drive to wash ‘em.” What mama didn’t know, however, is that changing a set of sheets on a dorm bunk is a lot less satisfying (and a lot more work!) then looking positively fabulous at your first college toga party.

2. Plywood Board
This is easy; all you have to do is tell your parents the bottom of your bunk sinks in when you sleep on it. Then boom, you have a make-shift beer pong table. Before you know it, you will be bouncing ping pong balls (those you probably have to buy on your own will) and sipping warm Keystone from a red cup. In your own dorm room. ‘Where the party at?’ is your new motto.

3. Socks
What other reason would your parents think of where you would need socks – other than keeping your feet warm and stank-free? The sock on the door trick when you’re getting busy in the bedroom? Exactly, my friend.

4. White Bar Soap/Whiteout
With all that personal decorating in college (i.e. posters, re-arranging massive dressers, etc.) nicks on the wall come in packs of HUGE.  And you know what that equals: lots of money come the end of the semester to repair. But with some handy bar soap or a nice bottle of Whiteout, you won’t have to tell daddy-o he needs to match the paint (or write another check) after you terrorized your room while when you ripped the posters from the wall in a drunken rage the other night. All you gotta do is take that bar of soap your parents bought you in September and fill in the holes in the walls. Voila.

5. Snorkel
Come Spring Break season, parents won’t bat an eyelash when you beg them for a snorkel for your Cancun trip. You want to see the coral reef, the wildlife, the ocean. Where is the harm in that? Before you know it, you will be examining the Nemo’s under the sea filtering keg beer into the snorkel’s spout to the tune of ‘Freshman, Freshman!’ coming from the surrounding crowd.

6. Fruit
There’s this delicacy I like to call WHM…

7. Garbage Bags / Dawn Dish Soap
My freshman year, a ton of students took to the quad late at night with dish soap and garbage bags.  No, they did not scrub the sidewalks and pick up empty beer cans.  They constructed a slip n’ slide. If you want to be as awesome as they were for creating one of the messiest and happiest nights of my life, match their stride. Load up on the bags, ladies.

8. Permanent Markers
You want to label your folders, work on school presentations, or do art projects…. on people’s faces/your brand new beer pong table (See #2).

9. Birth Control Pill
My mom still thinks I am on birth control to regulate my period while living around so many other women. And I just keep letting her believe it.

10. Vitamin Water
“But Mom, when I work out I want to gain back all of those healthy electrolytes so I can efficiently study.” Except replace “work out” with “follow a tequila shot with a keg stand and then come home at 3am with only one shoe and a slice of pizza in my purse.”

[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 BadDateTV; Beauty Story; and Dear Blank, Please Blank) 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.]

It’s already August (I know, where did the summer go?!), and in just a few short weeks, most of you will be heading back to school.  Which means now is the perfect time to start your back-to-school shopping!  Sure, all you new freshmen will definitely have more that you need to buy than those baller upperclassmen, but even if you’ve been at school for year or two, I’m sure there’s still a few new things you’ll need to get before you move back into the dorms or that sick new off-campus party pad.

Pretty much every store has sales on back-to-school essentials this time of year, so you could just head to Bed Bath & Beyond or Walmart to pick up everything you need.  But that’s not always the best option, especially if you go to school in a major city like I did and you don’t have a car. (Or if the people of Walmart scare you…)  Let me tell you, lugging giant Target and JC Penney bags on to the NYC subway and bus wasn’t exactly easy (or fun).  The website Homeslyce, however, makes the whole process a lot easier by helping find the items you’ll need and collaborate with your roommate (or roommates) online.

The first step in using Homeslyce is for you and your roommate(s) to each create your own account.  Once you add each other as roommates (by entering the other’s e-mail in the “collaborate” step), you can start shopping.  Homeslyce makes it easy with a “shopping list”: a list of common items needed for a college student’s dorm or apartment, split into categories such as furniture and bed & bath.

You can use the shopping list to choose each item individually, but Homeslyce has the great option to choose one of their premade themes – lists of items based on your individual personality and lifestyle – to help you get started.  Each theme also contains some basic items that everyone will need, such as extra-long twin sheets and hangers.  And don’t worry – no matter which theme you select, you can still add, swap out, and delete items from your cart.

Once you’ve finished picking out all your new stuff, the second step is to collaborate with your roomie.  Simply choose which items you’ll pay for and those she’ll pay for.  There’s also the option to split the cost of certain items (one person will still be responsible for paying for the whole thing, but Homeslyce tells you exactly how much each person owes and sends out reminder e-mails!), which makes things way less awkward on move-in day.  When you continue onto checkout, Homeslyce personalizes the order for each of you based on how you split things up in the previous step.  Simply pay for your share for the items (through Amazon), and that’s it!

All you have to do now is wait for your items to arrive at your door…then pay some poor frat boys with pizza to help you lug it all in to your swanky new home.

Homeslyce is an awesome resource for all you lucky fools who get to call college home and will definitely make shopping for your new dorm or apartment a whole lot easier.  I only wish it existed when I was moving into the dorms!

I. Heart. School supplies.

Yes, we know summertime can be oh-so-sweet, but now it’s August and summer’s winding down with school just around the corner. As much as summer rules, from the beach to margaritas, there are so many perks to heading back to campus and gearing up for classes.

Here are the top 10 reasons that you can feel good about ditching the bikini for some books!

10. School Supplies
Is there anything sweeter than shopping for new pencils and binders? And highlighters? And an adorable bag to carry it all in? I love back to school shopping for supplies solely because I love thinking of new ways to organize.. and then obviously not following through with any of it come the first day of school. But still – gotta love the crisp pages of a new notebook. Sigh.

9. Dorm/Apartment Shopping
After stocking up on post-its of all colors, there’s no better excuse than back to school to get some brand new decorative pieces for your dorm and apartment. Low on space? Check out the container store, definitely a top fave. Want fun, quirky decorations? Check out Anthropologie’s sales!

8.  School sports
Get pumped for football, hockey and basketball. Even if your school isn’t a Div I college, it’s still amazing to pre-party bond over some sport, even if it’s just squash.

7. Fall clothes
So over shorts and tanks? Slip into some cute new jeans, sweaters, dresses and jackets. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve had it with my gladiator sandals. I can’t wait to bust out my boots and scarves again!

6. Exciting (or not) new classes
Okay, so maybe Bio 101 isn’t exactly riveting stuff, but new classes mean new potential friends (and boys!), kickass profs (and boys!) and absorbing all sorts of interesting educational material (and boys!). Cause that’s what college is all about, right? Or…

5. Excuses to drink…
From keggers to birthday parties to pre-gaming absolutely any activity (like another pre-game), this is the only time in your life where you can justify drinking in the middle of a weekday. Live it up.

4. Seeing everyone again
How much does it suck when you go home in the summer and all your college besties are hundreds of miles away, totally out of your reach? Reuniting with your group of friends is an amazing feeling, not to mention meeting back up with those…

3. College crushes
A whole new year to get at that cutie from your Sociology class. Leave the hometown kid behind and move back to your college squeeze!

2. Something to do every single night
There’s always something happening on college campuses, whether it’s a comedy show, concerts, sports games, parties… it’s hard to not be busy, busy when you’re back at school. No more summer boredom blues wasted away watching reruns of the Kardashians! (Or, at least if you are watching, you’re doing it with your friends which makes it infinitely better….and more acceptable.)

1. Complete. Freedom.
Kick back, crack open a beer (in the shower) and breathe a sigh of relief. You’re back on your own! No more parentals scrutinizing your every move or a summer job to tie you up at all hours. You’re back on college time. Finally!

[Meet Margaret. She's a recent high school grad gearing up for her first year at Yale. We'll check in with her every week to see what she's doing, who she's Facebook stalkin', what she's packing, and what new college surprises she's tackling (or freaking out about) next. Oh, to be an incoming freshman again....]

Dorm shopping is kinda like going on a safari. Not just because there are waaaay too many sheet sets out there with zebra print on them (you guys, zebra print can be totally cute, but no doubt it also is reminiscent of Austin Powers’ sex pad which is kinda less than groovy…unless that’s what you’re into), but also because it is so overwhelming and exhilarating you kinda don’t know what to do with yourself.

I mean, with “I Heart College!” Bed, Bath & Beyond ads hitting your mailbox every week, it’s hard not to buy that cushioned toilet seat or $26 stainless steel trashcan. I just wanna look super fly come college time and every little thing counts, even a steel trash receptacle.

But from the mouth of a wise woman (my mom): “Darling, if you really want it we can get it. But don’t be stupid.” Real talk: We all want to walk into college with swagger, but a steel trash can probably will not accomplish that. Nor will a cushioned toilet seat, much as your ass (or face, after a long night at the frats) would beg to differ.

So fellow freshmen, unless you’re Emma Watson and have Harry Potter cash to blow, let’s consider what we really need before we get sucked into Target’s cute dorm deco displays:

-Sheets: You could potentially be using these sheets all 4 years, so make sure you get ones that will last. Feel the sheets before you buy them. A lot of times, sheets will be incredibly cute but ultra scratchy, which isn’t exactly prime for helping you sleep. Also consider the fact that your bedding probably has a high chance of getting gross stuff on it (Spaghetti-O’s, Easy Mac, barf…..), in which case a snowy white comforter may not be your best option. Quality is important when it comes to sheets; don’t waste money buying multiple crap bedsets rather than just buying one nice bedset.

-Trashcan: Quality is not so important here. Find a decent looking plastic one. (Editor’s Note: Avoid a mesh one. Just trust me on this.)

-Hangers: Tiny shared closets and too much clothing? Get attachable hangers; they enable you to hang more clothes than you normally could, saving you valuable space.

-Laundry Hampers: Plastic basket or mesh bag? Up to you. You can put folded clothes back into the baskets… but the mesh bags are easier to hold, take up less space, and are more flexible to allow a month’s worth of clothing to be stuffed inside.

-Picture frames and the like: Get them at TJ Maxx or a similar store. They have pretty high quality and cute picture frames there, but at a much lower price. Just remember: you won’t be able to nail ‘em in the walls, so don’t go too crazy stocking up.

-Shower caddies: They all accomplish the same thing and are generally pretty durable; don’t blow your cash on these. THEY WILL BE ON THE NASTY SHOWER FLOOR.

-Chairs: A lot of dorm rooms are kinda small so figure out if you can fit a chair in before you buy one. (As a sidenote, so many colleges have stores nearby where you can buy things to furnish your dorms. You may want to wait until you move-in to see if you need/have room for things like a chair, a rug, a futon, etc.)

-Storage boxes/racks: In a room this small, you’re going to need to be organized. But when it comes to storage boxes/racks/organization ish, plan ahead what you’ll use each one for. That will make unpacking – and living – a lot easier. And don’t go too overboard. We’re never as organized in real life as we picture ourselves to be.

-Desk Lamp: Living with a roommate, this is a major essential. Look for one that won’t overheat your area (fluorescent bulbs usually help with that) and can be adjusted for different lighting conditions. Try not to be tempted by totally cute but totally overpriced modern art desk lamps. It’s hard, I know.

-Decorative pillows: Okay you don’t really need them. Yes, they look so cute.  I know. Yeah, the ones from Anthropologie are amazing. But let’s be honest. No.

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