Living in the dorms is one of the most essential college experiences. Years from now, you’ll tell your friends and family of all your adventures and mishaps. You’ll never forget those obnoxious fire-drills at 3 am, the industrial blue carpeting, how hard it was for you to climb up into your bed…whilst drunk.

Most of all, when you look back you’ll remember the people you spent these times with, and all the friends you made. But when it comes to dorm buddies, there are the good friends (they don’t steal your shampoo and they grasp the concept of hygiene) and then there are your dorm BFF’s…

The Aspiring DJ: As annoying as his incessant Facebook messaging may be, the DJ is a good dorm friend to have. Not only does he have vast knowledge of the hottest clubs in town, he knows the cheapest best nights to go. His iTunes shared library is effing awesome and he’s always happy to demo his spinning skillz at whatever event you’re hosting (AKA whatever themed pre-party you’re having in your room, he’s happy to bring an equally festive mastermix). Not only is he the life of the party with his hilarious and entertaining personality, but he has a special place in his heart for nightly AYCD party buses. He wants as many of his friends at all his gigs as possible, so you’re always on the V.I.P. list when he MC’s at da club.

The Girl Who Always Has a Package Waiting: Of the UPS variety, not the Fruit of the Loom variety (trust me, that girl is not your BFF). She always has a message from your R.A. on her whiteboard “Package downstairs!” She always seems to be carrying a massive box up the stairs, and you, by all means, should help her carry that package. Because when she excitedly opens whatever baked goods/ treats her mom has sent her, she will inevitably share out of gratitude. The more you get to know this new friend, the more you’ll realize that Mom’s separation anxiety translates into brownies…and cookies, and peanut brittle and cupcakes. Girlfriend can’t possibly eat all that homesickness herself or she won’t be able to fit through the door to pick up her never ending stream of snail mail lovin’. This is where you need to be a good friend and split some of those ooey gooey calories… for her sake.

Your Study Buddy: When your R.A. inevitably slips a note under your door calling you to a mandatory hall meeting, do not sigh and lament this as time you’ll lose partying. Rather, prepare yourself for fun filled games like “two truths and a lie,” “guess who I am by what I wrote on this slip of paper,” and, my personal favorite, “sit in a circle and say your name and major.” The last one is particularly important, and you will want to listen very carefully for everyone with the same majors as you—they are your new study buddies.

You’ll have to take the same classes for the next four years, and even if you’re not in the same section, you can all help each other with specific assignments, studying for tests, sharing expensive books and occasionally e-mail each other to find out what you missed in class (obvi only applies if you’re in the same class). Be good to your study buddies, do not take advantage of them, and do unto your stubu as they would do unto you.

The girl Who Had Two U-Hauls on Move-In Day: Your little sis marveled at the amount of stuff some people could bring with them. Your parents silently thanked God that they didn’t have to help you move that much crap. You caught yourself thinking “Lucky Bitch won’t have to go to the gym later after carrying all those boxes up stairs.” You didn’t think much else about her until one night, as you were drifting off to sleep in your twin XL, you pondered what she possibly could have needed 2 trailers for. After all, the dorm came with furniture and a mini fridge. You managed to fit all your extra stuff in your backseat and your parents trunk. The only thing you could possibly think of is that she must have just needed an extra one for all her shoes, clothes and purses.

Bingo! You saunter down the hall to introduce yourself and see her clothes spilling out of her drawers, closet and falling off of her clothes rack. So exasperated is she by her need to organize all her (super freaking cute) stuff, that now would be a good time for you to generously offer some of your closet space. Perhaps you could store some of her dresses in your fave color and shoes in your size? Seriously, you are such a good friend.

The Guy With the Really Good Fake: You know who I’m talking about. About 6’3, brown hair, full beard, wears Dad shorts? Yea, him. Chances are, he’s had his fake I.D. since he turned 13…and he’s never been turned down. He’ll be the one hosting most of the dorm parties and pregames, due to his close relationship with Steve from Megadiscountliquor Barn. Be very polite to him, as he is using his gas money and incredibly valuable time to go on beer runs for you. Be prepared to pay a nominal convenience fee (but if he tries to charge you more than $5 extra take your business elsewhere) and never look him in the eye. Tell him Kari sent you—he’ll know what you’re talking about.

What kind of friends would you love to make in your dorm? What kind of dorm BFF are you? Know any of these people (especially the girl with all the clothes!)?

Two guys, in the dining hall, sitting over empty plates:

“What are we doing tonight?”

“Dan’s probably going on a beer run. I think there are a few parties up at the apartments. I wanna get crunk.”

“Definitely, man. Gonna rock it.”

After a moment:

“We’re playing Magic tonight, aren’t we?”

“Yeah. Probably.”

Two girls at a party:

“It’s not ‘yes’. I’m drinking. It can’t be yes if I’m drinking.”

“Can you just say ‘yes’ now?”

“But I won’t be be able to say ‘no’ later.”

“You wouldn’t say ‘no’ anyway, would you?”

“No. No, I probably wouldn’t.”

Nearby, the boy with his arm around one girl looks terribly uncomfortable.

One frat boy, from across the library: “Burrito?”

Many frat boys, holding burritos: “BURRITO!”

“So, like, bondage?”

“No, no. How about this. We pretend the bed is a rocket ship, and that we’re all astronauts. And we can only talk with our short-wave radios. And every time we talk dirty, we have to say ‘over and out’.”

One dude talks across a lunch table:

“Talking about relationships is easy. I think drawing diagrams really helps.”

A pause.

“Maybe I’m not the best person to be talking to about this.”

Outraged girl, storming over to the table with a newspaper:

“Since when are furries animals?”

The girl, upon further inspection, has a tail attached to her belt.

At a party, a couple is on the floor, in the middle of the room, making out.

Bystander: “Are they fine?”

Other bystander: “How are you guys doing?”

They keep making out, despite the circle of people around them.

“Yeah, I think they’re fine.”

Oh, yeah, and the academic part – that’s why you’re technically there in the first place, right?

With all the constant chaos surrounding your collegiate career, it can be tough to focus on academics and classes. But getting good grades and succeeding academically is paramount; aside from just keeping a high GPA to satisfy your own standards, it’s essential for financial aid, keeping the parents at bay, and most of all, building a future career that excludes slinging fast food. Here are some tips to ensure A’s.

Be organized

Being organized is possibly the most crucial thing you can do to boost your grades and buy yourself some precious sanity. Pick up a cute little planner and make it your bible. Unless you’re heading to a bar or a frat party, don’t leave home without it. Mark all significant dates on your calendar, like exams and review sessions. Take a few minutes each week (c’mon, pull your self away from Facebook for five minutes, mama) to review the week ahead. Block off sections of time in advance for studying. Mark in your flurry of social commitments as well so you can manage your time. Make to-do lists daily, and rely on them to structure your days. Keep your oh-so-sexy notebooks and binders sectioned off for your different courses, and use folders to organize all your handouts and readings. A three-hole punch can be a wise investment- less than the cost of a pedi- and slide your review sheets, past tests and course outlines alongside your notes. For super-geeky organization, try color-coding things on your calendar.

Nix the study dates

While studying with your clan can be amusing, it most likely evolves into a gossip session or a beer run. Study on your own, and find a quiet and peaceful place to call home. Scope out a hidden nook in the back of a library and make it your designated study spot.

Allocate your time wisely

Make your time count. Figure out just how much time you can spend socializing, studying and doing other necessary activities, like showering and eating. Be realistic about your time, and allocate your time wisely. Although going with the flow is optimal for a Cali surfer beach bum, it’s not an ideal attitude for a college student.

Network in classes

Be a little Suzy Sunshine and make friends in all of your classes. Exchange digits with a few select reliable pals in each class. It’ll come in handy when you have a question about an upcoming test or need to borrow notes after oversleeping.

Don’t rely on cramming

While cramming is necessary in a pinch, don’t rely on it. Try to study gradually- for an hour or two each day. Its way easier and more effective than a 14-hour caffeine induced all-nighter before your big Poli-Sci exam.

Know when to say no

While you’ll be tempted to accept every invite for shared pizzas, bar crawls and quirky costume parties know your limits and know when to say no. It’s fine to go out for drinks on a Friday night, but heading to a friend’s dorm for cocktails at midnight when you have an 8 am presentation isn’t such a Einstein-esque idea.

Take advantage

Study centers, tutoring programs and centers for academic success are there to help. Take advantage of them! Suck up their knowledge and assistance. These places can help you study, explain a confusing mathematical concept or prepare you for a test.

Get off on the right foot

Implement good study habits from the start. Don’t keep procrastinating and shrugging off deadlines. Its way harder to come out of a slump than it is to maintain positive study habits consistently.

Take note

Take notes. It sounds simple, but many of us become lazy and end up borrowing someone else’s notes. But taking your own notes serves a multitude of purposes. When you take your own notes, you’re actually going to retain more, since you heard the information, interpreted it and physically transcribed it. While stealing notes from someone else seems easier, it can be confusing or downright impossible to read someone else’s handwriting or follow their flow of chosen key words. Plus, taking your own notes keeps you alert and concentrated on what the instructor is saying, instead of daydreaming about the dark-haired hottie three seats up.

Get artsy

Don’t just jot down all the important topics outlined in a lecture – draw graphs, tables, stick figures, landscapes, whatever helps you understand and remember important info. Using arrows, stars and bullets will only enhance and help the data to ‘stick’.

Be religious about the course outline

Course outlines are the key to acing a class. Don’t just toss it to the bottom of your oversized hobo bag – read it several times and keep it with it’s corresponding class binder or notebook. Acing a class is not rocket science – it’s carefully laid out in the class outline. Figure out what percentages of your grade are composed by tests, papers, participation and so forth. Get a feel for the structure and flow of the course so there are no surprises.

Be a test-taking pro

Don’t just show up on test day with your perfectly manicured fingers crossed. Take practice tests, learn process of elimination and take a campus seminar on test taking. If you suffer from test anxiety, don’t just shrug it off as a case of nerves – try some relaxation methods like breathing and meditation to clear your head.

Study at your peak times

Study according to your strengths and peak times. If you’re a night owl whose brain doesn’t start fully functioning until after 10 PM, make sure you’re scheduling your study times for then. If you’re a super-chipper early riser whose mind is clear in the early AM hours, pencil in your course work for the pre-sunrise hours.

Participate

Participate in class discussions. Don’t just sit slouched in class, oblivious to the world while texting suggestively with your new crush. Participate and make your voice heard. Not only will your professor dig you, but you will actually learn more from interacting and listening to the ideas of others.

Choose your seat wisely

Sitting up front is not just for smarmy kiss-asses, and over-eager suck-ups. Sitting up front helps you learn better, period. Sure, you won’t be able to catch a mid-afternoon nap, but it sends the message that your are motivated, mature and not trying to skate by with minimal effort.

Know your learning style

Our brains are all wonderfully, weirdly different. Some people retain best by writing important study phrases repeatedly, others learn by recording it on a tape and hearing it over and over, and some get knowledge to stick with visual cues like graphs, diagrams and flash cards. Determine your best retention method to maximize your study time.

Bust your ass academically, and the rewards will follow. Although it sounds like the corny chanting of your high school guidance counselor, you must apply yourself. While snagging the title of college dropout won’t impress the masses, grabbing honors roll recognition will. And if you do it right, you will have plenty of time for the fun stuff too.

Too much time in the library makes for a very boring 4 years.

Being a girl who spent too much time in her parent’s basement playing games like Chrono Trigger and Yoshi’s Island, I feel like an outsider when I bring up my days of fighting evil and time traveling to anyone out of the loop.

I won’t even mention the looks my roommates gave me when I told them what I plan to be for Halloween this year.

But, I’ve decided to take a stand and stop all of this anti-video game sentiment from girls my age once and for all!

Video games aren’t nerdy. They aren’t difficult. And no, you don’t have to master Halo 3 to get enjoyment out of a gaming system.

If you take the time to look into what’s available for the most novice player, I guarantee that you will find something that you will love, especially on the Nintendo Wii!

That’s why I’ve come up with some games that will surely prove that not all video games require a joystick:

Boogie

Like most Wii games, Boogie gets you off the couch and moving. Like getting inappropriately drunk and making a fool of yourself at Karaoke Night? Save your dignity and do it at home! Boogie comes with it’s own microphone so you can sing along to some old-school classics. Invite your friends from down the hall and make it a group thing.

You’ll be forced to get up and dance…which is so not what you think of when you think “video game”, right?

Perfect!

Big Brain Academy

Big Brain Academy is a perfect for those days (or nights) where you don’t feel like hitting the bars or when you need an excuse to put off your History paper. Designed to assess your “brain weight” over time, BBA has tons of mini-games that will improve your logic, math, reading, and memory skills. It’s totally entertaining to play with a friend or alone.

Bonus: it’s perfect to use to settle bets. For example: “Who ever gets the worst score in the logic game has to go for a beer run!”

Who says video games are useless?

Mario Party 8

Mario Party 8 tells it like it is. For 1-4 players, this game is made for a crowd. Perfect for Friday night pre-gaming, MP8 will entertain you with a plethora of mini-games that are so ridiculous you’ll never think you’re even playing a video game.

One of my favorites? The water skiing…if only because I find a little too much enjoyment in watching Mario wipe out.

The bottom line is that games CAN be accessible. It’s not all shoot-’em-up, blood and guts type stuff. And even though it might bring to mind loners, sitting in their dark room never to return…they can be social activites too!

Try them out! I promise you’ll love it!

Even before the whole green movement, I discovered one of the easiest ways to help out the environment: reusable bags. The good news ladies, is that they are totally in right now! Not only can you help the earth while going on a beer run, you can be considered as chic and as green as they come.

Surely, even in the college towns, you didn’t miss Anya Hindmarch “Not a Plastic Bag” craze/controversy. Fashionistas were lining up for the $7 dollar version of the canvas tote, while they were being sold on EBay for upwards of $600 dollars. Now, international launches of the bags have been canceled in Southeast Asia because of their “concern for their customers safety.” Cuh-razy fashion folk, they’ll do anything to be in!

Despite the fact that Hindmarch’s website denies the accusations, a London paper reported that the bags were made in China using cheap labor laws and were neither fair-trade nor organic. Huh?

Personally, I like this one a lot better.

Even USA Today decided to take on the trend, with the help of Sally Singer, news director at Vogue. Now, any old tote will do. But why look smarmy when a fabulous new bag will do the trick? For my last minute grocery shopping trips, I stow a foldable bag in my purse. And for a bigger trip to the (liquor) store, I tote along one of these.

The best thing is, Singer says that the Citizens of Humanity bag has now become as popular as the jeans. I, for one, just took it from the freebie table at her little sister magazine to tote all the editor hand-me-downs that came with being a Christmas time intern.

These cotton string bags will always be some of my favorites as they evoke a very European feel. And these super cheap plaid totes, made popular when Marc Jacobs made them in Braided Leather for Louis Vuitton, are perfect for toting massive amounts of dirty clothes back home…or in my case dirty clothes and dirty dishes.

What can I say? I’m lazy AND totally eco chic.