So I don’t know if you’ve heard or not, but apparently Starbucks will be supersizing our iced drinks come spring. They’ll be introducing a trenta size for iced coffee. That means that you not only have another foreign word to remember when you’re ordering your tasty brew, but you’ll also be getting 31 ounces of caffeinated goodness.

Yes, it’s a coffee so large, I’m not even sure I’ll be able to see over it. But hey, I mean that’s just one con, among endless and endless amounts of pros. You thought Four Loko got you going? Think of what you can do on 31 ounces of iced caramel macchiato!

….No? Can’t think yet? Haven’t hit up Starbucks for your daily caffeine requirement? Don’t worry, we have (twice) and we’ve got 31 things you can do with those 31 ounces:

1. Do an entire semester’s worth of homework in one night.

2. Start your own sorority. You know, build the house from the ground up, petition for recognition from Pan-Hellenic, and initiate new members. You should be done before sunrise.

3. Write out 15 finals in one hour. Just think of all the Blue Books!

4. Save some money on Spring Break! No need for air fare. Just fuel up and fly on over by yourself. Just you know, pack light.

5. Set up your audition packet for The Bachelor. Be sure to include a singing number, a dancing number, your special talent, five photos of yourself, and a video of yourself crying, laughing, expressing your undying devotion for the love of your life, getting into a cat fight, and going absolutely, completely insane. Then, you know, sew six or seven pageant dresses for the cocktail parties.

6. Work on your average WPM (words per minute, yo!). They thought 100+ was good? Psh! You’re up to 1000+! Amateurs.

7. Rotate the earth backwards on its axis. What, did superman think he was special or something? Read More »

According to University of North Carolina professor Kevin Caneiro, there’s a new disease lurking on college campuses nationwide. Dubbed  “Laptop-itis,” it is the result of excessive use of laptops and cell phones with symptoms ranging from worsened posture to pain in the backs, necks, and wrists of students everywhere.

Caneiro’s concern regarding this ailment is understandable – we don’t need an entire generation of hunchbacks, after all – but in the grand scheme of things, Laptop-itis is the least of our problems. Really, there are plenty of larger issues we college students should be worrying about. Like Athlete’s Foot from the showers. Or Mono from all those frat party makeouts.

Or any of these:

Laundr-phobia:  Often striking halfway through the semester, students present with an unhealthy, all-consuming fear of the laundry room (usually stemming from an uncertainty of how to use the machines).  Symptoms include a lack of underwear, crusty stains and a less than desirable smell of mildew permeating from their overflowing hamper.  In extreme cases, Laundr-phobia’s effects can be disastrous (and foul), often leading to ridicule and friend loss.  While there is no known cure, temporary reprieve is available during long weekends at home with mom. Read More »

As we all head back into our routine of late night partying studying, coffee seems to be the obvious pick-me-up to get us out of bed and into life come morning time. You know a venti glass of water isn’t going to give you the necessary push to get you through that 8am lecture.

Yet, with more and more scientific studies rolling through (each one conflicting with the one before it), many are starting to wonder if coffee is really helping or hurting the mind and body. So, before you pick up another pot cup of java, consider these pros and cons cited from the Pacific Northwest Foundation.

PROS

1. “Caffeine speeds up fat metabolism during exercise while conserving glycogen and glucose thereby maintaining brain activity and reducing hunger.”

Wait, coffee actually makes your workouts more efficient, allowing you to burn more calories and kick those hunger pangs? Jackelyn says: Hollaaaa! Although, be careful – too much caffeine and exercise can make you feel jittery and result in poor performance. But a nice cup of coffee before hitting the gym could be just the boost your body needs.

2. “Coffee may reduce the incidence of kidney stones by increasing the flow of urine and decreasing its concentration.”

Even if you haven’t had one, anyone who knows anything understands that kidney stones can hurt. A lot. If coffee can help prevent the pain I say, “bring on the lattes!” Read More »

Melanie Jatsek is a speaker, author and registered dietitian who teaches college students how to eat to look better, feel better, think better and stress less!  She is getting ready to publish her book, written especially for college students, called “Brain Food for College Students,” so we thought we’d bring her on board to share some of her best advice with our CollegeCandies. Get to know Melanie here, then come back every week for advice on staying healthy from welcome week through finals and beyond.

5 Questions We Ask Everyone

1. What’s your favorite college memory/the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
I was a bit of a nerd in college, so I didn’t get into much trouble. (I got into enough trouble my senior year of high school and must have gotten it all out of my system.)  I would say that my favorite college memory was taking advantage of NOT going to the Ohio State University football games and going shopping!  There were no crowds and I had the whole campus to myself because everyone (except me) was at the game!

2. Name 5 things you can’t live without:
My running shoes
My Smartphone
Cheese
My earplugs (when I sleep)
Coffee!!

3. What is your favorite song to belt out in the car/at the bar/for karaoke?
Even though I am married, “Single Ladies” by Beyonce

4. What is your motto/the advice you live by?
I have two. The first is that I can choose to be happy and make the best out of any situation or complain about it and be miserable. This always helps me stay positive even during the most challenging times! The other is that everything happens for a reason.

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I will have written 3 books for college students and completed my second or third college speaking tour! Read More »

Gosh, I’m tired. I guess that’s what happens when you stay up late watching Bode Miller/eating a tray of brownies and then you’re so wired from the excitement/insane amount of sugar you just ingested, you can’t fall asleep until 3am. And then you wake up and discover there’s still one brownie left so you eat it, feel great for about 30 minutes, and then completely crash.

Ugh, and there’s still two more days to go this week?

I’m going to need some major coffee just to get out of bed, and then a few 5 Hour Energy’s to get to the gym to work off the brownie binge. But before I go into a caffeine rage (similar to ‘roid rage, only with many more trips to the bathroom), let me take a moment to myself to consider the following disturbing scenario.

Would you rather walk in on your boyfriend trying on your underwear OR be forced to watch a one hour long video of your sibling/parent having sex?

Things to consider: your boyfriend in a lacy thong, your boyshorts getting stretched out, your parents having sex. Read More »

We’ve all heard of so-called “brain food.”

Brain food should be healthy foods that stimulate your thinking, but I mainly use it as an excuse to eat during finals.  When I started feeling sluggish after downing a bag of Skittles during my most recent study-a-thon, I decided to put down the bag of Sun Chps and look into what really constitutes “brain food.”

Here are the top 4 foods you should be eating to help stimulate your brain power in both the short and long term.

Fatty fish:  Fish high in omega-3 fats, such as salmon, bluefin tuna, and anchovies can help your brain in multiple ways.  A study in Finland determined that frequent fish eaters are less likely to be depressed than those that eat fish less frequently.  Another study found that eating fish or seafood at least once a week can diminish your risk for developing dementia later on.  This in no way means that you should pile your plate sky high with sardines in hope to avoid dementia.  While fatty fish contain high levels of omega-3s, they also contain trace amounts of mercury which can actually cause harm to the body in large amounts. To get just the right level of omega-3s to stimulate that brain, look to eat about 2 to 3 servings of fish per week.

Blueberries: Blueberries, along with other fruits and vegetables, have been shown to decrease the onset of brain degeneration due to Alzheimer’s disease.  Blueberries, due to their high phytochemical content, have also been linked to improved memory status and function.  Although blueberries are one of the best, other fruits and vegetables with high antioxidant contents can be just as effective.  Nosh on other (seasonal!)  fruits and vegetables to get your daily dose. Read More »

Mmmm. Caffeine. And wrinkles.

College is stressful. And stress makes us do some pretty crazy things for the sake of a good grade, such as harming our bodies without even knowing it.

Don’t know what I’m talking about?
Let me break it down.

Do you ever finish a decently long paper around 2 a.m. saying, “I am so ready for bed,” then lying there staring at the ceiling for the next three hours wide awake?  Yeah, me too.

You know you should be tired, but somehow your brain just doesn’t want to turn off. Could it be anxiety…or could it be those 2 Red Bulls and venti latte you pounded between the hours of 11 am and 9 pm?

You know you needed them to get through the day, but do you have any idea what all that caffeine is doing to your body? Even more, do you even have any clue how much caffeine you even ingested?

According to the LA Times, most people have no idea how much caffeine we’re really consuming each day.  “Caffeine turns up in expected places, in unexpected amounts. And recent years have seen an explosion in the number of caffeinated products on the market: energy drinks, of course, but also chewing gum, candy bars and (for a brief while) potato chips.” Not only that, but none of these products tell us how much caffeine they contain, so most of us are getting more than we think and way more than we should be.

Now, as a college student like most of you, I don’t really have time to give a flying fudgesicle bar about how much caffeine I’m taking in. If it helps me get through that essay (or perks me up before that big party), I’ll drink it. And then I’ll get a refill. But after doing some research, it seems that maybe I should care. Just look what caffeine does to your body: Read More »

Got a health question? Don’t trust those “Doctors” at the University Health Center? Are you scared of Web M.D. because it always tells you you’re gonna die? Ask a real doctor, our friend Dr. Lissa Rankin. She’s here every Thursday to answer whatever you throw at her – like how to know if your guy is clean – so ask away. Leave your question in the comments or send it over to us. Don’t be shy; she’s waiting for ya!

Q: Between finals, graduating and other personal stress, I can’t fall asleep at night. And then when I do, I can’t stay asleep. I’m always tired and grumpy and it’s only making everything even more stressful. Do you have any ideas for getting sleep? I heard sex might help, but I’m not sure if that’s true or if my boyfriend is just telling me that for his own selfish reasons. I really need to be alert and focused for exams and this is killing me. Help?

A: I hear you, sweetie. Insomnia can kill you (trust me, I’ve been there), especially when you’re in school, with tests, projects, and grades looming over you. The question is why can’t you sleep? Is it stress? Is it hormones, like your thyroid? Is it caffeine, alcohol, or other drugs/medications that are disrupting your sleep? Is it poor nutrition?  Is it the crazy sorority girl next door who keeps banging you up with her rocking orgasm? How to treat your insomnia depends on what’s causing it. Here are some causes: Read More »

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Ahhhh!!!  Finals!

Everything comes down to this! Your grade, your GPA, your good standing with the parental units (who “aren’t paying for you to party all the time, you know!”). You’ve got tests and papers and presentations and it’s all coming at you so fast and you barely opened the book all semester and there was that 2 week span where you couldn’t stop watching Gilmore Girls on DVD and skipped, like, 12 lectures and now you have to make it all up and pass all the tests and OMFG.

How are you ever going to survive?!

These feelings of stress and near-mental breakdown come every year, with every finals week. The combination of stress, seasonal depression and gallons of caffeine wears down even the most seasoned student until she’s hunched over that 7lb textbook at 4am on a Tuesday crying into her Venti Americano. But once the fear subsides a bit (and she’s wiped that snot from her upper lip), she gets into her groove, remembers her fool-proof study strategies and plows through those notes like drunken frat boy through a wall.

If you’re feeling the finals stress (who isn’t?!) and need a little advice on how to make it through, read on. This week the CollegeCandy writers share their secrets for finals survival. One of these is bound to get you one step closer to that 4.0. And if not, well, at least give us an “A” for effort. Read More »

Looks like someone could use some low fat cheese snacks.

Ah, Finals. How I love you. You fall during the greatest time of year and have me reading textbooks instead of drinking Gingerbread lattes and enjoying the holiday sales. You leave dark circles under my eyes and extra inches around my waistline.

Basically, you suck.
Big time.

But, I’m not going to let you conquer my spirit and beat me down to a mumbling, dribbling fool this year. You may not be easy like my Freshman year roommate; I may always scream for joy as I darken the last circle on my last Scantron form, triumphantly dumping my notes in the garbage. But with enough determination I, and the many other good looking and smart students like me, can emerge from the semester with my sanity intact.

How, you ask?
What, are you mocking me?
Don’t look at me like that, Finals. I’ll f**k you up!

OK, here’s how. With a little help from these friends.
How you like them apples, FINALS?! Read More »