Next time you’re in a classroom, look around. You’ll notice that there are very, very few people who always sit with perfect posture. Especially students. We spend such long hours sitting in class and studying that it’s really tempting to slump. I know I do.

So for this week’s workout, I’ve put together a few exercises that will engage the muscles in your core and back that contribute to your posture. You don’t need much room, so if you’re really daring, just do them right in the library. No shame.

1. Tripod Balance

Begin on your hands and knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Engage your abs to support your lower back, and imagine your shoulder blades gliding down your back as opposed to hunching up toward your ears. Lift your right arm off the ground and hold it in line with your back. Hold for 30 seconds, then do the same with the left arm.

2. Contralateral Balance

Lift your right arm and your left leg off the ground. They should be in line with your back, making a long straight line from your right hand to your left foot. Really pull your bellybutton toward your spine to maintain the alignment of your back. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

3. Moving contralateral balance

Start the same way as in exercise 2, lifting your right arm and left leg off the ground. Next, pull your right elbow and left knee in toward the center of your body. Imagine drawing them in toward your bellybutton. Then, extend your right arm and left leg back out into a straight line. Do this 10 times and then repeat on the other side.

What I’m wearing: top by Zobha, pants by Soybu, shoes by New Balance.

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter.

When I began my freshman year of college, I was overwhelmed to say the least. I was overwhelmed from meeting so many new people, overwhelmed by how sinfully delicious the late night food scene was, and overwhelmed by the workload. All of the sudden, I was getting numerous weeknight texts from people (whose names I didn’t even remember putting into my phone) about amazing parties. And I went, even though I still had hundreds of pages of reading to do for the next day! (Sidenote: scheduling classes for Friday is a rookie mistake.You will never go to these.) But then, as my grades began slipping, a revolutionary thought occurred to me: maybe I don’t have to do all of the readings! But how does an overwhelmed college freshman know when they do or don’t have to do the assigned readings?

When the class is under 30 people. If you go to a large university, these will be your breakout sections complementing your lecture. If you go to a small liberal arts college, sorry, you’re screwed.

When it’s for your major. Or what you’re thinking of majoring in. Think about it: you’re paying tens of thousands of dollars to come out of college with a degree in this specialized area. Make something educational your major and partying your minor.

When your T.A. is hot. Ditzy was cute in high school, but it’s not anymore when your T.A. is obviously passionate about what she’s teaching. Take a cue from Drew Barrymore in “Never Been Kissed” and impress your T.A. by quoting some Shakespeare.

When it’s a weekday (except for Thursday). Going out on the weekends is a big part of the college experience, but going out and blacking out Monday through Sunday will end you up like Lindsay Lohan. However, if you’ve gotten all your homework done and the hottie from your psych class texts you about a Wednesday night party at his apartment to start the weekend early, you’d better text back that you’re going.

Inspired by the article, I began to wonder if I knew anyone who may be a sugar baby, or would consider being one. My friends and I are generally middle to upper middle class with college degrees, and many of us have, at the very least, student loan debt. None of us ever talked about finances in college, but once we graduated, it became a lot more common for us to occasionally freak out about the debt that we’ll eventually have to pay back (yay for deferment options!). I couldn’t think of anyone I know who would seriously take up being a sugar baby, and a huge part of that has to do with our privilege. We come from middle to upper class households. We have parents who are able to support us while we’re still trying to stand on our own feet. We know we’ll never have to starve, that we’ll always have a home to go to.

But not everyone has access to familial support. Whether their parents can’t afford it, or refuse to, some women are left with extremely  limited options. And I can understand the temptation to go into sex work, when you’re wondering how you can pay your rent, let alone any kind of other debt. One of the most common responses to that sentiment is to get a more respectable job. To work as many jobs as possible to make ends meet. But on a purely economical standpoint, sex work is incredibly effective. Let’s say you’re working 60 hours a week at a slightly above minimum wage job, say, $8.00. Pre-tax, that’s $480. Whereas in a sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship, one could easily receive $300 for two hours of work. Theoretically, the choice seems rather obvious. But our society has decided to deem sex work as completely amoral and disgusting. Whether this is because of a general proclivity towards slut shaming and misogyny, or a Puritanical religious bias could be debated for ever, the truth remains that women who engage in sex work are overwhelmingly seen as dirty and worthy of scorn and disgust.

I can’t help but feel immense sympathy for these women. Sex work is difficult. It offers no security. The risks are great. The stigma attached would make it so difficult for a woman to turn to most people for support. I know that there are some women who go into sex work completely by choice. They do it to have access to lavish shopping sprees, to an extravagant lifestyle filled with unnecessary luxuries, not because they need to scrape by. And I don’t even see the point in harshly judging these women. If they want to get paid to spread their legs, that’s their prerogative. As I’ve said before, I don’t find slut shaming to be acceptable in any context.

Yet the discussion rarely turns to putting the focus on the men who choose to buy sex. Especially in the case of older men paying younger for sex, the exploitation here is so blatant. Men are the reason why sex work continues to exist and thrive. They are the overwhelming majority of consumers. Why don’t men receive the same scrutiny and disgust that the women do? Is it because they are the ones holding the privilege and the power? I find the dynamics of sex work, the intersection of gender and class and the fact that the majority of sugar babies are under 25, to be far more interesting than the knee-jerk reaction that “girls who have sex for money are dirty whores.”

But what do you think? Is it ever acceptable to have sex for money? How would you react if one of your friends told you she was a sugar baby? What are feasible alternatives to paying for overwhelming expenses?

April is only two clicks months away.

TWO MONTHS.

That’s shorter than a season of the Bachelor.

And that doesn’t even account for all the days off I have coming up.

Currently, I’m enjoying a five-day weekend. I’ll head into class one day next week, and then two more the week after, and then it’s Spring Break time. And when I get back there will only be three more weeks of March. And then it’s April. A month filled with weeks shortened by Easter and Passover holidays. The month I thought was oh so far away. The month I can pick up my cap and gown. My last month of undergraduate classes. My last month as a college student. Maybe April is closer than I thought. I mean, how did we even get to February already anyway?

The first few months passed quickly, in that beginning of the semester mania, which has now settled down. At least for me. There’s nothing left to worry about. The dreaded senior thesis is done except for some edits and a defense of said thesis that is too far away for me to be freaking out over yet. I’ve also finally settled into my senior capstone classes, grinning and bearing the literary theory as I focus more on the texts we’re reading. (Ian McEwan’s Saturday is amazing by the way. The language alone is like poetry.)

And so suddenly I find myself with more Facebook stalking time than I’ve had in quite a while.

When the semester first started I posted about how a stress free semester was probably impossible, about how I was totally okay with that because I work best under pressure. And sure the adrenaline rush is great and all but as I sit here, unable to think of anything to complain about, I might have to rethink that statement. Peace and tranquility isn’t all bad. I mean, on Monday not only did I wake up early enough to stop at Starbucks before class, but the barista gave me an extra shot of espresso in my macchiato. On Friday the weather was warm enough that I had to pull out my spring coat. And now, I don’t have to go back to class until Wednesday.

It appears that my senior year is not coming to an end with a bang, as I had anticipated, but with an evenly paced, enjoyable stroll. And while it’s entirely possible that two weeks from now I could be eating my words, right now I’m just going to enjoy it.

No scratch that, I hate it, actually. But what I do like is what that week represents. It’s the beginning of the end. The start of the finish. You’re over the hump. The semester is almost over. You’ve finally reached those last few dreadful weeks. And okay, maybe that doesn’t seem like something to be happy about, maybe you want to pull your hair out right now? Maybe you’re stressed? Sure, but just think, in a couple of weeks it will all be over.

How can you be sure that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel? Here are just a few signs that the semester is almost over.

10. You’ll do anything to avoid your homework. Okay. Time to get serious. You have a lot to get done these less few weeks. Time to buckle down and start working. No distractions. No Facebook. No phones. Reading time. But wait…you have been meaning to reorganize your desk. And your bookshelf. And…you get the idea.

9. You’re staying in instead of going out. Thirsty Thursday? Try thesis Thursday. You have so many papers due, so many pages of reading to get through, so much to get done in such a short amount of time you can’t even think about going out. Well, okay you think about it (and even plan your outfit) but then you don’t go. And you reward yourself for being such a studious student by taking a five minute break to Facebook-stalk. The next thing you know, four hours have gone by and your roommate is stumbling in, ready to tell you all about her great night. The one you missed.  And you still didn’t do you reading. Oops.

8. You can no longer find a seat in the library. It’s not like you’re hanging out in the library all that often, but every once in a while when you need to take a nap write  a paper, you head on over, and you expect there to be seating. But towards the end of the semester? You can’t even find a floor spot in the corner near a plug.

7. Each and every one of those people fit into one of these categories. Go read them. No explanation needed.

6. Facebook statuses start appearing in countdown code. You know, those Facebook statuses that start popping up about a week before the semester ends, listing everything the person needs to get done between now and then. Sort of like, five finals, four papers, three days, two meetings, and one nap until winter break. Not that I’ve ever participated in such a thing. Not at all.

5. You’ve decided it no longer makes sense to do laundry. There’s only a few weeks left of the semester, and your Mom helped you out so much when you were home for Thanksgiving. You’ve got enough undies to get you by. If you just hold off until then, you won’t have to scrounge for change or waste precious moments waiting for your clothes to dry. Mom will be happy to help. And you can make it. Sort of….

Did you just sniff your shirt?

4. You have to use your credit card for your coffee. I don’t live on campus so I don’t have a meal plan. But I do have did have flexicash (you know, like a giftcard for the student coffee shop). It provides me with infinite amounts of caffeine and chocolate chip muffins whenever I need them. Except now. Because I ran out. Just when I need my coffee the most, DAMNIT!!! The other day, I charged change. Yes, change. 89 cents to be exact. For a banana. It’s time for winter break.

3. You’re no longer speaking to your roommate. You two are actually quite close, really. But it’s that kind of close that only works for small periods of time. Not months and months in cramped quarters. And not during such a trying time in your life. Sure, her jokes are cute and funny in October, but now? Now the only thing that makes you laugh is the thought of beating her with a pillow while she sleeps.

2. Professors can’t even be bothered to show up to class. In the past month, my professor has canceled my Senior Seminar more times than I can count. You know it’s bad when a senior’s response to a canceled class is “Again?” followed by a disgruntled groan. I firmly believe that if your professor can’t be even be bothered to make it to class then it’s just time to call it a semester already. We won’t mind, really.

1. You can’t even remember the last time you read for class. I don’t know about you ladies, but once the last few weeks of the semester approach (or basically as soon as I come back from Thanksgiving) I just can’t seem to find it in me to read for class anymore. I mean, the semester is practically over, isn’t it? And you have so many papers to finish up, and final assignments to turn in that those books you won’t need to know anything about (because that class doesn’t have a final) seem less and less important.

Ew. Is it over yet?!

[Check out Jenn's other musings-in-the-form-of-a-list here.]

Friends.
Family.
Happiness and health and blah blah blah.

Those are all great things to be thankful for, important things, yes.  But what about the not so important things, the little things that we all take for granted? Here’s what I’m thankful for this holiday season…

10. Trashy Tabloids. Reading about the problems of the rich and famous makes everything in my life seem so much less problematic. Sure, maybe I’m having boy problems, but at least my guy didn’t leave me for Angelina Jolie. And maybe I’m worried about wearing a bikini to the beach, but at least there’s no one zooming in on my butt cheeks. (At least not that I know of.) Celebrity scandal really helps me see the big picture.

9. Steve Madden’s Fall Boot Collection. Whenever I’m having a bad day, I just head over to Steve Madden’s website and stare at some shoes. Laugh if you want, but it totally works. They’re like works of art, I swear. And even though I’ve put myself on a boot buying ban until after the holidays, I still enjoy purusing the styles. And you will too.

8. Chocolate. I’m sorry; do you really need an explanation for this one? I didn’t think so.

7. Iced Caramel Macchiatos. Yes, I know they are overpriced and if ordered correctly can contain more calories than a Big Mac. But I love them and their ability to combine the perfect amount of sweetness and bitterness, to retain the taste of coffee while still allowing me to enjoy the caramel flavor. They feed my caffeine addiction, and for that I am eternally grateful. And the cute guys that work at the local Starbucks don’t hurt either.

6. Thirsty Thursday. An excuse to start the weekend a day early? I’ll take it. Drink specials? Yes please.  A reason not to feel like a couch potato when by Saturday night I’m in sweats watching reality TV and writing The Weekly Ten?  Perfection.

5. Reality TV. By now I think it’s been pretty well established that if women and a television genre could wed, CollegeCandy and reality TV would be on their honeymoon already. But I still had to take a moment and give thanks for the likes of Kim Kardashian and Pauly D. My life would be a whole lot less interesting without them.

4. Wikipedia. Professors always talk about the unreliability of Wikipedia, and maybe that’s true on some accounts.  But whether I can’t remember the name of that actress who played opposite Freddy Prince Jr. in She’s All That (Rachel Leigh Cook) or want a quick plot synopsis on one of Shakespeare’s greatest works, Wikipedia is always there for me. Take that professor!

3. Facebook. The ultimate method of procrastination. The perfect tool for stalking. The place where you can go to find out exactly what happened the night before. A great way to stay in touch. The social networking site that got me off MySpace!  Without Mark Zuckerberg and co., I’d be friendless.

2. Class Cancellations. Last week, my class was unexpectedly canceled. I’d been working on a big paper all weekend, and was less than prepared for my classes that day. And also not entirely sure I’d be able to make it through them without falling asleep halfway through the presentation I was supposed to be giving. Minutes before my alarm went off, my Blackberry beeped. Class was canceled. I hit the snooze button and caught up on my sleep. And it was beautiful.

1. CollegeCandy. The ultimate source for all things college. I stumbled upon this site way before I started writing here and I haven’t been able to keep away since. Why would I? Whether I need guy advice (God, how great is The Dude?!) or a silly distraction or an awesome playlist, CollegyCandy has me covered. And for that I am thankful.

What about you girls? What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

[Check out Jenn's other musings-in-the-form-of-a-list here.]

Gap year lessons

Best foods to eat before an examThe ultimate school playlist

Emma Watson talks about life at a (non-magical) school

Why can’t this girl get here work done?

Plan ahead to avoid the post-Thanksgiving crunch

Average midterm studying time

Utilize your class time

The MOST expensive college dorms

Why are SAT scores dropping?

Worst theme party ideas ever

Top 50 ways to make money in college

Grab your notebook and furry pencils (or whatever it takes to get you ready to hit the books), because I’ve got a list of things you can do to get on another list: the Dean’s List.

10. Invest in a planner: Good grades begin with organization (and writing down your assignments). Find a planner that works for you, whether it is the one provided by your school or that handy little calendar in your iPhone. Once you have it, write everything in it. Meetings, to-do lists, homework assignments, phone numbers. It is so much easier to manage all your information when it is centralized in one place.

9. Get to class: Self-explanatory. Abide by your class schedule and don’t skip. Though you may laugh in the face o that 8:30a.m. Theology class on Friday morning, remember that professors can and will deduct for absences. It would be a shame to miss that letter grade because you could not roll out of bed to get to your desk in the morning.

8. Get a change in scenery: The library is not for everyone. Some people cannot cram themselves into a desk on the third floor and work until 2 a.m. Others openly admit that the library is a better social scene than a bar on Friday night. Find a study space that works for you, and you ALONE. My personal study space is a Starbucks near my school. I pack up all my books, grab a skim latte and park myself at a table in the corner for hours at a time.

7. Employ the help of some dead composers: Music has been proven to help students while studying, but lyrics have the potential to get in the way of the thought process. Good thing Bach never set out to write words with his pieces or attempted to match Drake’s raps. Classical music can improve studying for tests and quizzes. Feel free to judge me on this: I have all of Peter Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker on my Ipod, but I am thanking those sugarplum fairies graciously when the As start rolling in.

6. Unplug from the world: I know it sounds nearly traumatic to even conjure the thought of turning off the iPhone, but cell phones and social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook will only end up working against you for the 12-pager due tomorrow. Allow yourself a Facebook break or texting session if you need it, but when you are in front of the Microsoft Word document or textbook, keep your eyes and fingers focused on the task at hand.

5. Take good notes: Do I sound like your professor yet? Though I do not want to get into the boring rhetoric of “good study habits,” I cannot express how important it is to take good notes. Anyone can agree that notes are no fun to take, but when it comes to studying late Sunday night you will thank yourself for being so diligent with that highlighter.

4. Get a study buddy who knows their stuff: Most college campuses have free tutors and study aids. FO FREE. And no one seems to really know it.   Tutoring sessions take up only one hour of your time but will save you a lot of frustration and confusion. Having a tutor does not mean that you are not capable on your own, just that you are smart enough to want to improve with someone’s help.

3. Abuse office hours: Yes, that is right. Do not take advantage of office hours, abuse them. Professors are in their office for a reason and if you are having any kind of difficulty you should see them first. They know the work better than anyone else. Write down your professors’ office hours and keep them in a place that you can refer back to when you need the extra help.

2. Reward yourself (always and often): Rewards are totally acceptable. Although I highly recommend pats on the back, why not take it a step further? Think of something you love and find a way to reward yourself with it when you do a good job. One paper down? Grab a chai latte. B+ on that killer math test? You totally deserve a shopping spree!

1. Map out your goals and keep them where you can see them: The key to getting the grades is actually imagining that you already achieved them. It is a timeless secret, but it really has been proven to work. At the start of every semester write down your goals – short-term and long-term. Keep those goals in a visible spot and look at them daily. I kid you not; those who can see their goals written out for them are more apt to move towards the direction of achieving them.

And make sure you keep my number one motto in mind as well: Work hard but play hard too. When you have finished studying and you have taken the test, don’t be afraid to go out and have a good time. Just be ready, with brain cells intact, to get back to books come Sunday night.

Apparently ridiculous college courses are the new trend on campuses all over the world.  I’d go so far as to call them “unnecessary,” but the 440 people who just enrolled in Potsdam University’s e-mail flirtation class would beat down my door (or fill my inbox…) in disagreement.  Yes, you read that right- one German university is actually offering a master’s course on how to flirt via modern technology.  It promises to give you the skills to “get someone else’s heart beating fast while yours stays calm.”

At first glance, I thought this was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard; seriously, a class that teaches nerds to be better sexters?  But really, it’s probably going to be really helpful to some of these people.  Everyone deserves to know how to drop a well-placed “Did U know I used 2 be a gymnast?” or a “Miss ur face, come get in my bed.”

Of course, this got me to thinking; what are some other quirky classes that college students actually need?  (I mean, beyond all that Astronomy…tooootally going to use that one day!)

The Kitchen Beyond Ramen

I’m not talking three days a week learning how to create the perfect gazpacho; rather an overview of the basics.  This is what a tablespoon of sugar looks like, note it is significantly smaller than a cup.  Here is how you hard-boil an egg, and yes we keep the shell on for the boiling process.  Your final would be an open-ended challenge to create a balanced three-course dinner; the catch being that cereal could not be incorporated in any way.

Texting for Dummies (also see: Put the Phone Down 101)

I know you’ve been there.  Walking to class behind someone who just has to recount every excruciating detail of last night through a text message the length of a Great American Novel.  They walk slowly down the center of the brick walkway, tripping here and there.  Between glancing at your watch and trying to cut around the moron, you’re half waiting for her to go down like a Jenga tower and take out that pack of unsuspecting freshmen.  While it’s completely the norm to be “pro-text”, this class will show you how to be “anti-pain-in-the-ass” while your thumbs type away.  First lesson: just pull off sidewalk and find a bench.

Navigating the One Night Stand
(First year requirement)

You’re lying awake.  He’s right there next to you, eyes closed, drooling on your favorite pillow.  He has to leave.  Now.  Do you get out of bed and start making noise around the room, hoping he’ll get the hint?  Do you poke him?  Maybe you just put on your best bitch-face and tell him to get out.  Bottom line: there’s no easy way to navigate the morning after, especially when you’ve got a headache the size of a bottomless Long Island pitcher.  Perhaps if there were some ground rules, ones that were universally acknowledged and actually respected, the awkward moments would be few and far between.

Beer Pong (see also: Beirut Is Not Just a City)

Few things beat the feeling of landing that little ping-pong ball in a red solo cup five feet away, especially when you’re playing against some seriously hot guys.  Sad thing is, for most of us those moments are rare- like finding shooting stars and comets and J.Crew outlets.  Sure, you can throw a ball in a cup when it’s just you and your roommates playing on the back deck.  But mix in some nerves and a strapless dress, however, and…err…can someone hold my top up while I try to sink this shot?  Everyone needs a class to teach them how to tackle depth perception, high-pressure situations, and Natty Light buzzes.

While we may not like all of them, rules exist for a reason. They keep us safe, they keep us sane, they keep some sort of order in this world of ours. And that applies to college campuses, too. There are all sorts of rules that we live by: no food in the library, no drinking in the dorms, no sex in the stacks.

But with all the attention given to those scoundrels who dare bring a Diet Coke into the ‘brary, those university officials missed a few important rules. The kind that would benefit everyone, allowing all of us to be more successful in our studies and more productive members of society.

We didn’t forget about them, though, so we at CollegeCandy are starting a revolution. Join us on our quest to establish some new campus rules and rid our classrooms of evil… and PDA.