We’re well into another new school year and to honor that, we at CollegeCandy are bringing back the fan-favorite series, “We’ve All Been There.”  (We tried to get another national holiday/long weekend for you guys but it’s way harder than we thought so this will have to do.) Every week, Lauren – University of Michigan will comment on the common experiences all college women share – like stupid group projects or, everyone’s favorite activity, procrastinating. Read, relate, cringe and enjoy.

You’ve spent the past 4 nights in the library flipping through your tattered notebook. You’ve highlighted and re-highlighted all the most important sections in the textbook. You’ve answered the sample review questions your T.A. gave out and the entire review packet distributed at the review session.

Hell, you went to the review session.

And now, on the eve before the big blue book exam, you feel ready to go. You’ve done everything you can and now it’s time to show that little blue book who’s boss.

Before you climb into bed at the ripe hour of 11 p.m., you pack your messenger bag with two blue books, 2 pens (in case one runs out of ink), a few pencils (in case that is what the teacher prefers), White-out, gum, tissues and a bag of Sour Patch Kids (for a post-exam celebration). You set your alarm and snuggle into your Twin XL to get the required 8 hours before the big day.

Except you only got 5 hours. The other three were spent staring at the ceiling freaking out.

“Oh God. This exam is 50% of my grade. 50! I can not eff this up. What is an example of Intrinsic Motivation? What are the symptoms of Multiple Personality Disorder?! Why am I still awake?!” Read More »

So midterms have come and gone. Whether your calling home boasting to mom and dad about how well you’re doing on their $40,000 a year, or crying your eyes out at the thought of failing out of freshman math, everyone is glad to be out of those couple weeks of hell.

For those of us who haven’t aced all of our tests, we have no calm after the storm. We are just hit by another what-if-I-fail-out-of-school-what-will-everyone-think whirlwind.

Our friends at CollegeNews gave some suggestions on what to do to overcome a midterm crisis, which includes talking to your professor and your advisor and re-evaluating your study habits. But what if that’s not enough? What if striking up a convo with your prof during office hours doesn’t change anything? And what does it mean to re-evaluate your study habits?!

Your GPA is the most important thing you’ll take with you when you leave college (well, that and a box full of free t-shirts), so it’s imperative you pick that up and pick it up fast. We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of important things you can (and need to) do now to turn double up that 2.0 and turn it into something worth boasting about.

You know, so your family doesn’t disown you come Christmas. Read More »

You’ve spent the past 4 nights in the library flipping through your tattered notebook. You’ve highlighted and re-highlighted all the most important sections in the textbook. You’ve answered the sample review questions your T.A. gave out and the entire review packet distributed at the review session.

Hell, you went to the review session.

And now, on the eve before the big blue book exam, you feel ready to go. You’ve done everything you can and now it’s time to show that little blue book who’s boss.

Before you climb into bed at the ripe hour of 11 p.m., you pack your messenger bag with two blue books, 2 pens (in case one runs out of ink), a few pencils (in case that is what the teacher prefers), White-out, gum, tissues and a bag of Sour Patch Kids (for a post-exam celebration). You set your alarm and snuggle into your Twin XL to get the required 8 hours before the big day.

Except you only got 5 hours. The other three were spent staring at the ceiling freaking out.

“Oh God. This exam is 50% of my grade. 50! I can not eff this up. What is an example of Intrinsic Motivation? What are the symptoms of Multiple Personality Disorder?! Why am I still awake?!”

When your alarm goes off, you shoot out of bed and spend the duration of your shower/hair drying/getting dressed testing yourself just a little bit more. You flip through your notes one last time as you scarf down a bowl of cereal, then review them again on the way to the lecture hall.

You find your assigned seat, unpack your abundance of supplies and wait for the exam to begin. You’re feeling confident and ready, already planning what you’ll be drinking to celebrate when this nightmare is over.

In what seems like slow motion, the T.A.s begin walking through the hall, passing stacks of exams to the end of the rows. You wait as the students to the left of you take one and pass. Finally, you get the stack. The professor makes a few announcements, writes the time on the board in giant numbers and it begins. Read More »

I’ve started preparing for my post graduation depression/emo stage. I’ve bought the tissue boxes and I’ve prepared the soundtrack (Seasons of Love on repeat). But I also made a proactive step of creating a list of things that I know I absolutely won’t miss- that way when I’m putting on my fifth layer of black eyeliner and tattooing tears on my face I’ll remember that there were some bad things about college.

STUDYING

I always start my studying with a lot of energy and excitement. I have blank flashcards stacked next to fresh pens and my unwrapped books. I put on my fake glasses and start poring over the material faster than I can highlight. Three minutes into this invigorating “studying” process I’m bored. I only have two more tests left and then I will never ever have to study ever again. Never again will I have to eat breakfast, check my e-mail, and simultaneously flip flashcards and mumble answers to myself. Read More »

I can’t even count how many times I missed class because I overslept, was sick, or (let’s be honest) just didn’t feel like going. While it’s nice to take a break now and then from the monotony, it can also have its downfalls, such as missed quizzes and participation points that could lower your grade. I never want to admit it, but it seems that the old adage, “You miss class, you miss out,” that our professors have been preaching since the first day of class freshman year actually holds some truth.

So what’s a girl to do?

Sure, you could go to every single class, but that’s not really plausible, is it? You never know when your alarm clock will decide to stop behaving, or you will stop behaving, or an impromptu roadtrip will pop up and require you to skip Friday classes for the drive (and Monday classes for the recovery).

Are you supposed to sit back and accept defeat? Can I get a “hell no”? We’ve always been taught to find solutions to the problems that plague us, and I’ve got the perfect one for all of us:

I Slept Through Class. Read More »