There’s a huge chance that your campus has at least one dining hall, meaning there’s another huge chance that you’re REQUIRED to get a meal plan if you’re a freshman.

Depending on the day, having a meal plan can be good or bad. The dining hall is close, fast and has a wide selection of food. However, you always see the same people there, and the “wide selection” of food is the same every day. Here are some tips on how you can master the dining hall and make the most of your meal plan.

Take your Tupperware: If your dining hall is all-you-can-eat, then you should eat whatever you want when you go, but also stock up for later. Take cereal, cookies, fruit and vegetables.  There are going to be some mornings you don’t want to go to the dining hall because you’re just too hungover, and you’ll just want to eat cereal in bed. Or maybe you’ll be up all night cramming for an exam and need a few sweet, chocolate chip cookies to get you through the night. Read More »

Yesterday was significant for two reasons: first, because it marked the end of an era in my life, and second, because it marked the beginning of the last two months of life as I’ve known it. Condensed, decoded version of that statement: I am now a high school grad, precisely two months away from move-in day…and I have so much to prepare for. For us, the incoming freshman of the Class of 2015, we’ve got less than a season to primp ourselves, prep our minds, and broaden our horizons enough to give a great first impression on that first day of classes. (And if we plan on rushing a sorority fall semester, that pressure is basically quadrupled.)

Now, as excited as I am to immerse myself in a completely new part of the country and whore my friendship out to anyone who seems halfway genuine, I’m also (understandably) somewhat apprehensive. While I embrace the fact that my classmates will be in the same awkward, n00bish and painfully freshman situation that I will be drowning in, to no degree does knowing this dull my nerves. It’s common knowledge that first impressions carry weight in relationships of any sort. Read More »

Gossip and leaks from the Glee set!

This girl puts the “crazy” in “crazy super stalking Bieber fan.”

And the cutest couple at the Emmy’s was…..

The secrets to scoring tix to Fashion Week.

How to turn down a second date (without being rude).

The freshman advice you didn’t get at orientation.

You know what’s cool? Pit stains. Or not. But thanks to the summer sun, I’ve got ‘em and I have a feeling they’ll be sticking around until September. That oughta be good for my social life.

What else is going on? You mean besides sweat-induced breakouts, funky tan burn lines, and 24/7 cravings for popsicles? Yeah, not much. Thank god all those ass-hats in Hollywood are keeping it real, otherwise I’d have nothing to do with myself while I spend my days huddled up on the air conditioning vent in my bedroom. Speaking of bedrooms, have you entered the CollegeCandy contest to win a total bedroom makeover?!

Perhaps reflecting on the week that was will cool things down a bit.

- Mel Gibson has officially gone off the deep end and taken on the title of Douchebag of the Century.

- Could you be one of these people? Here are six friends you’ll never see over summer break

- Kate and Jon didn’t work out, neither did Jake and Vienna. But what about Kate…and Jake? Maybe these new matchups will last in Hollywood.

- Wanna have sex? Forget about it. Let’s watch porn instead. Read about the new phenomenon about porn replacing sex.

- Short hair in, long hair out. Read about one CC writer’s obsession with short hair. (And rightfully so, look at Audrey Hepburn!)

- While you’re lounging poolside soaking up the sun, one post-grad is slaving away to prepare for the LSATs. Who do you think is having more fun? Hint: you.

- Emma Watson: smart, sucessful and the face of Burberry. Read why everyone here at CollegeCandy loves her style.

- Tired of working out every time you go out to eat? Eat these healthy foods and rock that hot summer bod.

- Guys are complicated. Wait, no they’re not.

We're gonna stay together forever...or until we get to college and grow apart/find better options.

Upon graduation, my high school sweetheart and I left for different universities in the same city, vowing to stay together, no matter what. “No high school couple lasts beyond their first semester freshman year,” someone told me, to which I replied with a scoff and an eye-roll. That kind of advice was meant for bicoastal couples separated by thousands of miles, and people who just weren’t committed enough to making it work. I resolved to survive the turkey drop.

But by the middle of second semester, I had unceremoniously ended a four-year relationship, citing midterms and the “different directions” in which our lives were headed. What was once was a comfortable refuge ultimately felt stifling, and the messy breakup regrettably tainted years of good memories for a long time after. But I had to do it and it was definitely worth it in the long run.

For those contemplating the High School Sweetheart Breakup (and those of you who are and just refuse to admit it), here’s why it might be better to shelve your boyfriend’s varsity jacket with the rest of your senior yearbook memories: Read More »

If you’re an incoming college freshman relying on your parents to guide you through the biggest transition of your life, you are gonna be effed. What do parents know about college?

I’ll tell you: nothing.

Who should you turn to?
The guy working at Bed Bath and Beyond?
Some old dude who puts out a college survival guidebook?

Pshhhh. What do old people know?

How about us?
You’re already here, so you obviously love us (and how could you not?!). Now it’s time to trust us and the wisdom we can impart.

We know college, because we’re in it. Right now. We know what you need to pack (costumes! Trust us!), what you need to avoid (hooking up with a prof, fo realz) and what you need to do to survive that grueling first week of college classes.

You want to know what we know? Just visit our back-to-school guide. It’s chock full of all the information you will need to go from scared pre-frosh to sexy, confident and all-knowing Queen of your campus. Yeah, we got your back. Now get out there and show that new campus who’s boss!

It’s that time of year, when people start packing up their lives to fit into the ridiculously small storage closets they call dorm rooms.  For some of us, we will be heading back to familiar sights and sounds, having already navigated our way through a couple years of school.  For the rest of us, it will be the first time on campus and the start of a much-hyped period in your life: the college years.

There have been several books written to prepare incoming freshman for all the crazy shiz that will go down during their first year of school.  Their relatives, friends, guidance counselors and even complete strangers will also advise them on how to stay healthy in the cafeteria and how to sneak alcohol into their dorm room.

To really be prepared for your freshman year, however, you should get familiar with the people that will surround you on a daily basis.  Will your roommate be a Loner or a Homesick Child?  Will your lab partner be an Athlete/Ultimate Fan and therefore too busy checking on player stats and scores to write the chemistry report with you?  Only time will tell, so you might as well be prepared.

Here’s the 10 types of freshmen you’ll meet on campus: Read More »

When I moved to college, the first thing I did after unpacking my shower caddy and twin extra long sheets was buy a parking spot. I had to have my car. Had to. It gets cold in Colorado, obviously, so walking all over campus in the winter was not an option. Plus, I got so used to having a car for errands, Costco runs, etc., that I just couldn’t bear to be without one.

I am sure most students feel the same way, especially since I can never find anywhere to park on campus these days. Ugh. Why do I even have a car if I can’t use it to drive to class?!

But I digress.

All of this campus street congestion that is no doubt a problem on college campuses nationwide has led many schools to start a revolution…with bikes.

The University of New England is one of a few schools (that will soon be many) that is offering free bikes to any student who leaves their car at home. Other schools are setting up bike share programs, which entice students to pedal around campus instead of hopping in the car. These schools are hoping that by giving students a real alternative, they will not feel the need to bring their car to campus.

And it looks like it’s all working – for more than just the parking sitch:

“We did it as a means of reducing the need for parking, but as we looked at it from the standpoint of fitness, health and sustainability, we realized we have the opportunity to create a change.”

The whole idea is really quite smart. By opting for a bike instead of a car you could help the environment, save money on parking (and parking tickets…), get healthy, and free up some of those parking spots for the rest of us reduce the number of cars clogging your campus streets. And all for free!

This looks like a total win/win.

I was home for Fall Break for four days, and I realized that maybe adapting to college was easier than I expected. When I entered my house Friday night, I didn’t see a place where I had numerous study sessions, birthday parties and mental health days. I saw a place to do laundry for free, watch some mindless television and sleep for awhile.

Sure, it was nice to be home. But I kept feeling like I had to go back to school, like this was more of a temporary sleepover than a homecoming. While the weekend kept me busy from noticing that my house was not exactly home, it also uncovered a new strangeness which college created—meeting up with high school friends.

Most of my high school friends, all of whom I have known for years, go to college within two hours of my hometown. So when a few of us come home for the weekend, we all come home for the weekend. And while I loved being around people who never need an explanation for my random songs or not-funny jokes, it was also startling to see how just a few months have changed us.

I left my friends for the entire summer, and I noticed little change when I came back. But now my friends are not just sitting around their houses or working at the local Dunkin’ Donuts; they’re making friends, testing their boundaries and (some of them) are becoming people who I never would have talked to in high school. When it’s just the few of us watching a movie or walking around town, I can’t entirely ignore the college sweatshirts, new belly-button rings and anecdotes starring new best friends. I can’t pretend that this is last June, when we all just graduated and were ready for something new. Read More »

Here at CollegeCandy, a lot of the writers are constantly criticized for their sexual choices so much that the word “slut” can be found in just about any article related to sex. Other females (and some males) feel that it is important to pass judgement on others who do not share the same beliefs and practices as themselves.

I am one of the many college girls that sees no problem in being young and enjoying a little (or a lot) sex every once in a while. But as thousands of college freshmen are planning on partaking in some type of sexual activity once arriving on campus, many of them will forget about the most important thing: being safe.

On a recent outing with some girlfriends, we encountered a group of men on a street corner belting out bible verses and holding large signs displaying all the things God supposedly hates (pre-marital sex, homosexuality, drunkeness and so on). As one of the men saw us walking by, he stopped mid-verse, turned to us and said “Did you know that 1 in 4 teen girls will catch in STD?” We all looked at him in disgust and walked away (the nerve!), but secretly I wanted to hang my head in shame, because I was the one girl he was referring to. Read More »