So by now we all know the statistics.

The economy is suffering and because of that post-grads are suffering as well. More college graduates are left without job prospects than ever before, and maybe even more importantly, more college graduates are moving back in with their parents than ever before. Years ago, this may have been taboo. It was practically unheard of. But now, it’s happening more and more often, and is far more widely accepted. And that’s because for the first time, my generation does not expect to have a better lifestyle than that of their parents. That’s right, ladies – the recession has officially become a depression, and post grads are eying their limited prospects wearily.

According to The Huffington Post, in a survey conducted only 44% of those interviewed believed that they would surpass the lifestyle they grew up with. And as one of those soon-to-be post grads, let me say that I understand this lack of optimism completely. The economy is still recovering. The job market is terrible. And companies are downsizing instead of hiring. So how can we know be sure that we’ll even find a job, never mind a job that will provide us with a better lifestyle than the one we grew up with?

It’s a dark realization.

But while things seem a little bit depressing despite all the congratulations and “look at all you’ve accomplished” speeches, I’m going to try and be optimistic. I’m going to try and look on the bright side, and you should too. Because not having a job straight out of college and having no choice but to move back in with your parents, despite what you make think, is not the worst thing in the world.

There are some perks. First, there’s the obvious stuff. Moving back in with your parents means you get a rent free place to live, home cooked meals, and help with those everyday chores, like laundry and cleaning (which you were never very good at while you were at college anyway). But there’s a lot more to it than that. Living at home provides post grads with a safety net for a little while longer. It allows them the opportunity to search for the job they want, to turn down the menial job that will lead nowhere, to hold out for something a little better, to hold out for the job they want, to hold out for the job that will lead to a career. It allows them the opportunity to build up some savings before having to move out and pay rent. It allows them the opportunity  to find a job that not only pays well, but also a job that they like, a job that just might eventually allow them to succeed past the lifestyle of their parents.

Things are gloomy and after spending all this time and money working towards a life that seems nearly impossible to attain, we should just be thankful that our parents were fortunate enough to achieve that lifestyle, whatever that might be, because it gives us the time to figure out exactly how we’re going to achieve ours.

Or at least, you know, pretend to endure. Because while we can’t get out of listening to those speeches, we can make them a little bit more entertaining. Sure you’ll have to sit there quietly and listen to your president speak, listen to the valedictorian speak, and listen to the commencement speaker give his or her big speech. But that doesn’t mean your mind is not allowed to wander right? I mean it’s only natural. So let it wander on over to one of these games.

1. Count the “Likes, Okays, Ums, and Yeas”

Speeches getting boring? That’s okay. Focus on the speech impediments instead. Every speaker has them. Whether it be a tendency to say like far too often, um in between every other word, or phrase every statement like it’s a question, every speaker has one. In high school, I had a math teacher who said “um kay” after every single sentence. I spent many a math class keeping track of just how many times she could say that particular phrase in a 40 minute period. Want a hint? It was well over ninety.

2. Create Your Own Game of Most Likely To…

Take a look around you. This is the class of 2011 looking put together and professional, sitting quietly, smiling happily , and making their parents proud. Today they all look like great little graduates. But you know the truth. You know who they really are, what they do on the weekends, and what their chances of succeeding really are. So instead of listening to your commencement speaker drone on and on about being all you can be, decide what they can be. Create futures for them. Not only is it entertaining, it’s also cathartic.

3. The Congratulations Drinking Game

Really, this one is pretty simple. Take a shot for every time someone says congratulations to you. Now If you’re brave enough to pull the flask out of your gown at graduation, all the more power to you. If you’re not quite that adventurous than keep a tally in your head. And ask your friends to do the same. It will make for a great after party.

4. Play MadLibs with the Commonly Known Phrases

Every college speech uses the same phrases despite how original they try to be. Today begins the rest of your lives. You are the future. Be all that you can be. You’ve worked so hard for this day to finally arrive. Blah, blah, blah. We get it. You know what these speakers are going to say before they even say it. So why not make it a little more interesting by mixing it up a little bit. MadLibs style. Today begins the (adjective)(noun) of your (adjective) lives. Today begins the biggest downfall of your sex lives. How’s that for a commencement speech? Not so inspiring but definitely unexpected

5. Sex It Up

You know those commonly used phrases I just mentioned? Well add a “that’s what she said” at the end of them. Or take a page from the fortune cookie rule and add an “in bed” to the end for good measure. Childish? Yep. Immature? Sure. Entertaining? Absolutely.

Go any other ways to pass the time during those less than entertaining commencement day speeches? 

OK, so this isn't Kathy, but how cute is this lady?!

Kathy Vitzthum took her first class at Iowa State in 1992. Since then, she’s continued taking one college class per semester while working at raising a family. Now, 19 years later, she’s graduating with a degree in accounting, and fulfilling a promise she made to her father years ago.

Gawker was kind enough to bring this woman’s story to our attention and we thought we’d bring it to yours. Because not only does she deserve a little recognition for having the determination to stick with it for 19 years while holding a job and raising a family, but she’s also done the one thing no one else has. (Poor Cappie he left after just 5 years.)

She’s managed to prove all those people who say “you won’t be in college forever” wrong. She proved to people everywhere that if you really want to you can make college last. So come on ladies, let’s tip our hats to the woman that didn’t just make her own dream come true, but ours too.

I bet you graduating seniors are re-thinking your plans now, aren’t ya?

Since there is a first time for everything, let me tell you about the senior slide. This week, I didn’t want to do a single thing that pertained to school.  Get this, I even took it upon myself to scroll through a healthy amount of pictures (649, to be exact) tagged of myself on Facebook to dodge homework production. It’s bad. Real bad.

If you’re Senior Slidin’ (or just ready to ditch the books and do something, anything, else), here’s one more thing to get you through the few remaining hours of the week: taking a look at what already happened.

- We are counting down the days (and it feels like it’s taking forever) for Glee to be back in our lives. In case you aren’t excited enough, look at our favorite musical gems brought to you by Schuester and his glee club.

- Lately, I have been obsessed with the sophisticated boyfriend blazer, and we can help you make your own!

- We know Cosmopolitan says the darndest things, but we also discovered Glamour and Maxim have the same silly tendencies in their glossy pages, too.

- We said goodbye to Hannah Montana and contemplated the reasons why Miley is moving out on her own.

- We created this  helpful job-hunting tip sheet for graduating student’s entering the big bad workforce.

- Mirror, mirror on the wall, which crazy American Apparel outfit is the weirdest of them all?

- Could you go a month without shopping? What if you were a shop-a-holic? One College Candy writer is going to try, and she is sharing her story.

- In the light of all the cheating dbags in Hollywood, we wondered: once a cheater, always a cheater?

Even though my days of filling out college applications are long gone, I can still remember the frustration of trying to set myself apart from my classmates. AP classes. National Honor Society. Varsity Soccer. Spanish Club. The list goes on.

The trouble is, nowadays, colleges across the country receive thousands of applications from students with exceptional grades, tons of extra-curriculars, volunteer work, and a stellar essay (even if it’s BS).

So how does one prove themselves more worthy than their peers?
Tufts University thinks that YouTube is the way to go.

Ever since Legally Blonde came out, I’ve always thought a college application video was a great idea! And apparently, so do a lot of other people. So far this reading season, Tufts has received about 1,000 1-minute long vids showcasing everything from weird talents to remote-control elephants to DJing at a rave (yes, really).

While videos may not be the best way for a high school senior to choose their dream school (may I suggest a campus tour?), they just might be the new best way for colleges to choose their incoming student body! Wouldn’t you want your school to see who you REALLY are, rather than just a list of your (totally exaggerated) accomplishments typed out in size 12 Times New Roman? After all, we’re so much more than that! Our friends and family love us for our quirks, why shouldn’t the Dean of Admissions?

Even though I didn’t have the chance to do this back in ’07, I think it would be cool if other schools followed in Tufts’ footsteps and gave students another way to set themselves apart. After all, college admissions is one of the most important times in a young person’s life – if they’re gonna do it, they should be able to do it right.

What do you guys think?

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