Welcome back to The Rival Rundown! If you’ve always wanted to give props to your school on CC, now’s your chance! Shoot us an email explaining what’s awesome and unique about your school (or what stinks about Rival U) at rivalrundown@collegecandy.com!

This week begins the World Series, the premier sporting championship in the nation (at least in my opinion–why have one night of the Superbowl when you can have at least four nights of nail-biting, crowd-rousing suspense?). While the world obsesses over the current New York-Philadelphia rivalry, let’s take a look at another – between Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania.  The only two Ivy League schools with truly urban campuses, Columbia and UPenn are champion institutions themselves. But who will come out on top? Best of five wins…

1. Mascot Matchup

Columbia- Don some baby-blue and white to cheer on the Lions, so named for the university’s heritage as King’s College (referring to the King of England, whose coat of arms portrays a lion).
UPenn- The Penn Quakers pay homage to the Society of Friends (aka the Quakers), the religious affiliation of the settlers of Pennsylvania. The largest Quaker-fest occurs each spring at Penn Relays, a prestigious and historic track-and-field event attracting students from high schools and colleges across the country.

Three credits to: UPenn. How could you not love a team named the Quakers? Who doesn’t love oatmeal? Read More »

We’re back with another edition of G.W.W.E. (Guys We Wanna Eff)!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the sizzling it-boy of the moment, and apparently has a penchant for projects beginning with numerals instead of letters. He has been on my radar since his days as Tommy Solomon on 3rd Rock from the Sun. Man, remember that show? Besides the fact it was gut-bustingly funny, it rocked because JGL played the unconventionally-hot teen boy that was irresistible to my young lust.

Then, to confirm his pop-star status, he starred in one of the most iconic coming-of-age flicks of the 90s, 10 Things I Hate About You.

But a lot has happened since then.  Shortly after 10 Things, JGL took an acting hiatus to study French at Columbia, and developed an appreciation for the smaller things in life. He left college just shy of graduation to begin acting again, this time in plays and on the indie movie circuit. Now, he’s a fully matured adult with his first headlining role in the indie “it” movie (500) Days of Summer, opening today.

And while JGL has always been a cutie, these days there’s no denying he’s 100% smokin’ hot.  Trailers and clever ads for (500) Days of Summer reveal his intelligent, understated, and refined attractiveness that’s effing driving me crazy. Add a French accent to the mix and he can 3rd rock my world any day–summer, winter, whenever!

Madonna’s secret recordings (no, they are not sex tapes!).

Forget the girl with her heart on her sleeve; wear your uterus on your undies?

Some men are really, really desperate.

Katie Perry eats it on national TV.

Now everyone can look like Heidi Klum. Well, sorta.

Joe the Plumber and Joe Six Pack chat it up.

The greatest college pranks…ever.

Columbia gets erotic.

Travis Barker is out of the hospital!

The most delicious iPhone.

Professor trading cards? It’s real!

So this is it. The big step you’ve been planning for years has finally come.

You’re off to college.

There are so many things to think (and stress) about; will I like my new roommate(s)? Will I get the classes I want? Will I make new friends? Should I join any campus clubs?

I can’t answer all of those questions, but I can tell you from personal experience that when it comes to joining clubs, go for it! I can guarantee it’ll enrich your overall college experience – helping you make new friends, giving you something to look forward to on a regular basis, offering an outlet for your passion and surprisingly enough, it can oftentimes lead to you doing even better at your academics.

Why am I so adamant about the positives of joining clubs? I guess to understand that, I have to tell my personal story.

When I graduated high school many moons ago, I went straight to the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). While it’s a fantastic school with a reputation for excellent academics, I was at a tumultuous time of my life and was not prepared for the strains of college. I made some great friends my first year in the dorms and had fun, but I was always hesitant to really participate in extracurricular activities. After a couple of very rough years, I decided to take some time off (AKA drop out) and take some time to “find myself” (AKA work in Corporate America and party a lot). Read More »

We all know the dangers of having sex too early, but could there be a risk to having sex too late?

A new study conducted by Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute’s HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies claims “Those who lose their virginity at a later age — around 21 to 23 years of age — tend to be more likely to experience sexual dysfunction problems late.”

Even though this new study makes it seem like losing your virginity too late will cause your body to freak out, in actuality, what the numbers really show is that waiting to have sex is sometimes an indicator of preexisting bodily issues.

And to that conclusion, I say, well, of course. Read More »

• Apparently sex is the antidote for every terrible ailment from the common cold to cramps. Too bad it’s also the cause of herpes and babies. (pravda.ru)

• Remember that stupid anti-drug commercial where the kids get high and shoot their friend with a gun? Remember how ridiculous it seemed? Well, it happens. (WKMG Orlando)

• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the definition of ignorant. (CNN.com)

• Stop assuming your boyfriend doesn’t like to cuddle and he’ll stop assuming that all girls want to romantic, candle-lit sex. (The Today Show)

• Mini-cows on mini-ranches that are “as sweet as the dickens”? Awwww. (upi.com)

• Please don’t ever do this. Please. (You Tube)

I remember that one exam I bombed.

Sauntering into the huge lecture room with confidence, I grabbed myself a blue book and 15-page questionnaire and found a seat. I had only spent a few hours studying the night before, but it was fine, because I was taking the class Pass/Fail, and had already secured enough good grades to keep me in the Pass range, no matter how I did on the final. Plus, it was Ancient Greek. Who does well on the final exam (which reviewed the entire year) in Ancient Greek? The coolness factor of learning a dead language wore off after the first couple of weeks, and by this exam, I was happy if I never say another Gamma or Delta in my life.

I proceeded to fail the final for three hours, and when finally satisfied with my poor memory and congregation skills, I passed the test in and walked out of the door. Who cares? I thought, practically skipping back to my dorm. No more Greek for the rest of my life!

The numbers came back, and I did indeed fail. Miserably. But as soon as I looked at my final grade, my nonchalance immediately disappeared. The Registrar didn’t have me down as P/F in Ancient Greek, they had me with a letter grade! A very horrible letter grade.

I was pissed, I was embarrassed, and most importantly, my workaholic status had been blemished. But what could I do? I had been an idiot. Twice. Once for never checking if the Registrar had my records in order, and twice for sitting in the back of the library and laughing with a friend instead of reviewing “Kronos and His Family”.

Little did I know, I could have sued. Read More »