Summer’s for day drinking, wearing cute sundresses, basking in the sun and finding the perfect summer romance. But who says that can’t all happen while you’re still on campus? Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re making the big decision about taking summer classes.

1. Money. Taking summer classes, especially at a community college can save you some big money when it comes to your overall tuition costs. Early graduation or part-time student status can make a huge difference at the end of the day.

2. Grades. As much as we don’t like to admit it, our grades are always higher when our social life isn’t so thriving. The week your favorite bar closed for renovations? Straight A’s. The week it re-opened? Not so much. With fewer people on campus, it’s almost like good grades are a certainty. Not to mention that if you take your summer classes at a local community college, it’s almost guaranteed that it will be easier than your regular classes.

3. Jobs.  As far as my experience has shown, all of my job interviewers have been super interested in the fact that I’ve taken summer and winter classes.  It showed them that I had taken initiative to better myself by sacrificing a summer for my own education. Read More »

I like to think of this week as come-down week.  We’re gradually coming down from the elation of the holidays.  We’re coming down from the kind of happiness that can only be found when you spend an entire day curled up on the couch, watching old school reruns courtesy of Soap Net or the Jersey Shore premiere on repeat.  We’re coming down from that food coma, only to realize that our favorite pairs of jeans are no longer our favorite pairs of jeans…because we can’t get them over our thunder thighs.

Come down week (more commonly referred to as “the start of winter semester”) was made a little more bearable by the fact that it actually wasn’t super-frigid this year….but let’s be real, the real thing getting us through this otherwise awful time is the fact that Jake Gyllenhal is back on the market!  Write a song about that, Taylor.

The second best way to get through this week?  Drink.  Since it’s syllabus week, aka the craziest, most party-rific week for college students, you can get really crazy.  Like, Snooki level crazy.  Here’s your guide to throwing the perfect Jersey Shore-themed party.

But if you’re not ready to get off the couch and get crazy just yet, there’s always extensive Facebook stalking.  It’s likely that people have uploaded tons of pictures from New Years Eve and the rest of the holiday season.  Feel free to stalk – I won’t judge (because that would be hypocrisy…)   I might, however, have to judge if you do any of the things that force us to wonder: has our Facebook obsession gone too far? Read More »

When it came time to pick a college, most of the guidance counselors at my high school pointed students in the direction of the local community college. Like most of my friends, however, I ignored that lady with the mustache and took my pretty little butt to a big, 4-year university. No offense, but I just felt that a four-year program would prove better for me in the long run; I’d get a better education, I’d have more resources, and I’d be more prepared for the job market come graduation.

Plus, well, college campuses are fun and I wanted two extra years of the fun.

But I’m starting to learn that I might have made the wrong choice. At least in terms of the whole “better job” thing. (Yeah, no matter what, there’s nothing more fun than a college campus.) According to some recent studies, community colleges are taking the lead when it comes to a cost, education and future earnings.

Below, a list of surprising facts about community colleges. Warning: you might not want to show this to the parental units paying for your education…. Read More »

On Tuesday, October 5, President Obama and Jill Biden hosted the first ever White House Summit on Community Colleges. In an attempt to draw attention to his education plan, Obama claimed, “We want to make it easier to connect students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire. We want to help community colleges and employers create programs that match curricula in the classroom with the needs of the boardrooms.”

Due to the exceptionally high unemployment rate and our falling world ranking concerning the percentage of college-educated adults, the Obama administration feels we need to focus on community colleges to provide a more affordable education for America’s youth. Obama is looking to improve the number of college degrees by 5 million before 2020.

Undeniably, a two-year, community college education would make many students’ resumes more appealing to any future employer than having no higher education at all. However, after already shoveling over $3 billion to help low-income students at colleges with an average graduation rate of 20% (versus the 58% rate career colleges boast), Obama’s plan is far from cheap.

The move toward this plan would attempt to partner community colleges with various businesses and focus curriculum on skills necessary for students’ desired career choices, making them more appealing to said partners. The plan has received some backlash, especially from for-profit career colleges. However, all-in-all, it hasn’t received much attention. Read More »

Whether you’re a first year student or heading back to campus for yet another year of academics and parties, there is indisputably one book you need to bring along with you: Debt-Free U: How I Paid for An Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching Off My Parents, by Zac Bissonnette.

I know what you’re thinking: Why would I want to read a book about paying for college when I’m already in college and I’m getting by with student loans/ my parents’ generously footing the bill /or a scholarship?

Well listen up, pretty lady – whatever your situation is you will absolutely get some insight about paying for college that will, without a doubt, help you make better decisions when it comes to financially making it through four years, as well as helping you protect your future post-grad life.

Throughout history, paying for college has been a major issue on everyone’s minds. But although it’s something everyone always seems to talk (and worry) about, it is one thing that usually gets pushed to the side in the application process. Students send their applications out, they get their acceptance letters back, and then – and only then – the question of paying for that highly accredited university to which they’ve been accepted pops up. But with the cost of a college education rising at a pace in polar opposition to our economy, financial disaster is almost inevitable.

Without a lot of financial planning, people turn to student loans, which, as any college student who has taken them out knows, are a major stress-factor that can impact the rest of your life. Not only do students feel like they have to take out more and more loans to supplement an income during college, they feel utterly lost, especially in a world where financial aid offices will tell you anything. In Debt-Free, Zac explains “The role of the financial aid office to make sure that the students the school has admitted are financially able to attend – through whatever means necessary.” Because colleges don’t work as financial advocates for students, more and more students are falling down the rabbit hole of student debt. However, consider Debt-Free as a personal guide that will walk you through all things financial in the college world, by whatever means necessary. Read More »

Got some college questions? Unsure of a decision? Don’t know what to do this summer? Just wanna chat it up with some really awesome chics? We’ve got the girls for you. Hit them up in the comments or shoot them an email with the subject “College Q&A”! They’ve got all the answers you need, no matter who you are.

Question:
You girls seem to know what’s up with college. I’m transferring from a community college to a big college. I start with the summer term in a few weeks (I thought it would help me with my transition if I gave myself some extra time.) I’m really scared because I’ve never lived away from home and this is very different from what I’m used to from my current school. I want to know if you have any advice? Like, if you could tell me 3 things I should know, what are they?

Party Girl:
First of all, congrats on leaving the nest! That’s a big step and it definitely takes some balls. As for the advice, I can only say that going to a “big” college after community college is going to be like life in technicolor after living in black & white (a la Dorothy). Everything is going to be more intense: the classes, the drinking, and the lifestyle. There will be more opportunities to party and make friends at every turn – take advantage of them!!  If I have to funnel my advice into three bullet points, it would be these:

1) Fight the urge to hermit. Get a drink in your hand and your ass on a dance floor.
2) Study. I frequently forget to do this myself, so it’s good to remind yourself that going to a big college is more than just a huge 4-year speed dating event.
3) Live on campus. Even if it’s just for a semester, to really experience your new school you have to live on campus. Plus, you get an automatic in for any campus parties that most people living off campus don’t even hear about. Read More »

“Excuse me, do you have a lighter, a cigarette or both?”

That is the question that I am usually greeted with when I  walk out of the  building where I take most of my classes in my college. For some reason, that is the “smokers’ hang out spot” where the smokers gather to share a cigarette  and basically fry their lungs while the rest of the non-smoking population is forced to breathe in their second-hand smoke. And then smell like it so their friends, parents and teachers think they have picked up a new extra curricular activity.

So when I read an article about Rockland Community College, a school that has totally banned smoking both indoors and outdoors starting September 1st, I kinda sorta considered transferring. A school that is completely smoke-free? A school where I can go anywhere on campus and not have to worry about coming home smelling like an ashtray? Heaven!

But is that really possible?

I can see this ban working at community colleges, as students don’t live on campus and can light up as soon as their car leaves the campus lot. But what about a regular university? Could a school really enforce that rule? And would banning smoking on campus really promote a “healthy environment,” (the goal of the ban) or are students just going to get in their cars, drive to the edge of campus and enjoy a cigarette over there?

Even more, is this really fair? I am all for a place where I don’t get smoke blown into my face, but is it really fair to take away a legal individual’s right to smoke when they have the urge?

What do you guys think? Would a ban work at your college or university? Would this ban help the nearly 30% of  American college students who smoke?

As the semester comes to an end, I  can’t help but stress about the upcoming fall semester. In a few short weeks, I will be graduating from my two year community college with an associates degree and, come September, I will be walking onto unfamiliar territory at my new university.

Of course I am excited that I will no longer have to wake up 2 hours before my class to get onto 2 over-crowded and always-late buses to get to school. I will finally get to move out of my parents house and have what most people call the “real college experience.” I will, at last,  get to prove to my parents that I can survive away from home.

However, I can’t help but be consumed by thoughts about various things relating to this upcoming experience.

First, there’s the whole roommate situation. I’ve never lived out of my house, let alone in a small room with a stranger. Thankfully, my friend who is transferring to the same uni as I has agreed to be my roommate. But I’m still a little nervous. I’m not used to sharing my space with anyone and I’ve heard that it is unwise to be roomies with your friends, as you may end up hating each other in the end. Will I end up calling my mom in tears after a giant fight with her over using up the milk? Read More »

Midterms have passed, and yet we’re still weeks away from winter break. This week, if you’ve been feeling bored, restless, or just plain anxious for the term to end, you too may be suffering from the Fall Semester Itch! Leaving campus was just one of the alternatives we at College Candy considered, along with opting for community college and even ditching academia altogether. Hey, we’re just trying to keep our options open.

But if you’ve got The Itch, then we’ve got the remedies. College Candy prescribes a heavy dose of mindless entertainment. This week, we got all the facts on the hottest celebrity cat fights, contemplated the progression of Disney starlets to Hollywood harlots, and watched some real heavy drama on The Biggest Loser.

After a few good laughs (and maybe seeing Amy Winehouse look like a hot mess), it was time to spruce up. We relaxed our wild tresses with these tips for curly hair care, raided our closet for high-waisted pants, and upgraded our wardrobe to be sexy for winter. And once we got the dirt on down-n-dirty hookups, we were all prepared for a night on the town.

If all this hasn’t relieved that Fall Semester Itch, this week we also looked longingly to Thanksgiving (with this pumpkin pie recipe) and brainstormed ideas for holiday gifts! With this week in the books, the excitement of the holiday season lurks right around the corner!

When you think of community college what comes to mind? Cheap, slackers, immature kids with bad grades. These are the first things that popped into my head when I had to make the decision to go there for the semester before I transfer schools. I thought it was going to be pure hell, but instead it’s actually kind of my idea what college should be like, minus a few things. Here’s what to expect if you’re going to community college next semester or summer.

The Good:

Free parking! - I was pumped about this, since parking at my last college (NC State) was about 200 bucks. This is also a bad thing because everyone can afford to park, so I have to leave my house 40 minutes before class (and I live 15 minutes away) to beat traffic and find a spot next to my building

The Fests - Back to School Fest, Fall Fest, Latin Fest, Halloween Fest….there’s always some type of “fest” going on….and they all involve a DJ, a moon bounce and loads of free food!

Online classes with NO extra fees - Most colleges label online classes as Distance Education and slap a few extra fees on the courses so that you’ll actually come to campus and not sit in your dorm/apartment/parent’s house watching your lecture via laptop wearing your your favorite tee and a pair of sweats (heaven!). Well, because so many people go to good ol’ community college (mine has 4 campuses total and is 40,000 strong), they actually prefer if you take a class or two online. But be warned: most online classes don’t have deadlines and it can be tempting to slack off. I’ve been taking Ethics since August and haven’t taken any tests just because I don’t feel like it! Read More »