While you’ve been stressing over extra-long sheets and we’ve been hurriedly preparing you for another back-to-school season, the people of Pakistan have had an entirely different set of worries to contend with.  20 million of the country’s citizens have been affected and 1,600 (considered to be a low estimate) have been killed by the horrific floods that have been destroying homes and displacing families for weeks now.

If you haven’t heard much about the disaster, you’re not alone.  It has gone widely under-covered by media outlets and it is for this reason that relief efforts are severely lacking.  As of present, Angelina Jolie is the only Hollywood celebrity to donate, no fundraising concerts have been planned, no drives organized.

Forget packing for school and seeing your friends for a minute and take a moment to donate to people who are really in need. Prove to all those people who say we’re a no-good, selfish generation that we’re able to put to do some good in the world.

The New York Times has released a list of agencies that are collecting resources to help Pakistanis in need.  Some credible, heavy-hitters on the list include:

UNICEF

World Food Program USA

American Red Cross

Doctors Without Borders USA

Oxfam America

Save the Children

If you donate to the organizations listed above (or any other that you have ties to), tweet your contribution and charity of choice @CollegeCandy for a chance to win a Pureology NanoWorks® Shampoo and Condition prize pack (valued at over $100!). This is the best of the best in hair care, which, together with Pureology, we’ll be giving to one very charitable reader. Don’t forget to include the hashtag #pkfloods. We’ll randomly draw a name on Friday and reward your do-gooding.

But really, helping people in need should be reward enough.

Packing up the car for a short weekend, I fell absolutely in love with everything from the rolling mountains surrounding the university, the slew of handcrafted rocking chairs on the porches, all the way to the historical landmarked buildings. Every college student has that moment when they know that this is their school – and walking across the front quadrangle, I knew I found a place to start my college journey.

Little did I know, signing the paperwork and sending a $400 deposit for my enrollment to be a student in the 2010 class was my way of making a deal with the devil.

Since being in college, I have been through hell and back, and then some. The façade of a well polished community really seemed too good to be true, but once the parents left and the magical fairy dust of being a brand-spankin’ new college student wore off and our student IDs lost their luster, so did the support and cooperation of the administration, the ideals of “sisterhood” as a unique kinship that unites community (the word ‘sisterhood’ plays a major marketing role for all-women’s colleges across the nation and sororities), the spirit of traditions, and the premise that college is actually about learning subjects in a manner of breadth and depth.

Two and a half years later, I am a junior still at the same university. I stayed for my academics, which happened to be the only aspect of school that didn’t come with strings attached. This series is my cautionary tale for those prospective students out there, those considering transferring from their universities, and those who may not be aware of the full picture happening across their campuses.

Every Thursday I will feature issues that, believe it or not, actually happen on college campuses despite what viewbooks and Dean of Students let on. While most college students have had the time of their life during their 4 years of undergrad, I have been fighting for my own life, as a very concerned student. While pushing my education and social life to the side, I have dealt with a system that I have realized is not just flawed but broken – and it’s time for me to share my story!

A friend of mine began dating a girl. And by “began” I mean, slept with her the day they met.

Since then, he has been seeing this girl on a daily basis. He likes hanging out with her and he loves the sex. He insists that she is not his girlfriend, yet the amount of time they spend together tells a different story. A story that:

1) I am sure his lady friend is reading

2) makes it seem like this little relationship is turning into something more serious.

Yet, as he tells me, he doesn’t want a girlfriend. And “it is too early to have the relationship conversation, anyway. We are just having fun.”

I started thinking about his situation – how I would feel if I were him, if I were her, and just about the whole dating thing in general.

Dating for our generation is clearly a lot different than when our parents did it. Way back when, in the days when they were young, dating was a fairly structured process: boy eyed girl, boy asked girl on date, boy met parents, boy and girl went on a few more dates, boy formally asked girl to be his girlfriend, boy gave girl pin/sweater, boy and girl were officially a couple and held hands (and sometimes necked).

Now, things look a little different: boy eyes girl at party, boy walks up behind girl and starts “dancing” with (rubbing himself against) her, boy and girl go back to someone’s dorm room and hookup, boy and girl send each other late night text messages, boy and girl hookup and hang out on a consistent basis.

And neither party brings up the relationship topic.

While the dating culture of our parents’ days seems too formal so old-fashioned, there is something to be said about the formalities it was built on. The structured approach to courtship created open lines of communication so both parties involved knew exactly where they stood.

No wondering if he was going to call.

No internal debate over whether he liked you or was simply drunk and horny.

No going crazy wondering if he feels the same way about you as you do about him.

The modern day approach to dating – hooking up now, asking questions never – is a recipe for disaster. We walk into these situations completely blind just asking to be hurt. We pretend it is all casual – because we would be crazy if we had the “couple talk” so soon! – yet we get sucked further and further in without knowing what the other person is thinking or how things are going to turn out.

And usually – for one person involved – they don’t turn out well.

I watch my friend and I understand where he is coming from, yet I can’t help but feel bad for this girl. But is there a way to fix it, or are we all simply prone to the inevitable confusion and pain that comes from our current dating culture?