As college students, we do a lot of reading. And while I love to read, I don’t love how much I can spend on textbooks each semester. Which is why I’m always looking for the best deal when it comes to books — so imagine how excited I was when I discovered I could save money on my books for my English classes by reading the them online for free on sites like Litfy!

While there are other places online that you can download and read classic books for free, Lifty gets points for their colorful, modern layout. It’s also easy to find the book you want by searching by author name, title, or keyword. There are thousands of books currently on the site, and more are added each day!

Another great feature of Litfy is their forum where you can connect with other literature lovers and discuss the books you’re reading on the site. Or use the forum to ask questions you come across while studying a text, and maybe someone can help!

What I really love about Litfy — and why it’s a great site for college students like me and you — is the ability to annotate the book. With Litfy, you can highlight a portion of the page, make notes, or bookmark your place. So instead of bringing a book to class, or having to pay for printing out sections (and wasting paper), you can pull up the important parts for your class discussion right on your laptop! This also makes it easy to find the important quotes when you’re writing papers! You can do pretty much everything with Litfy that you can do with a book, except electronically.

Litfy has quickly become one of my favorite sites — I love anything that makes my life easier and saves me money!

I like words.

That may sound like a strange statement but it’s true. I like words. I like reading them. I like writing them. I like speaking them. I love how words often sound like their meaning. How certain ones flow off the tongue effortlessly and others are succinct little chirps. I love the differing number of syllables and how some are spelled phonetically and others have no rhyme or reason to their spelling whatsoever. I love silent letters and multiple meanings. But mostly I just love words.

I like them all, but I do have my favorites, the ones I use over and over again, the ones I probably use too often. There’s really no explaining why I love these particular words. They’re not the most difficult or the most eloquent sounding. They’re just my favorites. And if you know me in real life, or even if you frequently read my stuff here on CollegeCandy, you’ll know that these words are, in fact, a very big part of my everyday vernacular.

Ooh vernacular, now that’s a good word…

10. Legit. A shorthanded slang for legitimately. Often used by me for statements that are far from legitimate. But using the shortened version, “legit,” instead of “legitimately” makes the hyperbole okay somehow. At least for me.

9. Quip. A witty comeback. A short statement. I think I love using the word quip so much because I like to quip. A lot. So if I refer to other people’s comments as quips than maybe they’ll refer to my comments in the same way. Plus I like the alliteration of “quick quip.”

8. Simultaneously. A very, very pretty word that, let’s face it, sounds a hell of a lot more eloquent than “at the same time.”

7.  Quintessential. Not really a word you hear in everyday language, but I use it all the time. And probably more often than is appropriate. But I can’t help myself. It’s one of those words that just flows off the tongue. The “s” sound makes it sound so pretty.

6. Touché. This is a favorite of mine mostly because it allows you to still sound like you have the upper-hand even when admitting that your opponent actually has a point. Like, sure, you may have won the argument, but do you know how to bow out gracefully with words that require an accent? I do.

5. Repartee. More often than not when I used this word it’s preceded by the word witty. Because really, what’s the point of having a repartee if it’s not a witty repartee?

4. Pretentious. I’ve described more people than I care to admit using this word. It’s great because it allows you to sound important and intelligent and sure of yourself while making it sound like a bad thing when someone else behaves in the exact same way.

3. Adorable. Perfect for describing a puppy or a pair or shoes. Very few words are as adaptable as the word adorable. So make the most of it, why don’t you.

2. Absurd. A word my brother knows well. Mostly because it’s how I describe every one of his statements/actions/decisions since I was old enough to learn the word.

1. Fabulous.  Blame it on Carrie Bradshaw or Coco Chanel. Or whoever you please, but fabulous will pretty much always be my favorite word in the English dictionary. And you know why? Because it’s fabulous.

I know I’m not the only lover of language out there. What are your favorite words? 

Well, their great advice has inspired me to give a little advice of my own. Less about choosing a college, and more about the things you should remember once you get there, about how to bridge that gap between college and the real world, and how to make the most of your opportunities while you still have them.

I mean it’s not all boys, beer, and parties (even though those are important too), so here are a few things I wish I knew when I was a mere freshman.

1. You’ll change your major at least once. Everyone always told me this, but I would just shake my head at them and laugh. Not me, I knew what I wanted to major in. I loved to read and to write. I was going to be an English major. But even I eventually had a moment of doubt. The entire second semester of my freshman year into the summer before my sophomore I was convinced I would be changing my major to information systems. That seemed like a far more practical choice with better options for post-grad jobs. Granted I eventually realized I was not made to be an information systems major and found my way back to English (and later, Philosophy) but I was so concerned with trying to pick a major that I didn’t even realize that…

2. What you get your degree in may not necessarily be the field you work in. It’s the truth. Your major does not necessarily have to dictate what you do with your life so much as it explains what you enjoy and what skill sets you will have post graduation.  Granted, pre-med students more often than not will probably go on to become doctors and psychology majors will probably continue their research in graduate schools, but history majors can become politicians or writers or lawyers. I mean, philosophy majors don’t necessarily become…philosophers, right? No, trust me, they don’t. 

3. The humanities are actually pretty applicable to real life. The humanities (English, Philosophy, History) tend to get a bad reputation these days. Because there’s no set post-college career path humanities majors are accused of being lazy, impractical, and unwilling to grow up. Sure, we spend our time reading and discussing and analyzing and researching about things that have already happened, things that have only happened in books, and thinks that will never happen, but all that reading and discussing, all those skills we develop actually come in handy later on in life. It took me a while, but eventually I learned how to spin the skills of an English and Philosophy major to work for just about any job. I mean, what job description these days doesn’t ask for excellent analytical skills, great communication skills, and the ability to work well with others, right?

4. Your advisor can help you. This one may seem like a no brainer, but not nearly enough people utilize their college advisors, and I certainly didn’t during my first few years. These people are there to do more than tell you what classes you need to take in order to graduate on time. They’re there to help you figure out what you want to do with your life. Have something in mind? Ask for their opinions? If they can’t help you, they’ll probably be able to tell you who can, and tell you what you need to do to make it happen. They have connections, and they want to use them to help you, so let them.

5. Get as many internships as possible. The best way to determine whether or not a certain job is right for you is to do that job, and an internship is the perfect way to try it out while you’re still in college. Internships are great because they give you some real life experience, allow you to put all those skills (directly related or not) to good use, and sometimes (if you’re lucky enough to intern for CollegeCandy) they’re actually a lot of fun. Internships allow you to further develop your skills, build up your resume, and test drive a few post-grad options. So do one, do four, do forty, and make the most of all the options available to you as a college girl.

OK, now it’s your turn: Looking back on your college experience, what are some things you wish you knew way back when?

You meet a million people in college. Or so it seems as you go from dorm to class to frat party, seeing thousands of new faces along the way. How’s a busy college student to determine who she’ll like or who she’ll want to avoid?

Well there’s no better instant-indicator than judging someone based on their major. Sure it’s a stereotype and sure it’s not always right, but as most college students can attest it’s usually pretty accurate.  So step into our judgmental world and check out our ultimate major translator. You’ll have your entire campus figured out in no time!

For what seems like forever, I have told everyone from friends, random people at parties, teachers, and family members that upon graduating undergrad, I would head off to graduate school to a M.A. or Ph.D. program in English literature. In fact, during my first year of college while my classmates were mostly concerned with figuring out their major requirements, I obsessed over taking the right classes designed for graduate school track students, finding the right internships, and doing everything the right way towards getting to graduate school – ruling everything out that did not fit in the perfect English grad school box I put myself in.

As you can imagine, it’s a rather rude awakening when everything doesn’t fall into place like you planned for it to.  Looking back, the moment I realized that my plans were not something I really 100% wanted to do anymore was during a conference meeting with my thesis advisor. She asked me why I wanted to attend graduate school. I was silent. I had no answer. I sputtered off some generic – the “I’d like to advance my studies in literature” excuse. But it felt so fake, so fabricated, and hearing myself say it bothered me. I didn’t like the way it rolled off the tip of my tongue. I didn’t like the way it made me feel about where I wanted to go in my future.

There is a huge problem when you don’t really have an answer as to why you are doing something major like applying to graduate programs, and this started the downward spiral of my graduate school plans. Another red flag was my honors thesis project. Like many seniors, I was completing a sixty-page thesis project (I was working in the area of girls’ fiction in children’s literature). I picked the topic myself, but not even a month or two into the project, I hated it. I wanted nothing to do with what I was writing and saying and researching. There I was working on something very similar to what I would be doing in graduate school, completely unhappy. Not good, right?

Although that little voice in the back of my head (you know the one that tells you to go to class even though you don’t want to, the one that tells you to order just one more drink at the bar, and the one that tells you to run away from that creepy guy in the frat basement corner as fast as you can) was telling me over and over again that graduate school wasn’t for me. I didn’t listen. There were so many times that voice was shouting at me, but I just ignored it because it was out of bounds from my “future plans.”

Looking back, I just want to yell at myself and say “How could I not have listened?” I mean – Hello Charlsie, wake up! None of the schools I was looking at actually interested me. None of the subjects I wrote about as projected graduate study topics even remotely fascinated me in a level that I’d want to dedicate years of studying towards. Nothing I heard about graduate school from professors and friends in graduate school amused me (in fact, most people that went off to graduate school in English have told me how unhappy they are or have quit in the middle of their degrees). Even the GRE exam, which I had to take for grad school admissions, meant nothing to me – it was just a pain in my side. Again, how could I not have listened?

It took me almost a full academic school year to listen, and I didn’t start to grasp that until after all my applications were paid for and sent out (talk about an expensive disaster!). Although I can solidly say that my love for all things English is undying, I can also say that my heart, body, and brain are just not into it like someone should be if they want to go off to graduate school. I felt like I would be selling myself out.  Luckily for me though, coming to terms with life not going as planned was a blessing, because it saved me from something I didn’t want to really do.

They say hindsight is 20/20 but luckily, I’m not making the same mistakes as before. For the first time, it feels like I’m actually genuinely focused on something that I want to do – rather than what I thought I should be doing. I’m one of those very structured people that has to plan everything from A to Z, so to learn this lesson that I can’t control my own future when it’s not something that is meant to be – especially when it’s something I don’t want to invest myself in – has been definitely worth learning.

If I continued with my plan to continue on in English, I feel like I would have ended up hating it. Now, I have not only left myself room to grow and explore all things in the world of writing and literature on my own terms instead of academia, I can stand on my own towards bigger and better choices such as law school – something in which I feel like I will have tons of room to grow!

Even though getting into law school is going to be a bitch, and the LSAT process is going to be one of the toughest things to tackle in my life, it feels so good to actually say “I want to do this and that’s why I am.” And it’s for the right reasons. Instead of what felt like signing my life away to something I was wishy-washy about, I feel invigorated that I can work through this next part of my life to get to what I genuinely want.

Although this kind of all feels like some overwhelming John Mayer song lesson to me, it’s been one of the best lessons I could learn in my life, and I feel lucky to carry it with me through my post-grad journey. Who knew that plans not working out could be one of the best things to happen to me?

Certainly not me, but then again – I wouldn’t be writing this if I did.

While every college girl shares many of the same college experiences (selling books, sexiled, one shot too many), she also carves her own path and has her own unique adventure. Have you ever wondered what it’s like for other girls? What it’s like to go to an all-girls school? To go to fashion school? To go to a community college? Well wonder no more. Our one-of-a-kind CollegeCandy writers are sharing their unique experiences and opening our eyes to different college worlds. Are you doing something spectacular/different/interesting that you want to share? Send your ideas over and perhaps you could be telling your story right here.

Most college students struggle to complete one degree in four years, often taking an extra football season to finish or going on the five-year plan. Well, imagine trying to get two degrees in four years. And being in a sorority. And working. And having a boyfriend. And trying to maintain social skills. And watching Glee every Tuesday. Seems crazy right? Welcome to my life.

My friends think I’m nuts. Not because of my double major status, but rather the majors I’ve decided to take on. My primary is Telecommunications and Film with a concentration in Broadcast News, and my secondary is English. While both are pretty harmless separately, together it’s a deadly combination. Telecommunications requires a lot of outside work, plus you pretty much have to work at the TV station to get anywhere, which I’ve yet to do. English requires tons of reading and papers, plus I have to take four semesters of the same foreign language. I find that very strange for an English major, but this has given me the opportunity to take up Italian.

Thankfully, I’ve finished my core classes so I don’t have to waste my time with math (I.hate.numbers.) and can focus on classes that I enjoy. That’s probably the best thing about my double majoring: I love my classes. I love British Literature and History of Mass Communications. I don’t have to worry about Philosophy 101 anymore (worst class everrr) or other electives. That’s right, because I’m pursuing two degrees I don’t have to take electives. No Social Dance or 1-credit Running classes for me!

Another major double-major perk? My teachers know who I am! Alabama is a very large school, so most students don’t get the opportunity to really get to know their teachers. But because I practically live in two buildings on campus, my teachers see me all. the. time. On days when I only have an hour between class, I’ll go hang out in the next building and look productive. This gives me a chance to talk to my profs before class, which is great because when my classes are over I’m booking it to the next. This also gives me the chance to butter them up for those inevitable weeks when there is just too much on my plate and I need a little help in the ways of an extension. No, it doesn’t work all the time, but my track record is definitely better than others I know.

But, of course, there are some downsides to this decision. (Honestly, having one major is stressful enough; having two is pure insanity.) The College of Communication & Information Sciences and the College of Arts & Sciences have classes available around the same times, meaning that I have to work on my schedule for days to figure out how to take the right amount in order to graduate. Intro to Broadcasting and Chaucer occur at same time in the fall, so I have to settle for Shakespeare way later in the day (and there’s nothing worse than a 5 hour break and then having to go back out to class….). If that’s not annoying enough, a lot of the classes overlap and it’s a serious pain in the butt. Last semester I took three English classes in one semester (oh the papers!). It was a terrible nightmare, but also necessary if I want to graduate on time.

And then there’s the stress. When you take three English classes and two TCF classes at the same time, chances are you’ll have two tests on the same day or four in the same week. And a paper due. I’ve come to depend on my personal coffee maker to get me through the days (and all-nighters), and I don’t go anywhere without lots of snacks just in case I’m stuck in the library for hours trying to get everything done.  The worst part of it all: none of my single-major friends get it. They don’t understand the double amount of work or stress, and they can’t empathize with my mild meltdowns and irrational mood swings come midterms. And don’t even get me started on the guilt trips when I miss yet another Thursday Happy Hour outing.

But this is the life I’ve chosen.

I’m the kind of person who likes to be busy, so double majoring is good for me. Sometimes I have to stay in on Thursday and Friday nights to study. Sometimes I drink four cups of coffee before going to class because I had two papers to write and fifty pages to read. For me, it’s worth the stress, and despite it all, I still have time for other things. I still go out, watch TV with my roomie, and veg at the sorority house.

I’m excited to get two diplomas when I graduate and look forward to the feeling of accomplishment (and the bragging rights) when I look back and see what I finished in just four years.

[Every week, CC and John bring you some of the weirdest, funniest, saddest things he hears on his college campus. Join the Overheard revolution!Leave your own overheard convos in the comments or send ‘em over!]

(A girl and her boyfriend at a large restaurant table.)

Girl: He’s really wonderful. He doesn’t speak a lot of English, though. Right, honey? Not so much English?

Boyfriend: *shrug, smile of confusion*

(Sad girl, on the phone.)

Girl: I know. I should really stop dating boys when I realize they’re evil overlords.

(A bunch of people sitting around a campfire.)

Girl 1: Marshmallows are kinda gross, when you think about it.

Girl 2: I think it’s a good kind of gross. Like tiny, edible fat people.

(A cell phone is ringing.)

Girl (answering phone): I’m running circles around you! Say goodbye to your kneecaps, chucklehead!

(Boy, girl, sitting on couches.)

Boy: And what’s really great about Michigan is that you can always take a train from Hartford to Chicago.

Girl: I’m sorry, but what are you talking about?

(In a deserted parking lot at 2 a.m., a guy pokes his head out of a car.)

Guy: Hey… hey! Are you guys eating Taco Bell, too?

(Gym employee greeting a student.)

Employee: All right! The gym! Are you ready to kick some ass?

Student: Um, sorry? Do you need my ID?

Employee: You gotta kick ass, bro!

Student: I don’t know. Sorry.

Employee: Okay, fine, let me see your ID. Go do pilates or whatever.

(Couple at a restaurant.)

Waiter: What can I get you started with?

Guy: Could I just have the bruschetta?

Girl: I’m fine. I don’t eat. I mean, I’m not hungry.

(Two guys in an office.)

Guy 1: Okay. Joke. What’s the most important part of comedy?

Guy 2: Uh, I don’t -

Guy 1: *kicks the guy hard in the shins*

(Two girls, at a lunch table, with sandwiches.)

Girl 1: So… what do you think?

Girl 2 (chewing sandwich): Oh my god.

Girl 1: Teddy Grahams, right?

(Girl, on the phone.)

Girl: Yeah, it’ll be fine, you guys can come over. My dad’s drinking again.

(Two girls, planning… something.)

Girl 1: I think we can do it. We’ll just have to move the ducks.

Girl 2: God. Your brother is such a jerk.

(A couple yelling from across a pond.)

Girl: CAN YOU ALL PLEASE STOP FISHING? I’M TRYING TO GET NAKED IN NATURE!

The movie follows the novel quite loyally, so if you’ve seen the film, don’t expect any surprises as far as plot goes in the book. But don’t worry; it’s not a waste of time to read if you’ve seen the movie! You don’t read A Clockwork Orange for the plot or even the story; you read it for the experience. Now, this requires a bit of explanation.

This book is written mostly in English, but a good majority of it is written in a slang that Burgess created called Nadsat. Derived from Russian, a lot of common English words are replaced with their Nadsat counterparts (ex. viddy = to watch, horrorshow = good, devotcha = girl). At first, this part of the book is confusing and many readers find themselves overwhelmed and give up. That’s understandable, as one literally needs a Nadsat dictionary (included in the back with most editions of the novel) to even make sense of the sentences. But that’s the fun of reading this book! It’s an experience.

As you progress further, you find yourself needing the dictionary less and less. You start to learn the language! This learning experience also echoes themes and events in the book, which I find make it even more interesting.

The novel is essentially about an English boy, Alex, who, with his gang, commits horrible crimes all over his city and feels absolutely no remorse. One night, they commit a particularly horrible act (which actually happened to Burgess’ wife – this is depicted quite graphically in the movie) and Alex is caught. He is sent to prison and given an option: if he undergoes a new, experimental treatment, he will be released much sooner than if he serves his sentence out. He opts for the experimental treatment and the novel chronicles this and his experiences once he is released.

A Clockwork Orange is a fantastic book, with not only an interesting story, but a unique experience! If you’re looking for a book that is more than just entertaining – one that gets you to think too – then A Clockwork Orange is a great choice.

I really enjoyed my major in college, which is why I couldn’t not sign up for classes like “Literature Goes to Hell,” a survey of literature prominently featuring the devil; or “Representations of Italians in American Cinema,” a class in which we watched movies like The Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, and Goodfellas, and then analyzed the crap out of them.

Almost every semester, there was some funky English class that I just had to take. So, when I was finally finished with the classes I actually needed, I figured that moving on to grad school would mean I could take even more unique classes, while expanding my resume.

Two years later, I earned a Masters degree, having taken four literature classes. FOUR. And only two of those classes I actually liked. What the hell did I do in grad school? I took “The Art of the Bibliography,” that’s what. And two critical theory classes, and two classes on teaching and pedagogy. If I had any intentions of being a teacher, that would be great. But when I went into grad school, I was under the impression that English is a versatile field– English majors can succeed in almost any field, from journalism to marketing to politics, with our skills–but I soon found myself feeling pigeon holed.

Of course, I wasn’t like most graduate students; 99% of my peers were going to move on to PhD’s. Still, only taking four lit classes in grad school doesn’t seem like a good start to a PhD program. In college, I wrote dozens of papers, a pool out of which I was able to select a writing sample for grad school. If I was applying to a PhD program, I would have four graduate-level papers to choose from. For this reason, I am disappointed in my degree.

I know that most people reading this article are probably not in the English field. Still, I think it’s important for people of all majors to look into the plan of study of a Masters program and consider what you will get out of your degree. Look at sample plans of study and current course catalogs to determine whether you will benefit from the hundreds of hours of studying (not to mention MONEY) you will put into that degree. Ask yourself what skills you hope to walk away from grad school with, and whether the required courses will provide you with those skills.

Sure, I aced “The Art of the Bibliography”….but what am I going to do with THAT?

Case in point: In college, I majored in English, and I was one class shy of earning a film minor. My final semester of college, no film classes that would fulfill my final requirement were offered, and even though I had taken film classes that weren’t part of the minor’s plan of study, they wouldn’t give me the “Film Studies Minor” title unless I took a class that wasn’t freakin’ available. I still get riled up about that, as you can see.

Anyway, I was seeking a Masters degree in English, though I really enjoyed Film Studies as well. Now, when you apply for a grad school program, you might have to choose a field within the realm of your chosen subject. For example, many English programs divide their grad students into Rhet/Comp or Lit majors; my friend is currently getting a PhD in Psychology, but her specialization is Early Childhood Development. So while you may earn a degree in a broad major like Politics, Journalism, or Philosophy, you may have to narrow it down to a specific topic when you apply to grad schools.

That being said, I discovered that North Carolina State had three “tracks” for its English grad students to choose from: Composition and Rhetoric (boring), Literature (why not?), and Film (What?? Film?!? Score!). I hastily applied for the film track, and eagerly awaited acceptance to NC State. I surpassed all of the school’s entry requirements, such as GPA and GRE Scores, and I sent two awesome writing samples, which were essays I wrote that analyzed some classic films.

NC State was my first choice school at the time, hands down. So imagine my surprise when I got REJECTED. I was shocked. I was so surprised, in fact, that I mustered up the balls to write to an admissions rep and ask why they didn’t want me. Where had I gone wrong? Applying for a film track.

I mentioned that many English programs ask students to choose between Rhet/Comp, Literature, or some other derivative of English language. It’s basically a matter of checking a box, so I’d assumed the same was true of the film track. Because I hadn’t thoroughly researched the program at NC State, I hadn’t realized that the film track is incredibly competitive. While I would have been a prime candidate for the literature track, I was trying to compete with kids who had majored in film studies, students who had written, directed, and produced actual films while I was writing about camera angles in Hitchcock flicks.

Reapplying for the Lit track was out, so I blew my chance at studying at my number one grad school, simply because I didn’t know what I was doing when I tried to choose a program. Then, when I finally began my career as an English graduate student, I quickly realized that even the literature track wasn’t right for me. I had loved the variety of English classes available to me in undergrad, and surpassed my minimum credit requirements by signing up for elective classes like “Literature Goes to Hell,” “Fiction into Film,” “Contemporary Irish Literature,” and “African American Children’s Lit.”

My grad school program, however, followed a strict plan of study, and while I thoroughly enjoyed “Modern American Drama,” I absolutely hated reading a 1600-page epistolary novel in my 18th Century British Lit class. Furthermore, I had decided to get a Masters degree with zero intentions of going on to a PhD, and English is the kind of major that people usually study because they want to end up a professor or because they want to do research in the field. That being said, the required “Practicum in Teaching Composition” and “Art of the Bibliography” classes weren’t exactly fulfilling to my interests.

As I said last week, it’s vital that you spend the time to research the schools and programs you are applying for. Look at a sample plan of study. If you want to get a Masters degree in History, but have no intention of studying anything prior to 1965, you might be disappointed. It’s also in your best interest to actually understand how competitive a program is, so you don’t waste $50 applying to a program that you are grossly unqualified for.