With finals season fast approaching (or maybe it’s already here for you unlucky few), CollegeCandy would like to issue a public service announcement. Yes, classes are officially over. Yes, you will face a series of tests that test the knowledge you acquired in said classes. Yes, obviously, they’re a big deal. But should you ignore the rules of civilized conduct and go balls-to-the-wall crazy in your efforts to secure the best grades possible? Ummm…please don’t.

For your safety, please follow the few simple rules we’ve collected here for you. You’ll thank us later when you’re not 20 lbs heavier and missing teeth.

1. Eat properly. We both know all that Red Bull isn’t good for you. We also know that Gummi worms don’t count as a serving of fruit and awesomeness. Grab some carrot sticks and a eco-friendly bottle of water.

2. Get some sleep. Real sleep. Not in the library.

3. Pace yourself. Devise an organized approach to studying that doesn’t leave you cramming at the last minute. Then stick to it.

4. Stay of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. Ten minutes of “let me just see what people are up to” can quickly turn into three hours of reblogging, live tweeting and stalking exes. That’s embarrassing and unproductive.

5. Avoid any/all crazy situations resembling this scene that arose at William & Mary.

Girls, finals are upon us. (And here are 10 ways I know it.) We’re all spending too much time in the library, a soul crushing activity when the weather outside is starting to look like it is actually spring and almost summer. Personally, all I want to do is lie outside in a bikini with an issue of Cosmo.

Speaking of bikinis… actually, you know what, are we ready to talk about bikinis? Personally, with all the homework I’ve been doing, a bikini is the last thing I want to think about, especially with all those late night snack binges to keep myself motivated. Let’s talk about healthy food instead; foods you can make quickly between writing term papers, cramming for that next exam, and stressing about everything you have to get done between now and then.

The recipe I’m featured today is probably one of the easiest ever. Soup is one of my favorite things to make because all you need is a small saucepan, a stove of some kind (or sometimes even just a microwave…more on that below), and your favorite ingredients, which can be pretty much anything. Soups are my solution the day after I eat too much – you know, those nights where you write a term paper in five hours and eat an entire pizza in 5 minutes. Soups, especially homemade soups, are light, healthy, and delicious.

Garbanzo beans are my favorite ingredient to use in soups. They are cheap source of protein, fiber, and iron. That’s why I picked a recipe with them today. With all the late night studying we’re doing lately, we need some extra nutrients.

Tomato and Garbanzo Bean Soup 

You will need…

1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1-2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese

(You can also toss in any other veggies you like. That’s the beauty of soup; you can do whatever you want with it!)

How to make it…

In a small saucepan over low to medium heat, combine garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. If it’s a little thick, add water. Stir as the soup heats up and then add spices. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve, adding parmesan cheese on top.

Note: This recipe can also be made in the microwave, as long as you use a microwave safe bowl! Just combine everything and microwave for a few minutes until warm and the flavors are combined.

Still hungs? We got your….belly? Get more easy, college-friendly recipes here.

Finals Week…just saying it makes me want to run screaming for the hills. Or at least hide under my bed (with a box of Girl Scout cookies) until they are over. Long nights of studying a semester’s worth of material, writing last-minute essays (why do we always wait until the very last possible second to start those 10-page research papers?), and, of course, stressing over your grades to make sure you get the A that you want (or at least pass).

Cue the anxiety.

For the most part, every campus shows the same signs that students have entered into this week-long stretch of hell. From the clothing, to the frantic pacing back and forth, to the agitated sighs reverberating through the library, it’s pretty apparent when we’re in the midst of it. Now it’s just counting down the minutes until the student next to you in the ‘brary has a mental breakdown so they’ll leave and you can use their chair as a foot rest.

Not sure if Finals Week has started on your campus? You’ve got major problems, girlfriend. Seriously, don’t you have a syllabus?? Anyways, here are 10 signs it’s finals time on campus.

According to the Daily Beast, Columbia University, my school, offers the most stressful undergraduate experience in the country.

Admittedly, taking a tour of any campus library during midterms or finals is enough to set your nerves on edge. Under-eye bags are as common on campus as Longchamp bags. Many students (especially first-years) constantly complain about their work overload. However, during my three years here, I have never pulled an all-nighter, missed a deadline, asked for an extension, or taken Adderall, caffeine pills or any type of energy drink (though, admittedly, I was studying abroad during the era of Fourloko).

Is this some sort of miracle? Am I a genius? Do I have photographic memory? No, I wish, and that actually doesn’t exist. But that’s another story. What I am is organized and realistic. And successful.

Here are some of my tips for keeping it all together.

My first tip applies to registration. Try to choose at least one class that will lift your spirits. Whether it is a new language class, an art class or a P.E. class, getting credit for something you enjoy will make your whole course load feel lighter. You might even think about taking this class Pass/Fail.

Secondly, buy a planner or agenda and do everything you can to make sure you use it. For me, this means colored pens, stickers and the compulsion to always have it in my bag and write everything down as soon as I find out about it. Knowing where you need to be can make your day feel less cluttered and give you peace of mind.

On the subject of clutter, keeping your living spaces organized and clean can free can be therapeutic. There are a lot of nice things in the world that are expensive, but the one nice thing that is absolutely free is cleanliness. On a day where nothing seems to be going your way, organizing your dorm room, desk drawers and clothes can be a step in the right direction. (Don’t know where to start? Check out organization expert Peter Walsh’s tips for organizing your space.)

Try to take really good notes. Focusing on making them look nice can keep you from zoning out in class. Resist the urge to check your email or Facebook on your phone. Doodling on a notebook is better than connecting to the outside world. This is why I don’t bring my laptop to class; the act of physically writing down key lecture points keeps me engaged. Skyping your long-distance boyfriend during that history lecture is a bad use of your time and will only make it harder to study down the road. Trust me – I’ve done it.

Take care of your body. Eat well, keep a fairly regular sleep schedule, exercise and meditate. A half hour of cardio is a great way to work through stress. It clears your mind, boosts your self-esteem and gives you the energy to help you attack the rest of the day.

Laugh! You don’t need to have a crazy late night out to have fun. Get dinner with friends, share ridiculous YouTube videos, have impromptu karaoke competitions or dance parties in your hallway. These are the moments you will always remember…and the moments that will keep you sane.

Try to always look presentable. Sure, slumping to class in your sweatpants is comfortable, but taking five minutes to put on jeans and a cardigan will make you feel more put together and less stressed. A scarf and a headband can be the perfect final touch to your messy bun.

DON’T PROCRASTIANTE!
There was a great article in the New Yorker about procrastination last October. It differentiates between people who procrastinate out of laziness and those who do it out to self-sabotage. If you are in the second category, you need set your own attainable standards. Maybe you should strive to get A’s in the classes you excel in and A-‘s or B+‘s in the classes you really struggle with. Be accountable to someone, either a tutor or a study group and feel the satisfaction of checking off to-do lists on your planner.

If I am dreading working on something, a problem set or an essay, I divide it up into manageable portions spread out over several days. It is easier to work on something if you know that you will only devote an hour to it per day than to sacrifice a whole Sunday. I also find it easier to do my work in the mornings. I also like to pretend that my deadlines are a day or two before the actual day so that I can get someone (a professor, T.A or savvy friend) to look over my work to make sure I haven’t missed the mark. Additionally, moving your deadlines forward is an insurance policy against the unpredictable.

This technique also applies for studying for exams. I take the time about two weeks before the exam to figure out what I’m going to study on what day, leaving the last two days before the exam open for review sessions and study group meetings. Remember that studying in a group should help you polish what you already know and fill in gaps of things you didn’t completely understand. It is a compliment to, not a substitute for, time spent studying by yourself.

Talk it out. If you are really feeling overwhelmed, try to figure out where the pressure is coming from. Talk to a trusted friend, family member or a counselor. Furthermore, keep noxious self-deprecating thoughts out of your mind. Ask yourself if you would criticize a friend the way you criticize yourself.

Sometimes I joke to my friends that I feel like a school robot. In fact, I feel more like a high-performance athlete. Following all these steps and taking care of myself sets me up to perform my best and take the time to enjoy this time in my life. My strategies, though arguably elaborate, ensure that I don’t have to pull all-nighters and I am always free to go out Friday or Saturday night.

And that’s just the thing I need to stay sane amid this sea of stress.

As much as it pains me to say, finals season is coming. For some, you’ve still got a few weeks before all hell breaks loose. For others, there are only 7 days between you and those dreaded cram-everything-you’ve-learned-in-the-past-three-months-into-a-100-questions tests. Needless to say, it’s a stressful time of year that always sneaks up on us, no matter how many syllabi we have or how much we tell ourselves that we’re going to start studying three weeks in advance.

So, since we’re really getting down to the wire here, I’ve compiled a little survival guide to help all of us get through the most stressful time of a college student’s life. May these 7 things (and the force) be with us all:

Evernote: For those of us that are a little on the scatterbrain side of things, check out Evernote. It will organize all of those pesky notes and due dates that seem to pile up during this time of year, and keep track of important due dates..i.e. that 10-page paper due in a week. The site even offers different ways to upload your info, i.e. picture message, text message, tweet, email, manual, or by their browser add-on. Basically, you have no choice but to be organized and on top of your game.

5-Hour Energy: Put down the Four Loko, and pick up a 10-pack of 5 Hour Energy. No, I’m not condoning abusing energy drinks, but I am saying that this stuff works like a dream for those all-nighters or early mornings when you just need something to keep you going. I know that the commercials may seem pretty lame, but it really works. People who use it on the reg report no crash effect and little to no jittery feeling after.

Wake Up Dialer.com: Let’s be real, sometimes textbooks are boring. So boring that you fall asleep while reading the first chapter out of the nine you need to review. That’s when your favorite British butler comes into play. Just log on to WakeUpDialer.com and give your number and the time you want to be woken up. Like an hour or two from now if you know this reading assignment is going to be a challenge.

A Bar of Dark Chocolate: Not that you need any more reasons to chow down on chocolate, but studies have actually shown that eating a bar of dark chocolate a day reduces stress. And, girrrrl, you know you be stressin’ right now. I highly recommend Trader Joe’s 100 calorie dark chocolate bars or dark chocolate dipped pretzels, but any variety will do. And if you combine an hour workout with it, you’ll be flying stress free for the rest of the semester.

Yoga Pants: It’s important to be comfy for those long ass study days, but it’s also important not to look like a total slob/feel so comfortable you’ll pass out the moment you sit down in the ‘brary. Enter: yoga pants. Whether they are the budget friendly pairs from Old Navy or the muy-expensive-but-totally-worth-it-because-they-make-your-butt-look-HOT kinds from Lululemon, just get some.

Ice/Hot Green Tea from Starbucks: So apparently green tea isn’t just delicious, it also protects your brain from wear and tear. Plus, it keeps you in a positive mental state by boosting signals to produce dopamine, which is kind of important during right now when you’ve got multiple exams and papers that are both mentally exhausting and just plain sucky.

Grades 2: This awesome new app is every college student’s dream. Basically, you tell the app the overall grade you want in the class and it tells you exactly what you need on the final to get it. Use it now and not only will it calm your nerves, but it can give you a heads up on which classes you really need to focus on.

For even more help on getting that 4.0, click here.

The last month before finals. Woof.

For me, this time of year is all about flashcards and all-nighters celebrating with friends I know I won’t be seeing for months over summer vacation. It’s about taking it all in before it’s back to mom and dad’s chores and nagging. But, above all, it’s the time of year we need good music to dance and drink to, to try and help us forget about all the things (bluebook exams and papers) that lie ahead in the weeks to come.

These past couple months were big ones in the music world. Yet again, it was a popular time for huge artists to come out with new albums. Recently we’ve seen and heard new stuff from artists like Adele, Lupe Fiasco, Chris Brown, and Britney Spears. You can consider this playlist a sample of some of the hottest songs and remixes from their newly released albums you likely haven’t heard before. It’s a taste of a little of each with, as always, some older and some less mainstream type stuff thrown in there as well.

This playlist is an opportunity to catch up on what your favorite artists have been up to. To find out hit songs before they hit the radio… or before your friends know about them. And to let it all go and celebrate the (hopefully amazing) school year you’ve had.

Click here for your awesome April pre-party playlist.

Finals Week has officially crept into our lives like the Grinch who stole Thirsty Thursdays. I know I’ve spent the past three days straight camping out in the library, creating classical music radio stations on my Pandora and eating Wheat Thins and coffee for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve showered at this point, but a recent armpit sniff test proves it’s been too long. All I want is a long day at the spa, lots of dark chocolate, and a(n abnormally long) happy hour.

Although Finals Week may be a brutal task, at least it is reassuring to know everybody has to fight through it. And when I say everybody, I mean everybody. The library has become a home away from home for many college students, most of whom I could definitely do without.

[This post is a favorite of Katie, a faboosh CollegeCandy fan. We love it, too. Well, the story...not the reality behind it.]

The following is a guest post by our (nerdy yet totally helpful) friends at Hack College. Check ‘em out for all your techy needs. They’re like the nerdy boyfriend you never had but always needed.

In case your campus missed out on likealittle.com‘s viral explosion during your finals, you should probably check it out once everyone gets back to school and the hormones start raging.  The amusing service allows anybody to flirt anonymously from across the room.  You simply say where you are on campus, your target’s hair color and gender, and a flirty message.  The publicly available flirts become an incredibly amusing Twitter-like list for all to enjoy.

The site hit 20 million page views in just six weeks, and was getting a million more each day (but I assume that has died down with the semester ending).  The viral growth here at Trinity was nothing short of amazing; a new message was popping up about every 30 seconds during finals studying nights, the vast majority of which were from the library.  Considering that my school only has about 2400 people, it was a stunning level of engagement. It could have been a finals week flash in the pan; we’ll know a lot more in January, but it’s definitely worth checking out your school’s page when you get back.

By the way, they’re also hiring interns.

This week’s Greek Speak is powered by our pals at GreekGear.com. Whether you wanna stock up on new sweats for yourself or some new flippy floppies for your big sis, they’ve got all the latest and greatest Greek goodies. And right now you can get it all for 10% off by entering “Candy10″ at checkout!

Ahhh, finals are over… we can all take a sigh of relief, right? Wrong. For the last two years, going home over holiday breaks has been brutally bittersweet. My parentals are still in the middle of building a house that, in the mean time, leaves me roomless, bedless, and no-space-to-myselfless. I’ve literally been moved out of my chapter house for plus or minus 72 hours and I feel like my life may be coming to an end. I am not going to pretend like I am in the worst situation possible… I am in the worst situation possible.

The nightmare begins pretty much from the moment I pull onto the street where we temporary reside until the new house is finished. I look at the driveway- where the hell am I supposed to park? The garage is jam-packed full of our belongings, and the driveway is occupied. Looks like the snowy, unplowed street for me. Can you say VIP? At my chapter house I have my very own space in a parking lot just steps from the front door… not to mention our maintenance man plows the lot every morning before I even bother to wake up. Just sayin’…

I make it into the house and disaster number two strikes. Looking disheveled from carrying in my luggage because of course no one in my family offered to help me (note: a sorority sister would have helped in a heart beat), I quickly realize I have nowhere to store my stuff. I have a 15-year-old sister so surely there will be room in her closet right? Not a chance. Reality has set in: for the next three weeks, I will be living out of these suitcases. Every outfit, no matter how much Downy wrinkle releaser I use, will still be slightly wrinkly and smell faintly of musk. Attractive.

And it’s not like I can borrow clothes from anyone. While I have tons of closets to pick through while I’m living it up with my sorority sisters at school, at home I’ve got only my mom (read: mom jeans) and my sister (read: Justin Bieber t-shirts and leggings that look like flood pants on me).

It gets better…

Last night I was so hungry I think my sister could hear my stomach growling from her room (note: she has one, I don’t)… I asked my mom what was for dinner, and she replied, “turkey burgers.” Vom. Without panicking I peeled myself off the couch (where I had been basically all day) to search the fridge for anything but that excuse for a meal. Fail. Living without a chef is really starting to sink in- hard. What do you mean no 24/7 hot cocoa and snacks? No meals prepared for me? FML.

This is going to be rough.

Going home for a holiday break is great – don’t get me wrong. With it comes relief from class, exams, and anything academic. But sometimes, like right now as I watch my brother play yet another video game because he’s the only person around I can hang out with, I’m totally jonesing for my chapter house.

Feeling my pain? What do you miss about being away from your sorority over the holidays?

Get more Greek Life goodness right here.

"WHY AREN'T THEY UP YET?!"

Your stomach has been churning since you walked out of your last exam. You know the grades are curved, but you also know that leaving the last essay blank is not going to bode well on your overall score. You talked to your friends in the class and compared answers. You’ve flipped through your notes again and again. You’ve attempted to calculate your score in your head.

And now you just have to wait.

You pack your bags to head home. Then you check your grades online. Nothing.
You take a cab to the airport. Then you check your grades from your phone. Still nothing.
You check them again as soon as you land.
And again after you kiss your mom hello and drop your laundry in the laundry room.

Still nothing.

You know that there is no way the professor is going to get the tests graded in the next few days so you attempt to forget about it. You don’t want to think about grades anymore, anyway. You’re on break, the test is over and there’s nothing you can do about it now, dammit.

And then you sit down to dinner with your parents and before you can say “Pass the ketchup,” your dad turns to you and asks, “How did finals go?”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, OK? My stupid professor isn’t going to post the grades for 2 weeks anyway and I did my best and there’s no changing it and that last question was so absurd. No one got it. I swear he never went over that thing once. And now I probably got a C in the class and my entire GPA is ruined. Why do you always have to nag??”

Your family goes silent.
Then someone changes the topic and you move on.

After dinner you check your grades again. Then again before bed. You wake up in the morning thinking about the test. You check your grades again. Still blank.

You try to keep busy – wrapping presents, watching TV, meeting up with home friends – but you still can’t stop thinking about it. You log in again and again. And are disappointed and stressed again and again.

Finally,  during your routine wake-up-and-check-your-grades-while-you’re-still-in-bed, you see it. That little space under to “final grade” has a number in it. A number way higher than you were expecting. You pump your fists. You do a little dance. You email everyone you know in the class to see how they did (but make sure to tone down the enthusiasm in case they bombed…). You run downstairs to find your parents.

Then, for the first time in weeks, you relax. Winter break and weeks free of studying, papers and exams can now officially begin…