In the last year, it seems as though being single has been my specialty. While flings and hookups have come and gone (pun intended) and dates have left me with some less than desirable memories, my current single status has remained loyally by my side. I’ve learned a lot in the past year and I’ve discovered that single girls around the world are all in the same fabulous pair of shoes.

So if you’re sick of sitting at a table for one, eating a meal portioned for two, I cordially invite you to join The Single Girl Society, where being single is more than status, it’s a lifestyle. Of course, with everything in life, the single girl lifestyle comes with rules and I’ve picked up quite a few along the way. So kick back, grab a drink and let the lessons I’ve learned serve as your very own roadmap to transitioning to and enduring the single life.

So you’re in the middle of a particularly “blah” dinner date and your date launches into (yet another) story about quail season and you’re about to give up all hope and consider joining a convent just so you’ll never have to put yourself through this kind of cruel and unusual punishment ever again.

Look, I know where you’re coming from. You start to drink heavily standing by the reasoning that if your date refuses to have a personality, you’ll just have to let the liquor create one for him. You keep glancing at your cell wondering why your best friend has yet to call with your routine emergency date rescue call. We’ve all been there. It’s those nights that being single gets such a bad rep.

So why is that after such awful dates we still waver when considering a follow-up date?

Lesson 8: Trust your instincts.

I know it seems like it should go without saying, but sometimes as singles we get pushed into giving people another chance when we know good and well, our minds have been made up before we even go on the next date.

Give yourself some credit and trust the little voice in your head that says you should bail or turn your back on a potential suitor.

So when you’re telling your girlfriends that you’re definitely not planning on seeing the business major you went on a date (if you could call rolling your eyes while he tells yet another story about his family’s ranch a date) with, don’t let them convince you into changing your mind just because “he’s stupid gorgeous and comes from Old Southern money.”

You’re single, not cursed! Don’t feel obligated to constantly dole out chances for guys you’ve already tried your hand with and don’t let anyone discredit you and cajole you into dating someone who rubbed off on you the wrong way. There’s a difference between taking a chance on someone who isn’t your type and continuing to date a guy you know isn’t right for you just because there are no other prospects on the horizon and you just so happen to need a date for your sorority’s semi-formal.

You’re not doing yourself or your date any favors by continuing to see him even though some part of you already decided there’s something to hold you back from him.

More importantly, don’t waste your time dramatically going back and forth, wondering if you should go out with a guy again when you blatantly spent more time tearing him to pieces to your friends than complimenting him. Trust yourself if your instincts tell you not to date a guy and don’t let your friends convince you of something other than what you know – like that hunting stories and a Brooks Brothers-clad business major just aren’t your thing.

[Do you agree? Disagree? Sound off, singles!]

Get the first 7 rules of the Single Girl Society right here.

In the last year, it seems as though being single has been my specialty. While flings and hookups have come and gone (pun intended) and dates have left me with some less than desirable memories, my current single status has remained loyally by my side. I’ve learned a lot in the past year and I’ve discovered that single girls around the world are all in the same fabulous pair of shoes.

So if you’re sick of sitting at a table for one, eating a meal portioned for two, I cordially invite you to join The Single Girl Society, where being single is more than status, it’s a lifestyle. Of course, with everything in life, the single girl lifestyle comes with rules and I’ve picked up quite a few along the way. So kick back, grab a drink and let the lessons I’ve learned serve as your very own roadmap to transitioning to and enduring the single life.

Lesson 7: Being Single Doesn’t Mean Being On The Prowl 24/7

Look ladies, we’re single, we’re not in heat! Somehow single girls picked up this stereotype of being blood-thirsty, man-chasing robots and I, for one, think it’s about time we rid ourselves of this awful (but mostly just vomit-inducing) image.

Half the fun of being is single is knowing that your time is 100 percent yours – you decide how you spend it and who you spend it with. Why commit all of your time to finding someone else when you’ve already got yourself?

Lately I’ve encountered girls who feel the need to guilt and reprimand themselves for forgoing makeup during a daytime lunch for fear that, gasp, a man would look over! Before I can even verbally assault them, the girls pull out their compact mirrors to swipe on gloss, fluff up their hair and put on their best pouty face. (What’s that lipstick shade called again? Oh yeah, Desperation.) I’ve never seen such beautiful girls in such an ugly light.

It’s those same girls who spend their single lives compiling endless lists of traits they insist a man they date must possess (oh you know, the usual stuff, a close relationship with his family, dashing smile, impeccable style and a Black AmEx, of course) and it’s those same girls that are making the rest of us look bad.

As single girls we’re all so busy running around and preparing ourselves for a guy who doesn’t even exist yet and for what? To feel even worse when we finally realize that we’re still alone (and broke)?

Being single is like a free pass to be selfish. It’s amazing! Relationships are time consuming and exhausting and expensive, (hello, those Friday night date outfits don’t just magically appear in our closets!) so why not enjoy your singlehood and make your time yours again?

Go to the gym because you want to, not because you want to look skinny the next time you randomly run into your ex. Read the books you’ve been meaning to read because you want to, not because you want to impress your insanely sexy TA. Get a mani/pedi because you want to treat yourself, not because it’s one of the steps in your “Get-Dolled-Up-And-Get-A-Man” routine.

There’s no rule that says as single women, we’re obligated to be on a manhunt. So the next time you’re all “hair done, nails done, everything done, oh you fancy huh?” you might want to ask yourself if the time you spent getting fancy could’ve have been better spent doing something you actually enjoy (like hosting a Gossip Girl marathon for one in the privacy of your living room and your flannel pajamas).

What do you say? You with me…or are you too busy getting all gussied up? Sound off below, single girls!

What are the first 6 rules of the Single Girl Society? Find out right here.

Your cell phone alarm is going off in your ear to the tune off She Bangs by Ricky Martin, inducing the hangover you worked so hard for last night (note to self: change to something MJ immediately). Your body pillow is the most obliging (and loyal) bed partner you’ve had in months, and the monsoon outside is actually starting to lull you back to sleep. So what’s going to keep you from repeatedly hitting the snooze button and subsequently infuriating your roommates and failing out of school?

The oh so delicious piece of man meat awaiting you at that 9 am roll call.

Now, there’s not going to be a prince charming lurking behind every door, but we came up with a class schedule that is sure to make the grade.

The Dude: Frat Boy
The Class: Bio 150 – Introduction To Geology, aka “Rocks for Jocks”

An introduction to the physical processes operating on the earth and the history of the earth.  This course will introduce topics including the formation and physical properties of rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, geologic time, weathering and erosion, and global climate change.

Now, if you’re looking for some denser material (other than the barrel chested buffoons surrounding you, oh and the, um, rocks) this is not where you want to start your hoghunt. However, if you’re just looking for a good time (think Animal House meets Van Wilder) and a tenacious, albeit, physically destructive flip cup partner, this is where you will find your Manweiser. King of Beers anyone?

The Dude: Wallstreet
The Class: Fnce 911 – Financial Economics

The objective of this course is to undertake a rigorous study of the theoretical foundations of modern financial economics. The course will cover the central themes of modern finance including individual investment decisions under uncertainty, mean variance theory, capital market equilibrium, arbitrage pricing theory, option pricing, and the potential application of these themes.

For all of you gold-diggers who get off on a stiff one in a power suit (and by gold-diggers I mean savvy bitches, and by savvy bitches I mean f**king geniuses), strut your assets into an upper-level business class and invest in a certified money market badass. (Ya, ya, we’re in a recession… so was John Rockefeller at one point.) Just take a seat next to most dapper dude you can find, stroke his flaccid ego, and ask him if he still has the balls to pop your…collar. Yeah, I said it.

The Dude: The Cultured Connoisseur
The Class: Intl 160 – Comparative Development

An exploration of the economic, political, and social changes that constitute development. Both the historical experience of Europe and the contemporary Third World are considered.

Attention sophistikids: Thirsty Thursday rolls around, and you would rather indulge in a full-bodied red (or blonde or brunette) than sling back buttery nipple shots with marginally articulate acquaintances. Well bring your passport and permission slip to class, young lady, because there awaits your cosmopolitan travel mate. He will woo you with stories of international adventure and serenade you under the stars in three romance languages all while planning what culinary delicacy to tantalize your senses with next. Welcome to School Year Abroad – Paradise, my friend. Pack your sunglasses, ‘cause the future’s bright.

The Dude: The Not So Struggling Artist
The Class: Art 203 Figure Drawing

Figure Drawing focuses on drawing issues related to working from the nude model while emphasizing proportion, foreshortening, and planar structures of the figure. Students will work from very short poses to extended poses. Students aim to develop sensitivity to the structure, anatomy and expressive qualities of the human form.

Calling all exhibitionists, Kama Sutra goddesses, ­­Venus de Milo look-alikes and/or any single chick with an hour of down time and healthy dose of self possession: Pose Nude And Get the Dude! Get Naked And Bring Home the Bacon!  Ok, so maybe this is a little forward/overzealous, some might even say tacky (if not for art’s sake), but I dare you to think of a sexier “how we met” story. “Well your father truly had an artist’s vision, and I used to take my clothes off for beer money.”

Scratch that. What you could do, however, is take the more subtle (and sanitary) approach and join him in the observation wing. Indulge in discourse about the beauty of the female form (finally, a guy who knows that real boobs shouldn’t double as a chin rest), marvel at his attention to detail down to the very last freckle, and slowly but surely secure yourself as this Boticelli’s next muse. (For those of you with less time and a shorter attention span, partner up for that full frontal homework assignment and find out just how deeply this guy’s creative juices run.)

The Dude: The Social Martyr
The Class: Soc 150 – Economic Development and Social Change

Emphasis on understanding the interrelations among economic, political, and cultural aspects of change in developing countries. The experience of currently developing nations is contrasted to that of nations which industrialized in the 19th century. Compares the different development strategies which have been adopted by currently developing nations and their consequences for social change.

You know your classmate in middle school who used to personally escort insects outside to spare them the judgment of your sneaker? Who befriended the new kid in town when no one else would? And who brought in his family’s entire pantry stock for the canned food drive? Well if his charitable ways made you blush back then, this is where you can find him now, and this time he’s the one who will be red in the face (over the injustices of the American education system, that is). He will melt your heart with his crusade to empower the impoverished, and bring tears to your eyes with his commitment to the Clean Water Act. But make sure you come to class prepared to discuss your most impassioned causes, missy, because he will ask, and he will care. Oh, and you might want to make a list of the preferred locations for your first Peace Corps assignment, keeping in mind that these should not overlap with your spring break destinations. Remember, the dirtier, the better. Wink.

[This post was originally posted by Lexi C. - Brown]

It’s not easy being a woman. We only earn $.78 for every dollar dudes earn, we have to put up with things like periods and high heels, and—maybe worst of all—we’re constantly being bombarded with advice from lady mags, lady sites, and lady-oriented talk shows that purport to know what we should be doing to get thinner, sexier, and happier. Too often their tips are questionable at best and downright moronic at worst.

So every week I’m taking a look at the advice that falls into the “moronic” end of that spectrum. If I can convince even one girl to reconsider whatever’s being professed in her glossy of choice, I’ll sleep a little better at night.

In the relatively small pool of article templates that women’s magazines turn to month after month (find the best jeans for your body type! Learn how to make a smoky eye! Consider swinging—wait, whaaa?) there are two perennial models that will never go out of style: tips on how to lose weight and tips on how to snag a man. Knowing this, the editors at Women’s Health have come up with a genius idea for an article that combines both topics. It’s called “Prevent Love Chub,” and it’s about how your S.O. is making you fat.

Yes, even though ladymags believe any female who isn’t constantly attached to or trying to become attached to a man is kind of sad at best and totally pathetic at worst, now Women’s Health is also saying that boyfriends are any body-conscious chica’s worst enemy.

See, men sabotage our toned limbs and flat bellies in five distinct ways—they love eating out (… at restaurants! Get your mind out of the gutter!), they prevent us from being physically active, they encourage us to eat more in order to keep up with them, they buy unhealthy food, and, worst of all, they make us happy. And as author Jill Waldbieser says, “Research shows that what’s good for your heart may be bad for your hips.” More specifically: “A study published last year in the journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine found that happy people were less likely to succeed at losing weight than those with a ‘slightly negative and cautious outlook.’”

Uh-oh! Somebody better call the diet police, stat! There’s got to be a way for women to be both perfect girlfriends and perfect stick figures at the same time. What say you, Women’s Health?

Well, to begin, the magazine suggests that fatties like you should eat “a healthy snack that contains protein and fiber a few hours before your meal,” if you and the boyf are planning on grabbing dinner out. Yup—eating in secret before you eat in public with your boyfriend. That sounds healthy.

It also advises women to eat “about three-quarters of what he’s eating”—but not if he’s eating something fatty. In that case, Waldbieser suggests having “portion-controlled, lower-calorie alternative[s] on hand to munch while he takes down that bag of chips or pint of ice cream.” Because a guy certainly wouldn’t think there was anything odd about you breaking out a plate of celery stalks while he’s chowing on Doritos—and that low-cal alternative snack will definitely be as satisfying as whatever he’s snarfing. Relying on “popchips” or Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches, as Waldbieser suggests, seems like it’d just encourage women to eat more of those supposedly healthier options—which makes this whole thing a zero-sum game.

Finally, to make sure that you don’t balloon up just because you’re feeling confident and loved—the horror!—the article makes its craziest proposal yet: “regular weigh-ins.” It’s unclear whether Waldbieser means that you and the boyfriend should weigh each other regularly or whether you should just be obsessively monitoring your poundage on your own. Either way… come on!

Maybe women who are in relationships do tend to gain a few extra ounces in comparison to their single friends. Even so, “Prevent Love Chub” creates a mountain out of a molehill. It acts as if gaining weight is equivalent to murdering puppies, something any sane girl must prevent from happening at all costs—no matter how crazy it makes her look to that boyfriend she worked so hard to find.

It seems that according to Women’s Health, we just can’t win—you’re either skinny and lonely or happy and chunky. And if you’re in the latter camp, and you take this advice in order to try to get thinner, chances are your hard-won BF is going to think you’re completely bonkers and dump you in favor of a girl who isn’t so insecure. Ugh. Stay classy, Women’s Health.

See ya later, Single Status!

It’s weird how it happens. One day you’re screaming “THIS IS MY SONG!” every time “Single Ladies” comes on at the bar, and the next…well, you’re doing the same thing, but it’s not actually true. After just over two years of being the most single person on the planet, I actually took the dive. It happened really unexpectedly with a cute acquaintance I have known for years. We started talking a little more, and things took off out of nowhere.

I used to want to jack people in the face when they said, “When you stop looking for a boyfriend, you’ll get one.” And even though that is exactly what happened, that’s still really annoying advice. I think I hate it largely because it takes the situation out of your hands; as if you have to be in some sort of cosmic state of perfect personal balance just to get a damn date. I think a better way to phrase the advice is this:

Beating yourself up over not having a boyfriend or becoming depressed that “there’s no one out there” isn’t going to make your perfect mate appear out of thin are. There are times when 5 guys ask you out in a week, and there are times when your only male interaction for months is with your Environmental Science professor (hopefully not the wrong kind of interaction…). You can control your love life, but only to a certain extent. You don’t completely control who you meet, when you meet them, or (even as much as we try) how they feel about you.

I think what these crappy advice givers mean to say is if you can be happy without a boyfriend, you won’t turn your love life into the biggest stress-sesh since applying to grad school. Hello, school is pressure, work is pressure, your parents are pressure…dating shouldn’t be. It’s not going into your GPA, so live a little. There are perks to being single, and there are perks to being coupled, so exploit what you have. Learning to enjoy your status no matter what it may be is the biggest breakthrough for women since the water bra; both help you work with what you’ve got.

While I do really dig my guy, I’m going to admit it: I already miss being single. My single friends glare at me when I say this, but I mean it. Look, just one week after finally taking the plunge into exclusivity, I met a super hot grad student from NYU while I was out (I’m pretty sure the relationship Gods were testing me). I couldn’t give him my number. It was more traumatizing for me than when my first goldfish died. So the next time you’re blubbering about flying solo, just remember; you get to mack on anyone and everyone, and you don’t have to shave your legs everyday. Love the perks while you can!

[Since Dannia went and got herself a man, we're lookin' for a new Single Lady. If you know someone who's living up the single life, have her send an email to editor@collegecandy.com. We want to share her experiences with the world.]