It’s the start of a new school year and to honor that, we at CollegeCandy are bringing back our favorite series, “We’ve All Been There.” Every week, Lauren – University of Michigan will comment on the common experiences all college women share, like the dreaded move-in day, including some new ones thrown into the mix.

You’ve spent the last 3 nights enjoying the free booze freedom that Welcome Week allows, but as you wake up with the garbage can next to your bed – again – you realize it might be time to buckle down. Classes are looming ever closer and not only can your body not handle another 12-hour hangover, you’ve got a lot of stuff to prepare before those 18 credits take over your life.

So while your friends watch another SATC marathon/discuss what they’re going to wear to the night’s festivities, you grab your schedule and head out for something a little more….fun: school supplies shopping (!!).

Most people wouldn’t find this particular type of shopping exciting, but back-to-school shopping has been the highlight of your Augusts since you were 6 years old. The smell of fresh books, the feel of a new (medium point) pen as it runs across the pages of a fresh, crisp college-ruled notebook. The richness of a new, juicy highlighter. You can’t wait to get it all home and organized for the first day of classes.

You skip through the aisles of Office Depot (or the campus bookstore if you’re smart and you can use your campus card…that your parents pay for) picking up color-coordinated notebooks and folders. You grab a pack of highlighters then, feeling ambitious, pick up one more. You plan on doing all your reading this semester – you need to be prepared. You grab your favorite pens (uni-ball vision elite, what what), a pack of pencils, the super pack of Sharpies (Ok, so this one is for game-day shirts, but whatever), then move onto the planners.

You’re picky about your planners. There needs to be both “Month at a Glance” and “Week View.” You need to be able to see when exams are coming so you can start studying early, but also have plenty of space to write down (and cross off when you’re finished) the important daily assignments. You need to stay organized so you can kick some ass this semester. So you spend 10 minutes staring at the planner display before you pick one out (“WHA? Planners are $30!), put that one down and pick another.

Once you’ve got all your supplies, you head back home (where you find your roommates passed out on the couch with an empty pizza box on the floor) to organize. You label the notebooks and folders, fill out the information card in the front of your planner, and put all your new pens/pencils/highlighters into your bag.

On the first day of class, you are on top of everything. You arrive early, you copy all important dates from your syllabus to your planner, you organize all your papers into the correct folders and even take serious notes in class. You know what to do and when to do it and you are excited for all the learning that is to come this semester.

But then the second week rolls around and you still haven’t purchased your books let alone highlighted in them. Then you start rolling into class five minutes after it starts. And then you have some quizzes, which are a surprise to you since you have no idea where your planner went. By the time midterms arrive, you’re back into your old all-nighter habits, praying you make it out of the semester alive.

Yeah, we’ve all been there. At least you had good intentions.

Although it’s a pleasure usually reserved for high school students and younger, I still get excited about what to wear on the first day of school.  In college, nobody cares what you wear to class (as exemplified by the large numbers of sweatpants and over-sized t-shirts I see in the lecture halls), but I still like that feeling of picking out a special outfit and preparing myself for another semester.

Apparently I’m not the only one who identifies school with fashion: Harvard has signed a licensing deal to release their own line of clothing. “Harvard Yard,” an homage to the Harvard students of the 60′s, is super preppy and academic…and Harvard’s attempts at getting out of their giant funding hole.

But, dayummmmm, those boys look good!

I had never thought about a university funding and designing their own clothing line (aside from the ever popular sports apparel stores that litter the high street of every college campus), but this idea is kind of brilliant. Sure, Harvard Yard is a bit expensive for my pocket book  (anything over $20 is a bit expensive for my pocket book…) and they’ve only released the menswear line, but think where this could go…  If more universities started to release clothing lines, we might see a fashion revolution on campuses all over the US.  Instead of seeing the dichotomy between those students who literally roll out of bed in their sweats to attend class and those who think that five inch heels, a halter top, and a mini skirt are acceptable for an economics lecture, we  might finally see more of a middle ground.

Maybe?
Bueller?

Well, if not, at least Harvard Yard will make it a bit more acceptable (and encouraged!) for boys to wear v-neck sweaters and loafers. And that’s a cause I can totally get behind.

Ok, the first day of class is always a bit daunting. Everyone is looking at what you’re wearing, where you are sitting and if you have any breakfast stuck in your teeth.

It’s worse when it’s your first day of college: you’ve never stepped foot into these rooms before, your classes are ALL OVER THE PLACE, and there are so many upper classmen in there…staring at you (and the breakfast stuck in your teeth).

I could tell you it’s not that bad (because it isn’t!), but you wouldn’t believe me. So in an effort to help those of you who are stepping into the lecture halls for the first time, I’ve come up with some ways to survive…and avoid looking like the lost freshman.

The day before classes start, I make the habit of setting aside a few hours to go and physically find my classrooms. My campus is huge, and I’m always afraid I’ll get lost. I also usually have a friend go with me, just in case. But that way I’ll be sure to know where I’m going and I’ll know how long it’ll take to get there. It’s just my way of being prepared. This way, you won’t have to be embarassed asking people where to go or, worse, showing up late…and sweaty.

Once you actually get into the classroom, where you sit says a lot about the type of student you are. People in the front row are usually the over achievers. They’ll be the ones to ask when it’s time to choose study partners. People in the back you may never actually see again. That section is usually for the kids who show up late, those who plan to leave early, and/or those who think class-time is naptime. I tend to go for about the 5th row back. Close enough so I can hear/see everything, but far enough away to where I don’t have to answer the professor’s questions.

When the class starts there will be a lot of information thrown at you pretty quickly. If you want to save your reputation in the class, please, please, please don’t ask a million questions. Some stuff may be confusing and you might miss something, but that is why God created TA’s. Those would be the (more often than not) grad students who follow the professor everywhere. They won’t bite and you can – and should – go up to ask them all your questions after class. They know pretty much everything the professor knows, and they tend to be nicer about it. Too much question asking and hand raising leads to a cranky class and a cranky professor. And believe me, you REALLY don’t want to piss off the person handing out grades.

And finally: the question of laptops. I don’t know anyone who brought their laptop to high school, so most people aren’t used to taking notes by typing. But it seems to be the norm in college. I still stick with a notebook and pen; it’s just what I’m used to. But if you’ve been dying to be able to take notes by typing, by all means, do it. No one’s going to be there to tell you that you can’t.

With the first day of classes so near, I began thinking about the way things were in high school around this time.

I remember the big trip to Office Max with my mom every year; we’d hop in her SUV and drive on down to the store, where I would leap from the vehicle while it was still in motion, and run up and down the aisles (Supermarket Sweep style) seeking out the newest pens and folder colors.

I would then return home with my new purchases and proceed to label every folder for every class, color code my notebooks and binders, and put it all in my brand new Eddie Bauer bag for the first day of school.

And I know I’m not alone.

Even more exciting (if possible) than my school supply spree was my first day of school shopping extravaganza. There was nothing more important in life than what you wore on the first day of school; it set the tone for the year and let people know what kind of person you were.

My freshman year, I wore JNCO’s because it was all I could fit into (what? I was pudgy!). You know, those big, baggy, skater pants? I am a nice Jewish girl from the suburbs; imagine how confused everyone was.

Anyways, back to my point. My mother would buy me a lovely new set of clothing and I would come home from The Gap and spend hours choosing just which combination would make its debut on the first day of school.

The night before the big day I would have everything ready: my bag would be packed, clothes would be laid out, and I would be in bed on time. In the morning, my mother would wake me up with a complete breakfast, and I would leave a little earlier than normal to be sure to get to my first class on time.

My, my, my, how things have changed since then.

The first day of classes in college (post-freshman year… I even had my books in my bag for that first day!) are quite a different experience. Students spend the week proceeding this momentous day in a state of complete intoxication.

When the first day is finally here, students jump out of whatever bed they are in and walk-of-shame it to their first class. Most are still wearing whatever they wore the night before, and most have no clue where they are headed. They will also, most likely, not have time (or the stomach) for breakfast, but may feel the need to stop for aspirin and a bottle of water/beer to cure their weeklong hangover.

If said student actually makes it to their first class they will most likely take notes using lipliner and the back of a bar receipt.

It is quite a sight to see (if I am not in the back row vomiting in a freshman’s backpack) and one that makes me truly appreciate my college education.

Remember when you were in high school and you began to hunt for a college? As if you weren’t having enough trouble balancing those AP classes and inevitable girl drama and all of a sudden – BAM – here come like 10,000 books/essays/magazines/guides/counselors bombarding you with information on choosing the right college.

• Do you want big or small?

• Liberal arts? Science? Big city? Small campus? Close to home? Great sports teams?

Some books had statistics. Others had tests to place you in the right “type” of school. Still others were filled with advice from the students who went there. But where was the guarantee that any of this research would put us in a school that we loved, that would get us where we wanted to in life, and that would ultimately be our perfect fit?

According to some research over at the New York Times, the guarantee doesn’t exist. And if we do happen to find that perfect place, all that crap we researched does nothing to guide us.

With thousands of colleges in the United States, the variety of experiences for soon-to-be college students is endless. Once you actually choose an institution, there are hundreds of groups, classes, and options to choose from; especially at a big school. So that means that basically anyone – from the tree hugger to the Marc Jacobs lover – can find happiness at any school.

Yes, choosing a college is a huge decision; it will impact the rest of our lives. But to spend so much time and money researching the best place to go is pointless. Because in the end, any school can be that best place for you. There is no way to know.

I chose to go to Michigan because I grew up in Michigan and I always heard what a great place it was. I never visited it or any other school; I just went. And I had the time of my life. No book would have predicted that I would have met the coolest people on my dorm hall the very first day. Or that my Saturdays pre-partying before football games would be some of the best memories I could ever have (with the aid of pictures, of course; those were some drunk Saturdays). Or that the debates I would have in my History classes would be the best learning I would ever do. Or that the combination of all those experiences would guide me down the path I am currently on as a grad.

And I am sure I could have found different reasons to feel just as strongly about the other 4 schools I got into. But I chose U of M and that just happened to become the school that was my perfect fit.

Knowing this is not going to stop people from researching potential colleges – we all have to get a little information before handing over all our parents’ money – but I do hope it will take a little stress out of your decision. Don’t over analyze; just enjoy yourself. And try to stick around for an extra year if you can. It ain’t so pretty on this side of graduation.

The list, which you can see here, provided nothing more than grounds for all Times readers to question the level of intelligence of the very people that work there. Anyone with half a brain (read: anyone who would be going to college in the first place) would not only know half of this sh*t already, but might even be made dumber for having read this.

Oh, writers at the Times, how out of touch you are with the reality of college.

Sure, some students get drunk and decide to take a dip in dangerously murky bodies of water, but it is about so much more than you have listed here.

For real tips and rules for incoming Freshmen, you have to talk to someone who knows college inside and out. Someone who devoted 4.5 years to studying (at) an undergraduate institution. Someone like….ME!

So, for the incoming Freshmen out there, I give you 10 tips and rules to live by:

1. Pack Costumes: I know it sounds weird, but college and costumes go together like pizza and beer. Looking back to my freshman year, I can’t remember how many times I found myself halfway under my bed screaming, “WHERE IS MY BOA AND CONE BRA?!” I can remember, though, the amount of times I found myself halfway under my bed screaming, “WHERE IS MY STATS BOOK?!” The answer is zero. I never even bought it.

2. Do Not Drink the Punch

3. Lock the Door When Drinking: The R.A. doesn’t need a warrant to search your room, so make sure the door is locked when drinking (or doing other…ahem…illegal things). She then has to knock and you will have plenty of time to hide the bottles/light some candles to rid your room of that….planty smell.

4. Always Have a Condom: It may seem presumptuous, but better safe than sorry. Trust me, having to leave the best 4 years of your life to have a baby…not so fun. Ok, maybe you can’t trust me on that because I am baby free, but I just have this feeling changing diapers wouldn’t be nearly as fun as BEER PONG!!!

5. Where Shoes in the Shower: Don’t ask. Just do it.

6. Take Your Grandparents Out of Your Cell: People tend to steal phones and drunk dial. I don’t think gramps would appreciate a drunk girl calling him at 3 AM screaming, “LAUREN IS MAKING OUT. LAUREN IS GONNA HAVE SEX WITH A BOY! I LOVE PIZZA!!”

7. Love Salad: They may just be the only edible food in the cafeteria.

8. Act Sober: If you are on the street, in the dorm, or running to puke in the library bathroom, act sober. Otherwise, you may be calling the parentals from the po-lice station. And that is a total buzz kill.

9. Stock up on Powerade: It works wonders on a hangover, especially before a 9am lecture.

10. Bring Your Camera Everywhere: Every party, every pre-party, every day is worth documenting. If only to remind you what you did the next morning.