I decided to go home for Easter weekend because most of my friends at school were dipping out to spend time with their families so I knew it would be a ghost town. My family doesn’t really celebrate Easter, but some of my friends from other schools mentioned they would be home as well. It’s always nice to see old friends. Well I got a text from one that said, “I want to do an adult Easter egg hunt. Somehow also made into a drinking game,” to which I replied, “Jello shots in plastic Easter eggs that we have to find!”

This isn’t the first time I’ve run into a let’s turn a holiday into a drinking game situation. We seem to create drinking games out of everything we can. I once played a Secret Life of the American Teenager drinking game, which didn’t end well for anyone. I love having a good time, and as a senior I seem to have reverted back to my freshman year habits of going out all.the.time and still making it to class. I’m having a lot of fun now because I know it won’t last when I have a real job and am too old to stay up past midnight.

My response to actually make an adult Easter egg hunt surprised me. I don’t want to turn a children’s game into a drinking game! It’s just not right. I remember playing a grown up version of Pretty Pretty Princess freshman year that we called Pretty Drunk Princess. You drank every time you got a piece of jewelry. It was a lot of fun, but it kind of ruined that part of my childhood. Why do we turn everything into a drinking game?

The classics like flip cup, beer pong, quarters, Circle of Death (or Captain Dickhead or Waterfall), etcetera seem to do just fine. Can’t we leave some things in innocence?

Do you think we’re making too many things into drinking games? Are we going overboard?

Caitlin is a senior at the University of Alabama who has an obsession with cupcakes, coffee, and Harry Potter. She always has random fun facts on reserve and aspires to be a professional blogger, social media bug, and/or James Franco’s assistant. Follow her fabulous life @caitlincorsetti. You’re welcome!

[Image from We Heart It]

It’s not hard to enjoy a beer. Just crack that baby, open your mouth and – boom – enjoyed. But thanks to college students’ never ending stream of ingenuity (or their need to drink as much cheap beer as possible without actually tasting it), there’s a wide variety of ways to indulge in the nectar of the gods. (Which, disturbingly, includes through your butt.)

So go grab a cold one from the fridge, crack it open, and stay with us as we outline the many wonderful (and a few questionable) ways to drink a beer.

People can learn a lot about you from your Facebook profile. By considering your favorite movies, pictures, quotes and the things other people write on your wall, it is quite easy to get a good idea of who you are as a person. And knowing that, many of us are extremely careful about what we throw on there.

And I’m not talking about taking down all those drunk pictures from the Jell-O wrestling tournament so you can get that job with the government you’ve been coveting. I’m talking about leaving those up to show anyone and everyone who is looking that you are one cool girl who happens to enjoy wrestling in gelatin.

Your Facebook picture is especially important. It’s the first thing people see when they look you up, not to mention the fact that it comes up next to every wall post, Facebook message, chat, update, etc., that you do on that damn website. Naturally, you are going to put a lot of thought into your photo of choice. It needs to be a good representation of who you are, be it an artist, a class clown, or any other type of person.

I spend a lot of time on Facebook (is there a 12-step program out there?!) and I’ve noticed that of the 500 million people using the site worldwide, there only 6 basic types of photos that people post on their profile:

[Click on any image to see the gallery!]

[This story was originally posted by Lauren - University of Michigan]

Likey? Don’t worry, there are plenty more faves where this came from.

As per usual in my life, my senior year (the first one, mind you) was spent obsessing over a gargantuan, shaggy-haired, Beatles’ lovin, ex-BF who thought he was way too good for me. Even though he ignored me 99% of the time, I basically revolved my life around him. I planned my weekend festivities around where I thought he might show up. I wriggled myself into outfits no one should ever have to wriggle themselves into to “show him what he was missing.” (Which, it turned out, was a girl in a too-low top whose boobs were constantly falling out.) I made out with his friends in front of him.

Basically, I turned into a grade A psychopath. But, we still had mutual friends. Lots of them.

So, I got lucky one St. Patrick’s eve when said boy and I showed up at the same bash to indulge ourselves in green beer and endless games of flip cup. And after doing just that, ex-boy and I began our ritual flirtfest. We were notoriously known for talking smack about each other one day and hooking up the next, so no one was surprised when they watched us waltz away together – me, elated, him, just drunk. However, it had been about 5 months since our last little romp in the sheets and since then, he’d pretty much sworn me off to everyone he knew. Especially to his roommate, who now stared me down whenever he saw me and probably knew more awful (read: psycho) stories about me than anyone should.

After we walked to the bar together, we started to down shot after shot. Eventually, my friends I had left at the party showed up to drunkenly drag me to a couch to sleep on. I angrily obliged. Couldn’t they see that stud muffin was totally making bedroom eyes at me? After a three hour nap on a friend’s couch, (conveniently, around the corner from stud mufffin’s house) I woke up to multiple text messages from him: “Where are you?” “Comf over” (which I assumed, in sober speak, meant “Come over.”) Still tipsy from all the shots, I walked to his house in record time. (OK, I probably ran.)

And then the inevitable happened. Until eight in the morning.

Around 8:30, I started to come to. I realized where I was and what (who?) I was doing. Basically, I panicked. I was naked and he was sleeping.

I was scared.
I needed my friends.
I needed to pee.

I stood up as quickly as I could and looked out the window to make sure I was actually where I thought I was. However, instead of a road staring back at me, there was a PERSON. Staring. At me. Naked.

And that person happened to be ex boyfriend’s roommate – the same one who happened to hate on me hardcore.

We stared at each other for a couple seconds before he looked away and walked in the house… and I realized that he had just seen me wearing nothing but a shamrock necklace and a look of horror. Terrified, I scurried around the room and gathered my clothes (quietly, of course; I didn’t need to wake up the ex bf and have even more awkwardness). Minutes later, I composed myself and emerged from ex-boy’s bedroom. The roommate was enjoying a nice bowl of cereal on the couch. I hurried past him and thankfully he didn’t even look up from his Lucky Charms to see me out.

Once the door slammed behind me I ran home.
In green tights.

Cosmo understands the trials and tribulations of dating, especially when we need to figure out the bizarre and complex behavior of the male species.

Finally fed up with trying to decipher a guy’s body language to decide what he’s really trying to say (as opposed to, ya know, listening to him), Cosmo has provided the ultimate guide to date night body language. And, naturally, they made convenient tear-out cards (because your date totes won’t notice you squinting to read them under the table).

Cosmo Says: If he holds his beer loosely by the neck, it means he’s confident–but cocky, “it gives off the vibe that he’s too cool to be concerned with the risk of dropping his Bud.”
Kari Says: Hm, I’d never thought of it that way. Then again I’ve never really taken the time to study a hot guy’s precise style of drink-holding (I’m usually too busy checking out his hair, eyes, smile, biceps, etc). This particular method of holding a beer tells me he doesn’t want his hand to be all clammy and gross should he need to shake hands – not that he’s necessarily a douche bag. For that tip off I would look for a guy clutching his Jaeger bomb tightly so he won’t drop it while he’s fist pumping. Just sayin’…

Cosmo Says: If he pushes his drink onto your side of the table, he’s subconsciously trying to bond.
Kari Says: Alright, I’m down with a little bit of bonding. I just hope he doesn’t change his mind after I proceed to drink whatever he’s sliding toward me. My interpretation of anyone moving alcohol within closer proximity of me is that I should drink it – quickly. But maybe I just play flip cup too often.

Cosmo Says: If a guy licks his lips, he’s trying to wipe a lie off of them.
Kari Says: First of all, this sounds like it could be stitched onto a pillow somewhere in my Gramma’s house.   Second of all, I have heard the lip-licking lie detector test before (Lie to Me is one of my new fave shows), so this interpretation may have merit. But what if he’s just thirsty? Or in dire need of some Chapstick? What if he’s thinking about other things he’d like to lick later? All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t be so fast to jump to conclusions about the nature of such a sexy move (when done correctly, of course – otherwise it’s just creepy).

Cosmo Says: If a guy is feeling the date, he’ll unconsciously make an OK sign.  If he doesn’t like where things are going, he’ll flick you off without realizing it.
Kari Says: Not so sure about the first one. I mean, it’s not a very casual sign to make; I never catch myself throwing it up when I’m particularly happy about something my BF’s just said. On the other hand, I could definitely see myself “unconsciously” flicking him off when I’m upset…but again, I can’t really tell how accidental that might be.

Cosmo Says: If a guys loves you, he’ll “subconsciously create the love sign-language gesture while doing random things.”
Kari Says: Again, that sign is not one that’s easy to slip into your daily routine unnoticed. More likely, you’re guy is just really enjoying rocking out on Guitar Hero. Behavior that actually shows he loves you? Being attentive, sweet, extra complimentary, staring at you with goo-goo eyes, and remembering things you like that you’ve only mentioned in passing.

I’m no body language expert at all. If I was, I’d apply to join the Lightman Group (seriously, Lie To Me is a really great show), but most of these little hints seem to reveal stuff that I’d be able to notice anyway if I really paid attention to my date (and not flashcards). Women’s intuition can sometime be a hell of a lot more helpful than a diagram of what his bar-side stance means. So, my recommendation is to ditch the cards and pay attention. If you can’t figure out what his tongue down your throat means, Cosmo isn’t gonna help much anyway.

Upon arriving, you say your hellos and shove your way through the crowd to the keg parked in the backyard. You fill your blue Solo cup (“What? They make these things in blue!?”) then meet back up with your friends. You sip, you chat, then you wave your hand violently in the air when the party host asks who’s up for a game of flip cup.

You take your spot at the table, strategically placing yourself next to the very cute boy who lives there. You do a few practice flips, wet the table in front of you a bit for more cup traction and get ready for the game to start.

Seven rounds later, your team is victorious, you and your boy-toy are hugging it out and you’re feeling less than steady. Ok, so you’re drunk, but it’s good drunk. Perfect drunk. The kind that will easily take you through the rest of the night but still leave you feeling a-OK in the morning.

As you begin to walk away from the table to find your friends, the cute boy grabs you.

“Wanna take a shot?” He asks.

“Obvi,” you answer, smitten.

You follow him up to his room where he’s got a bottle of Jameson sitting on top of his mini fridge. As you stand there swaying in your stilettos, your stomach starts churning. You know good and well that you don’t need another shot – especially when it’s brown poison – but you can’t back out now. You don’t want to look like some baby who can’t handle a stupid shot. And you want to make out with him.

The boy grabs two shot glasses from his desk (that undoubtedly haven’t been cleaned since the last time he used them) and starts pouring.

This is a bad idea.
A terrible idea.
This is gonna be ugly.
This night will not end well.

He turns to you. You smile nervously as he hands you your Senor Frogs shot glass.

“Cheers,” he says, raising his Spring Break 2008 double shot glass in the air.

“Cheers,” you reply, silently praying to God that you don’t puke on his carpet.

You throw it back quickly and instantly begin an internal battle with your gag reflex. “Stay down, stay down, stay down….” you tell yourself as you wipe the spillage off your chin. Your throat is burning and your stomach is not happy. But you don’t show it. You smile and joke around with the boy, all the time hoping and praying that Mr. Jameson doesn’t send you over the edge.

You’re doing fine, spitting some serious game, when the shot finally hits you. Suddenly, you’re seeing double and the room is spinning. You have no idea what the boy is saying. You can’t stand up.

“Oh God,” you think to yourself. “This isn’t good. Need water. Need air. I’m gonna be sick. Why did I take that shot? Please God, let me just get through this and I promise I’ll be better next time. Please.”

You excuse yourself to go find your friends, walking into the door on your way out. You grasp the wall on your way down the stairs. “This is bad, this is bad, this is bad,” you tell yourself. When you reach the bottom (safely, thank God), you attempt to find your friends, but it’s nearly impossible to stand let alone navigate through a room of sweaty people grinding. Instead, you take off your shoes, head out of the house and stumble home.

Yeah, we’ve all been there. Over the edge. No turning back. But who’s gonna turn down a free shot?
Not this guy.

Mmmm beer cake.

I love drinking alcohol, but weekend after weekend of beer pong and vodka shots can get old. So I got to thinking…how can I spice up my weekly binge drinking sesh?

I hit the web in search of some “unique,” “fun” alcohol ideas, and out of these keywords came the most glorious idea I have ever heard.

Cake-tails.

It seemed so simple. Why had I never thought of this before? Why drink my calories when I can kill two birds with one stone? Gobble down baked goods from the snack table while still getting my drink on?

Within minutes I had an entire list of cocktail inspired recipes and alcohol based desserts that I knew my friends would be all over. (No seriously, if they tackled my kitchen table I wouldn’t be surprised).

So here are some of my favorites. Try them out for your next girls’ night or bring it to the house party on Saturday. (If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, make 20 mini bunt cakes for a delicious Beer Pong game.) You will most definitely be everyone’s favorite guest. Let’s be real, who is going to say no to alcohol-and-dessert-in-one? That’s right, absolutely no one.

Plus, our favorite girly cocktails can continue to live on despite the fact that the cutest thing we can drink in a beer-soaked-frat-house is a jello shot – and even that’s a luxury.

Oh and forget the milk. If you still haven’t reached your desired blood alcohol level, nothing goes better with these desserts than an ice cold glass of vodka.

That pitcher costs more than my tuition!

I am thoroughly pissed off. And you should be too.

It’s been announced that the price of beer is on the rise this fall due to the fact that sales are down and the cost of making it is up.

Now, I don’t know who is cutting back on their beer intake (how else are you supposed to cope with the declining economy and increasing joblessness?), but it sure as hell isn’t us college students.

Shotguns, kegstands, pong tournaments… we’re keeping the beer industry afloat and they want to make us pay more?!

While our loans are being cut and our financial aid is being taken away we have stuck by our beer, true and loyal customers, purchasing it in large amounts and inviting it to all of our events. Even study sesions. And this is how we are repaid for our loyalty?

I’ll tell you one thing: I’d rather re-wear socks a couple days in a row (or give them up completely and solely wear my Uggs) and save money in the laundry room than give up my beerfest on the weekends (okay, maybe on some weekdays too). But that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a royal smack in the face. Beer companies should just print a large middle finger on all of their new price tags, as they rake in even more of our nonexistent dough.

Looks like us college students will be taking yet another step down from our kegs of Miller Light, as we are forced to choke back Natty Ice. What’s next? Canned urine Milwaukee’s Best?!

Perhaps one good thing could arise from this crock-of-crap decision by the beer manufacturers – some more hard alcohol at parties, perhaps? Jungle juice does get the job done quicker, and doesn’t leave you feeling like you just ate eight helpings at Thanksgiving dinner.

And who knows? It might be a better deal now, too.

As college students, we are constantly inundated with new knowledge. It can be useful, thought-provoking, or crammed into our head on a Starbucks-fueled binge several hours before an exam. However, very rarely do we question the validity of all this new knowledge (unless you take philosophy classes, then you’ll question away).

That’s where College Candy comes in. We’re not going to debate whether or not the Theory of Relativity actually exists (a disappointment, I know, but I’m a communications major and stopped taking science classes after Baby Bio fresh year). However, we are here to thoroughly investigate the most widespread college knowledge (no, not rhyming): the myth.

This week, I’ve been busy with preparations for my 21^st birthday party on Saturday (FINALLY). Amidst trying to find a free party bus and a hot pink dress right after everyone’s Fall colors came out, I began to stress about the optimal level of intoxication I’m aiming for (somewhere in between taking over the DJ booth and being escorted out of the club). I don’t want to be too drunk, but I know I’ll be surrounded by people trying very hard to get me very wasted. I thought to myself, “Well, I’ll start with a few rounds of shots, then downgrade to flip cup and beer pong to mellow myself out.”

There it is, the golden rule. Liquor before beer and you’re in the clear! The thing is, I know this isn’t true, I knew on my 16^th birthday that this “rule” was BS. The amount of alcohol you drink—not the type and not the order in which you drink it—determines how drunk you get.

But how has this myth persisted for so long if so much scientific evidence proves it’s false? Well, for me at least, personal experience holds much more weight than whatever the people in lab coats have to say. And my personal experience has taught me that beer before liquor almost always leaves me sicker. So why the huge disagreement between the scientists and the drunk people? Let’s examine this logically.

If you start the night out with a shot and a few mixed drinks, you’re well aware that you need to pace yourself (most of the time). You space out your Long Island Iced Teas evenly, or perhaps drink water in between them (OK, I’ve never actually done that). Once the bottles run out, you mosey on over to the keg to enjoy some quality Natty Lite. You continue drinking at the same rate you were before, and spend the rest of the night being witty and charming before making out with that hot lacrosse player you beat at beer pong.

But what if that equation were reversed? Science tells us that you and the lacrosse player still would have been good to go, seeing as how your 12 oz. beer contains the same amount as your 1.5 oz. shot of liquor. Unfortunately for you, the liquor is absorbed much more quickly than the beer (especially if it’s mixed with anything carbonated).

So if you start out filling up your Solo cup every 5 minutes with beer, you’ll probably continue that pace when you switch to mixed drinks…and end up drinking way too much, way too fast. Goodbye #42; the only thing you’ll be kissing tonight is your toilet.

Come Saturday, I will feel free to accept shots from various people at any point in the evening, regardless of how many keg stands I may or may not have already done. The key to my new drinking plan? Have my mom help me keep track of how much I’ve drank (yeah, she’s comin’ to the party!) and switch to water for a while if I feel myself crashing and burning.

The liquor before beer myth is definitely, definitely false, so drink away and in any order (just pace yourself!).

That’s where College Candy comes in. We’re not going to debate whether or not the Theory of Relativity actually exists (a disappointment, I know, but I’m a communications major and stopped taking science classes after Baby Bio fresh year). However, we are here to thoroughly investigate the most widespread college knowledge (no, not rhyming)—the myth.

One of the most well known and deeply feared college myths are three little words: breaking the seal. As defined by the most elite source of definitions, Urban Dictionary, breaking the seal is “The point at which you first piss after you have been drinking your favorite alcoholic beverage and at this point you will be pissing every ten minutes.”

We’ve all been there. Enjoying a lively round (or 6) of flip cup when all of a sudden, your bladder reminds you that it has a maximum capacity. You try to discreetly excuse yourself to visit the ladies room, but your concerned besties remind you—very loudly—that you can’t break the seal!

So this seal we all desperately protect, does it actually exist? Or is it possible that it’s simply an alcohol-fueled figment of our imagination? I’ve enlisted a panel of urological experts (read: my boyfriend in med school and Google) to figure out if this phenomenon is real.

Apparently, the more jello shots, Natty Lite or vodka tonics you consume, the higher your Blood Alcohol Level (I know, who’d have thunk?) Anywho, all that warm and fuzzy ethanol flooding your system affects certain hormones that your brain produces, like the must “dance now” and “sexy-time” hormones, as well as a hormone called ADH (an anti-diuretic hormone), which helps your body retain water by controlling the amount of urine you make.

Alcohol inhibits ADH, so the more you drink, the more you’ll have to pee. Also, in case you never caught on, alcohol is usually a liquid, and the more liquid you intake, the more you will expel. Breaking the seal has nothing to do with the amount that you’re gonna pee afterward, nor how often nature will call. And if you don’t “break the seal” you will still feel a need to pee anyway, so it’s all sorta the same thing, right?

I know it’s heartbreaking to realize that there is no magical seal built by your first 5 beers, but on the bright side, you won’t feel a twinge of guilt if you decide not to risk a UTI by holding out.

So, the moral of the story is that if you gotta go, you gotta go! Don’t bother holding it, because the more you drink, the more urine your body will produce, and the more frequent your bathroom excursions will be. The best advice I can give you is to re-fill your cup before waiting in line for the bathroom. You won’t waste precious binge-drinking minutes and once you reach the bathroom you’ll kill two birds with one stone. Cheers!