One weekend, I went to a mixer at one of the best frats at my school. They had a huge party coming up and the only way to avoid waiting on long lines is knowing a brother very well, if you know what I mean.

Four (…or five or six) drinks later, I found myself chatting with a slightly creepy and indisputably not-cute guy who claimed to be roommates with one of the coolest, hottest members his pledge class. I figured he was my “in,” my protection from shivering in a line for two hours while my buzz drifted slowly away. So I turned on the charm, laughed at his jokes, touched his arm.

Yet even in my state of inebriation, my creep-dar started bleeping. Something was off about this kid and I couldn’t quite figure out what it was.  I decided to ask him some questions to verify his so-called brotherhood.  Our conversation: Read More »

I wish someone would have taken that bottle of cran away...

I’d consider myself a seasoned formal veteran. As such, I have acquired a bit of wisdom as far as formal do’s and dont’s. Whether you are a freshman going to formals for the first time or even a senior not affiliated in the Greek circuit, I have chosen a recent and epic failure at Greek formal-ing that will hopefully teach you from my mistakes… or at least give you a good laugh.

The Blind Date

Blind dates are quite common in the formal world. Twice now I have agreed to help out a friend of a friend who “just can’t get a date.” This would be the red flag for most girls – why on earth can’t this dude nab a date?! -  but I, blinded by naivete and the prospect of free food and drinks, always acquiesce. My second transgression was just a few weeks ago. We get to the place, which happened to be a $30 cab ride away, making my chances of leaving slim to hitchhiking. We pre-gamed in a hotel room, where my date doted on me. And by “doted,” I mean basically poured booze down my throat. I even started pouring drinks down the drain out of fear of being too drunk around strangers. (Go me!)

We get to the formal and since he planned it, he left me every 5 minutes to “take care of things.” He couldn’t get me a wristband for whatever reason but brought me a flask of vodka (red flag #2). I decided to have a little chat with him about expectations, which was me conveying my disinterest in anything but “cutesy dancing” and eating and drinking. As well as I thought that went, when we got to the dance floor it was obvious that “cutesy dancing” did not register on his radar, or that maybe he thought grinding me against a wall was cute. Read More »

Do you know what today is? No, it’s not just the CollegeCandy.com editor’s half birthday – it’s the International Day of Peace! A day where people around the globe come together to reflect on the world peace we (and all those Miss America contestants) yearn for.

In honor of this beautiful day, I started thinking about my own personal wars I’ve been fighting. I’ve held onto a lot of grudges in the past year and I think today is the perfect day to wave the white flag and let them all go. Because there is nothing more freeing than peace.

I’m ready to call a cease-fire and here are a few of my former enemies I’ll be burying the hatchet with today:

The R.A. that stole my fifth of gin. I know I probably shouldn’t have been walking around with it in public. But it was so tiny and bite-sized and it packed such a big punch that I couldn’t bare to part with it. That is until you snatched it from me. I might have gotten a $50 fine, but at least I escaped alcohol poisoning that night. Peace and thank you. Read More »

I first learned of Aaron Karo when I was a junior in college. My friend bought me Karo’s first book, “Ruminations on College Life” for my birthday. I read it in one day. And laughed so hard I cried.

Then I went on Facebook and stalked Karo in hopes that 1) I could meet him and 2) I could date him. (Funny, cute and Jewish? He was like my knight in shining college apparel.) That was back in the days when you had to have a .edu address to be on Facebook (I’m old), so I couldn’t find him. But I did see his stand-up show, where I laughed so hard I peed a little. And that is a true story.

Not familiar with Aaron Karo? Well, you should be. He’s totes gourmet. While at Wharton, Karo would send emails to his friends “ruminating” on college life. Those friends forwarded the email to their friends. Then those people sent it on to their friends. Soon, Karo had a million subscribers and a brand new career path as a stand-up comedian/author.

And he’s still going. Karo’s newest book, “I’m Having More Fun Than You” just hit the stores yesterday. In it Karo discusses the perks of being single when everyone else you know is getting hitched. Whether your friends are getting married or just act like it with their LDBF of 4 years, you will relate, laugh and maybe even pee a little. Or a lot-tle

Anyways, I finally tracked Karo down. The good news is he agreed to let me interview him. The bad news is he lives in L.A., which is way too far for a booty call. Read More »

Another semester looms large (almost as large as my tuition bill – hey yo!) and we’re faced with the prospect of returning to campus or, if you’re a freshman, moving into the dorms and living with someone you’ve never met before.  Stressful times, right?  Might as well crack open a couple beers (or bottles of vodka) and start breaking the ice with your new floormates.

Drinking games have long been a superb way of breaking the ice with new people (seriously, nothing sets a casual, friendly atmosphere like chugging shots at 3pm), but how do you move beyond the old favorites?  Sure, everyone loves flip-cup, beer pong, power hour, quarters and Edward 40-Hands (oh my, I do love Edward…and his crazy brother, Edward Whiskey-Hands), but if you really want to impress your cute next door neighbor, then you better bust out something creative.

Luckily for you, CollegeCandy did all the work for you.  Here, for your fall semester enjoyment, are some original and interesting drinking games.  Play with caution (and gusto!): Read More »

The end of the school year is here. Good for some (everyone who gets to come back next year), horribly scary for others (seniors), and bittersweet for all.

Before you tape up that last box and kiss your friends goodbye, though, take a moment to reflect on the year that was. We did, and we realized we have some great effing memories from the past 8 months. Some are big events (like the big 21st birthday) and others are just random nights on campus. But all of them make us laugh and smile and appreciate the amazingness that is college life.

So take a trip down memory lane with the CollegeCandy writers this week, then share your own favorite moments in the comments section below. Read More »

Unfortunately, hazing and college go together almost as seamlessly as Solo cups and Natty Light. Fraternities and sororities get most of the attention, but hazing activities pop up all across campus. Sports teams, student groups… even student government hazes new members in some way.

According to StopHazing.org, hazing is defined as “any activity expected of someone joining a group (or to maintain full status in a group) that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person’s willingness to participate.” That can include everything from going to an event in costume to being thrown off a roof between two matresses (and yes, that did happen at my school).

In its original form, hazing was used to create a bond between a group of people. Basically, older members would put their new recruits through obstacles in attempts to force them to band together against their oppressors. And in theory it works – how many times during middle school did you and your classmates band together when faced with an evil teacher or, better, a sub?

The problem is that it has gone too far. Students are getting injured and sometimes even killed during acts of hazing. ABC recently did a study on this where they brought hazing out into the open to see if people would step up and stop the cruel acts. And what happened? Read More »

Virginity: you either have it, lost it, or in the process of giving it away. (Editor’s Note: If that’s they case, maybe you should focus more on that and stop surfing the internet. You don’t want to offend your partner.) And for most, it is as valued as a relatively sacred part of us – one that you don’t just give to anyone. Take Natalie Dylan, for instance. She ain’t givin it up to any ol boy – she’s givin it up to the highest bidder. That’s right, this lovely lady is in the process of auctioning off her virginity online for upwards of 3.8 million dollars! Let’s be honest – that’s enough money to make any girl twice about keeping her V card. But think a third time, and most of us in our right mind would never do such a thing. But why?

Why is our purity worth an incalculable amount when people used to sell their souls on Ebay for twenty bucks? (I swear it’s true, Ebay started prohibiting it a few years ago).

Many of my close friends are virgins, but they all have varying reasons for their decision. My friend Jenny, for instance, decided not to have sex until she graduated high school. She wanted to wait out of respect for her parents, in addition to various religious reasons. Once she got to college, however, she found that those reasons weren’t as important to her as they once were. Read More »

[Life isn’t black and white. As much as we wish we simply loved or hated things, there is often that whole annoying gray area in the middle. Like, we hate how Walmart treats its employees…but we love the low prices! Or, we love how that boy makes us laugh….but we hate that he has no motivation in life. Damn you, gray area; you make decision-making that much more complicated!

There are so many difficult choices in life (do we love or hate high heels??), so we thought we’d sort through ‘em right here. Every week we will discuss another issue we are torn up about. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!]

I’ll admit, I have a love/hate relationship with the Frat Boy. Although I have dated one in the past, my conflicting opinions have nothing to do with him specifically, but more to Frat Boys in general. For some reason I’m completely drawn to them and their collar popping ways, but somehow repelled at the same time. I’m still unsure where I stand at the end of the day, so let me lay out the pros and cons of the archetypal frat boy: Read More »

So, the thing about most of the annoying people on campus is that, most of the time, you can get away from them. Either you pass the class and move on, you simply ignore their sermons, or they generally exit your life just as quickly as they came.

Not all of them, though. Some annoying campus dwellers will be there. Always. Forever. And never go away.

Who am I talking about? Why, the  Frat House Groupie, of course!

Now, there are many girls who may seem to fall into this category that should not. These are:

1) Members of a sister sorority. It’s super common to see certain fraternities pairing up with certain sororities on campus; their bylaws/campus rules/international standards of fraternizing require that they have to make nice with the girlies and co-host events together.  Whatev.  Point is, if you’re hanging at the house one Friday night because they’re having an awesome 70s themed costume party and you see the typical group of sorority girls, those are the least of your worries.

2) Girlfriends or ex girlfriends of frat boys: These girls are expected to be there. After all, they aren’t just trolling the crowd looking for booty; this is their man’s house. Or their ex man. And they are still friends with all the boys. Read: they know people.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s move into the girls you should be wary of. There are generally two types of Frat House Groupies: Read More »