I remember going to college expecting to make some of the best friends of my life. It had always seemed that way — you have nice high school friends, but gradually they fade out of the picture and your college friends dominate your life. Wasn’t that the way it was supposed to be?

As I arrived at school and plunged into the rigorous academic environment that was promised in the Princeton brochure, the social scene surprised me in some way. There were the usual kinds of people I expected — the jocks, the preps, the econ majors — but not the friendships I was looking forward to.

I had dining hall buddies (people to eat and swap jokes with), and homework buddies (people to frantically share answers on problem sets with), but there was no gang of girls sharing secrets and supporting each other the way there was in high school. I compared notes with other friends and they agreed; for one reason or another, no one had as close friendships in college as they did in high school.

Why? Read More »

The first lesson I remember learning was the importance of sharing. I had to share my toys, I had to share my feelings and I had to share my gum with the rest of the class. Now, call me selfish, but I believe that some things in life should not be shared.

STDs, for example. Or guys?

In my mind, once a friend dates a guy, or cozies up with him for more than one night, he’s off the market to the rest of us. I mean, there’s a reason they call it “Sloppy Seconds,” right? But I’ve learned that it’s different for guys; they don’t mind hooking up with someone else’s leftovers. In fact, I know lots of girls who have made their way through an entire group of guys and none of them seemed to mind.

How can that be? Can guys really share hook ups like girls share tube tops? Let’s see what our guy had to say… Read More »

I have this constant fear that my friends’ boyfriends hate me. I’m a large pill to swallow; I know that.

Even more than that, though, is my fear that a guy may judge me by the company I keep. I love my friends, but they can be a lot to handle. Especially when we are all together. Or when alcohol is involved (and isn’t it always?).

Do guys judge their girls on their friends? Will his feelings towards a girl change based on who she hangs out with? And would a guy still like me if he couldn’t stand the people in my inner circle? Friends are a huge part of anyone’s life (duh), so it’s an important question to ponder.

I asked a guy and here are his thoughts on the sitch: Read More »

There’s a magical wonderland I’ve dreamed up in my make-believe social circle where people only date people who their friends don’t know. There are unicorns and wizards and lots of parties and gatherings that are NOT awkward in this wonderland. Unfortunately, this is a magical wonderland. Not reality.

In reality, we’re all very disturbingly gross, incestuous lovers. Not only do most of my friends know the guys I date, but most of the guys I date know the other guys I date. It’s really fun, let me tell you. But I’m not the only one jumping through these intertwined romantic hoops. Many a friend of mine, actually, has dated another friend of mine. It seems to be the way the world works.

This is all fine and dandy until the couple starts paddling down good ol’ sh*t creek. It starts with a complaining IM message, email, text, or phone call. One friend is coming to you to have a heart to heart about what friend number two did wrong to hurt his or her feelings. And just like a Los Angeles smog, awkwardness starts seeping down from the sky and choking the entire room.

What am I supposed to say in these situations? Which friend am I more loyal to? What the f*ck? Read More »

Every girl likes to surround herself with fun people who bring lots of positivity into her life, right? I mean, who wants to go through life without the fun/support/advice of some friends? But, do you ever feel like you don’t have enough of those people?

Well, you’re not alone, CC-ers. Story of my life.

Growing up, I always had friends; guys, girls…a whole lotta them. We’d all play, hang out and have fun with each other. As I started to get older, in high school, then in college, my circle of friends got smaller and smaller. My tight knit posse went from 30 people to 20 to 10 to 4. It’s not that I had fights with my friends that caused us to become distant, but the phone calls, emails, nights out and shopping trips all seemed to dwindle as our lives progressed. Read More »