Who says girls shouldn’t fight? When it comes to the female bloggers we rounded up for our Most Influential Women poll, our list of nominees is about as fierce as it gets. Whether you read their posts religiously, or roll your eyes at their “real” lives (are we the only ones who think it’s all too good to be true?), there’s no denying the title of Most Influential Blogger is something to get scrappy over.

Bring out your claws freshly manicured nails and be prepared to state your case over which of these lady bloggers most deserves the crown.

Leandra Medine might repel the men, but readers flock to her blog, Man Repeller,  for fashion tips on the reg. Where else can you score an invite to the hottest arm parties on the Internet?

Lena Chen, aka Ch!cktionary, says her blog is “about all things feminist, queer and otherwise radical.” We just know she’s pretty freakin’ awesome. I think her hoards of readers would agree with us, too.

Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere makes bajillions (actual scientific number) of readers fall in love with her aesthetic every day. From cute at-home projects, to delish recipes and a heap of style, we all pretty much just want her life.

Martini Severin finds the most fashionable urbanites and features them on her blog, Beyond Boston Chic. “Street Style” might be a new term to you, but she’s been all over it since 2008.

Do we even need to tell you the name of Arianna Huffington’s blog?

With March madness at its peak right now this topic probably doesn’t seem like all that much of a stretch to you, but you might be surprised by the direction this topic is going in…

Should student athletes be paid?

Jalen Rose, ESPN/ABC studio analyst, member of University of Michigan’s Fab Five, and  the writer of this piece seems to think so. And while my first response to that question was an undignified snort, I have to say that after reading his points, I might be reconsidering my stance.

My immediate reaction was absolutely not. Sports are an extracurricular activity that students choose to take part in. Just like the school paper or honors societies or student government. They do is because they enjoy it. Or if they don’t have a love of the game, they’re often very good at the game, and they do it because they get a scholarship for playing that game. Full tuition paid? A free education? That was their payment. What more could they possibly need?

But Rose offers some good points.  He argues that being a student athlete is a full time job. (CollegeCandy reader and student athlete, Chelsea, agrees.) Rigorous training schedules, practices, and games take up the majority of these students’ time, far more time than most other extracurricular activities take up.  And the free time they do have is often spent in class or studying for classes. They do have to maintain a respectable GPA, after all. Rose points out something we all know but never seem to truly grasp: student athletes don’t have much free time.  And as the sister of someone who played high school football for four years, I have to agree. If high school football left my brother without much time to do anything but eat, sleep, and breathe football, then I can’t even imagine the demands that come along with being on a college team.

As a result, these students are left without time for a part time job, and have no means of making any money in college, all while colleges everywhere make lots and lots of money off of them. (Just look at all the money spent and earned during March Madness.) Granted, not every college student works, but some need to. While universities often provide their student athletes with full scholarships, if a student’s family cannot afford to give the athlete spending money, he or she is left without any means of paying for those necessary living expenses that always come up. Laundry. Food that doesn’t come from the cafeteria. School supplies. New clothes. Books. These are expenses that need to be taken care of, and Rose proposes that a $2000-per-semester stipend will do just that.

But what do you propose, ladies? Is the stipend a good idea? Should student athletes be paid at all? Or is getting out of college loan-free enough of a payoff?  Is being a student athlete a full time job? Should there be some sort of need-base system? Or should it be skill-based? And do you think it’s fair that universities, and networks, and brands, and basically everyone but the athletes themselves, are making a profit off of this?

Leave a comment and let us know!

People are looking at your social networking profiles.

Shocked, right? Not so much? Yeah, I thought so. But you might actually be shocked to find out that 80% of admissions officers are now using Facebook to learn more about their applicants, and that a student’s social media presence does in fact affect their decisions.

As a way to counteract this, some admissions officers suggest that applicants like or follow their college of choice on Facebook or Twitter and use the social network as a way to stand out amongst applicants. But would you really want your potential college to have access to everything you post on Facebook? And should they really expect to? When you post something on the internet publicly you have to expect that people will read it. But should you expect that your college admissions officer will be searching for it? Should you expect that every college admissions officer is going to Facebook stalk every applicant now?

One admissions officer admitted to being prejudiced to applicants after viewing Facebook profiles, but if she hadn’t gone looking she wouldn’t have been prejudiced in the first place. Is it okay for admissions officers to make decisions based on information they find on social networking, which might easily be misinterpreted, or should they base decisions solely on the material sent to them like grades, SAT scores, and admissions essays, which albeit, can also be misrepresented?

What do you think? Head on over to Huffington Post to get all the details, then come back here and tell us, what do you think of this.

As a senior in college, I’m scared to graduate. I’m terrified of turning my tassel because it’ll mean I’m leaving a world of overly caffeinated morning classes, Greek life costume parties and, apparently, the opportunity to play competitive Quidditch. And like most of my generation, I might possibly find myself (not) contributing to the nation’s economy by suddenly joining the unemployment rate.

If that were to happen, then I would take responsibility for it. I would acknowledge that it was my fault for wanting to be at the top of the beer pong tournament bracket instead of at the head of my class curve, and for being too anxious/lazy/[insert excuse here] to apply for graduate school programs. My socioeconomic failure would not be simply boiled down to the fact that I didn’t major in some form of engineering.

But Dori Jones Yang over at The Huffington Post disagrees. According to her, studying anything that does not directly lead to a future career in technology will “speed up our own decline as a society.” These supposedly impractical majors include literature, theater, art, politics, creative writing, psychology, English—fields of study that Yang categorizes as “all the fun stuff.” Apparently, we liberal arts kids live in a “dream world” that is lit by Hollywood stars and concert spotlights, and we inevitably aspire for contentment after graduation on Mom and Dad’s couch. We drop our calculus classes when they start to get difficult because we don’t like a challenge. Because we can’t handle it.

Well, Yang, I’m not sure what the history program was like at Princeton in your day, but the typical college environment has evolved just a little bit over the past few decades. With more high school graduates and less funding for education (from both state governments and anyone’s personal paycheck) than ever before, grabbing a seat at a university is a rat race in itself. Yet even then, undergraduate degrees in any field can no longer score a job alone these days and must be perfectly paired with impressive work experience, noted networking skills and, majority of the time, a second degree—psychologists and engineers alike!

But let’s imagine—no, dream—that every impressionable set of eyes that scans through Yang’s article then makes the personal commitment to convince their (future) kids to join the already cut-throat field of technology. The mathematical probability of finding a job, let alone a high-paying job like that of Yang’s daughter, will most likely drop due to higher amount of prospective candidates for a certain amount of jobs; though students may be educated “to innovate in a high-tech world,” it’s somewhat difficult to statistically stimulate the economy while still finding themselves unemployed. But it’s not as if they’d even reach college in this new dream world anyway, since there’d be such a shortage of teachers, novelists, artists, musicians, and journalists that the elementary school system wouldn’t be able to provide enough primary lesson plans or extracurricular activities to churn out well-rounded students fit for any kind of secondary education. No ecosystem works if every member aims to serve the same function—didn’t we all learn that back in biology class?

Honestly, explaining our non-engineering major is hard enough to just our friends and family—more like to family friends and snobby strangers—but the last thing we supposedly useless liberal arts majors need is someone hiding behind their computer screen to shout that our hard work, creativity and tuition dollars are of no value in this new world. Especially when such a person majored in history and turned out just fine. Come on!

To my fellow non-technical majors: when digesting the wise words of TIME Magazine’s Fareed Zakaria on restoring the American dream economy and employment rate, realize that you too play an important role in our nation’s society. David Letterman makes us laugh with a degree in radio & TV broadcasting, and James Cameron makes us cry after majoring in English. President Ronald Reagan studied sociology, President John F. Kennedy majored in history and President Barack Obama graduated with a degree in political science. These job titles may not be spearheading the forefront of technology, but the paychecks they provide still need to be written out to somebody. And it’s okay if your career path doesn’t perfectly align with what’s printed on a diploma—Steve Wynn has redesigned the Las Vegas skyline with dancing fountains and explosive volcanoes since studying English in college. Besides, who is to say that a few engineers won’t have a career change somewhere down the line as well? Oh, so you didn’t actually dream of working toward that retirement plan in a technical field?

With academic achievement, industry experience and the often undervalued yet extremely necessary attribute that is social skills, you will forge forward on your own path, no matter what your major is. However, if you find yourself having to move back home and work at a restaurant for a while, or leave everything behind and travel passionately around the world, keep your head up high. Because I’m sure those successful types like Yang don’t criticize anyone’s professional choices while being served delicious dinners at their favorite Seattle eateries.

Continue to work hard. Drink that Red Bull and study for one more hour, keep sending out resumés like it’s candy on Halloween, and push past that first awkward conversation with the professor who will end up writing your strongest letter of recommendation. Just don’t forget to relax every once in a while on that rough, lonely, yellow brick road towards your commendable dreams.

And for the record, I passed calculus. With flying colors.

Compared with the grind of the working world, college is a pretty cushy experience.  Still, not everything on campus is as rosy as the tour guides would have you believe.  Despite its many opportunities, student life is fraught with frustrating rules and limitations.  If you like cereal for dinner and long hikes to class in the rain, you might be the perfect candidate for college living.  If, on the other hand, you need your creature comforts in order to stay sane, you’ll want to be forewarned about the following:

[Click on any image to view the gallery.]

The Huffington Post created this gem of a slideshow several days ago.  Liz O’Neill claims that the usual reasons your roommates loathe you (you’re a slob, a mooch, etc.) are veils for deeper, subtler issues. Actually, they hate you because you are prettier than them. And, you’re going to make more money than them in a few years!

As I read this, I felt like I was listening to a mother stroke her child’s ego. The different hate-causing categories of behavior Ms. O’Neill gives are bizarre. And, based on my own college experiences, totally ludicrous (I mean, seriously? My roommates don’t like me because I have a diary? Seriously?).

So, here are the REAL 7 reasons your college roommates hate you. And sorry – we’re not going to sugar-coat these bad boys.

1.     You’re a Bad Drunk

You’re as sweet as candy during the day. But, after a few shots, you’re slurring your words. You’re cursing like a sailor. You’re losing all functionality in your limbs. As your roommates carry you home, vomit decorating your Sevens, you tell them you hate them and they all suck. The next morning, you feel awful, but you can’t understand why everyone’s so mad because you remember nothing. Well, newsflash: Your roommates hate you because, actually, you’re the one that really sucks.

2.     You’re a Kleptomaniac

When you’re getting ready for work in the morning, hours before your roommates roll out of bed, you steal some Bumble and Bumble hair product from the medicine cabinet. Later that night, when you’re craving a late-night study snack, you grab a bag of your pretzels. Ick, they’re stale. So, you eat your roommate’s instead. When you realize you ate an obvious amount, you throw a few of the stale ones into your roommate’s bag of Snyder’s. You never borrow anything massive, but all the little things add up daily. And she notices.

3.     You Have a 3^rd Roommate… Every Night

Visitors: You love them in the morning, and in the afternoon. You love them in the evening, and underneath the moon. Well, guess what? Your roommate doesn’t. She’s tired of getting sexiled the night before her Econ exam or looming research paper deadline. Learn to keep it in your pants or start dividing your time between your house and your special friend’s to ease the roommate tension.

4.     You’re Messy

Your hair is clogging the shower drain. You left your underwear and smelly workout clothes in the middle of the room. You snacked on some ice cream and frosting and left the dirty bowl and silverwear underneath the couch. You left your dirty pad on the bathroom floor. And now your roommate wants to go all Snooki WWE on you.

5.     You’re Always on the Phone

“OMG!! NO WAY…HE DID NOT!” you shout while your roommate tries to watch the episode of Glee she missed on her laptop. After you hang up, you hear a notification on your computer. Sammy wants to Skype! You click accept, and begin chatting away. We get it: staying in touch with home friends is important in college. However, be respectful of your roommate’s space. She doesn’t want to hear every little detail of Sammy’s life. Or the other 132 people you talk to weekly. Hold the phone (or video chat) until she’s out of the room.

6.     You Love the Snooze Button

Oh, you snoozed 7 times this morning? 3 hours before your roommate needed to be up for class? Yeah, I wonder why she’s pissed.

7.     You’re Passive Aggressive

When something is really bothering you (like the Klepto, Snooze-pressing, insanely sloppy roommate), you are cold. You monosyllabically answer their friendly questions. When they ask you what’s wrong, you say nothing. Welcome to the land of Passive Aggressivia. Population: You. If you want to stop disliking your roommate, you need to actually let them know they are doing something that’s bothering you instead of hoping they’ll get the message. Speak up and you’ll quickly be on the road to a better college-living life.

A few days ago, The Huffington Post provided its readers with a BLS pie chart that depicted the daily schedule of the average college student. Apparently, we are barely grooming, sleeping 8+ hours, and living “pretty awesome” lives.

I am definitely not challenging the awesome comment. I spent yesterday lounging on my front porch, catching some rays while doing my homework. In the words of a very drugged out 8-year-old: Is this real life?

At the same time, though, The Government’s statistics are far from true concerning the lives of my friends and I. The day I meet a student that sleeps 8.4 hours nightly, I will lock them in a room until they share all their snoozing secrets with me.

Inresponse to the pie chart, we at CollegeCandy have crafted our own breakdown of the typical weekday in the life of a college student. The statistics may be far from scientific, but being girls who are really good at college, we feel they shed a more accurate light on the average student’s day.

Breaking it Down

Sleeping – 6 hours
If I could get about six hours of sleep a night, I would be able to pat way less Benefit Boi-ing on top of the dark circles haunting my eyes. 8.4 hours would be like a dream… too bad I’m too busy not sleeping to be able to live it.

Facebook Creepin’ – 3 hours
Sad but true.

Hanging Out With Friends (AKA, Group Facebook Creepin’) – 2 hours
Sadder but truer.

Watching Bravo Marathons – 3 hours
I discovered the Real Housewives of Atlanta as a sophomore. Soon, Bravo acted as some sort of black hole, pulling me in and never letting me see the light of day/productivity again.

Considering Working Out – 1 hour
It takes a long time and a lot of internal debate to determine whether your afternoon free time would be better spent on a treadmill or on a couch with Facebook and The Real Housewives.

Working Out – 30 minutes
Because that’s all the time you have left after brooding about it for an hour.

Work (including commute time) – 3 hours
Typically, students with jobs work more than 3 hours a day. But, since they’re not working every day, this number is more of a weekly average. Procrastination/homework time can and do overlap here, especially if you’re blessed with one of those ideal campus jobs.

Class – 3 hours
Yes, you know.. That thing we’re all here for… an education. Class should take up a good portion of a student’s day. That is, if they actually go.

Studying/Reading – 2 hours
On a good day.

Complaining About How Tired You Are – 1 hours
“I am so tired, you don’t even understand!” [Chugs Diet Coke.]

Complaining About How Stressed You Are – 1 hours
“I am so stressed, you don’t even understand!” Of course, we’d all be less stressed if we spent last time whining about it.

Eating/Drinking – 2 hours
For some this means relaxing meals (and three trips to the fro yo machine) with friends in the cafeteria. And for others it’s pounding a few Hot Pockets before chugging beers to the beat of Ke$ha. Whatev.

How do you spend your day?

Do I sound bitter?  That’s because I am.  As a recent graduate, I’m experiencing a lot of what my elders are talking about.  Yes, I’m unemployed.  Yes, I’m an intern.  And yes, I will be paying off my student loans for the next thousand years.  But, unlike Mom and Dad, I’m not writing my generation off just yet.  Here’s why:

We’re pretty freakin’ smart. In numbers exponentially greater than previous generations, we’re earning college degrees and seeking even higher education.  Add the fact that we’re tech-savvy and hip to social networking and you might just say our generation revolutionized the way humans interact.  Next time you catch your mom getting her Facebook fix, tell her Mark Zuckerberg was just 20 when he launched the site from his dorm room in 2004.

We’re ballsy. I believe the term “disrespectful” has been tossed around quite a bit in regard to the spawn of the Baby Boomers.  Now, I’m not about to defend Kanye’s stage manners (and lack thereof) or the oft-terrifying rap stylings of Eminem, but I will say that young people today know what they want and aren’t afraid to be outspoken about it.  We engage politicians, confront campus officials, and know how to protest like it was Vietnam all over again.

We give back. In a move that was practically insisted upon by our parents, high schools the nation over require students to complete community service hours.  Thing is, even after we graduate from the minor leagues, we continue helping out in college and beyond.  Building houses, rescuing stray animals, cleaning up natural disasters- we’re there representing in huge numbers.

We’re hopeful. Don’t let anyone tell you this is a minor point.  The fact that we can be the target of so much scrutiny and stereotyping while still sticking it out in this terrible economy speaks volumes.  I don’t care if I sound like a motivational speaker; it’s important to stay positive and keep looking for a job/working hard at your job even when there’s someone telling you you’re lazy and over privileged.  I think we’re doing just fine.

The Huffington Post just released a list of the 10 Happiest Places in the World.  I was totally excited to recognize some of the places on the list and book my one-way ticket to nirvana, but had to reconsider when I didn’t even realize where some of these places were.  Vanuatu?  Bhutan?  Wuyi Shan?  Hidakagwa? While the pictures are beyond amazing, I’m thinking the price tags that accompany a stay in these locations would be more than my college-girl budget could accommodate.

Fortunately, I know of a few Happy Places that only require a hop, skip, stumble, or drive to get to:

Ikea
The Holy Grail of fabulous discount home décor, indeed.  Who doesn’t love a little Swedish influence in their dorm room?  A day trip to your local (or two states away) Ikea is always worth it, especially when you take a quick break from shopping to enjoy the international cuisine of their lunchroom.  Mmmmm…

Jimmy John’s on Sunday Morning
Free smells?  Heck, I’ll fork over a small fortune for one of their delicious sandwiches when I’ve got a massive hangover.  Sitting slumped over a turkey on whole wheat while piecing together the previous night’s events with the BFFs will always bring a smile to my face.

Laying on the Quad During the First Warm Day
You know the type of day I’m talking about.  After months of winter’s gloom, the sun finally makes an appearance and the thermometer reads a delightful 70 degrees.  Class is not an option on these days.  Grab your girlfriends, embrace the paleness of your limbs, and watch the guys play Frisbee.  There’s nothing better.

Your “Home” Bedroom the First Night of Winter Break
It’s walking into the bedroom of your childhood after five months of living, eating, sleeping, and studying in the same space with another person.  The carpet is clean, the bed is made…and what’s that you hear?  Absolutely nothing?  Yes, the marvelous sounds of silence.

Your Couch on Wine Wednesday
Want to wear sweatpants?  Want to throw your hair up in a messy bun?  Want to get a buzz on while gossiping with your best friends?  Welcome to Wine Wednesday!  Sink in that comfy couch and let the smack-talk fly.

Tailgating on Sunny Fall Days
It’s school spirit, big SUVs, tons of kegs, and a cool breeze.  Of course you get out there at the crack of dawn, even for the night games.  Why waste a single moment when you could be chatting around the grill and playing flip cup?  Bring on the cute scarves, baby needs a drink!

Dollar Beer Night at the Bar
Did I mention the beer is just a dollar?  It’s the one night a week you can feel like a Rockefeller as you peel back the ones and buy a round for all your friends.  Not to mention that less than 20 bucks get you good and wasted.  Everyone wins.

Roommate Bonding in Your Dorm Room with a Full Season of DVDs
Don’t feel like getting out of bed?  Good thing you’ve got a remote and that six-disc DVD changer!  From the comfort of your extra long twin you can take in the wisdom of Carrie Bradshaw or the romantic trials of Dawson and Joey.  When bathroom breaks and trips to the microwave to make popcorn are the only pressing matters of the day,  you know you’re doing something right.

The Gym During the Baseball Team’s Working Out
Sweat.  Muscles.  Lunges.  Need I say more?

The Nail Salon When You Have Spare Money
So in this scenario, not only do you have extra cash, but someone is also massaging your feet.  Yeah, this is basically what my dreams look like.  Sit back and relax.  For 45 minutes you get to escape reality and forget about that term paper looming off in the distance.  Bliss!

….Wait a second, we needed a study to prove this??

It is no secret that social media outlets run our lives.  Whether it Facebook, Twitter, or the variations trying to prove their worth (what up, MySpace?), we are constantly connected.  Even on the go, we can count on our trusty iPhones and Blackberrys to bring these outlets to us.

But back to the study. The participants were forced to go one entire day without media of any kind and then blog their feelings when the 24-hour period was up. (Seems a little counter-intuitive, no?) Those who made it through (not surprisingly, some did not) reported that although surrounded by people, they felt completely isolated.

“Texting and IM-ing my friends gives me a constant feeling of comfort,” wrote one student. “When I did not have those two luxuries, I felt quite alone and secluded from my life. Although I go to a school with thousands of students, the fact that I was not able to communicate with anyone via technology was almost unbearable.”

At first glance, that student seems rather pathetic. But think about it: most of us can easily relate to the feeling. Whenever something happens, many of us instantly turn to Facebook or Twitter to share it. That’s why sites like that, and others like TFLN, exist. We are constantly sharing with others and every time a new outlet pops us that allows us to do so, we hop on board. It’s gotten to the point that if some worthy (or even unworthy) news event is not on Facebook, it is as if it never happened.

When my power went out during a windstorm last month, the thing I was most upset about was that I could not log onto to Facebook to update my status with, “NO POWER? WTF?” I felt lost and without a clue. How could I possibly get through this blackout without hearing my friends comments pertaining to my unfortunate situation?? And without Internet access, what was I supposed to do to pass the time?

Pathetic? Maybe. True? Absolutely.

For the angered few who disagree with me/are judging me as you read this, you will probably proceed to comment on this blog expressing your opposing view, thus further proving my point. You feel your voice needs to be heard, and unless you post it, it is not.

I mean, just look at the article on The Huffington Post; it’s flooded with irony on the subject.  Under the headline is a link to Facebook to give readers a chance to blog about the topic.  When opened, there is a beauty ad directly on top.  Bordering the ad is the option to “like” this product before any of your friends, and additional links to tweet and buzz about it.  The last sentence begs readers to share their feelings: “Do these findings surprise you? Could you go 24 hours without social media?” And following this conclusion: Get HuffPost College on Twitter!

One article, 3 opportunities to connect to others regarding the one article.

Oh, the irony.  The truth is, study or no study, we are addicted, and there is no form of rehab that could even begin to pull us out.