Dear Those of You Lucky Enough to Still be in College,

The next (insert number of years here) is going to be one of the greatest times of your life. You’ll get to experience the freedom you’ve longed for, stay up for the late nights you didn’t expect, and find the greatest friends you never even knew existed.

You will fight with you roommate, multiple times. And it will be okay; nothing a small talk and a few bars of chocolate can’t fix. Remember, sometimes your mom can help. Call her, ask her what to do, involve her in your life. You are the one who needs to set the boundaries on when and how many times she can call. So talk to her.

It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to fail a lot, make mistakes, take stupid chances. There won’t be another time in your life when you can try this many things. So test out the waters, see what you like, find out what really makes you happy.

Sometimes it’s okay to skip your study sesh. You’re going to remember the night you stayed up playing Apples to Apples with your best friends, not what you got on a quiz that counts for 10% of your grade. Which brings me to…make memories! Yes, you go to college to get an education. But you’re only getting half of what you pay for if you only learn from books. So put off that paper one more day and go out with your friends.

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Four years ago, I started the crazy journey that is college. Though it doesn’t seem like four years ago; the entire experience flew by. It felt like just yesterday that I stepped foot onto Penn State’s main campus and now I’m packing up my apartment and heading off into some crazy unknown direction, also known as the casa de mama and papa.

Sitting at our graduation, I remember thinking, ‘how is this end?’ It just doesn’t feel real. I’m still waiting to wake up in my old dorm room, 4 years ago.  I feel like I should still be attending classes, where I stopped going to learn the material, but more to hang out with the friends I’ve developed along the way.  I feel like I should still be partying it up with my crazy friends who have made this one of the best experiences ever. I will never forget all our numerous inside jokes, and to be honest, I am petrified of a life without them.  I know graduation changes friendships and it sucks.

College has been a great time and I’m by no means ready to say goodbye, or even see ya later.

I guess what I’m trying to get at is I’m not all that excited about having graduated. Yes, it’s exciting to have accomplished a major milestone, but it’s also a big life change that scares the living crap out of me.  And to be honest, graduating didn’t help me in my book of life.  Young freshman me thought by this time I would have such a clear understanding of “who I am.” And although it’s challenged me, at times I feel like I’ve only learned little tiny bits (like I actually do like wings, I’m a terrible beer drinker but awesome pong player…), if anything. Read More »

We’ve all been there: the noisy hallmate, the rude hallmate, the one that leaves the bathroom messy or is playing loud music during exam week. But this past year all the forces of evil converged on one hall and ended up giving me the truly infernal hallmate experience. Read on, and pray you never have as bad luck as I did!

Things didn’t seem to be getting off on a good foot when I discovered myself and my boyfriend, also on the same hall, were completely surrounded by freshmen. We were juniors, with a buttload of junior independent work to get done in the course of the year, and we didn’t have as much patience for freshmen shenanigans as in the past. But still, we vowed to be good sports. The freshmen started things off with a bang by constantly converging in the hall right in front of my door to chatter loudly about inane subjects. On weekend nights, the music coming out of their rooms shook the floors, no matter how many times we asked them to turn it down.

The girls decided to label me as a spoil-sport because of this polite request, and insisted on giving me dirty looks in the bathroom. They continually stole the chalk from my chalkboard, left dirty dishes in the sink of the kitchen, and had atrocious hygiene when it came to disposing of sanitary items. That, however, was only the beginning. Read More »

I have a hard time finding good clothes.

Mostly because I’m short—5’2”—but also because my style tends to fluctuate. I enjoy stylish, easygoing, “hippie” clothes, but looking like a bag lady or pregnant isn’t on my agenda. I also want to seem my age, but office attire isn’t something I can bare.

What’s a finicky, normal-sized girl to do? Become Free People’s biggest fan.

I discovered this line a few years ago, and although I wouldn’t call myself a fashion maven, each season I await their newest catalogue with the sort of anticipation Michael Lohan reserves for trashy talk shows.

If you enjoy comfortable, super-stylish clothes that won’t completely ruin your budget, look no further than this catalogue of cute, layerable tops and long, lean pants.

Everything they sell is deliciously feminine; flattering for different body types, and steers clear of cheap, hoochie cuts and fits.

I would literally wear everything from this brand if my wallet was thick enough, and own tons of pieces I put on year after year. My only gripe with FP? Sometimes the pants they carry have no love for short girls, and I have to get them heavily tailored. Read More »