There’s a great many things to do and places to see in this world of ours.  As humans, our lives are pretty short (and if you party like I do, it’s probably going to be even shorter).  So we have to prioritize!  We have brains for a reason and that reason is…reasoning (well, at least some of us use them for that purpose: see comment about partying above).  Let me be your voice of reason as I show you all the things you should be doing right here, right now.

We say it all the time: shut up.  Sometimes you mean it (like during a particularly nasty fight with the bf) and sometimes you don’t (Clueless-esque situations of surprise and pleasure), but those two little words will always be there.  How many of us actually listen to them, though?  Have you ever actually shut up when someone told you to do so (I, for one, make it a point to talk louder/longer when someone tells me to shut up)?  Perhaps it’s time for us to listen.  Perhaps it’s time to really shut up.

Living in a single room in a new dorm this past week, I’ve learned the value of keeping my mouth shut.  I’m not unfriendly, but I’m not chatting up a storm either.  I’m trying to keep it cool and start out as the mysterious, cool and collected girl (a bit of a change from former dorm experiences…but we won’t go there).  What I’ve learned includes how to seem nice and approachable without saying a word and how to not look like a creepy loner.  In fact, I’ve enjoyed my silence so much, I’m thinking we all need to try it.  Try this on for size: reasons why you should shut your pie hole.

Work Those Eyes – If you’re not flexing those vocal cords, then you’ll probably be doing most of your communicating through your eyes.  Instead of a long-winded answer, just raise an eyebrow.   Instead of an awkward giggle and stuttering attempts at flirtation, try winking.  Simple glances and blinks become volumes of communication.  And imagine the make-up possibilities when all the attention is focused on your eyes… Read More »

Gossip and rumors are main staples on college campuses across the nation, and the website Juicy Campus (which was recently shut down), shows just how far people are willing to go to spread gossip. At some point in everyone’s life, gossip comes up – good or bad. Gossip, in moderation, can be just another thing, but in a culture that obsesses about pop culture and dishing dirt (think of websites like Perez Hilton), the fixation of dishing dirt about someone else isn’t going away any time soon.

Although many of us love to gather on Monday nights to watch Gossip Girl and watch the scandals of the Upper East Side unfold, no one likes it when their own personal life is exposed in the cafeteria over wilted lettuce or when private information rolls off the lips of classmates before the professor starts the class. While gossip may seem like something that comes and goes, it can leave its dirty scars behind all too often.

Maybe because it’s an all-women’s college and women often use each other to bring others down, or maybe it is the size of the university, but the Hollins rumor mill never seems to cease on campus. It constantly peeks its nasty little head around the corner for students that least expect it. Whether it hurts friendships, ruins reputations, or isolates students from campus events — gossip can cause tremendous damage. Read More »

[Every week, CC and John bring you some of the weirdest, funniest, saddest things he hears on his college campus. Join the Overheard revolution!

Leave your own overheard convos in the comments.]

“Holy s***! What’s he doing?”

“He’s just playing video games.”

“He looks like he’s having a seizure! He looks possessed! I’ll never understand boys. They’re all like that. Possessed.”

A girl spills most of a box of cereal on her shirt:

“Oh god – I’m such a sand rat today!”

“Shakespeare? You know, he’s not bad. He’s had his moment in the sun. I think he needs to have his moment in the butt.”

A boy walks by a girl with a shaved head, then stops and does a double-take.

Boy: “Good evening, mister.“

Girl: (no reply)

Boy, after a beat: “I mean, what I’m saying is, you look like a boy.“

Girl: (no reply, walks away)

Boy: “God! Whatever!” Read More »