Newsweek just released their 2011 college rankings, and they’re pretty useless for prospective students. Top Schools for Activists? Boring. Best Schools for Foreign Students? I could just study abroad. Most Rigorous? Why would I want to challenge myself?

Here are five categories that Newsweek should have included on their list that prospective students would actually need to know about.

initiating the gallery...

Obviously the current job market isn’t looking so hot for anyone right now.  Most of us don’t have a trust fund to fall back on, and the state of our economy makes attending grad school a distant dream for so many of us.  With the pressure to land an entry-level position armed only with perseverance, savvy, and Bachelor’s degree in hand, the importance of choosing the right college major is more crucial now than ever  before.

In a recent article, Newsweek names the nine majors that lead to the “best” jobs.  The list includes majors along the lines of finance and information systems – things that have always been regarded as boring safe and prestigious.  I have to say, though, that the value of a career can’t be summed up by the median starting salary.  Sure, some people are actually passionate about construction management (hey, we don’t judge) and if you are, then of course this is the perfect major for you.  But for those of us who prefer to pursue skills that are slightly less mainstream (or that won’t make you want to bludgeon yourself with a calculator during your third all-nighter in a week), I say “why not?”

Throughout college, I remember seeing my peers who chose to major in things like biology struggle to stay awake during their work days while my Communications major (obviously not the most conventional) allowed me to spend the days of my internship interviewing high profile celebs at a major magazine. Win!

With that being said, we say “suck it, high paying jobs!” and have compiled 5 majors that put you on the path to career awesomeness.

1. Floristry: Cuyamana College in California offers this program.  Essentially a combination of botany and art, this major exists within the Ornamental Horticulture department.  Students pursue their Associate of Science degree by learning everything from planting flowers to designing wedding arrangements.  (Side note: where can I find a program that teaches me to devour…err…create Edible Arrangements?  If someone can find me one, I’m THERE.)

2. Arts and Entertainment Management: Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts and Design is just one of the places where you can find this exciting major.  At Drexel students can choose a specialized concentration.  Depending on this and an individual student’s skills and interests, graduates can go on to become agents, managers, artistic/creative directors, and more.

3. Viticulture and Enology: Think an Ivy League education and alcohol are mutually exclusive?  Then you obviously haven’t heard of Cornell’s program.  Viticulture and Enology is basically just a fancy term for the study of wine.  Students within this major take courses that promise to make them experts on all things related to vino. I have to warn you, though – if you’re caught slappin’ a bag of Franzia with your dorm mates, you might get booted from the program.

4. Cartooning: It’s not exactly a college major, but this program is seriously cool.  For students who can’t see themselves in a traditional university setting but would still like to develop their skills after high school, The Center For Cartoon Studies is a god send.  One and two year certificates are offered, as is a Master’s program.  An education is Cartooning teaches all the essentials of the craft: from storytelling to drawing.  This institution, located in Vermont, promises to create master cartoonists, qualified to work at a variety of major media sources.

5. Film and TV Costume Design: FIDM offers this course, which not only teaches the fundamentals of design, but also includes plenty of info on how to navigate the industry and deal with other professionals. Who knows?  If you’re a fashionista in the making, this may be the very thing that could turn you into the next Patricia Fields (the super successful costume designer for Sex And The City.)  I mean, how much fun would it be to dress Blair Waldorf week after week?  This is one program that could definitely lead to an exciting career.

Of course, if you really want to have a fun career, there’s always Michigan….

"When a man loves a woman...."

I vividly remember the times when Salt-N-Pepa’s “Let’s Talk about Sex” would come on the radio while I was being chauffeured around by my mother. I would plead to the heavens above that she would not take this opportunity to actually talk about sex with me. I dreaded the conversation that I knew was coming.

I thought Chrissy’s mom in Now and Then explained it perfectly when she said: “All women have a garden, and a garden needs a big hose to water it…or a small hose… as long as it works.” That was all I needed to hear on the topic of coitus. Plus, I would probably vomit if I ever heard the phrase “blow job” leave my mother’s lips.  And fortunately for me, I never had to.

Whether she figured the sex ship had already left my harbor, or she truly and sincerely believed that I was, and am, still as pure as they day she birthed me, my mother has successfully avoided the topic of sex with me for the past 22 years. And that’s too bad, because a new study is preaching a much earlier age to have The Talk.

According to Dr. Mark Schuster’s study, far too often parents wait too long to address the topic with their children to point where the conversation falls of deaf and already de-virginized ears. So he advises parents to explain the birds and bees (and wrapping those birds and bees in latex) to their kids at the middle school age at the latest, before they even start thinking about sex.

Yes. The Talk. At 13. Holy hell.

I understand the importance of The Talk, and I understand that girls and boys are giving it up much earlier these days (thank you, Britney), but I just can’t even imagine having my parents sit me down with a banana and a condom on my way out to a friend’s bat mitzvah to explain how safe sex works. Hell,  to this very day I still cringe when a sex scene comes on T.V. when I’m watching with my parents. It’s just uncomfortable and makes me think they might take that moment to bust out the anatomically correct male model and explain his reproductive parts to me. And at the ripe age of 22, I’m still not sure I’m ready for it.

Did you get The Talk? How old were you?

Studying on the beach? HELL NO.

WOAH. Stop right there. Hooooold up. Wait a minute. Don’t go there cuz I ain’t wit’ it.

I can’t believe my ears.

I just heard the worst idea in the history of idea-making and I swear I am not overreacting.

A US Senator, Lamar Alexander (yes, please send him nasty letters and kick him on the street), stated in a recent Newsweek Article that “an educational schedule of 3 months of summer is not relevant in today’s world and [college] students should take more credit hours and graduate in 3 years, saving 25% in tuition costs.”

I have so many problems with this one sentence I don’t even know where to begin.

I guess I should start with deep breathing into a brown paper bag. And eating a brownie.

Ok, now that I’m somewhat composed let’s start with Mr. Alexander’s cost argument. It’s an obvious fact that our parents, our own bank accounts, and out future selves for the next 15 years, are being raped of any and all money we make or will make to pay for college. But in the grand scheme of things, how much less of a burden is it to pay $120,000 versus $160,000?

Either way, the financial aspect of college has all of us students spurting premature wrinkles, and I’d rather spend one more year of my life tailgating, eating diner food at 4 am, and partying the night away before I have to face the fat, red negative number in my bank account.

Plus, doesn’t this guy realize that just because you cram 4 years of work into 3 doesn’t necessarily mean you will pay less? Summer classes are an extra cost outside of your tuition, and the majority of schools charge per class, so this will not save the student any money. Not to mention that some colleges even charge students for each credit they take above a certain number during a semester.

Alexander argument: denied.

And then there’s the stress. Does Senator Lamar wants us to freakin’ die?! Five classes is a full course load. Many of us have taken six; the really ambitious (or really unfortunate) have taken seven. It is physically impossible to take this many classes, 6 semesters in a row, without a break. Is this his secret attempt to kill off all the students before they hit the job market to lessen the competition and save his own ass?

And, dear Lamar, when do you expect students to work to earn the money they need to pay tuition? And what about the ever-important college internships? In this competitive market getting experience through a summer internship is vital to securing a job post graduation. How are we supposed to fit that in with the 27 credits we’ll all be forced to take each semester?!

Bottom line: our lives are already way over-packed. We are stressed out, burnt out, running all over the place, and sometimes the only thing that keeps us sane is that 3 month break from classes looming in the future.

I’m glad this guy got to go to school and balance his internships, classes, and fun without having to have people stress him out by threatening to cut out his summer vacation. Perhaps he should stop being an ass and let us have our college glory. Four years already goes fast enough

What do you guys think? Is this man off his rocker?!

If you thought we were out of the woods with swine flu when summer began, you’re sadly mistaken. Health officials predict that come the fall, the H1N1 virus will begin to spread once again. Residential colleges are expected to be hit particularly hard, as dorms make the perfect breeding grounds for the spread of illness. (Lots of people with not-so-clean living habits? Hellooooo, disease!) But don’t start freaking out and sterilizing your possessions just yet; colleges are aware of the situation and are taking steps to help keep their students healthy.

To put it crudely: everyone chill the f*ck out. They got this.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control decided to include 19 to 24 year-olds in the first-priority group for the swine flu vaccine, due out in October. This age group has seen many of the worst cases of swine flu, and the college experience of living, studying, and socializing together makes students even more susceptible to the virus. If you thought your roommate was impossible to live with before, wait until he or she gets sick. You’d have to have an immune system of steel not to catch whatever she’s got.

The vaccine, however, is not a fail-safe way of combating the spread of swine flu. When students do get sick, they will have to be isolated from other students for a week. This poses a problem for schools that simply don’t have enough room to accommodate sick students. Harvard University plans to expand its infirmary’s capacity to 35 beds, but that may not be enough if swine flu spreads throughout the school.

A worst-case scenario would involve canceling classes (yay!) and closing down campus dining halls (yay or nay, depending on your school). Should that occur, Skidmore College is prepared to distribute Meals, Ready to Eat (relatively speakng, of course) to sick students. We can only hope that ready-to-eat meatloaf will not become a reality, but at least you won’t go hungry should the dining hall close down!

Ideally, school officials would like for family or friends to pick up ill students. If worse really came to worst, students with swine flu would go home to recover, which, unfortunately, wouldn’t mean a homework-free vacay.  Skidmore and other colleges plan to provide online learning tools to help students keep up with their work if they are forced to leave campus. Sucks for them, but with video lectures and online notes, this could be heavenly for those students who steer clear of the Swine.

School and health officials don’t want you to panic about swine flu. Truthfully, there is nothing to panic over, anyway. This isn’t going to be the 1918 flu pandemic all over again. We won’t see mass deaths as a result of this outbreak. Unless you count the battle royale that will ensue for the last mealoaf MRE…

I live in my Rainbows. Period. No matter if it’s spring or fall, cloudy or sunny, hot or cold. No matter if I’m heading to a class, rocking out at a concert, or lounging by the pool. My Rainbows are constantly my go-to shoe, but sometimes – I admit – they’re just not a very good shoe choice.

So, my dear Rainbows, I’m totally torn…

Love Em:

There’s many reasons why 99% of the time you see me (and the majority of the other girls on campus), I’m in my Rainbows. They’re arguably the most comfortable shoes ever made, thanks to the leather construction and cushioned sole that molds to your feet (you can even see the layers of leathery softness!). And if you want more comfort, you can even buy ‘em double-layered! Can you say “heaven”?

Rainbows come in a ton of varieties. You can choose your color (white, brown, or black), material (leather or cloth), and straps (thin or thick). Not that it matters; whatever you choose, Rainbows always match your outfit and make you look 100% Cali-cute!

Even better, the people behind the flip flops are so sure of them that they even include a lifetime warranty for the odd chance that the straps break or the stitching comes undone. And seeing how often I wear them, that little guarantee makes them pretty perfect.

Loathe em:

Once you break them in, Rainbows are super comfy. Until you break them in, though, these flippies cause some serious pain and oozy blisters. Especially right between your big toe and the little guy next door. So. much. pain.

The price tag for these casual flip-flops is also a problem: $50!? For flip flops?! Flip flops that cause your feet to ooze and bleed? Yes, they are good quality sandals, but it’s not like sandals offer any quality support for your feet! An article in Newsweek cites research that shows flip-flops actually alter the way you walk, resulting in shorter steps and more stress on your joints that can cause even more pain (aside from your blisters).

And although you’ll want to wear them everywhere (after you break them in…and break your wallet buying them), you really shouldn’t wear them when it’s raining, snowing, hailing, or your playing beer pong/flip cup; once they get wet, your feet turn brown. And stay brown until you literally scrub them raw. And definitely not good for super long walks or hikes. Although, I may be the only one who ever tried that one…

So Rainbows, I’m torn. What do you think about these flippy-floppies?

It’s not official unless it’s on Facebook.

You know the phrase is true. Did you hook up with a new boyfriend lately? Get a new job? Start grad school? You probably updated your Facebook to let everyone know about it. Social networking has acquired a terrifically powerful role in our culture, one which legitimizes every facet of our lives. But what happens when Facebook users begin posting personal details that don’t merit digital high-fives?

Such is the case with a new trend in Facebook groups that actually promote such eating disorders as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Think about your average, “Hell Yeah I Went To Public School!” group and channel all of that enthusiasm towards the idea of starving yourself. Imagine scrolling through a list of your friend’s groups and finding one like “Ana Boot Camp” (which has recently been disabled by the Facebook administration) which attracts users who view anorexia as a fitness goal, not an eating disorder. They’ve even co-opted the name “anorexia” to just “Ana,” as a way of reinforcing the idea of anorexia positively. Members of “pro-Ana” groups collaborate on starvation plans and look to one another for “thinspiration.”

Though the pro-Ana phenomenon has existed for some time on independent websites, the jump from private domains to the certainly more public sphere of Facebook is a new step in eating disorder pride. While Anas (the name for followers of pro-Ana) have lurked online and in private chats in the past, joining pro-Ana groups on Facebook signifies that they are confident in their beliefs and aren’t afraid to share their eating habits with friends.

Newsweek, which published an article on this story this week, interviewed 20-year-old Kate (who declined to give her last name) about the benefits of being pro-Ana on Facebook.

“[On Facebook], there’s a lot of really close networking,” she said, “so you add those people as friends and exchange phone numbers, and when you’re having a hard day, you talk on the phone.” And by joining pro-Ana groups, these individuals are declaring their relationship with eating disorders for all of their friends to see.

The tragedy with the pro-Ana movement is that its supporters are completely oblivious to (or defiant of) the fact that eating disorders are diseases that need treatment. Anas believe that people who deride eating disorders see them as bad habits. Through social networking, they stand to spread their unhealthy message of celebrating anorexia to many more people. Young female Facebook users could be persuaded to turn to starving themselves to stay thin, if the cultural pressure to slim down remains and the cult of pro-Anas expands.

And even if Anas don’t convert everyone to anorexia (they’re not particularly mobile proselytizers), allowing their groups to expand on Facebook would mean tolerating eating disorders, which is an insult to those who truly suffer and deserve medical attention. Thankfully, Facebook administrators have already begun to disable pro-Ana groups, which should be a step in the right direction. Nonetheless, Facebook has evolved as a legitimate medium for trend spotting, and tolerating anorexia should not be another passing headline on the news feed.

Newsweek recently uncovered the six most fattening ice cream flavors (Personal note: there wasn’t any real news to cover, Newsweek? Like the upcoming elections, the crumbling economy, or the War on Iraq?). Here are the results of the study, with my personal opinions on whether 6 hours at the gym is worth a scoop or two.

1.Haagen Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter: 360 calories, 24 grams of fat

This should really come as no surprise. Chocolate+Peanut Butter= guaranteed muffin top. But it’s sooo good! Still, 360 calories will take about half an hour of vigorous cardio on a CrossTrainer, and can you really trust yourself to stop at the teensy half-cup serving?

Fight this craving with: two frozen peanut butter cups.

2.Ben and Jerry’s Chubby Hubby: 330 calories, 20 grams of fat

Umm, did anyone EXPECT fudge-covered, peanut-butter-filled pretzels, swirled in vanilla malt ice cream and rippled with even more fudge and peanut butter to be healthy??? Sure, Ben and Jerry might be a perfect rebound after you spied your ex at the bar with the dorm sleaze, but you won’t be able to fit into your skinny jeans after more than a bite or two.

Fight this craving with: a 100 calorie pack of Mr. Salty chocolate-covered pretzels.

3.Haagen Dazs Butter Pecan: 310 calories, 23 grams of fat

First of all, Butter Pecan is a flavor my grandmother would go for. If I’m even going to think about spending the next month working off an ice cream binge, it sure as hell won’t be because I gave in to freakin’ Butter Pecan.

Fight this craving with: uhhh, anything with chocolate in it?

4.Sheer Bliss Pomegranite with Chocolate Chips: 320 calories, 20 grams of fat

I’ve never even heard of this, but I’m already drooling on my keyboard. Aren’t fruits supposed to be good for you? Damn your misleading ways, Pomegranite!

Fight this craving with: a Pomegranite martini and a Hershey’s Kiss or two. Yeah, the martini packs a lot of calories, but the buzz beats out the fat content any day (or is that just the alcoholic in me talking?).

5.Ben and Jerry’s Vermonty Python: 300 calories, 19 grams of fat

I will give Ben and Jerry credit; they beat Haagen Dazs any day. But because they are the frozen gods of PMS-cravings, they offer far too many reduced fat options to justify getting a third of your day’s fat content from a serving that’s smaller than a tennis ball.

Fight this craving with: The low-fat version of Cherry Garcia or Chocolate Fudge Brownie.

6.Coldstone Cookie Batter: 300 calories, 16 grams of fat

I’d like to interrupt this column with a quick anecdote: for a friend’s bridal shower, I served Coldstone ice cream cakes, and they were worth every calorie-packed bite.

Sure, I’ve given you craving-fighting options that offer fewer calories, but who am I kidding? If you want Vermonty Python, you’re going to keep wanting it until you shove a huge, dripping spoonful down your throat. If you want Chubby Hubby, 100 calories worth of pretzels is not going to suffice. So throw the rule books out the window, grab yourself a scoop of ice cream, and celebrate having the balls not to count calories.

Anything in moderation is okay…and when you’re ready, treadmills and South Beach will be waiting to burn off every succulent bite. Enjoy!

That being said, life still just plain sucks sometimes. Whether you’re totally stressed about an upcoming presentation, feel like you haven’t slept in weeks cramming for finals, or are going through a painful breakup with the boy who lives down the hall, it’s inevitable that the blues will creep up on you at some point.

And according to a recent wave of scientists, you should not treat sadness like a horrible disease that needs to be taken care of immediately.

Eric Wilson, author of the new book, Against Happiness, argues that our culture has a fixation on happiness, and fosters “a craven disregard for the value of sadness” and “its integral place in the great rhythm of the cosmos.”

Okay, so the whole “rhythm of the cosmos” thing sounds a little odd, but hear me out.

After going through my recent breakup, everyone told me that I needed to go out and meet lots of people and have tons of fun. Which is all fine and great. But, for awhile, I just really didn’t feel like it. I would go out till all hours of the morning and end up drunk, exhausted, and more upset than I was to begin with. How was this helping me?

It wasn’t. So, I shifted my thinking on it and just did what I wanted to, no matter what that was. If I felt a bit down and wasn’t in the mood to have a crazy night out, I didn’t. I stayed in and read or watched a movie or hung out with a friend that was opting out of the night also. I talked about how I felt or just let myself feel melancholy without rushing out to somehow numb that feeling. And the progress I’ve made doing it this way instead of the old routine is amazing.

Wilson isn’t the only guy to come up with this theory fighting against our obsession with happiness. There are a number of researchers that have been looking into the actual value of sadness and there is a great article in Newsweek that details all of their findings.

My favorite explanation of this whole movement comes from a piece on newser.com. “But like all emotions, melancholy has an evolutionary purpose, driving exploration and change,” it says.

I LOVE that idea. It is when you actually let yourself feel sadness or melancholy that you can then grow, change, and learn something.

Give it a shot, let me know how it goes, and remember, it can’t be any worse than that splitting headache you will feel the morning after trying to forget your sadness by drinking alcohol like it’s water.

In the same poll, 62% (out of the over 1,000 people polled) think that Bush is “stubborn and unwilling to admit his mistakes,” when it comes to the Iraq War.

It also seems that President Don’t-I-Make-You-Nervous-When-I-Speak is dragging most of the candidates in his party down with him, as Newsweek finds “each of the leading Democratic contenders beating the Republican frontrunners in head-to-head matchups”. Bush’s name was invoked only once during one of the first Republican candidate debates last week, while Ronald Reagan (who was an actor before he was President. An actor.) was mentioned a total number of 19 times.

Anyone who’s taken Statistics knows polls don’t always represent everyone fairly, but even without Newsweek’s newest survey, it’s painfully obvious that Bush isn’t doing too well these days. And it’s not just because he talks like someone who’s been dropped on his head a few times. Or because he stares into the camera like a frightened baby.

Don’t quote me or anything, but I think the American public is having issues because of things like this.