Looking back, though, much has happened in the past year. It seems I’ve learned a lot while Ke$ha put a dollar sign in her name and started brushing her teeth with a “bottle of Jack,” John Mayer proclaimed that he is on the search for “the Joshua Tree of vaginas,” and the Jersey Shore became a national phenomenon.

So here (in no particular order) is what I know for certain after turning 21. Perhaps you youngsters can take a few things from this:

1. Friendships should make you happy — not pissed off : Friends should be so much more than people you dance on tables with and dish about the weekend to. They should be there for you, and you should be there for them. They also should not steal your alcohol on your 21^st birthday and make out with the fraternity guy, all while puking as your boyfriend helps take care of them.

2. Raincoats are amazing: They are often understated and overwhelmingly overlooked when it comes to fashion. But even if they aren’t fashionable, really, you can’t complain when that slicker keeps your from frizzing. Without a rain jacket I wouldn’t have made it through the summer in London. And I think it actually kept me going to class this past semester. Why didn’t I realize this sooner? It doesn’t matter if you have a basic from Lands End or a super sexy trench from Dillards, just get one!

3. Go to the gym: Surprisingly enough, it is worth your time. Who knew? I sure didn’t, until I started going religiously with my boyfriend back in September. If you actually go to the gym and do more than hang out on the treadmill and elliptical for thirty minutes, you can see results. Plus, it teaches you patience on so many different levels.

4. Do not drink MD 20/20: Even if the frat-mixed mojitos are watered down and tasting a bit like a dirty dance floor, stay away from the MD.

5. Do experience a Pimms with Lemonade: Although you probably have never heard of this drink before, Pimms with Lemonade is a London pub staple. The Pimms is to Wimbledon, as the mint julep is to the Kentucky Derby. This fresh tasting, fruity cocktail will may be enough to convince you to study abroad for a semester. It’s to die for.

6. Puppy Love = True Love: Dogs truly give the most unconditional love. Even though my boyfriend got a dog back in September and it has been a ton of work, I can’t help but keep falling in love with the little darling. You can’t have a bad day whenever a puppy is around. However, at the same time, the realization that having a puppy is a huge responsibility is constant and serves as amazing birth control for many, many years to come.

7. The VS Miraculous Push Up Bra is a miracle: The Victoria’s Secret new Miraculous Push Up bra is the greatest and latest thing to come into the world of retail. With a level 5 design to push up and lift, this push up bra is not playing around – it increases your breast size by two full cups. Unlike a lot of push up bras, this bra actually makes your boob size look believable, all while supplying comfort.

8. Hell No to the Snow: I can never live where it snows on a daily basis during the winter. After what I deemed the Great Snow of ’09 in Virginia (in which 24 inches of snow fell in two days), this has re-arranged my life geographically for good. Those applications to Illinois for graduate school?  Out the window. My dream of always visiting Maine? Only if it’s summer.  Multiple inches of snow at a time? No thanks.

9. Reading is magical: Taking the time to read for pleasure in between reading for class is one of the best ways to relax. This past year, I have rediscovered my love for reading, all while falling in love with some great stories. Need something to restart your love of reading? Read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon or Train to Trieste by Domnica Radulescu.

10. “That’s So You!” It’s important to have your signature piece, be it clothing, music or opinion. This has made my life simpler and more defined.

11.  Meeting the Parents: Meeting the parents is scary. However, whether they like you or not is out of your hands. You can be the sweetest girl they have ever met, but if they don’t like the idea of their kid being with someone without the qualifications they are looking for (i.e.: money, a professional school degree), it doesn’t matter how amazing you are or how much you have going on for yourself. Just accept it and try not to take it to heart … too much.

12.  Post-Grad is intimidating: Graduate, law, and business school applications are a lot more comprehensive than they lead you to believe on first glance. Those statements of intent and optional essays are really unlike anything you have written in the past, unless you are a professional graduate school applicant. Starting early is the only way to preserve your sanity as senior year rolls around. And taking the GRE or LSAT, well those should have occurred a year ago. Oops!

13.  “Welcome to the real world, she said to me…:” Although the quarter-life crisis often seems inevitable, I have learned that I definitely do not want to go down the John Mayer permanent-existential-life-crisis road. While his never-ending misery will supply good music for more and more years to come (without a doubt), I choose to not dwell. It’s much healthier this way, even if I do enjoy indulging in his misery sometimes.

14.  Stop reading beauty magazines: I’ve stopped buying magazines and I feel much more enlightened.  Instead, I have stopped giving my $3.99 to advice on how to make a man moan and enjoy the in-depth features in the feminist friendly Bust magazine, and the musically progressive Paste.

15.  Give a Little Bit: Helping others is amazing and it makes you feel better than anything else can.

16.  It’s Overrated: Being a senior is overrated. I have had more work and more responsibility than ever before and I feel like with every passing day, more and more obligations come my way. While it seems that a lot of seniors are spending their nights partying and hanging out, I am writing 20-page papers and doing graduate school rain dances to promote a surplus of acceptance letters.

17.  To Thine Own Self, Be True: To be a writer, you need to have extremely thick skin. Regardless of what your stance is, someone is always going to go against it and you have to be true to yourself and the piece you are writing. The same goes for all facets of life; you gotta be you and that’s that.

18.  Big birthday parties don’t prove anything: Big birthday parties aren’t all that they are cracked up to be. After years of over-the-top Disney birthday,  the whole high school teenage hang-out-birthday scene, and the exuberantly drunk and pretentiously planned college birthday, I will take the quiet and intimate birthday dinner over anything else.  It’s better to celebrate with those that actually matter.

19.  Lady Gaga is a goddess: She’s given us greatness, i.e.: “I’m bluffin’ with my muffin,” disco-bras, “Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah! Roma-roman-mamaa! Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!,” and perhaps the greatest line of them, “I’m a free bitch, baby!” Her stage presence is to die for, and her genuine, authentic, down-to-Earth personality (come on, didn’t you see her on Oprah?) is addictive. Plus, I’ve seen a slew of live performances and I have to say, Gaga outperforms the rest with her Monster Ball.

20.  Say No to Parent Drama: If your parents are magnificent – great. If they aren’t, it is time to accept it and move on, instead of constantly wishing for your mother to be someone she is not.

21.  The Little Things Count: It’s important to relish the little things. In college, so much happens at once, it feels like the world can pass you by – especially once you turn 21 and the end of college seems very near. The most important lesson I’ve learned is to take time doing something you enjoy. It doesn’t matter if you want to get crazy drunk on a Friday night or take an extra art class, but do what gives you the most pleasure. Make time for more sex. Make time to cook dinner with your roommates. Just make time! As each year goes by, it is also important to look back to see what you’ve learned (whether it’s good, bad, ugly, or silly).

[This post is a favorite of CollegeCandy fan, Rose...and also of The Huffington Post. So Yay Charlsie...and thanks Rose for picking out one of the best!]

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Facebook…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like BlogLovin, Exercise TV and Any New Books?) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

We all know parents aren’t exactly pros when it comes to dealing with new technology. It took my mom two years to learn how to watch a recorded show off the DVR (I’m pretty sure she still doesn’t know how to actually record anything), and my dad constantly refers to Facebook as “Face-Space”. I’m actually pretty amazed that either of them even knows how to send a text!

That’s why I’ve been loving the site When Parents Text lately — it’s sort of like Texts From Last Night, but instead of random messages about last night’s escapades, each post features a text sent from a reader’s parent (or sometimes a grandparent). They’re all hilarious and filled with the awkward lack of technological and social knowledge that all parents possess. Some of my favorites: “twitter? thats the same thing as quidditch right?” and “Hi leah. Am at a friend’s and he let me get face book. Would you like to be my friend? Dad xoxo” and “Please dont mention on facebook or to your friends we are gone. Do not want to get robbed. Xoxo.”

Maybe it’s because almost every text seems like it could have been written by my own mom or dad, but I’ve been spending way too much time on When Parents Text lately. I can’t help but LOL at every post I read, and you definitely will too (here’s a tip: don’t read it in class, unless you want people thinking you’re crazy for laughing to yourself). And while you’re there, don’t forget to submit a funny text from your parents for everyone else to enjoy!

There’s plenty more web where that came from. Check out the other sites that are on Laura’s web radar!

Parents sure can be dumb when it comes to technology. They’re like a step above your toddler cousin putting bagels in the DVD player.

So this week we posed the question to our Facebook fans, “What’s the dumbest computer/Facebook/tech question your parents have ever asked you?”

And here are our favorite responses:

“I definitely got asked by my grandfather how to make something vertically below another in a list on a Word document. Apparently, my grandpa has never met the Enter key…” – Ashton Anderson

“does “LOL” mean “lots of love?” – Shannon Byrne

‎“Look my phone guesses what I’m texting to you.  in reference to T9 in 2010.” - Sarah Bilger

“Why are they trying to sell me dick-sucking lips? (In response to a DSL ad.)” – Christina Bischoff

Want to see the rest? Check out our fan page! Want to see last week’s question? Click here! And don’t forget to share your parents’ dumbest questions below!

So in case you think you’re the only one with confused parents (why don’t you just pick up the phone and call her! Why do you always have to text everyone!?), this list will help you to see that you’re not the only constantly having to justify to your parents that slapping a bag of boxed wine is a fine way to spend a Saturday night.

1. We drink like champions

Let me just start by saying, parents will NEVER UNDERSTAND why college kids drink so much. I think we can all say that it’s a fun thing to do, a great way to meet people, and an easy way to break the ice with the cute guy across the room. Yet parents will always wonder if a kegstand is actually safe and why taping cheap beer to your hands is fun. Just accept the fact that no matter how many times you try to explain the rules of Beer Pong, parents will think that package of ping pong balls in your room is because you and your friends reaaally got into ping pong this past summer.

2. Hungry? Let’s Order Pizza!

If you didn’t make it to the dining hall before it closed or ran out of pasta to make at your apartment, pizza is usually the first thing to come to mind. Parents don’t understand that it completely normal to order pizza seven nights a week without even peeking inside the fridge. Healthy eating doesn’t really exist in college. Sure we go to the gym and sure we sometimes make sure to order chicken AND BROCCOLI from the Chinese place, but we rarely pull out the food pyramid and consult it.

3. Dating? What’s that?

Our parents grew up in an era when men held the door open for women and automatically picked up the check at a restaurant. In this day and age, they are shocked to find out that you met a hot guy at a party a few weekends ago, but have only texted back and forth a few times. The extent of a date is a swipe into the dining hall — and if you are really getting crazy maybe a movie back at the dorm while your roommate is blasting music/studying/bbming. Personally, I’m good with the random make out sessions on the weekends; the dating can wait until after college when guys are more interested in dating than how many beers they can chug in 2 minutes.

4. Hey dad? So I kind of need some money…

As we all know, everything costs money and sometimes parents don’t understand what we’re doing with that $500 they put in the bank account at the beginning of the semester. Let’s face it, college is expensive and if you ARE ordering that pizza all the time you probably will need a constant influx of money from your parents. Yet, in case your parents are stubborn, I usually just tell them I’ll pay them back in full when I become rich and famous. Gets them every time!

5. School > Home

When college kids go home for breaks or vacations, parents are usually the ones that are more excited than the students. Coming home means having an actual curfew. And worse than the curfew, it means actually sleeping alone, like no inviting your former high school flame to spend the night. They’ll never understand why you’re so excited to go back to school, nor will they ever get why we sit on the couch for our entire break watching horrible TV,  with our laptops on our lap, videochatting with all our college friends.

What about you? What are you constantly trying to explain to the parental units?

It’s finally here, Thanksgiving.  The only American holiday that goes hand and hand with elastic waistband pants. Just a few months ago your parents dropped you off at school with advice like “study hard” and “don’t drink anything out of a trashcan.” Since then, you’ve basked in the glory of freedom and the scent of stale beer and your first walk of shame.

However, you’re still excited to travel home and relax.  Quite frankly, studying and your hoppin’ college social life has wrung you out like a dishcloth and you’re ready for some R&R, hot gravy, and a serious post-feast nap.  It turns out though, freedom has sent everything your mother taught you completely backwards, and you’ve endured some weird habits in college.  Let’s just keep one thing straight, like your orange zubaz don’t quite ‘go’ with your blazer, some college behavior doesn’t transfer well into cute, family time.

Let us examine the do’s and don’ts of being home for a lengthy weekend:

Do: Request all of your favorite foods from Mom (and take home all the leftovers).
Don’t: Request a run to liquor store where she buys enough booze to stock your under-aged arse throughChristmas.

Do: Take the hottest and steamiest shower known to mankind, use tons of your mom’s expensive shampoo, and five towels to dry (one for your legs, one for your hair, one for your upper body, one for your face…you get the point).
Don’t: Bring home the hottest, steamiest boy from your high school for a little post-bar fun.

Do: Sit down and watch as many movies as you can, while you cuddle with your cat, side-read a book, and drink hot chocolate.
Don’t: Sit down and watch as many dirty/funny YouTube videos at the kitchen table next to your Grandmother (who’s visiting for the weekend) while you side-read ‘Love, Lust, and Faking it’ by Jenny McCarthy.

Do: Sit down with your Mama, paint your toenails together, and get some applicable, wise life advice.
Don’t: Sit down with Mama, and tell her the graphic story about how you stubbed your toe when you were drunk and crawling into your newest fling’s dorm room.  Do us all a favor, cover the bruise with purple O.P.I. and call it a day.

Do: Call your BFF from college and tell her the story about reuniting with your friends and how much your ex gained all that “beer weight.” Take that.
Don’t: Chitty chat with the bestie all weekend.  You have a lot of leftovers to enjoy and conversing with the fam to do!

Do: Have some high school girlfriends over, order pizza, shoot the shiz, and play a board game or something.  It’s been, like, three months since you’ve got up with these losers so make that reunion happen!
Don’t: Have your entire high school class over for a kegger while your parents are out for the night and welcome them home with stains on their carpet, and a passed out ex-Wildcats captain on their kitchen floor.

Do: Go shopping! We all know about Black Friday.  Even better, go online shopping.  That why, you don’t have to put down the stuffing to fill up your shopping cart.
Don’t: Go shopping and make your poor mother buy you a costume from Ragstock for the upcoming ‘no pants’ theme party back in college town.

Do: Have your Mom wash your North Face and get out the Ugg boots spray.  They are starting to look weathered, and you have to look supa’ fly walking to class next week!
Don’t: Have your Mom wash that mysterious stain off of your homecoming jersey…please, Tide Sticks are selling like hot cakes for a reason.

Do: Wake up at noon, and fall back asleep for three hours just because you can.
Don’t: Wake up next to the face of your life’s regret, the guy who broke up with you your senior year so he could “have fun in college.”

Got any other tips for a successful/not awkward/G-rated Thanksgiving break at home? Leave ‘em below!

Here are 5 Things to Know About Being Home for Thanksgiving:

“Honey, why are you sitting in your room with a bottle of Cherry Burnett’s and that T-Pain song on repeat?”

Okay, so Mom probably doesn’t know who T-Pain is.  And she probably also doesn’t know what pre-gaming looks like.  Meeting up with high school friends for a little reunion?  Avoid the sticky questions by taking your pre-game out of the parentals’ line of vision.

“Umm…will your friend be spending the night?”

Your childhood bedroom is not built from the same soundproof cinderblock walls as your dorm.  It’s also located in your parents’ house.  But you just found out that the geeky guy from senior statistics turned into a total babe during college and he totally wants to hook up with y-o-u!  Play on, player…but not at home.

“Now, your Uncle Melvin and I were wondering what you’re going to do with a degree in…philosophy?”

As you join hands and give thanks for the bountiful feast sitting on your Thanksgiving table, try to have a little patience with your relatives.  Their insistence that liberal arts majors can’t make a steady living are really just concerns for your well-being.  When you’re clutching the big turkey-cutting knife, repeat that to yourself.

“I’ll buy you a box of Sour Patch Kids if you come to the movies with me.”

Guess what?  Little siblings can be cool, especially if you’re stuck at home for a long weekend without any friends nearby.  Round up the troops and take them to see a movie or to grab a soda (with or without vodka, depending on their age).

“Didn’t we call you mouth-breather in high school?”

If you’re without siblings (or if they’re too cool for you), don’t ignore the people you might not have hung out with in high school.  “Wanna grab a drink?” is a universally understood phrase, especially during the stressful holiday season.

Why are you excited to go home for Thanksgiving? Tell us below and be automatically entered to win a $50 giftcard to BustedTees (only the FUNNIEST shirts ever made). That $50 is good for TWO t-shirts or one awesome MonsterHoodie. We’ll randomly draw a winner on Wednesday, November 24th and announce it on Facebook and Twitter.

Plus, just because they’re awesome, BustedTees is giving everyone 10% off their order with discount code ‘CollegeCandy’ at check-out! Yes! Just in time for all that holiday shopping!

…In case you’re wondering, we’d like this one, please.
CONTEST CLOSED!
Congrats to Kia for bringing home the bacon! Can’t wait to see what she buys!

Here are ten things you are definitely never too old for:

1. Glitter: Although you got away with wearing glittery lip gloss and questionable glittery eye shadows as a preteen, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little glitz and glam now. Seriously, if Lady Gaga and Katy Perry can rock glitter on a daily basis, so can you. Not sure how to pull off glitter without looking like a five-year-old that got a little too crazy at the arts and crafts table? Add a glittery top coat to your nail polish or go for a subtle glitzy shimmer in your eyeshadow. Want to be a little over the top? Go for the gold in a metallic glittery shirt. Worst case scenario is that you look like a Claire’s employee. Best case: you look hot.

2. Pigtails: Preschoolers aren’t the only ones that can rock this look. While you probably don’t want to be known as “pigtail girl” around campus, going out with pigtails could be a fun and flirty alternative to your everyday hair. You probably had your pig tails pulled up high, so for a more-adult approach to this look that you’re never too old for — sport them lower. Also, pigtails work incredibly well when you’re working out.

3. Licking the bowl of batter: You know you did it when you were younger. Your mom baked a cake and you couldn’t keep your little hands out of the chocolately goodness. Go ahead — dip your finger in the mix. Or, just dig in with a spoon. Or don’t even cook the batter and just go after the cookie dough. You’re definitely not too old to enjoy any kind of sweets — baked or not. Go ahead, no one’s looking!

4. Sleeping With A Stuffed Animal: Just because you’re in college doesn’t mean you have to leave your favorite stuffed animal at home, you know the one that you have been sleeping with since you were two years old. While you probably shouldn’t bring your Beanie Baby collection and your CareBear stuffed animal set along with you, you don’t have to give up your best bed buddy entirely now that you’re 21. However, we do recommend you refrain from setting up your Polly Pockets on your dorm desk.

5. Reading Books For Girls: Who says that just because you’re an English major writing a thesis about Shakespeare’s heroines that you can’t appreciate your favorite book as a fourteen year old? Even though you aren’t writing essays about the importance of Harriet the Spy, it doesn’t mean you can’t go back to those old books you loved. Now that you’re older, maybe you’ll get something entire different out of them. Also, just because you never got the chance to read that Judy Blume novel you wanted to read, you don’t have to give up hope. Read it! No one will judge you reading a book for a high school girl. You can still feel young at heart with each turn of the page.

6. Disney Movies: Every group of girls should at least have a Disney night throughout their college career. Remember how you loved The Little Mermaid so much? Watch it. You don’t always have to watch rated-R movies and crappy comedies about bromances. For so many kids, Disney was a main staple, so chances are that you and your friends will all have your own opinions about the best movies and the best Disney princesses.

7. Calling Your Parents: So you had a bad day in class — call your mom and cry about it. Although you may feel silly calling your mom to cry when you’re away at college, it’s not silly at all. You used to do it all the time, back in the days of glittery lip gloss and tutus. Not only will you feel better to be consoled by your mom or dad, you will make your parents feel like you still need them. In fact, call your parents frequently. I’m not talking about every day, but check in and say hi. Just because you’re out of the house doesn’t mean you can’t count on them. However, I think it’s safe to say that the one time you shouldn’t call your parents is when you’re drunk…all you need is one slurred word and they’ll have campus safety on the lookout for you.

8. Top 40 Hits: Just because it’s 2010 and the Backstreet Boys haven’t had a major hit in a few years doesn’t mean you can’t rock your body and sing along to “I Want It That Way.” In fact, you’re never too old for top 40 hits from back in the day. Remember when Britney was a school girl with pigtails? If not, you should re-vist this because no matter how grown up you are, pop music can still make you feel whatever age you were when it was a hit. Instant nostalgia anytime, courtesy of iTunes and the radio!

9.  Old TV Shows: You are never too old to go back and re-watch TV series’ such as Boy Meets World, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, and Clarissa Explains It All. In fact, you’re never too old to indulge in the drama of your favorite coming-of-age WB (remember when it was called the WB?) shows such as Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While these shows might be a blast from the past, it doesn’t mean you can’t watch them with as much glee as you once did.

10. Saying “When I Grow Up”: Just because you’re “grown up” now doesn’t mean you can’t think of the future and what you want it to bring you. With the same vigor that you possessed when you were dying for your mom to paint your nails, get excited about the future and when you “grow up.” Don’t be scared to say things like “I’ll get botox when I grow up” and “I can’t wait to grow up and not drink boxed wine.”

Scarred. For. Life.

Our mothers may not always have the soundest judgment in situations regarding appropriate behavior, like when they think chain e-mail  jokes are actually funny and they think flipping through family photo albums with your friends is an enjoyable activity for all.

Note: they’re not.
Seriously.

Poor Lourdes must have a much longer list of Momma Madonna’s to-do taboos, one that must surely include posing for Dolce & Gabbana with her fifty-two year-old cleavage as the focal point.

Look Madge: the world knows you’re a celebrity mom with a young boyfriend and a fantastically fit body, but we really do not need to see it on large-scale prints in department stores and giant billboards in Times Square! Madonna/Madge/Esther/MILF-used-to-be, you are no longer a Material Girl who is Like A Virgin, so please stop pretending. If not for me and my night tremors then, please, do it for Lourdes! Break that contract if D&G won’t provide you with a sweater on set, and give the Photoshop guy (who’s clearly been working overtime) a break!

It’s not like you need the money, Margie. And isn’t the mental health of your daughter worth more than a pile of hundos anyway?

Ironically, you say Lourdes is growing up too fast. I don’t know what kind of clock you keep on your nightstand, woman, but time eventually passes and people get older. And you’re one of those people. There’s a gate that closes on certain behaviors once you’re over the hump (hence why my mother doesn’t do keg stands anymore….thank god), and no amount of yoga or young model boyfriends or design collaborations with your fourteen-year-old daughter will alter the date on your birth certificate.

The weather in Cougartown is clearly not that hot, so let’s get you some age-appropriate outfits (that cover those arms!) and spare poor Lourdes a life of shame and humiliation.

I know what you’re thinking: Why would I want to read a book about paying for college when I’m already in college and I’m getting by with student loans/ my parents’ generously footing the bill /or a scholarship?

Well listen up, pretty lady – whatever your situation is you will absolutely get some insight about paying for college that will, without a doubt, help you make better decisions when it comes to financially making it through four years, as well as helping you protect your future post-grad life.

Throughout history, paying for college has been a major issue on everyone’s minds. But although it’s something everyone always seems to talk (and worry) about, it is one thing that usually gets pushed to the side in the application process. Students send their applications out, they get their acceptance letters back, and then – and only then – the question of paying for that highly accredited university to which they’ve been accepted pops up. But with the cost of a college education rising at a pace in polar opposition to our economy, financial disaster is almost inevitable.

Without a lot of financial planning, people turn to student loans, which, as any college student who has taken them out knows, are a major stress-factor that can impact the rest of your life. Not only do students feel like they have to take out more and more loans to supplement an income during college, they feel utterly lost, especially in a world where financial aid offices will tell you anything. In Debt-Free, Zac explains “The role of the financial aid office to make sure that the students the school has admitted are financially able to attend – through whatever means necessary.” Because colleges don’t work as financial advocates for students, more and more students are falling down the rabbit hole of student debt. However, consider Debt-Free as a personal guide that will walk you through all things financial in the college world, by whatever means necessary.

What makes Debt-Free so rich is that in a world where colleges and universities will blatantly lie to prospective and current students about financial options, Zac is here to dispel every rumor, every faulty piece of advice, and to actually help you out. While many financial books promise to get their readers on the right track to becoming millionaires, Debt-Free looks out for its audience by giving the cold, hard facts and a dose of reality with a bit of humor and a lot of helpful tips peppered in.

Especially in this recession, it’s hard for students not to become emotional or enraged about their college financial situations. While some students feel incredibly strongly about student loans (how else would they have gone to college without them?) and others are more indifferent, a growing number of students interested in having more financial autonomy, especially in college, is growing. Regardless of your opinion on student loans or the means to paying for a college education, Zac’s advice will cover everything you need to know to make good decisions with your money (or lack thereof).

Debt-Free covers everything and anything related to paying for college. From the beginning of the application process and how colleges reel students in with promises of scholarship money and financial aid, all the way through the hidden facts regarding student loans. Not only does he offer advice on how to pay for college without making your parents go bankrupt or ruining your financial future with monthly loan payments, Zac offers clarity about whether paying for a private college instead of big public university is worth it. He even addresses the financial situation as a whole – and offers his personal take on how they should improve and what needs to change. Instead of complaining about financial aid issues such as FASFA, Zac is outspoken about the system and how it can be more effective and fair.

All in all, what makes this book refreshing is that Zac practices what he preaches. He’s not some spoiled rich kid with parents paying his way at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst while spouting fake advice. He’s putting his money where his mouth is, and he’s advocating for students across the nation.

And considering the hundreds of thousands of dollars we’re spending on our college educations, it might be a good idea to listen.

[Debt-Free U: How I Paid For An Outstanding College Educaiton Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching Off My Parents hits bookstores on August 31^st. A special thanks to Maureen Cole at Portfolio/Penguin Publishing for providing a press copy.]

WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT THE BAR AT 2AM ON A MONDAY?!

It happens to everyone: the inevitable drunk dial to your parents.  I’d like to say it’s a freshman mistake, but like the aftereffects of Jungle Juice, it’s a problem that keeps coming up.  Eventually Mom accepts that you’re a Thursday night binge drinker and Dad realizes all that Vitamin Water isn’t being consumed at the gym.

But what happens when you soberly, unintentionally horrify the parentals with your calls home?  Be careful what you say, or else they’ll prove to the world that home schooling can be done beyond the high school level.  Here are just a few points of conversation to avoid…

“Quad is the #1 place to get raped in the whole city.  I read that on the police department’s website, so you know it’s true!”

True story: I’m guilty of perhaps mentioning this over parents’ weekend while we were on a walking tour of my campus.  The following week, I received a care package of pepper spray, an air horn, and whistle.  Eh, at least the whistle came in handy at a Mathletes and Athletes mixer.

“Everyone’s been getting sick from the chicken fingers. They tasted fine to me, though.  I actually went back for seconds.”

Want to give Mom a heart attack?  Better yet, do you want her to recount her own graphic experiences with food poisoning and insist you get tested for worms?

“Dad, hold on a second.  I need to put the phone down and ask the pharmacist a question. *Muffled* Can you tell me what aisle the condoms are in?”

Just hang up and tell him you’ll call him later.

“My new friend Mallory is so funny!  Last night she chugged a pitcher of Long Islands and stole a scooter from a midget.  We all ran when the cops came, but I don’t think she got arrested.”

So you’ve got some colorful new friends, wonderful.  Please, enjoy them quietly to yourself.

“I’m so depressed!  I slept with him three times and he won’t call me back!  I mean, I know we met at pint night…but he was so hot!  And Jamie hooked up with him last weekend and said he was really amazing.  Ugh, what would you do in my position, Mom?”

Advice is great, but get it from Oprah. Or us.

“Psh, totally didn’t study for that one.”

Just lie.