The following is a guest post by our (nerdy yet totally helpful) friends at Hack College. Check ‘em out for all your techy needs. They’re like the nerdy boyfriend you never had but always needed.

When the hell did November get here? That is what I want to know. Seriously, just yesterday I was telling y’all how to prepare your brains for August and get back into the school mode. And now it’s November. How did that happen and how can I make it stop?

Well, okay, so I can’t stop the furious, oncoming train that is November. I also can’t stop December, with all of its final papers and exams and projects, from hurtling right after it. You might be thinking, “Don’t be silly. December is an entire month away! I have a whole other month before I have to start worrying about things like that. I’m not gonna worry about that ’til after Thanksgiving.”

That is where you are wrong. Let me break this down for you. Including this week, there are two more weeks until Thanksgiving. Exams start a week and a half after Thanksgiving break. Can you study for all of your exams, write multiple 15-page papers, and put together various end-of-the-semester projects in a week in a half?

Answer: no.

The solution to this post-Thanksgiving crunch is to use these two weeks that we are given to start planning ahead for finals season. I know, it may seem excessive. But if you put off preparation for your end -of-the-year work until right before or even after Thanksgiving break, you will have wished you used that two week grace period to do some of that work. Trying to organize the next month of your academic life is daunting to say the least. But with a few tips, you should at least create yourself a nice cushion of accomplished work to allow you to not completely lose your mind in the post-Thanksgiving crunch. Read More »

Ready for Spring Break? Yes, I am even talking to the 50% of you college students who are staying home this year. And why not? You don’t have to be off in Mexico doing really stupid things to have a good time. You’ve all been working hard and everyone deserves a little down time to let loose with a good book or an even better playlist.

Just because there is a little recession doesn’t mean you can’t have fun too. Or get a tan (and some D). Or, if nothing else, see a really bad movie.

If you are leaving town, don’t forget the essentials to take, the things you absolutely should not take, and the souvenirs you must bring home. And make sure to bring along the beach bag. God forbid you should be stuck on a tropical beach without your Blackberry, Us Weekly, and extra swimsuit.

Oh, and be sure to brush up on everything you need to know about Spring Break survival. Like the fact that everything that happens on Spring Break makes it way back to campus…with tons of exaggeration. Including STIs.

Don’t make the same mistakes we did in the past and be prepared. With a hot body and a cute dress.