Spring is in the air and though you may not exactly be able to tell from the weather quite yet, don’t you just feel it coming?

My mind is starting to wander off and not care about school as much…or at all. I seem to be dressing in more brightly colored clothes and all I’m waiting for is the time of year people start setting up beer pong tables on their front lawns. Oh, the glory of spring day drinking.

I think there are just one too many excuses to celebrate this month – from Spring Break to St. Patty’s Day and even Mardi Gras (even though I will not exactly be there to enjoy it…). Let me tell you, March is really gonna test my stamina.

In order to get you adequately prepped and pumped for all the exciting things to come in the month ahead, I’ve put together yet another brilliant pre-party playlist. (In case you’ve missed out on any of my others, check them out here). This one’s a mix of the old and the new, with pre-party classics like, “You Be Killin Em” by Fabolous and newer stuff by some of your favorite artists, like David Guetta and Big Sean.

So find a way to get through midterms and then celebrate all things Spring with me by throwing on this awesome playlist.

March, I can’t freakin’ wait!

Click here to get your Spring pre-party playlist.

So here we are; a brand new year. What’s more appropriate than to get it started on the right note with some fresh new music?

I’m really excited to share this month’s playlist with you all. It’s probably my favorite playlist yet. (Check out my other goodies here.) With some inspiration from the feeling of a bold, fresh new start in the air that accompanies every New Year and the help from a couple of awesome music blogs, I tried to throw in some more obscure songs this time to change things up a bit from 2010.

In this playlist you’ll hear artists you may have never heard before, unique remixes of songs you may have loved a few years ago (like Lil Wayne’s “Fireman”) and songs by hugely popular artists like Usher, Chris Brown, Keri Hilson and Rihanna you just might not know of yet. It’s one big mix!

So whether you’re packing up to head back to college, experiencing the crazy partying that goes on during syllabus week or still stuck at home with mom and dad, throw this playlist on to help get you pumped about all the things (and drinks) that lie ahead in the year to come.

I have a feeling it’s gonna be an awesome one. (Editor’s Note: Or the last one….)

Rock out with your 2011 out right here.

Like I raved all about last time, phenomenal artists came out with albums last month. Kanye West’s album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Nicki Minaj’s, entitled Pink Friday, are really the two big ones to pay the most attention to and give a full listen as soon as soon as you get a chance. They’re both nearly flawless, in my opinion. If you happen to have some sort of inexplicable resentment or animosity towards either one or both of them, I’m sure you’ve found it nearly impossible, at this point, to avoid hearing them somewhere or another. Not only are some of the tracks from their new albums already topping the charts, but Nicki and ‘Ye are also being featured in nearly every other popular hip-hop song out there right now. They’re basically the unofficial king and queen of hip-hop these days. Thus, unavoidably, (and to my great satisfaction) they’re also all over this month’s playlist.

Out of the very goodness of my heart, I handpicked some of the most catchy and upbeat songs from both of their albums so you don’t have to sort through the slow, mellow ones when you’re ready and looking to party. But don’t worry – if you’re not a huge fan of them there are also plenty of other great artists featured on this month’s playlist as well. Like Lupe Fiasco with his awesome brand new single that was just released last month. Or a not-so-well-known, but instantly appealing song by La Roux that contains her usual fun, electronic-pop beats. And, lastly, what would a December pre-party playlist be without Jay Sean’s new hit song, perfect for any New Year’s Eve celebration, that advises everyone to, “Party like, like it’s the end of the world.”

As for the rest of the songs, you’ll just have to click here to find out which other ones made the cut. Most importantly, happy holidays to all! Are all the doings and goings-ons in the month of December not the greatest excuse to party and celebrate?

We’re well into another new school year and to honor that, we at CollegeCandy are bringing back the fan-favorite series, “We’ve All Been There.”  (We tried to get another national holiday/long weekend for you guys but it’s way harder than we thought so this will have to do.) Every week, Lauren – University of Michigan will comment on the common experiences all college women share – like procrastinating or using the not-so-private bathrooms. Read, relate, cringe and enjoy.

It might be your roommate’s birthday, or your birthday, or just another Saturday night on campus. Either way, you are currently standing in front of your over-stuffed closet in a towel with wet hair dripping down your back. You’ve got your pre-party mix blasting from your laptop as you scan your closet for something to wear.

To the left is a pile of jeans. 13 pairs of jeans to be exact. Dark wash, light wash, skinnies, trousers, wide leg, bootcut. To the right hangs your shirts: long sleeve, short sleeve, camis, halters, all in every shade of the rainbow.

You put on some underwear and your sexy black going-out bra, pull out a pair of jeans and squeeze/lunge your booty into them. “No late night pizza,” you think to yourself as you suck in your belly to button them.

You pull a low-cut black shirt from the closet and put it on. You check yourself in the mirror. No good.

You grab a different shirt. Nope.

You pull a blue cami off the hanger and put it on. The bra doesn’t work with it, so you slip out of the cami, swap on a strapless bra and put it back on.  Now the jeans don’t work, so you kick them off and grab a lighter pair from the stack.

Blah. You hate the outfit. Maybe a dress will work.

You grab your new green dress from the closet and slip it on. You can see your underwear lines so you take them off and grab a thong. You like your reflection in the mirror – your boobs look good, the dress hides your post-midterms poundage and the color makes you look less pasty.

Only – crap – you don’t have any weather appropriate shoes to wear. At least not a pair that won’t kill your feet in an hour.

You take the dress off and throw it on the floor. “Leggings will work,” you think to yourself. You pull on a pair of black leggings and realize they are the ones with the whole in the butt. You kick them off and grab another pair. You rifle through your drawers throwing shirts on the floor as you attempt to find something long enough to pair with the pants.

Finally, standing in your room in a bra and a pair of leggings with all of your clothes piled around you on the floor you declare, “I have nothing to wear!” You pout, you throw things and you tell your roommates you aren’t going anywhere.

They come to your room – facing the same dilemma in their own closets – and sift through the wreckage.  Eventually, they will grab a few of your things to pair with their own jeans. “OMG, that looks so hot! That didn’t look that good on me!” You scream.

They bring you down a few tops of their own and you try them on. “That looks so good on you!” they exclaim. And soon everyone is dressed and happy. And an hour late for whatever it was you were getting dressed for in the first place.

—-

Yeah, we’ve all been in a full closet with nothing to wear. Isn’t that what having roommates is all about?

Oh kids, do I have something special for you this month! Spectacular things are going on in the world of music right now. I scroll through my iTunes store and favorite music blogs and just get hit again and again with great new song after great new song. I can barely keep up!

In case you’ve been too busy cramming for midterms, searching for that perfect Halloween costume, or just getting mentally, physically, and emotionally prepared to head back home for Thanksgiving – here’s a quick recap of pretty much all the exciting news in music you’ve been missing out on. Rest up, peeps; November is gonna be a big month!

-Fabulous artists like Bruno Mars, Lil Wayne, and Chiddy Bang all released albums within the last couple months. Bruno Mars’ new single “Grenade” is especially one to check out.

-Rihanna’s fifth studio album, LOUD, is scheduled to be released November 16 and if the rest of the tracks are as hot as her latest single, “Only Girl (In the World),” this albums is going to be killer.

-Pink released the first single, “Raise Your Glass,” off her greatest hits collection entitled Greatest Hits… So Far!!!, which is also scheduled to hit stores November 16. (Do I smell a battle of the divas?! Oh wait, that’s just my new shampoo…)

-Ke$ha premiered her first single, “We R Who We R,” off her upcoming album Cannibal, which hits stores November 22. If you like Ke$ha (or brushing your teeth with a bottle of Jack) at all, you’ll love this one.

-Some other big names in music coming out with albums to watch for this month include: Kid Cudi (on the 9^th), Kanye West (on the 22^nd), Nicki Minaj (on the 23^rd), and the Black Eyed Peas (on the 30^th).

Pheww!—almost lost my breath there for a second. Can you handle all of this excitement? The best part about all this is, this music was practically made for drinking. That’s why this month’s pre-party playlist features just some of these artists’ feel-good, totally danceable, totally new tracks and more.

So grab a drink, raise your glass, and then click here for this month’s playlist to–in Pink’s words–“get the party started!”

"This game would go so much better if my face was on this table."

[Got something awesome everyone needs to know about? A really rad singer? A wicked new book? The best, most amazingly fun procrastination tool EVER? Email your “The Know” ideas to Jill@collegecandy.com or tweet me and I’ll pass them along to everyone right here, every week. Make your kindergarten teacher proud and share!]

I love me a good game of beer pong. I love the comraderie, the competition, the excitement, the way one game turns into twenty and before you know it the beer pong balls are missing and it turns into a big game of flip cup.  And just when I thought I couldn’t love beer pong any more than I already do, along comes Party Pong Tables.

Be still my beating heart.

The geniuses at Party Pong Tables realize that beer pong is not just a game you play before you go to the bar… or at 8am before a football game – it’s a culture. And it deserves some respect. And boy do these peeps respect and honor the great game. They not only offers custom-designed tables, but tables that fold into a little portable briefcase. And “grown up” wood tables for when you’re all graduated and fancy. And….wait for it….INFLATABLE pong tables for your pool (or bathtub)!

But that’s not all, folks.

Yes, every single table they’ve got comes with the option of putting your face on it. Or your friends’ faces. Or your friends’ friend’s dog’s face. Or your school logo. Or a picture of your butt (if you feel so inclined). Basically, you can customize your table to look however you want, without having to cut and saw and paint like those frat boys up the street.

Choose from aluminum, plastic and wood beer pong tables (the aluminum beer pong table folds into a small 2 foot X 2 foot briefcase, making it totally easy to take with you on spring break! Hollerrrrr!), then get ready to customize! You can choose from over 35 pre-designed beer pong graphics or upload your own graphics. Then you just choose a color for your table, add painted triangles or actual holes for the beer pong cups (or neither), and – bing, bang, boom – you’ve got yourself a one-of-a-kind beer pong table.

And as if this news could get ANY better, Party Pong Tables can INSTALL SPEAKERS in your beer pong table for only $39.99. SPEAKERS! IN THE TABLE! WHILE YOU PLAY BEER PONG!

Amazebeerpongballs.

[Check out all the other goodies Jill's been sharing right here.]

In honor of our undying love for both music and cocktails, we here at CollegeCandy have decided to create a monthly playlist of pre-party music to help keep you in the know of some of the hottest songs, conveniently, while you get your drink on.

And to kick things off, well, you’ll have to forgive me. I’ve been in a kind of “electric” mood for some reason. And by “electric” I mean “computer generated.” But it’s not my fault; music seems to be moving in that direction. And it’s got me worried. Whenever I’m rocking out I can’t help but think, “It’s like I’m being serenaded by a computer.” Mmm… how seductive. How sensuous! Who needs a hot man on an acoustic when you’ve got this sort of sexy, raw, robotic vocals at your fingertips?

Too bad the music is undeniably catchy and perfect to drizink to.

So thanks Katy Perry, LMFAO, Rihanna, Usher, and nearly every other popular artist on the planet these days! Keep diminishing the legitimacy of any actual, pure vocal and musical talent. We don’t care as long as we can dance to it. So with that, we raise our glasses of Everclear to you and all that goddamn auto-tune!

Click here for the (largely auto-tuned) October pre-party jams.

There are a few things in life that never cease to put me in my happy place.

Frozen Yogurt.
An awesome concert.
Pumpkin Spice Lattes in the fall/iced coffee in the spring – both while sitting outside.
Cozying up in bed on a rainy afternoon with some childhood classic movie – The Parent Trap remake anyone?! (Amazing movie but still makes me sad for LiLo.)
A late night convo with my best friends.
A new song that I love so much I keep listening to it on repeat:

Monday night, when I interviewed our surprise guest (check back for our ’90s bracket results and our surprise interview later today!) he/she/it told me about this new song saying it was a MUST listen. Insisting that as soon as we get off the phone I go listen to it on YouTube, even going so far as to email me her/his favorite version of the song. This person was so passionate about this new jam that I thought anyone who goes on and on about this song with a total stranger is either A) totally overselling it or B) totally onto something good.

I listened and was instantly hooked. And I know for a fact I’m not the only one; in the past three days this song has spread like herpes. Even my conservative/probably-has-never-had-more-than-two-drinks-at-a-time brother was posting it all over Facebook like it was a new political campaign and he needed votes.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, listen to Cee Lo Green’s new smash (which, might I add, has taken over the internet but doesn’t even come out officially until October 4th), F*ck You.

It’s brilliant. It’s snazzy. It’s fun. California Gurls/Cooler Than Me/every other song that came out this summer holds no candle to it. It makes you want to sing it in the shower, blast it in the car with the windows down, run to it at the gym and chant it with your BFFs at every pre-party as you sip your vodka sodas and put your hands up in the air simultaneously singing, “F*ck You!” (all while someone is taking pictures of it to be posted and tagged within less than 24 hours with the album title F*ck You, obvi). AND, it’s the most fun way to give a big F*ck You to all those exes who stomped on your heart.

This song manages to exude both anger/resentment/F*ck You-ness while at the same time putting you in such a feel-good happy place. A weird juxtaposition, yes, but – dayummmm – it works. By the end of the song, I don’t know if I’m elated or pissed off, but I do know that I want to play it again. And I promise now that you know about it, it will do the same for you.

[Everyone’s got a morning after story (some are more traumatic than others) and we wanna hear yours! Send it over to us and we’ll post it – anonymously, of course – right here!]

I met Josh* one night in October and thought he was cute. He was tall, had dark hair and eyes, a nice body and dressed REALLY well. (You know boy’s attire can be important, so don’t even deny it.) We met when I was pre-gaming in the dorm, so it wasn’t like I ever knew him when I wasn’t under the influence, and this tends to lead to bad decisions on my part. Very bad decisions.

Post-pre game with the girls (and him) we went out – a frat party, a house party, who really remembers? All I remember is what happened when I got back to the dorm, which I definitely wish I could forget. We ended up having a really drunken emotional talk (while watching Wedding Crashers) and I found out he was a virgin. Was. Until that night. Because all of a sudden, out of nowhere, we were hooking up. And then I swiped his V-Card.

This alone would have been bad enough, but afterwards we were sitting in his bed and he was all “Oh my god, I need to make some calls.” Thinking he was going to grab his phone and tell his roommate he could come back from his sexiling, I moved over to let him get out of bed. Only that wasn’t the call he was making.

He jumped out of his twin extra-long bunk, grabbed his phone and proceeded to call his best friend from home. I know this because this is how the conversation went:

“Dude! Dude! It’s Josh, man. I had to call you cause you’re my best friend… Guess what I just lost?!?”

Thankfully, the call ended after about 30 seconds. Unfortunately, that was longer than we spent having sex.

But then I saw him dialing again. Was there something he’d FORGOTTEN to tell him?! Nope – he just had another friend to call. This call was even worse than the last. He opened with the same “guess what I just lost” line, but apparently Bro-Love number two was too stupid to figure out what he meant.

“No, no!” he said. “It starts with a V and rhymes with birginity!”

I wish I was kidding. I was now semi-sober, listening to some d-bag call his friends from high school to tell him that he’d finally put the P in a V. I climbed out of bed and told him I had to pee, but really ran back up to my own room in shame.

If the calls to his friends weren’t bad enough, the next day he texted me: “What R we?”
I’ll give you guys hint: it starts with an N and rhymes with Othing.

You got a good story? Send it to editor@collegecandy and we’ll share it (anonymously, of course!) right here on CollegeCandy. And don’t be embarrassed. It can’t be worse than this.

Living in the dorms is one of the most essential college experiences. Years from now, you’ll tell your friends and family of all your adventures and mishaps. You’ll never forget those obnoxious fire-drills at 3 am, the industrial blue carpeting, how hard it was for you to climb up into your bed…whilst drunk.

Most of all, when you look back you’ll remember the people you spent these times with, and all the friends you made. But when it comes to dorm buddies, there are the good friends (they don’t steal your shampoo and they grasp the concept of hygiene) and then there are your dorm BFF’s…

The Aspiring DJ: As annoying as his incessant Facebook messaging may be, the DJ is a good dorm friend to have. Not only does he have vast knowledge of the hottest clubs in town, he knows the cheapest best nights to go. His iTunes shared library is effing awesome and he’s always happy to demo his spinning skillz at whatever event you’re hosting (AKA whatever themed pre-party you’re having in your room, he’s happy to bring an equally festive mastermix). Not only is he the life of the party with his hilarious and entertaining personality, but he has a special place in his heart for nightly AYCD party buses. He wants as many of his friends at all his gigs as possible, so you’re always on the V.I.P. list when he MC’s at da club.

The Girl Who Always Has a Package Waiting: Of the UPS variety, not the Fruit of the Loom variety (trust me, that girl is not your BFF). She always has a message from your R.A. on her whiteboard “Package downstairs!” She always seems to be carrying a massive box up the stairs, and you, by all means, should help her carry that package. Because when she excitedly opens whatever baked goods/ treats her mom has sent her, she will inevitably share out of gratitude. The more you get to know this new friend, the more you’ll realize that Mom’s separation anxiety translates into brownies…and cookies, and peanut brittle and cupcakes. Girlfriend can’t possibly eat all that homesickness herself or she won’t be able to fit through the door to pick up her never ending stream of snail mail lovin’. This is where you need to be a good friend and split some of those ooey gooey calories… for her sake.

Your Study Buddy: When your R.A. inevitably slips a note under your door calling you to a mandatory hall meeting, do not sigh and lament this as time you’ll lose partying. Rather, prepare yourself for fun filled games like “two truths and a lie,” “guess who I am by what I wrote on this slip of paper,” and, my personal favorite, “sit in a circle and say your name and major.” The last one is particularly important, and you will want to listen very carefully for everyone with the same majors as you—they are your new study buddies.

You’ll have to take the same classes for the next four years, and even if you’re not in the same section, you can all help each other with specific assignments, studying for tests, sharing expensive books and occasionally e-mail each other to find out what you missed in class (obvi only applies if you’re in the same class). Be good to your study buddies, do not take advantage of them, and do unto your stubu as they would do unto you.

The girl Who Had Two U-Hauls on Move-In Day: Your little sis marveled at the amount of stuff some people could bring with them. Your parents silently thanked God that they didn’t have to help you move that much crap. You caught yourself thinking “Lucky Bitch won’t have to go to the gym later after carrying all those boxes up stairs.” You didn’t think much else about her until one night, as you were drifting off to sleep in your twin XL, you pondered what she possibly could have needed 2 trailers for. After all, the dorm came with furniture and a mini fridge. You managed to fit all your extra stuff in your backseat and your parents trunk. The only thing you could possibly think of is that she must have just needed an extra one for all her shoes, clothes and purses.

Bingo! You saunter down the hall to introduce yourself and see her clothes spilling out of her drawers, closet and falling off of her clothes rack. So exasperated is she by her need to organize all her (super freaking cute) stuff, that now would be a good time for you to generously offer some of your closet space. Perhaps you could store some of her dresses in your fave color and shoes in your size? Seriously, you are such a good friend.

The Guy With the Really Good Fake: You know who I’m talking about. About 6’3, brown hair, full beard, wears Dad shorts? Yea, him. Chances are, he’s had his fake I.D. since he turned 13…and he’s never been turned down. He’ll be the one hosting most of the dorm parties and pregames, due to his close relationship with Steve from Megadiscountliquor Barn. Be very polite to him, as he is using his gas money and incredibly valuable time to go on beer runs for you. Be prepared to pay a nominal convenience fee (but if he tries to charge you more than $5 extra take your business elsewhere) and never look him in the eye. Tell him Kari sent you—he’ll know what you’re talking about.

What kind of friends would you love to make in your dorm? What kind of dorm BFF are you? Know any of these people (especially the girl with all the clothes!)?