On Spring Break, however, once you get off the plane at your final destination, you’re in it for the long haul. Though you anticipate your vacay being the highlight of the semester, it can be grueling to go all day, every day, and, being far from home, there’s a lot that can go wrong. Nothing is suckier than getting sick in a foreign place, fighting with your tripmates, or getting into a sticky situation in an unfamiliar place. Make sure you make it back to school in one piece this spring, by taking a few simple precautions.

1. Do your research.

Get some maps, or travel guides with tips, before you leave. Ask people you trust if they can recommend a good hotel. Try to brush up on the local rules or laws of the place you’re headed. The last thing you want to do is get lost, check into a lodging that is reminiscent of hostel, or get in trouble for something you didn’t even think was wrong.

2. Pack wisely.

Flip flops might be a necessity, but what about when you take a day trip that requires walking around all day to take in the sights? Pack a comfortable pair of shoes just in case that long night of clubbing wore out your feet. And even if you think you’re going somewhere tropical and plan to be in a bathing suit all day, it can’t hurt to throw a sweater in your suitcase for when the temperature drops after dark.

3. Give yourself a budget.

Say, “I’m going to spend X dollars a day,” or, “I have this much to spend all week. I should plan to spend 20% on food, 10% on travel, 30% on shopping and excursions, and 20% on nightlife.” Note that these percentages don’t make up 100%. You’ll want some emergency cash in case of a day of indulgence, or to make sure you have enough left to get home at the end of the week. Even if you don’t stick to your budget, you’ll be a lot closer than if you just went on a free-spirited spending spree.

4. Don’t rely on cell phones.

You don’t know where you’ll hit a dead zone, or a high-frequency area that won’t let your calls through. Plus, chances are, once you leave for the day, you’re gone. So what happens if your phone dies? Or if you thought your phone would work overseas, and it suddenly doesn’t. If you and your friends are splitting up into groups, establish a set time and meeting spot, just to make sure you don’t miss each other. Meet up a couple times a day to reevaluate the plan, or say you’ll all get dinner at six and then decide the night’s course of action.

5. Lather up!

Okay, I’m going to backtrack all the way to high school, even though we’re all in college now. It was my senior class trip to Florida, a week before prom. I’m so white I could be considered “Clear” before “Caucasian,” so I reapplied the sunblock like my life depended on it. When we got back to school, I remember one girl’s legs were so burned that they were fire engine red and swollen like tree trunks. And I was the only girl without ridiculous tan lines at the prom.  Shiseido makes a great sunscreen that leaves your skin feeling smooth, not leathery.

6. Stay. In. Groups.

Seriously, not to be your mom or anything, and we’re all grown up enough to know the buddy system is safer than the… stumbling through the streets alone system. Besides, isn’t the point on a high-priced vacation to spend some QT with your faves?

7. Have fun!

Don’t stress about your daily itinerary down to the minute. Don’t freak out if a stranger says “Hello.” Don’t argue with your friends about whether to hit the beach or lounge by the hotel pool. Come one, it’s only seven short days. Enjoy it. You deserve it!

Any other tips? Share them below!

For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in history. Unfortunately, my university program doesn’t really allow for me to take all the history courses my little heart desires, but I can get away with sneaking in a couple Anthropology courses disguised as science credits (mwa haha). For those of you who aren’t familiar, Anthropology is essentially a study of humans’ interactions with the environment, specifically ancient humans. Anthropology oftentimes spills over into the field of archaeology, and that is where my book pick (and my recent archaeological interest) fits in.

The subheading of Loot, by Sharon Waxman, is “The battle over the stolen treasures of the ancient world,” which gives you a pretty good idea of the content. For any of you who have visited big museums such as the Met in New York or The British Museum, you know that the majority of their historical artifacts don’t come from their homeland, but rather, fascinating and exotic places like Greece, Egypt and Italy. Before laws were exercised in the field of archaeology, the rule of finders’ keepers was enforced. They became a sign of wealth and priceless artifacts are now often part of wealthy individual’s estate, even though those pieces belong in a museum where they can be properly cared for.

Now that the countries that have been plundered for centuries are starting to see the cultural and monetary value in these pieces, they are requesting for them to be returned. Because the laws involving goods that have been removed from their homeland for centuries are blurry or even non-existent, a war is raging in the anthropological and archaeological world. And that war is precisely what Waxman focuses on in Loot.

Loot is specifically about 4 museums: the Louvre, the Met, the British Museum and the J. Paul Getty Museum, all being fought by Greece, Turkey, Italy and Egypt for goods and artifacts they consider to be rightfully theirs. Big points of contention are the Elgin Marbles from Greece and the Rosetta Stone (along with another bazillion artifacts) from Egypt. Each country stakes its historical and cultural claim on the pieces, as do the museums.

If, the museums argue, these priceless pieces were not locked securely in their hands, they may have been destroyed in their homelands. Not only that, but most people will never see these artifacts if they are kept in their homeland because they are not ideal travel situations, especially when war breaks out. The museums also claim that in a war, these artifacts may be destroyed either by accident or for the invading country to make a point. They say that for the sake of the artifact, the more established and respected museums should care for them.

But again, museums generate money from having these items; if the Mona Lisa was in Italy and not the Louvre, how many people do you think would visit the Louvre?

But in defense of the museums,  if they decide that one item (the Mona Lisa, for instance) would be more appropriate in its homeland, then every other country who has a piece in the museum will be calling, asking for their rightful items. And then where would that leave us?

Waxman poses these questions and more as she exposes all of us to such a deep, slippery slope. One that I never considered or even realized existed before picking up Loot.

While Waxman’s research (or any research that isn’t assigned by a professor) may not interest everyone, I found the book incredibly riveting. And if you have an interest in history, archaeology or, I don’t know, even just visiting museums, you too will find it fascinating to read about what happens behind the scenes.

With a long break coming up and nothing to do, maybe it’s time to drop the textbooks and avoid the beach reads. Pick up Loot and learn a little something for yourself. You may not have ever given much thought to historical artifacts and who has the right to own them, but it is definitely something worth your thoughts.

After slaving away on that perfect resume and writing what feels like hundreds of cover letters, you finally landed the big job interview. Yay for you! You’ve wowed someone with your accomplishments and degree, and now it’s time to blow them away them in person.

This is a pretty big deal.

You’ve heard it before, but you only get one chance at a first impression so it’s important to make sure that you are 110% prepared for the big day. You will undoubtedly be one of many interviewing for the given position, which means you need to go above and beyond all those other people to prove why you are the best suited for the job.

How can you be sure you are ready for the interview?

1. Research, research, research: You’ve probably already done a lot of research when you applied to the company, but that is not enough. Learn everything you can about the history, goals and mission so you can throw tiny facts and information into your answers during the interview. This proves to the interviewer that you are invested in not only getting a job, but contributing to the success of that company as a whole. You may also want to brush up on the industry so you know any big news or information that might be pertinent to the company you are applying with.

2. Practice talking in front of a mirror: This one sounds slightly ridiculous/Disney movie-esque but it is super important to see the way you present yourself when you talk. Print off a list of basic interview questions and answer them in front of your bathroom mirror (but lock the door so no one walks in on you lookin’ all crazy). Do you use your hands a lot? Play with your hair? Look down? Practice talking without doing all those distracting things so you look and present yourself more confidently during the interview.

3. Prepare questions for the interviewer: You will often be asked if you have any questions during an interview. And you should. It may not seem important, but when you ask the interviewer a question it shows interest.When you don’t, it looks bad, bad, bad.

Good questions to ask include: “Do you promote internally?”, “Is there an option to grow within the company?”, “Whom will I be working with most closely?”, “Does the company offer further professional development?”, “Why do you like working for this company?”

Bad questions to ask include: “What is vacation time like?”, “When will I get a raise?”, “What are your thoughts on dating coworkers?”

4. Know your “stock” answers: Every job interview is different, but many include some of the same questions. Know your strengths and weaknesses (and, for the love of God, don’t use the cliche “this weakness is actually a strength…”), know examples of times you’ve showed leadership/organizational/time management skills. You shouldn’t have to rack your brain for these answers, nor should you just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind to avoid an awkward silence (“That time my friend got really…er…sick and I had to take her home and take care of her.”).

5. Get some rest: Do NOT go out and “grab a drink” the night before an interview. Don’t even stay out late catching a midnight showing of Bruno. Use that time to perfect your interview skills, pick out an appropriate ensemble, and get into bed early. You want to be on the ball for your interview, NOT chugging Gatorade and scarfing down an Egg McMuffin in the waiting room.

The job market is tough out there, so wowing someone in an interview is more important than ever. Be prepared and make those people believe they can’t run that company without you.

I started packing up all my non-perishable items (read: 2 cans of tuna, a bottle of Boones and a bottle of water) to move into my neighbor’s Y2K bunker. Surely the world was coming to an end. I mean, if Google wasn’t working, how would anything else? I was shocked, I was upset, and I was really scared.

I began to imagine my life without Google. A sad, information-less life.

1. I would have no idea how to get anywhere: Before I got Google maps on my iPhone, I got lost in Detroit more times than I can count. And I live in Ann Arbor. How I ended up in Detroit, I’ll never know. How I got out alive is also a mystery. Google maps is. my. life. Without it, I probably really would die.

2. I would have had to blindy talk to someone without knowing anything about them: Whenever I meet someone, the first thing I do is Google them. I don’t even know how to communicate with people without knowing their online history first. How am I supposed to carry on a meaningful conversation with someone if I don’t know where they are from, that they were the captain of the math team in high school and that they were once interviewed for the local news story on the great Quiznos vs. Subway debate.

3. I’d have to leave my house and actually go to the library to write papers: And I don’t even know where the campus library is.

4. I‘d have to figure out another way to find out what people are saying about me: What? You don’t Google yourself? How else am I going to know what people are saying about me if I can’t look myself up online? Eavesdropping is so 20th century.

5. I’d never know just what a whale erection looked like: Not sure why we wanted to know, but we did. If Google was gone, I’d never know.

Thank God everything is back up and running. I’m not sure how long I could have lasted with only one bottle of Boones. I may now return my regularly scheduled self-Googling.

Supposedly, those with low Emotional Intelligence (EI) suffer from female orgasmic disorder more than emotionally “in tune” ladies. The evidence? A study in which a thousand sets of twins were emotionally and sexually monitored (asked how often they achieved orgasm during sex) showed a link between EI range and frequency of orgasm.

Researchers say this is promising news, and suggest that those of us who can’t achieve the big O during intercourse should begin therapy in order to correct our emotional ineptitude. Because, it’s obviously our emotional issues—not our guy’s sexual skills—that are keeping us from getting off.

Now, I’m not saying that there aren’t some females out there who could use a little help in the orgasm department, but I am saying that an orgasm is a two-way street and no amount of intelligence, or emotional stability, can make up for a lack of male bedroom talent. Maybe there is nothing emotionally wrong with those ladies being studied and they simply suffer from bad taste in sexual partners. Perhaps instead of getting into therapy, then, these women should find a guy who doesn’t finish in 3 humps or require a road map to find the clitoris.

That said, it does seem intuitive that intelligence, or at least confidence, could make a big difference for your sex drive. But isn’t that kind of—um—obvious?

The technology is very rough at the moment, but the people behind it (all men, I presume) say that it should be perfected within the next 10 years. What does perfect look like?

“When the technology is improved . . . it will be more subtle, with more control over the power so you may be able to turn the chip on and off when needed.”

So, on at home and off during class? On during class and off with the parents? On with the boy and a quick off when the roommate walks in?

At first glance this gadget seems pretty fantastic, but think about it: once guys know they can just “flip a switch” to get you in the mood, the romance will be over. Say goodbye to flowers, candy and those sweet nothings in your ear. Give a little TTFN to makeout sessions, opening doors and nibbling on your neck. Hell, say goodbye to foreplay. With the ease of flipping this switch, guys won’t need to work for it anymore.

I am all for technological advancements in TVs, music players and cars, but let’s leave sex to nature, shall we? Call me old fashioned (and a little kinky), but I like the old way.

Everyone knows that women mature faster than men. That said, as you wade your way through the college dating scene, you might find yourself growing tired of the undergrads on your floor, and that Sociology grad assistant might start looking mighty fine. Undergrads, grad students…on campus, the possibilities are endless! Here are some of the pros and cons of hooking up with guys gearing up for a Bachelors, and dudes who are striving for a Masters or PhD.

The Maturity Level

Grad students might be attractive if the undergrad who’s crushing on you still hasn’t quite grasped the concept of doing his own laundry. Grad students have been there, done that. At twenty-three and older, they’ve grown up a lot. They probably won’t be engaging in syrup-chugging contests when they have a research project on the horizon.

Still, what about yourself? If you’re trying to make the most of your own undergraduate career, your grad student beau might not be as excited as you are the first time your new fake ID works at the bar and you chug 50-cent Natty Ices for four hours straight.

Point: Grad Student.

The Course Load

Your undergrad guy is taking Racquetball to fulfill his gen eds. Your grad student has thirty hours of lab work scheduled this week and is going to have to bail on the reservations you made for your one-month anniversary dinner. The undergrad is more likely to blow off studying for midterms when a kegger rolls around, but the grad student will be much more weary of jeopardizing his scholarly reputation.

Point: Undergrad.

His Peers

Undergrad Boy hangs out with the kids on his floor. His connections range from his frat brothers to the other kids taking Racquetball for an easy credit to the random kids from Orientation he just happened to click with. The Grad student most likely got the socializing out of his system during his own college career, and hasn’t met many people outside of his own department since embarking on his post-grad journey. That said, if you are chasing an English grad student, expect his social gatherings to involve in-depth discussions of Milton and Blake, and expect the Molecular Biology PhD candidate to have… well… other friends who actually care about Molecular Biology.

Point: Undergrad.

The Taboos

You aren’t going to run into any taboos if you date an undergrad. That is, unless he’s “that guy” who gets so rip-roaring drunk on Friday night that he pees on you in his sleep (come on, everyone knows at least one girl who’s been whizzed on by her drunk mate). However, if your grad student partner is actually a grad assistant, you’ve got a whole new round of issues to deal with. If he’s your current grad assistant, you’re going to have to keep things under wraps, and if his job has nothing to do with you, you still run the risk of him TA’ing for your friend’s class, among other random scenarios.

Still, having a secret affair can be steamy, and if he’s willing to jeopardize his academic career to be with you, it might prove that his intentions are serious. If you are both adult about where each other is coming from, you have the basis of a meaningful relationship. Especially if it means you can wake up dry in the morning.

Point: Grad Student.

The Life Experience

A grad student might be able to give you advice as you ride the ups and downs of the undergraduate rollercoaster. If your grad student guy is in the same field as you, he might also make a good study buddy. On the other hand, the grad student might be too busy writing research papers to be your personal tutor, and an undergraduate boyfriend will ride the undergrad rollercoaster with you, and the two of you can figure out how to win at the game of Life together.

Point: Undergrad.

There are pros and cons to dating any guy, whether he’s older, younger, working on a BA, an MA, a PhD, or a liquor license. Ultimately, a list of pros and cons shouldn’t determine what kind of guy you are looking to pursue. If you have only dated undergrads, just beware that dating a grad student will be an entirely different experience. It might work out well for you, or it might send you running back to the BA-candidate pond, never to look back.

Anyone have any specific tales of trysts with undergrads or grad students?

This series is meant to provide advice for getting the most out of college, rather than just getting through it. So whether you're a freshman just starting out, or a senior on the job hunt, you've still got plenty of time to live it up (and do it right) as an undergrad.]

If there is one thing you should do before you graduate, it is to make friends with at least one of your professors.

For one thing, a professor has to be well established in his or her field, whether it’s philosophy or business, or something in between. If you get along really well with one of your professors, chances are they can connect you to a job or recommend you for an opportunity you might not have even heard about yet. You remember that old adage when it comes to getting a job, “it’s all about who you know”? Not many twentysomethings are chummy with CEOs or top magazine editors, but your professor might be. Besides, what if some day you do decide to go to law school? Imagine how hard it will be getting a recommendation letter from a professor you had years ago, especially when they see so many students in such a small window of time.

I know, I know, your school is so large you need to text your professor so he can answer your questions in lecture. Or maybe you’re thinking you just don’t know what to say. Valid excuses, but not good enough to get out of this one.

One way to go about establishing a good relationship with a professor is by checking out their curriculum vitae (most colleges and universities will have this information online); see if he/she has had any articles published recently that interest you and send them an email about it. Ask them if you can meet up during their office hours to talk about it (everyone loves talking about themselves!), or just let them know you’re having trouble deciding what to major in or what to do after college. If you don’t have the time to make it to office hours, try stopping by before or after class.

All in all, just try to make an impression upon them. They will remember you for being a curious and conscientious student, if nothing else. And the better your relationship with a professor, the better you’ll be apt to do in their class! You’ll find that you won’t want to let him or her down by being late or unprepared for lecture — just like you wouldn’t want to let a friend down by showing up late for an event.

Professors are really powerful people to have on your side. Knowing the cute football stud might get you a date for the weekend, but befriending a professor will be worth it years from now when you need a make-or-break recommendation, or a connection to that dream job.

Come back to find out about my next college must-do: Get To Know Your College Town Beyond The Pub Crawl

The answer is simple: You aren’t eating enough.

Studies show that overweight women have more sex than women of average weight. In fact, according to research done by the University of Hawaii and Oregon State, “Ninety-two percent of overweight women reported having a history of sexual intercourse with a man, as opposed to 87 percent of women with a normal body mass index.”

92%. N-I-N-E-T-Y-T-W-O.

That’s no small number…

Dr. Bliss Kaneshiro from the University of Hawaii’s School of Medicine said that “These results were unexpected and we don’t really know why this is the case.”

Maybe it’s because these women have a bit more to love; maybe they are self-confident without any crazy body issues; or maybe we are finally seeing that men are not attracted to super thin women, but rather to women with a more natural and curvy body.

Which would be great news for women everywhere. Especially me…as I sit here eating a bagel. So this Halloween, ladies, all I can say is: indulge in your favorite chocolatey treats!

It’ll up your chances of gettin laid!

That just so happens to be a beer.

The students are hoping to create a genetically modified strain of yeast that will ferment the beer while also producing resveratol, a substance in grapes that has been shown to reduce the risks of heart disease and cancer.

The brew will be known as BioBeer, and if all goes well, we will all soon be drinking/chugging/bonging/beer ponging/keg standing to our health.

Literally.

Great work, students of Rice University. Great work indeed.

[Photo courtesy of www.united-nations-of-beer.com]