Candy Dish: Mariska Hargitay’s Lung Collapses

mariska.jpgBut she doesn’t let that keep her from working. You go girl!

How to avoid the party foul.

Who is performing at Obama-rama (A.K.A. Inauaguration)?

Stilla creates new Barbie (inspired) makeup line.

The student debt dilemma.

Did you know you can rent your textbooks?!

Who wants some free Soft Lips?

We wish we were invited to the Golden Globe after-parties.

Awesome winter boots that don’t rhyme with “Chug”

Name jewelry: everyone loves it (especially us).

Kelly Clarkson’s new single is here!

Googling is bad for the planet!

Food to perk your mood.

Universities Profit From Student Credit Card Debt

ccstuff.jpgDon’t deny it; you know you have a closet full of free t-shirts you got when you signed up for a credit card on the way to a football game. Those damn banks and credit card companies have tents and tables all over campus luring you in with free sh*t if you sign up for one of their student-specific credit cards.

Free stuff and a new credit card? Hell yes! What’s the harm, right?

How about serious credit card debt (an average of $2,623 for college seniors nationwide)? Or serious credit issues – the kind that got us into this whole recession mess in the first place – after graduation?

We all know that credit card companies target college students because we don’t know how to handle our money, but it seems they aren’t the only ones profiting. According to the New York Times, our very own universities are selling our information to those guys! Instead of protecting us and our futures, our schools are handing us over to the sharks and promoting our potential to incur serious debt.

Shouldn’t universities – places of learning – teach us how to manage money instead of profiting from our lack of experience? Doesn’t working with credit card companies go against the role of a university in the first place?

What do you think?

[Photo courtesy of NYTimes.com]

Candy Dish: Laura Bush Killed a Man?

laurabush.JPGDid Laura Bush kill someone?

And did Coldplay steal their song?

Honeyshed is a new, easy and awesome way to shop.

Amy Poehler took a little break from baby Archie to head back to SNL.

Does fish oil help your skin?

Goodbye Boston Legal!

Choosing a school? Consider the student debt.

Beyonce might be the only woman who can still rock a beehive.

Let’s all learn something from the Depression.

Dealing with the stress of finals.

How professors can save students money.

Got a lot of Student Debt? Try Loan Forgiveness

moneyIt’s difficult enough entering into the real world without having to worry about paying back thousands upon thousands of dollars in student loans in the years after we graduate. It’s best to think of that money as an investment more than an evil, insurmountable debt that is going to be attached to our backs for years. But there are some options to lessen that weight in the forms of loan forgiveness.

If you aren’t familiar with the process, loan forgiveness is the cancellation of all or part of your student loans if you decide to go into certain charitable fields for a certain amount of time. Below is a list of some areas that offer loan forgiveness, but it’s not comprehensive. In fact, if you go into some sort of public service upon graduation, it wouldn’t hurt to consult the Human Resources department to see if your job qualifies for the program. Also, the military offers numerous loan repayment programs.

Volunteering

Americorps A year of service gets you up to a $7400 stipend and around $4500 to use against a loan.

Peace Corps Volunteers can get a loan deferment and up to 70% loan cancellation. Read More »