Studying on the beach? HELL NO.

WOAH. Stop right there. Hooooold up. Wait a minute. Don’t go there cuz I ain’t wit’ it.

I can’t believe my ears.

I just heard the worst idea in the history of idea-making and I swear I am not overreacting.

A US Senator, Lamar Alexander (yes, please send him nasty letters and kick him on the street), stated in a recent Newsweek Article that “an educational schedule of 3 months of summer is not relevant in today’s world and [college] students should take more credit hours and graduate in 3 years, saving 25% in tuition costs.”

I have so many problems with this one sentence I don’t even know where to begin.

I guess I should start with deep breathing into a brown paper bag. And eating a brownie.

Ok, now that I’m somewhat composed let’s start with Mr. Alexander’s cost argument. It’s an obvious fact that our parents, our own bank accounts, and out future selves for the next 15 years, are being raped of any and all money we make or will make to pay for college. But in the grand scheme of things, how much less of a burden is it to pay $120,000 versus $160,000?

Either way, the financial aspect of college has all of us students spurting premature wrinkles, and I’d rather spend one more year of my life tailgating, eating diner food at 4 am, and partying the night away before I have to face the fat, red negative number in my bank account. Read More »

Losing your virginity is an event that most of us anticipate so highly, we’re left feeling either disappointed in how it turned out or – if we’re lucky – it’s exactly as we imagined it would be. Whatever the case, and whether or not you’ve already lost your virginity, chances are it isn’t something you take very lightly.

One woman, however, takes the idea so lightly (or is so strapped for money), she’s decided to profit from it.

Natalie Dylan, a 22-year-old college graduate from San Diego, California, has decided to auction off her virginity for tuition money for grad school. She has agreed to make a one-night-only appearance at Nevada’s legal Bunny Ranch brothel with the lucky winner of the auction. When the story was first reported back in September on Howard Stern’s radio show, Dylan received bids of over $243,000. She claims that over 10,000 men have put in bids, recently reaching as high as 3.7 million dollars. (Editor’s Note: WTF? I gave that sh*t away for free!)

Although surprised at how far this has gone, she has said: “It’s shocking that men will pay so much for someone’s virginity, which isn’t even prized so highly anymore.” Or maybe it is. I mean, how many girls in their twenties are still holding onto that prized V-Card?

I just have to wonder why someone would be so willing to spend millions of dollars for a night of sex. Most guys I know are scared about taking a woman’s virginity.

What do you think? Is this entire situation weird, or is this girl one smart business woman?

Let’s face it, the economy sucks right now. Not all of us can afford the things we want, and many of us are scraping by to make ends meet with the looming doom of student loans on our backs. It seems like the recession isn’t just some news-media craze, it is prodding its way into everything these days – even relationships!

Although talk of the economy seems to be everywhere, not everyone realizes the impact that it can have on relationships. Imagine your significant other having no worries because his parents dish out money at the drop of a hat (and then some), while you are fretting about next semester’s tuition. He may not understand the stress or the frustration because his financial situation (thanks to Mom & Dad) hasn’t changed like yours, and that in itself can complicate things.

Here’s some ways to keep money out of the picture in this economy:

1) Don’t make money an issue (or at least a big one) – This is very important! You are dating him because you like him, and whether or not you have money or you are having a hard time financially, it should not be a main staple in your relationship.

2) Communication – Be honest with him. If you think he bragging about his more fortunate life, tell him how it makes you feel. If you don’t feel right about going out to a fancy dinner that you can’t afford, tell him that. Although it’s important to not make money an issue (especially an underlying one in your relationship), it is important to talk about your worries.

3) Do not play the victim card – Even if you are having a hard time, it’s not right to throw your financial problems on someone else and expect him to pay for everything.

4) Gifts are nice – Presents and gifts are nice, but they aren’t required in a relationship. If your man tries to buy you nice things constantly, tell him that money can’t buy your love and let him know that you appreciate it, but you don’t expect it. And most of all, don’t forget to say thank you. Read More »

When you think of community college what comes to mind? Cheap, slackers, immature kids with bad grades. These are the first things that popped into my head when I had to make the decision to go there for the semester before I transfer schools. I thought it was going to be pure hell, but instead it’s actually kind of my idea what college should be like, minus a few things. Here’s what to expect if you’re going to community college next semester or summer.

The Good:

Free parking! - I was pumped about this, since parking at my last college (NC State) was about 200 bucks. This is also a bad thing because everyone can afford to park, so I have to leave my house 40 minutes before class (and I live 15 minutes away) to beat traffic and find a spot next to my building

The Fests - Back to School Fest, Fall Fest, Latin Fest, Halloween Fest….there’s always some type of “fest” going on….and they all involve a DJ, a moon bounce and loads of free food!

Online classes with NO extra fees - Most colleges label online classes as Distance Education and slap a few extra fees on the courses so that you’ll actually come to campus and not sit in your dorm/apartment/parent’s house watching your lecture via laptop wearing your your favorite tee and a pair of sweats (heaven!). Well, because so many people go to good ol’ community college (mine has 4 campuses total and is 40,000 strong), they actually prefer if you take a class or two online. But be warned: most online classes don’t have deadlines and it can be tempting to slack off. I’ve been taking Ethics since August and haven’t taken any tests just because I don’t feel like it! Read More »

With the economy in the sh*tter…it’s not crazy to ask yourself how the eff you are gonna pay for college. Well for you young’uns lookin for schooling in this time of economic turmoil, here’s a list of schools you might want to avoid, despite their prestige.

Consumerist.com posted a list of the 25 most expensive colleges in the U.S. (determined by tuition + room and board). Naturally, this list consists of the creme de la creme of prestigious schools (though surprisingly you won’t see Yale or Harvard on there), that charge extra for the name.

Now, I may not be going to Sarah Lawrence – which costs about $53,166 per year – but I think I’m getting a damn good edumacation without totally putting myself in debt (by “totally” putting myself in debt” I mean I’ll only be paying back loans till I’m about 40… not 80). While prices are on the rise, Hofstra University maintains a rather affordable tuition with plenty of financial aid. The University boasts several accredited departments as well as famous alums, such as Francis Ford Coppola. Hofstra proves that there are schools out there that offer a great education without having their students bend backwards to cover tuition.

So really guys, what’s in a name? Why the hell are these school’s so expensive? And how is anyone going to pay back the loans if they can’t get a job? And are these schools really worth all this money?

So many questions; I need answers!

If there’s anyone reading this who attends one of these top-o-the-line schools, tell us: are you gettin your penny’s worth?

You hear the same marketing crap all the time: you’re in college to better your future.

Of course, having a Bachelors doesn’t really do anything anymore. I’ve heard about a ton about people who have their Bachelors and are working at a Domino’s or something. Getting a Masters seems like the next logical step, for students and apparently their parents. So is it such a bad thing that I really don’t want to go?

Being around a ton of people who are all talking about getting recommendations and narrowing down their grad school list makes me realize more and more that grad school really isn’t for me. My mom’s look of horror when I told her this one day this summer is the only thing I see when I talk about wanting to go into vet tech after I get out of school. Issue is, as an English major, I’m mildly suffering with what-do-I-do- with-this-diploma? syndrome. Publishing and editing are options, sure, but I don’t want to deal with that crap. It seems that some people assume that because a field has something to do with your major, you will inevitably want to be a part of that field.

And of course, there’s that inevitable money issue breathing down the necks of graduates. Do you stay in school for another two years so you don’t have to pay off loans just yet? Everyone seems to sort of just assume that jobs are lining up to grab college grads, but with the economy the way it is, I’m thinking that this is somehow far from the case. More and more of my senior class seems to be regretting their major because there’s nothing they can do with it to get money. What ever happened to going to college to just learn? Read More »

Have you heard? The economy is in a downward spiral! People are losing their homes, their jobs, and all of the money they’ve been saving forever! And here we are, a bunch of wide-eyed, “the world is our oyster” college kids who can’t wait to get out into the real world!

Oh yeah, and we are poor.

Between those student loans we are gonna have to pay back and the fact that we may not be able to get a job upon graduating, we gotta start eating canned goods saving now. So, how are our writers handling this economic situation (A.K.A. sh*tstorm)? Here are their tips for saving money and stretching a dollar. Read More »

So, apparently the Wall Street crisis is hurting people in more ways than we thought. We’ve discovered yet another desperate person trying to sell sex to pay off debt.

Remember that crazy, desperate college grad student from Sacramento who tried to sell her virginity to pay for her student loans (I guess working and saving is just not as profitable)?

Well, looks like she inspired someone because after Johnny No Name blew away the severance pay he was offered when he was let go from his investment banking firm position, he decided to move on to selling his gay virginity online — because whoring yourself out is the must have job of the year.

What is gay virginity, anyway? According to him, it’s a hand job and/or blow job, but absolutely no anal (at least not part of this specific deal), because he’s not gay. Sure, keep telling yourself that.

The real comedy comes when he swears to the bidders he is “HOT” and looks like Adam Brody. Well Johnny, if you’re so “HOT,” maybe you should try to model your way out of debt instead of selling a hand and blow job.

…Just a suggestion.

It may or may not shock you, but where there is one desperate person there is of course a few more; currently Johnny No Name has a high bid of $11,000.

You gotta loves those brothels in Nevada and Rhode Island, thanks to them this is all perfectly legal. I wonder if Mr. No Name’s plane ticket from New York to Nevada is included in the bid?

This is just another piece of evidence that shows how far people will go for money and sex. Would you sell your body to pay off thousands of dollars of student loans?

It’s official, kids. The Senate passed the bailout plan tonight! It took three long hours of debate (which any sorority girl can tell you is nothing compared to rush), but the Senate voted in favor of the newly adapted bailout plan that will cost a wee bit more than the original $700 billion dollars.  All we have to do now is wait for it to slide into the House…and hopefully pass there…

I am no economist so I can’t tell you exactly what is gonna happen next, but it looks like we won’t have to stock up on the canned goods for now!

So get out there and celebrate the fact that the stock market isn’t crashing, your student loans are still available and all that money you have in the bank is safe for another keg.

This political season, everyone who is against abortion keeps rattling off about how it’s an easy choice for a woman. I hear words scrambled into arguments that are excruciatingly harsh. Words like…MURDER and SELFISH and HUMAN LIFE and RESPONSIBILITY. I am here to tell you that abortion is never an easy choice. For anyone.

No, I have not had an abortion myself. Thankfully, I have been using birth control and condoms consistently and I have never been pregnant. If I were to ever become pregnant somehow, I cannot say that I would have the baby. I know that choice is gut-wrenching. That is why I do everything I can to make sure that I don’t ever have to make it. I have been sexually active for almost 5 years now and my methods of birth control have always worked.

Some of my friends, however, have not been as careful as I have been. Some of my friends, including a best friend and a roommate, have gone through the process of an abortion. Believe me, it is not as easy as many people paint it to be. I have watched these girls cry for nights on end. The choice to have something taken out of your body that could grow into a life, regardless of whether or not you believe it is currently ‘alive,’ is one of the hardest choices a woman can ever make.

My old roommate, Carol, couldn’t speak for days after she found out she was pregnant. She was 21, in college, and a dancer. Going forward with having the baby would mean postponing her college graduation at least a year. She would have had no way to pay rent — since she was paying it through student loans — if she left her dance program. She would have to move back across the country to live with her mom and be apart from all of the friends she had made, including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend wanted the choice to be hers, but we all knew the truth: he didn’t have any money and hardly any responsibility. Read More »