Question?! Answer: Ask Tuffy Luv.

Dear Tuffy Luv,

I met my friend freshman year when she was still dating her boyfriend from high school. We became friends and I watched their relationship fall apart dramatically over the course of the year he became overprotective and jealous and she flouted his concerns. She dated one of our guy friends (which also didn’t end well) and I think she hooked up with her ex again last summer. Fall of sophomore year came around and she lost her best girl friend over a fight about a guy. She ended up hooking up with that guy regularly until that ended as well. They’re still friends and the girl at least speaks to her now. I was her support through all of these guy problems and more, including one bad experience where a TA sent her a rude e-mail that made her extremely stressed and upset about an important professor’s opinion of her. (That becomes important.)

Dear everyone who has made this semester possible,

In light of all the Thanksgiving warm-and-fuzzies people are exchanging, I would like to take a moment and thank you for helping me strive for my goals, both academic and otherwise, and assisting me in my greatest endeavors.  Excelling this year is crucial, I understand that, and I’m just so grateful you all have decided to invest your efforts in my future.

And where would my manners be if I didn’t take the time to thank you all individually?

To my roommate: You.  You, you, you.  You’re one crazy mothereffer, you know that?  When we first met, I didn’t think I’d last thirty seconds in your lair of crazy.  Then you took me under your wing.  You introduced me to Jager bombs and insisted that it was only suggested that students attend 8 a.m. lectures.  You knew the entire men’s swim team.  Now we’re the best of besties.  Where would I be without you?  Probably in some library wasting my life away.  Or hanging out with the intramural chess geeks.

To my Poli-Sci TA: When I showed up forty minutes late to the midterm with a hangover and a severe case of sex hair, thank you for pretending not to notice.  Also, thank you for providing me with a No. 2 pencil, an extra ScanTron in case I threw up on the first, and seat right next to you.  You smell delicious and I really dig your beard. Read More »

In elementary school all that was required of us to get decent grades was coloring inside the lines. Middle school and high school introduced to the word “studying” and, soon after, a genuine dislike for the word. But college is where the work is no joke. The classes are hard. The workload is heavy. And the social scene is exploding. So how does a college girl stay on top of it all?

Grab your notebook and furry pencils (or whatever it takes to get you ready to hit the books), because I’ve got a list of things you can do to get on another list: the Dean’s List.

10. Invest in a planner: Good grades begin with organization (and writing down your assignments). Find a planner that works for you, whether it is the one provided by your school or that handy little calendar in your iPhone. Once you have it, write everything in it. Meetings, to-do lists, homework assignments, phone numbers. It is so much easier to manage all your information when it is centralized in one place.

9. Get to class: Self-explanatory. Abide by your class schedule and don’t skip. Though you may laugh in the face o that 8:30a.m. Theology class on Friday morning, remember that professors can and will deduct for absences. It would be a shame to miss that letter grade because you could not roll out of bed to get to your desk in the morning.

8. Get a change in scenery: The library is not for everyone. Some people cannot cram themselves into a desk on the third floor and work until 2 a.m. Others openly admit that the library is a better social scene than a bar on Friday night. Find a study space that works for you, and you ALONE. My personal study space is a Starbucks near my school. I pack up all my books, grab a skim latte and park myself at a table in the corner for hours at a time. Read More »

Popularity pays off!

I really miss the days of screaming down the stairs, “Mom!  Can I go over to Ashley’s house to eat dinner and watch TGIF tonight!?”

No, I’m not reminiscing about Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper and Boy Meets World.  I’m talking about the “my dad will drop us off if your mom can pick us up” type of hang outs favored among middle school girls the world over.  In my house there were rules, though: no seeing friends on school nights, no sleepovers if my grades slipped below B’s.  At the time it seemed so unfair.  And you know what, it was unfair!  Mom and dad were totally salting my game.

Turns out, their best intentions may have actually been hurting my school performance more than helping it. A new study out of UCLA is claiming that more friends equals better grades.  While the study focuses on adolescents, I like to think the same principles can be applied to college students as well.  Seriously, think about it: Read More »

Got some college questions? Unsure of a decision? Making the big college transition? Just wanna chat it up with some really awesome chics? We’ve got the girls for you. Hit them up in the comments or shoot them an email with the subject “College Q&A”! They’ve got all the answers you need, no matter who you are.

Question
Hi Girls! So here’s the deal. I’m taking a few classes this summer, you know, trying to get some stuff out of the way. I’m in this one class and I have a really hot T.A. The class is small and since there aren’t many people on campus, I see him everywhere. We started talking at the bar the other night and ended up hanging out for the entire night and even getting late night food together. When I woke up the next morning (don’t worry – I was alone) I felt really awkward about the whole thing. He’s my TA! Buuuut, I also think I kinda like him. And he’s only my TA for a few more weeks. (Though there is a chance I might have him again in future Comm classes….) He pulled me aside after class yesterday and asked if I wanted to grab lunch later this week and I don’t know what to do. I want to, but I feel like it could be super messy. What do you think? Is starting something with a TA a terrible idea?

GPA Girl
Ooh, tough one! We don’t have TAs at Grinnell (it’s a really small school), so I guess I have a hard time imagining why this would be so awkward. From my perspective, though, dating your TA wouldn’t really be any different from dating anybody else in your class. You’d still have to see the person regularly, deal with the morning walk of shame, play the avoidance game if you ever break up, etc. True, this guy has the potential to become an important player in your academic life because he might be helping you out with your classes in the future, but honestly, so what? If you like him, go for it. Remember that you’re in control. If the relationship doesn’t work out and you don’t lose your temper, you can get away with an amicable breakup and still be friends with him. Don’t let the fact that he’s your TA hold you back. Read More »

With the start of a new quarter comes the excitement of new classes and a new schedule. And new TAs. While my friends are frantically researching classes that both fill their requirements and leave Friday open, I’m zoning out at my desk dreaming (and praying) about a tall, handsome, smart, romantic, witty discussion leader.

One that I’ve never, ever had the pleasure of having.
I have, however, encountered a creepy TA that just would not go away, which seems to be more the norm than the exception. Here is my story:

I was a cute and innocent little freshman when this all went down. The grad student, let’s call him Jeff, was TA-ing for one of my history classes winter quarter. I’m a history major and have a natural love of history and hearing my own voice, so I was basically the ONLY person that ever said anything in section. But I always felt creeped out when Jeff looked at me. Especially those few times I wasn’t saying anything at all. I could see in his face that he wasn’t looking at me as the brilliant history mind that I (thought I) was; it was obvious he was thinking things a little – ew – naughtier. Being young and naive, I brushed it off and pulled an A in the class. Probably much easier than I should have.

The very next quarter – lucky me! – he was my section leader again. Awesome. The quarter went by pretty much the same as the one before it. And again, I pulled a very easy A. Read More »

As college students, we are constantly inundated with new knowledge. It can be useful, thought-provoking, or crammed into our head on a Starbucks-fueled binge several hours before an exam. However, very rarely do we question the validity of all this new knowledge (unless you take philosophy classes, then you’ll question away).

That’s where College Candy comes in. We’re not going to debate whether or not the Theory of Relativity actually exists (a disappointment, I know, but I’m a communications major and stopped taking science classes after Baby Bio fresh year). However, we are here to thoroughly investigate the most widespread college knowledge (no, not rhyming)—the myth.

We’ve all been there. It’s 9:04 am on a chilly Wednesday. We’re regretting our decision to pass on Starbucks (and especially regretting the decision to have a “practice” beer pong tournament with the roomies last night). We’re drumming our fingers on our desks, thinking of our still warm beds, wondering if our professor is going to show (and praying that she doesn’t).

Ok, now it’s 9:05, only 15 more minutes (10 if we’re waiting for a T.A.). If Dr. So-and-So still hasn’t shown, we are free and clear to peace out and crawl right back into bed. It’s the golden rule of classes- if your prof is x-amount of minutes late, class is automatically canceled, and the students who waited so—ahem—patiently, will suffer no penalty. Read More »

Straight men spend approximately 3/4 of their day (OK, probably more) wishing that whatever they happened to be looking at involved boobs. As such, establishments that cater to straight men, like sports bars, realize that by filling their place of business with scantily clad women, they can get men to come in and buy… anything, actually. But does that make it OK to be one of those scantily clad women?

On one side of the argument are supporters of the girls who work there and like it. They say it’s just like any other waitressing gig, except that the outfits are smaller. Some girls find that they can make better tips in places like these, because the men are trying to win them over. They aren’t having sex, they’re just wearing small outfits – outfits that are quite a bit bigger than, say, what most of us wear to the beach. Some even argue that a part of what we fight for with feminism is the right to work in any profession we choose, even if that profession does pander to men, so to put a limit on what a woman can and can’t do with her own body or her own career would be anti-feminist. Read More »

Do you have a super hot professor? You know, one that makes it hard to concentrate on what he’s saying because you’re busy imagining what he looks like under that cardigan sweater? The kind that makes you want to get up every morning, get dressed (in someting low cut) and get to class early to secure a front row seat? The one that is better suited to be lying on a bear skin rug – naked – on the pages of GQ instead of lecturing on Organic Chemistry?

If so, we need your help!

CollegeCandy is teaming up with Lemondrop to find the hottest professors in the country. Yeah, yeah – they may be a rare breed, but we know there are a few out there!

If you know of any drool-worthy professors, leave us a comment with the professor’s name and school. And if you have a picture (either from your school’s site or if you can sneakily snap one during class), send it to the editors: lauren@collegecandy.com.

We can’t wait to see what you’ve got.

(Note: we make no promises regarding the use of these pictures for our own personal drool-session.)

2009 is just around the corner. I don’t know what your year was like, but I am looking forward to saying goodbye to some of my ’08 mishaps and start anew in ’09. Of course, I say that every year. Some years, I make resolutions, and some years, I know that I’m not going to stick to them, so I don’t bother.

However, there are several things I should consider pledging as the ball drops. Whether you’re stuck on your own resolution, or just need a fresh start with the new year, the following are some resolutions that many of us should consider.

1. I will go to the gym regularly.

When 2008 struck, I was on a regular gym regime, and resolved to keep at it and lose ten more pounds. I did. Then summer hit, and I found that poolside cocktails and outdoor keg parties were taking their toll on my thighs. The fact that this semester has been excruciating contributes to my lack of gym time, and isn’t helping my quest to tone up. Losing weight and getting in shape is one of the most common New Years resolutions, but it’s also one of the hardest to keep. Still, if you have taken to wearing sweats to class every day because you can’t zip up the skinny jeans you bought in August, you may want to give the gym a go next year. Read More »