A few weeks ago I returned to my college campus to reunite with my old friends Boones Farm and Natty Light, watch a football game and eat some chipatis. When I arrived on campus I was inundated with drunk kids keg rolling (similar to a log roll but on an empty keg) down the street, rap music blaring from the windows of empty houses and guys doing 3-story beer bongs…all at the ripe hour of 10 a.m.

I felt home.

College life offers students experiences they would never have anywhere else, mostly because having people lift your legs while you hold onto a keg and drink beer for as long as you can isn’t really socially acceptable anywhere else. Nor is reviewing your text messages from the night before to figure out what you did after leaving the house. Or making a meal out of tomatoes, cream cheese and Shredded Wheat (the only things left in your kitchen).

But those things are not only accepted in college, they are expected. They are things that define college life. And the things I miss most about being a real person with a “real” job. (I write about college life all day… I’m not sure anyone would consider that as grueling as an Investment Banker.)

So this week I asked the CollegeCandy writers to break it all down for us and define the life that is college:

“You know you’re in college when______________”

What are your tell-tale signs?

Laura – St. Johns: When going to bed at midnight is considered “early” and waking up anytime before noon on the weekend is unheard of.

Ness – Sheridan: When your diet consists mainly of KD, hot dogs, and, if you’re lucky, maybe a little chicken.

Charlsie – Hollins University: When the word “sketchy” is used in your vocabulary more often than not to describe your Friday/Saturday night antics.

Teresa – UCSD: When your tagged Facebook photos pretty much render you unemployable, but they’re priceless enough that you can’t bring yourself to de-tag. Read More »

Here’s a secret: the editors of CollegeCandy are not in college anymore. And we cry about it every day. Seriously. We thought running a site for college girls would help us stay young, but waking up every day and reading about your college lives makes us want to do a keg stand…and then cry in the corner.

When we were still in school (only a short time ago, thankyouverymuch), we took it for granted. The freedom, the endless flow of money into our bank accounts, the drink specials, the endless flow of men up and down the hallways of our dorm… We never appreciated what we had. And now we are in the real world. And it sucks.

We felt it was our duty to remind you how good you have it. Life will never be as awesome as college – you can’t stay home from work because you feel like it, you can’t trip and fall on a cute and available guy, and Thirsty Thursdays no longer exist. So take a moment and think about your favorite thing about college life. Our writers did and here is what they have to say: Read More »

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[I like to think of myself as a pretty easy going gal, and try not to sweat the small stuff. But sometimes (ok, maybe slightly more often) the general cluelessness, carelessness and overall stupidity of some things and or/people really gets to me. I find that venting is the most efficient way to rid myself of the stress that idiots, wrong meal orders, lack of cell phone etiquette and cheese flavored products (that don’t even contain any freaking cheese!) induce.

So, in an attempt to avoid an ulcer or an unfortunate road rage incident, I vent to you, dear reader. Please feel free to join in and comment about anything–really, anything–that pissed. you. off. this week. Let it all hang out. I feel you.]

Ex-boyfriend calls out of the blue (at 3 am).

Although it would be mighty enjoyable to deny your calls during daylight hours, I just couldn’t muster up the proper amount of excitement about ignoring you as I was attempting to sleep. At 3 am. As most (okay some) college students are doing on Wednesday nights. It was, in fact, incredibly irritating to listen to my phone vibrating violently until it buzzzzed right off my nightstand, unplugged itself from my charger and died early the next morning, preventing me from whiling away my classes with interesting texts and Facebook stalking.

It seems that you still find ways to annoy the sh*t out of me, even technologically! Your call was especially appreciated by my new (and way better) boyfriend, who happened to be sleeping next to me and was quite frankly a little pissed off for the entire next day due to sleep deprivation and extreme annoyance with you. The only consolation I got from your obnoxious ass was the touching voicemail you left me (I believe you were crying) slurring on and on about how great I am. Well, I think it’s a little too late for that, mister, and so does everyone else who listened to it (aka 48 of my sorority sisters with a tendency to gossip)–although they did get a great laugh out of listening to your blubbering for 3 minutes. Read More »

[It doesn’t matter what school you go to, what state it is in, how big it is, whether it is public or private, all girls or coed…there are experiences that all college students share.

No matter how crazy you think your personal situation is, it is not just you. So, let’s bring it all out in the open. Right here. Because you are not alone - we’ve all been there before.]

There are many moments in a college student’s existence that are shared by other students around the globe, but none more common than the All Nighter.

You know on the first day of class that there will be a 12-page paper due this Friday. You highlighted it, and put it in your planner. But as the weeks went by – and you sorta stopped showing up for class – you kept pushing the paper off. “I’ll start it this weekend,” you tell yourself a week before it’s due.

But the weekend comes, and with it comes an impromptu house party at your place Friday night, a long recap/hangover session on Saturday, a birthday party Saturday night and work on Sunday. No time for a paper.

You assure yourself that you will do it a little each night this week, but it takes you until Wednesday to realize that heading to the library with the girls and a bag of Baked Lays is not the best way to be productive. Read More »

Nobody wants their makeup to wear off early, especially on a Thirsty Thursday like tonight. Unfortunately, that’s what often happens when you pile on the party makeup and the results are, well, messy. Droopy lashes, smeared liner and lip-gloss on your chin are definitely not good accessories for your party look.

Lucky for you, I’m going to share a few tricks to keep your makeup on your face so you can dance to Brit without lookin’ like (old) Brit.

First, make sure your face is completely clean, a good exfoliating scrub like this one from Clinique will get rid of dead skin that could ruin your look. Moisturizing your skin thoroughly with an unscented lotion will help makeup stick to your skin. Perfume also absorbs well when skin is damp and moisturized, so apply your scent now. Powder foundation on your face will also stick great when skin is moisturized so swipe that on now and dab some concealer under your eyes.

To keep your lashes big and beautiful throughout the night start with an eyelash curler. Just like with hair, heat helps maintain your lashes, so heat up your curler with a hair dryer on low for a few seconds. Then curl your lashes starting at the base and pressing down three times working your way up to the tips of your lashes. Once your lashes are curled with heat apply a few coats of mascara that won’t clump. Try Bad Gal Mascara from Benefit. This lash brush is huge and doesn’t leave your lashes sticky or hard. Read More »

[Let’s be real, in college, the pre-game is almost as important as the actual party. Besides a killer outfit, a case of booze & a few good pals, the most essential part of any pre-game party is the playlist. So, we made it easy for you: every Thursday here at CC we’ll be building you the ultimate pre-party playlist and bringing it to you through our favorite thing ever, MixWit. All you have to do is just click, play & enjoy.

So hook up your laptop speakers, bust out your 40’s and get ready to pre-game harder than those other kids party.]

It’s Thursday. Probably the last one of the semester. Your brain is fried, your fridge is empty, and you are probably thisclose to killing someone. So tonight, if you’re done with finals (or even if you’re not), buy yourself a six pack and let’s all celebrate the end of another semester with this eclectic group of tunes about freedom, partying and havin’ a damn good time. Let’s hear it everybody: F*ck finals!

Go ahead, turn your brain off.

[Let’s be real, in college, the pre-game is almost as important as the actual party. Besides a killer outfit, a case of booze & a few good pals, the most essential part of any pre-game party is the playlist. So, we made it easy for you: every Thursday here at CC we’ll be building you the ultimate pre-party playlist and bringing it to you through our favorite thing ever, MixWit. All you have to do is just click, play & enjoy.

So hook up your laptop speakers, bust out your 40’s & get ready to pre-game harder than those other kids party.]

The time has finally come, my friends! Finally, you get to don your fabulous, expensive and inevitably sl*tty costumes, go out and have a damn good time. In the spirit of the season, I obviously had to create a pregame playlist dedicated specifically to the crazy, ridiculous holiday. So, starting with the King of Pop MJ’s, Thriller, I’ve created a playlist with a variety of spooky, creepy and hilarious Halloween songs from over the last, you know, half a century or so to help you get your um, freak, on. Happy (almost) Halloween!

Get the party started right here.

[If you have suggestions for future playlist themes or have a track you really think should be included in a future installment, let us know in the comments!]

[Let's be real, in college, the pre-game is almost as important as the actual party. Besides a killer outfit, a case of booze & a few good pals, the most essential part of any pre-game party is the playlist. So, we made it easy for you: every Thursday here at CC we'll be building you the ultimate pre-party playlist and bringing it to you through our favorite thing ever, MixWit. All you have to do is just click, play & enjoy. So hook up your laptop speakers, bust out your 40's & get ready to pre-game harder than those other kids party.]

After looking at smokin’ hot pics of Faith Hill, I started to get a little nostalgic for middle school and her super-catchy hit, “This Kiss.” So, I decided to craft my first weekly pre-game playlist around my memories of songs that I used to LOVE in middle school. I’ve tried to include a little bit of everything – from the classics like *NSYNC and Hanson to lesser-known one-hit wonders like Samantha Mumba. It’s crazy the different meanings I get from some of these songs now. Seriously…”MMMBop” is some deep sh*t!

If you’re looking for a playlist to share with a mixed crowd, this might not be your best bet. But if you’re chillin’ with a group of girls & ready to travel back to the 90’s with all it’s boy bands, flare jeans and glitter eyeshadow (and after a few drinks, who isn’t?) – then enjoy!

Get the party started here.

[If you have suggestions for future playlist themes or have a track you really think should be included in a future installment, let us know in the comments!]

I am the biggest. idiot. ever. Why? Because I will be spending one dreaded semester at home. That’s right, I gave up my freedom so that I could come home to spend a little extra time with the ‘rents. No, I’m not one of those people who can’t bear to spend time away from my parents, I just made a couple of mistakes…well, let’s call them choices…

Rewind to the end of senior year when a certain girl was debating between College A and College B. College A is the largest school in North Carolina, is very serious about their sports program (which means tons of fans to party with, plus I love college football) and just happens to be an hour from my boyfriend. College B is a smaller but well-known school located right in the middle of a booming city not to far from my home in Virginia that also happens to house an insane Arts/Fashion program.

Of course, naive senior Amber picked College A so she could get a degree in Fashion but still tailgate, party like crazy and spend time with her beau.

One cringe-worthy break up, one failed class, dozens of racial/socioeconomic clashes and too many drunken nights later I decided that it was time to transfer. My decision was a good one, but was made too late; by the time I submitted my application to another school (College C, I guess), it was impossible to receive housing and a decent financial aid package. Then I remembered good ol’ College B with the awesome Fashion program and decided going there was worth spending one semester at a sh*tty community college while having to obey Mom and Pop’s rules.

Some of you may have decided (or been forced) to stay at home too, or maybe I’m just hoping I’m not the only one that gets upset when I see those back to school commercials with all the cute dorm furniture and kids running through campus. Either way, there are pros and cons to movin’ back in with the rents and I know all about them: Read More »

I quit Diet Coke. I’ve been clean for 2 months with one lapse, where I tried to save calories at the bar and went for a Bacardi and diet. I couldn’t even finish it and have been off the sauce (the cola, that is) ever since.

Basically I have come to the conclusion that diet soda isn’t that great for you. Yes, it gives you a caffeine buzz, but there’s something I respect more about coffee and tea. I also read Skinny Bitch and the scare tactics got to me. But as I tried to keep myself from running around all jittery, I realized that leaving caffeine is a lot like ending a serious relationship. Except it can actually help stop the formation of an ulcer instead of causing it.

I’m down to one cup of coffee a day. It’s trickiest when you need little pick-me-up to get through the work day, but some things have definitely helped me transition: Read More »