You’ve finally moved out of the dorms, and it just so happens that your new diggs are the perfect place to throw a party. No RA’s, no quiet hours, no cramming 50 people into your tiny dorm and trying to have a dance party. Sweet!

Throwing a party might seem like a no-brainer. Still, you have make sure all of your bases are covered, or you’ll find people trickling out before midnight, hoping to catch another bigger, better party before the sun comes up and the night is a complete bust.

If you want to throw the party of the year–the one people are still talking about at graduation, the one people are still talking about at the reunion–just take heed of these simple cardinal rules. Read More »

I’m 20 years old. Decent looking, intelligent, quite funny and personable. I’ve had a few boyfriends, but none have seemed to stick. I’ve also had a few drunken encounters, but never been drunk enough to let myself go all the way (not that I would want that to happen). I’m a perfectly normal, acceptable, approachable human being. And yet, I’m still a virgin.

I really don’t have a huge problem with that…cliche as it sounds, there hasn’t been anyone yet that I would even consider worthy of my “sacred gift”, as my Catholic school teacher called it. Nor am I saving myself for marriage. It’s crossed my mind, being raised in a pretty conservative family, but I’m not going to lie and say that if the right person and situation were to arrive….well, you know.

No, I’m fine with being a virgin. It’s other people that seem to have a problem with it. It’s not that my friends ridicule me for it or anything, but there is a certain awkwardness whenever the topic of sexual conquests and such comes up in conversation. I’ve tried to tell them a thousand times that it’s totally fine to talk about sex around me, I do know what it is and the mechanics involved. I guess they feel like they’re making me feel naive or something ridiculous like that.

It’s also pretty annoying the assumptions that people make about me when it comes up in conversation. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve been at a party and somehow the topic of sex comes up (as it often does at college parties), and I am met with horrified stares when I nonchalantly utter the words, “No, I’m a virgin.” Read More »

Days as a Freshman: 163
Mood: Nervous

“Hey man, didn’t see you come in”

Sasha’s mouth moved in the direction of a smile, but stopped right before completing it. Justin didn’t move anything. Just stood and stared.

“Yeah. I got back from the library a while ago. Crowded here. Maybe you just didn’t see me.” Next to me, Justin’s fist clenched.

The music, which had been screaming from the speakers only moments before, suddenly cut out, and the party came crashing to a halt. The dancing stopped, the laughing stopped, the energy dipped. Someone dropped a can, and it bounced metallically on the wooden floor before rolling underneath a table.

“What the f*ck?!” A kid from across the room screamed at no one in particular. “What the f*ck, man? What happened to the music?”

Rebecca was suddenly by my side again, the contents of her red plastic cup sloshing over the rim and spilling onto my shoes. “What’s going on?” she whispered, not meaning the sudden silence. “Why are they staring at each other like that?” Read More »