College life is great. Where else are sweatpants acceptable attire…anywhere? Where else can you crack a beer at 11 am and instead of being criticized, you’ll most likely be asked to pass one down. Come home at 3 am on a Tuesday and need pizza? You got it. Feel like blowing off class to go to the pool? No prob.

So it’s understandable why the anticipation of a trip home for the weekend (like this coming holiday weekend) can inspire a little anxiety, but once you cross the threshold of Home Sweet Home, you’ll remember just why it’s so sweet.

1. Home cookin’.
After a daily diet of fast food, dining hall “cuisine” and failed attempts at domesticity (and a pasta based backup plan) it is amazing to come home to fresh and delicious food. You want your childhood favorite? Mom and Dad will happily oblige. For one glorious weekend you get to come home to a hot meal every night, no stress required. And in those situations when someone just doesn’t feel like cooking, bring on the restaurants. When the closest thing to a gourmet meal you can afford is Olive Garden, nosh that’s a little more your parents’ taste leaves you feeling like you ate dinner at Buckingham Palace.

2. Retail Affection.
The initial bone crushing hugs and sporadic wistful looks followed by hugs that you’ll get all weekend are nothing compared to what you’ll score if you can get Mom to the mall. Her poor baby has been living in poverty at school as far as she’s concerned (and for the most part she’d be pretty accurate), so she’s more than willing to splurge on necessities like warm winter clothes (yes, everyone at school has 7 different coats, obv.), “comfortable” shoes for walking around campus (easily expandable into high heel territory) and any other array of daily wear that you have no access to at school. After all, Mom and Dad can’t expect you to shop at the bookstore for University brand gear every time you need a new outfit. And don’t forget the back to school care package you’ll probably get as you’re packing up. Take advantage and stock up on toiletries, hard to find makeup, laundry detergent, and any groceries you can bring back with you. Read More »

My roommate always jokes that I am constantly writing papers. Sometimes, I think she’s right. But I chose classes with papers on purpose—I hate studying for tests or doing problem sets. I would choose an essay over a quiz any day. And while I am glad I chose the classes I am taking, I have found that I always seem to be working…even on weekends.

This is the first time in my life where the amount of time spent in the classroom is significantly less than the amount of time doing work outside of class. Homework used to be a couple of hours a night, which seemed impossibly cruel after spending all my morning and most of my afternoon plunked in a desk at school. Now, class is brief and concise. There’s no taking attendance or explaining the homework. All we do is learn.

I like that I don’t have to spend unnecessary amounts of time doing absolutely nothing in class. But these short classes lead to another change from high school—lots and lots of out-of-class work. Although I have many more hours free than last year, I still feel as busy as ever. But almost two months into college, I think I’ve found my balance. The library has been my savior more than once on a Saturday when my friends and my cozy bed tried to beckon me away from my papers to write. Bringing my food up to my room to eat has given me an extra half an hour to read over a paper before it’s due. Most importantly, I’ve noticed that I have resources through peers and professors which I’ve never encountered before.

All in all, I know I may seem insanely busy to those around me. But there’s a difference between the busyness of this semester and my hectic, stress-filled days of high school. I am choosing these classes; I am choosing to write these essays on these topics; I am choosing to work harder than I would be if I were back home. For once in my academic life, I am busy learning, not busy doing useless assignments. So bring on the papers, I am ready to work.

It’s true that upperclassmen tend to look down their noses at freshmen, particularly early in the year when they’re wet behind the ears and stumbling wide-eyed around campus. We’re not laughing at you because you’re lost, though, or because you brought a ridiculously huge couch for your 90-square-foot room. No, sophomores, juniors, seniors, chuckle at, or are continuously annoyed by freshmen, because they try too hard.

The most common insult for a freshmen: “man, that guy is trying too hard.” When coming to a competitive ivy league school, freshmen are immediately aware that the kids around them are some of the best students in the country. They probably were the small-town star of their high school, and now feel desperate to assert themselves, to still be the big fish in the rapidly expanding pond. Thus, while sitting next to a few freshmen chatting in a dining hall the other day, I was sad — sad, but not surprised — when after about 2 minutes, the test score discussions began.

“So what did you get on your SAT’s? I got ___.”

After the test scores, came the trips-to-Europe competition.

“I’ve been to Rome twice.” “Oh yeah, I went too, and Paris, and all over France as well.”

This is the epitome of Trying Too Hard, and you can see why it’s so annoying to upperclassmen. Read More »

I am never alone in college. Sure, I have the elevator to myself occasionally and sometimes my roommate is at class when I’m not, but usually there is always someone else nearby. This is drastically different from my high school experience.

Of course I would spend every high school moment from that morning bell—which seemed to ring earlier and earlier as my senior year wore on—to the final bell with my friends by my side. I was part of a bunch of different groups, all of which met after or before school and surrounded me with people. But at home, I had solitude.

With both my parents working and my brother off at college, I spent many nights doing homework, watching bad television and heating up leftovers all by myself. Some may think that would be lonely, but I really liked the peace and quiet.

It’s never quiet here. And sometimes I like it; with all the commotion, I haven’t had time to get homesick or have a culture shock freak out. There’s a feeling of community when I walk around campus and see someone I know or when I strike up a conversation with a stranger in the dining hall. Yet every once in awhile I realize… I never have a moment to myself. Read More »

Have the last 7 days made anyone else crave a bubble bath and a good book? How about a Valium?

Anyway, the world kind of imploded this week. Cheerleaders were bashed for being cheerleaders, we had flashbacks to 7th grade when our sworn enemy put a dead fish in our locker, that awkward hook-up just became the top dining hall gossip, and we seriously forgot how to actually care.

To make matters worse, we found out that men cheat on us a lot, and John McCain almost didn’t make it to tonight’s debate.

A week like this makes us want to manufacture our own boyfriend, go shopping at American Apparel, find a much younger guy to toy with, eat some candy bar brownies, and eff Jeremy Piven.

At least we learned how to survive that 8 AM class. If nothing else, we’ll be early for the end of the world.

[Every week, CC and John will bring you some of the wierdest, funniest, saddest things he hears on his college campus.  Join the Overheard revolution!  Leave your own overheard convos in the comments.]

Strange, silly and awkward things overheard on campus this week:

- A lanky blonde man leans against a doorway, talking to a short-haired brunette.
“She’s really… nice, you know?” He shakes his head. “I mean, I just wanted someone to care about.”
“But a freshman?” she asks, feigning surprise. “Really!”
“Yeah. It was like fishing with dynamite.”

- Two grizzled, swarthy males stand in the dining hall.
“Man, I can’t believe there aren’t any forks,” remarks one, his thick lower lip turned in a pout. He moves one finger toward his collar unconsciously.
His friend looks sadly at the empty racks. “Yeah. I mean, I don’t even know anyone who uses spoons.”

- Across the dining hall, a guy stands up and starts singing “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” from Mulan . About three quarters of the table joins in within seconds. One other guy grabs his tray, gets up and stalks away. “I thought we were done with this,” he says, darkly.

- Down the hallway, a pink-faced man is tying a lumpy plastic bag to a door. As I pass by, he looks up and smiles conspiratorially.
“It’s ladybugs,” he says. Read More »

We all get the munchies from time to time. No, not just the “It’s 2 AM on a Friday, I’m seven drinks deep, how much does that pizza cost?” munchies, I’m talking about the “It’s 8 AM on a Tuesday and everyone in my lecture hall just looked at my stomach because it made a noise reminiscent of the MGM Lion” munchies.

So, how do you feed the in-class hunger? You’re in college, so no one is going to reprimand you for eating, but that doesn’t mean you should go buckwild and order pizza to the lecture hall, Spicoli-style.

Here are the best and worst snacks for those mid-class munchies.

THE BEST

Cereal Bars, protein bars, PowerBars, you know, the edible bars that don’t serve alcohol: These are lightweight, filling and easy for on-the-go. If you have a long day of classes, throw a couple of these suckers in your bag and you should be set for the day. If you’re heading to the dead silent section of your library, stay away from the extra-crunchy bars, as you might receive dirty looks from people trying to study.

Nuts!: Almonds, peanuts, cashews, whatever your nut of choice is, throw a handful in a baggie and bring ‘em! They’re great protein and fill you up, fast.

Bananas: If this snack isn’t annihilated courtesy of your twenty pound Calculus book, bananas are one of the best mid-class snacks. Sure, you might look a little ridiculous eating it, but bananas are quiet and not stinky, two very irritating factors of the “in class snack.” Read More »

So, you’ve just settled in to your campus, unpacked your essentials and have caught up with the necessary friends and college hook-ups and you’re all getting ready to go out for an evening of debauchery, you look into your wallet to grab some cash and – surprise – you’re broke.

If you’re tired of asking Mamadukes and Pops for some cash (or if they just plain won’t give ya any), a part-time job is necessary. Some college jobs can be a total buzzkill (hello scrubbing dishes at the dining commons), but others turn out not too shabby. Here’s a few I suggest:

1. Library. Every campus has one and there are TONS of jobs that need filling. It’s convenient, generally in the heart of the campus, AND it beats working for the dining halls. I spent my four years of college working for the Special Collections and Archives Department where I made around $10/hr, which was more than any other on-campus position around. I could work in between classes and I wound up making one of the best friends I have at that job, not to mention some excellent recommendations when real-life job time comes around. Try it, peeps. Head to the Circulation Department of your Library (or the college job website – there is one, if you didn’t know!) and see what departments are hiring.

2. Restaurants/Bars in town. Every campus has a “downtown” or “uptown” – the happening place on a Friday or Saturday night. If you can’t afford to spend money on drinks, get a job where your friends go; you can make loot and enjoy their company. It’s the best of both worlds. Just pop in to your favorite night hot spots and pick up some applications!

3. College Admin Office. Whether it’s the Administrative Office, the Bursar Office or another department in the Academic and Billing section of your campus, you can find a job that is accommodating to your schedule and pays decently. A friend of mine worked at one of the offices in the billing building and for graduation her boss got her a white gold necklace. Score! Read More »