Vampires on the prowl in LA.

How many countries can you name in 5 minutes?

ABC cancels a whole bunch of TV shows.

Angelina controls the media.

How to get discounts on beauty products!

George Clooney looks like a hot mess.

Single ladies aren’t the only ones putting a ring on it

How to avoid having sex.

Chocolates for Thanksgiving.

Tips for studying for finals without losing your head.

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

A girl outside a dorm room, in the hallway:
“Hey, so can I come in yet? Are you done painting diamonds on your ass?”

A cluster of people are smoking outside a dorm. Another guy runs up to them, carrying some bulky bags.
“Guys! I just kicked a squirrel. Like, I was walking, and then I felt this, like, weight on my foot, and then I just saw this squirrel flying up in front of me.”

“I can’t remember anything more! My brain’s full! If I remember anything else, I’m going to forget something incredibly important!” 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.

As classes get into full swing, your time is suddenly filled up with reading, late nights spent writing papers, and of course, eating. If you’ve been wondering why you’re always hungry when studying for History 210, researchers have an answer.

In a recent study done by Angelo Tremblay at his lab at the Universite Laval in Quebec, it was found that those performing mental tasks like trying to solve problems (e.g. Calculus 111), while working at a computer stimulated their appetite so much that they tended to eat more calories than their bodies actually burned while performing the task.

The psychological logic for the rise in appetite?  According to the study, mental work “destabilizes” our levels of insulin and glucose, which in turn stimulates the appetite.

Is this why after a weekend of total dedication to homework, I suddenly find I’ve depleted me and my roommate’s entire snack supply?

According to Tremblay’s study, participants consumed far more calories after performing a mental task like reading for a class than relaxing for the same amount of time. In addition, they concluded that time spent surfing the Internet, as well as instant messaging, may very well be a significant factor in the obesity epidemic amongst college students.

So studying is really to blame for the freshman 15? Read More »

Who needs good grades when you can impress your friends and family by quoting movies instead? Not me, that’s for sure. Throwing those textbooks out the window does present a sticky situation, though… so many movies, so little time. Luckily, I’m here to break it down for you by presenting the best 5 movies to watch instead of studying.

5. When Harry Met Sally.
Seriously, who doesn’t love this movie? I bet it was a super-smash hit when it first came out, but it’s now a super-smash source of entertainment that’s run on cable all the time. As we all know, free movies are better than costly movies, so record this one and pop it in anytime you feel kinda sorta like NOT doing that physics assignment.

4. 10 Things I Hate About You.
A Heath Ledger tribute is always justified, and this movie is a great excuse to do one right. It’s also a good party movie because almost everyone likes it, and even some guys can be coerced into watching it. Read More »

I’m starting to think that there is some truth to the rule, “You are what you eat.” I think my muffintop would attest to that statement. In general, I stick to a healthy diet (of cupcakes), but when it comes time to crack the books I know that my typical eating habits will affect my scholastic performance. While I usually opt for a bag of M&Ms at the library, I now know that a giant bag of sugar is not the best thing to get me through the hours of cramming.

In contrast, there are foods out there that have been shown to improve memory retention and attention span. Read: The foods I should be eating. I am one who will do anything to pass an exam, even if it means eating my way to better grades. Because what could be better?

Eat? For better grades? Grad school may be for me after all.

When it comes to the basics, we all know the rules: “Don’t skip breakfast,” “Drink lots of water,” “An apple a day…blah, blah, blah.”But when it comes to college life, we need more than just a healthy diet - we need to feed our brains. So I’ve compiled a list of some snack foods to help our neurons rock and roll. Read More »

OK, so you’re running late for your Monday morning class (again). You would have been on time, but you spent all Sunday watching TV (again), and had to stay up extra late to get your assignment done (again). Now, where the heck did you put that assignment? You tear through the pile of papers on your desk until you find it, crumpled and stained with last night’s coffee.

Sound familiar?

Now that you’re in college, you don’t have parents to bug you about keeping your room clean, or to tell you to turn off the TV and do your homework. As Spiderman says, “With great freedom comes great responsibility,” but when you’ve got no one to help you out, how do you stay organized?

You may not like it, but you’re going to have to make a sacrifice or two to get truly organized, starting with your precious weekend. Cancel your plans and put away your going-out top. It may suck now, but in the long-run, it will be worth it.

The first thing you need to stay organized is the right set of supplies. Get yourself up at a reasonable hour on Saturday morning and get your butt down to the school bookstore, or your local Staples or Target. You should buy:

-A notebook for each class - Or, even better, one large notebook divided into sections, so you can keep all your notes in one convenient, not-as-easy-to-lose place.
-A two-pocket folder or small binder for each class - to store all of those pesky class hand-outs that always seem to go missing
-A day planner - Each day should have enough space to write down your class schedule and any assignments you get. My personal fav is the Moleskin Weekly Planner, because it has an extra blank page next to each week, but whatever works best for you.)
-Lots of your favorite kind of pen (or pencil) - Don’t deny it. You know you have a favorite.
-A stapler - Especially if you write a lot of papers—your teachers will thank you.
-An accordion file Read More »

Your first weekend at college is going to be so much fun that Monday morning will probably come as a shock to you. Wait…you mean, you actually have to go to class? Well, yes. Strangely enough, I think that’s actually what those huge tuition payments are going toward- the actual classes- and not the parties, fun, and excessive drinking you’re going to be partaking in.

I know, I know. It sucks. Because not only do you have to attend so many classes per week (some which may be held at the dreadful hour of 8:00 a.m.), but you also have to do a little thing called studying for those classes.

OK, so maybe this doesn’t scare you. Maybe you were an all-star student in high school and had no problem coming home in the evenings and studying. Well, welcome to college.

Studying is a bit more difficult in college. Why? Well, first of all, you’re surrounded by friends 24/7; friends who want to go out drinking and partying at all times. Not to mention, there’s just always something going on, whether it’s activities your college has planned, 3-hour trips to the dining hall, walks around campus, or just hanging out in the hallway of your dorm getting to know your fellow freshmen.

Unfortunately, in order to stay at college having fun, you need to pass your classes, which means you’re probably going to need to study at one point or the other. Ugh. So, here are a few study tips to that will help you keep those grades up so you can return to college to party some more next semester (we have our priorities here): Read More »