.Jess and Katie Could Write A Bad Romance (Whoa Whoaaa)...But next year, we won't. Saying Bye Bye Bye to preteen boy fantasies

College girls believe so many relationship myths: we think love is supposed to be easy, that sex should resemble a John Mayer song, that even jerks are soft and sweet on the inside like Tootsie Roll Pops. Somehow, even though we were smart enough to get into college, we still make all kinds of dumb emotional mistakes.
It's moments like this that make us look back and wonder: why did these two kids ever break up?

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Cracking Girl Code and Bro Code

For years now, all guys can talk about is the "bro code". They're given guidelines for wingman-ship, man-on-man competition over women, rebound hookups, even what to get their buddies for Christmas—every facet of their friendships with other men is totally covered. They never have to ask themselves, "is it OK to hook up with this girl if my friend has already hooked up with her?" or "what should I do to help my friend going through a breakup?" They already know the answers—the bro code dictates their friendships for them. Us girls, however, have a slightly shakier foundation when it comes to friends and guys. Pretty much all we have to go on are the wise, wise words of Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls: "Ex-boyfriends are just off-limits to friends. That's just, like, the rules of feminism!" But are they? What exactly are the rules when it comes to exes? Are ex-hookups off limits? What about ex-things? And what's a friend's responsibility when it comes to breakups, make-ups, and shakeups in her BFF's love life? Basically, what's the girl code…and how does it compare to the ubiquitous guy code? I asked girls and guys what they thought the rules were when it came to friends and the opposite sex, and the results may convince you that men and women really are from different planets!

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Top 5 College Dating Myths...Busted!

The times have changed. "Roses are red, some diamonds are blue/ chivalry is dead but you're still kinda cute,"—see, even Nelly Furtado has noticed. We no longer have the expectation of a guy greeting us at our door with flowers to pick us up for the first date. In fact, we're hopeful to even receive a text message saying he's outside.
While some old-time dating etiquette still remains, like guys holding the door for us, other manners have been lost throughout the years and are now merely legends. Over time, our generation has created a whole new set of dating myths. We've broken down some of the most popular dating myths of today that we think relate to college students like us. (Don't worry—while we have expectations, we no longer expect the ordinary guy to pick us up in his hot car with a dozen long-stemmed roses, though we wouldn't complain...)

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Pick-Up Lines That Actually Work

There he is again, that cute boy who always seems to be in the same place at the same time as you. You see him lifting weights at the gym, studying hard at the library, grabbing a bite to eat at the cafeteria, and popping up in your friends' pics on Facebook. All this has left you feeling like you can finally relate to Madonna's 90's hit "Beautiful Stranger." You know the lyrics all too well – "You're everywhere I go/And everybody knows… Haven't you heard/I fell in love with a beautiful stranger." He's a familiar face, but you've never actually worked up the courage to talk to him, and until you do, all he'll be is just that - a "beautiful stranger."

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What Does "Queer" Mean? Queer 101: Labels, Explanations, Identifications

I'm not 100% sure what the word "queer" means. So why am I writing about it? Well, that's the point. It's an important term when discussing gender and sexuality, and there are a lot of grey areas surrounding it—and some people don't even know it exists! So it's necessary to explore and learn about.
If you look up "queer" on Dictionary.com the first definition reads: "strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint; unusually different." The queer I'm talking about is a little bit different, though. It is linked to the LGBT community, but is also separate. New York University senior and Social and Cultural Analysis major Emma said, "Queer functions as a sort of other. I'm not positive what this other is, but mostly I believe it exists outside of the heteronormative...and the homonormative narratives that society thrusts upon us."

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Cougars on Campus: The Pros and Cons of Dating Younger Guys

Better watch out boys; the cougars are on the prowl. Celebrities like Demi Moore, Cameron Diaz, Ivana Trump, and Linda Hogan all have had significant others more than 10 years their junior. With age differences sometimes pushing 20, or even 30 years, these couples obviously never learned (or at least, never followed) the "Never date anyone under half your age plus seven" Rule.
If you're a guy who appreciates an older woman though, no need to fly to Hollywood, there are cougars prowling your very own college campus.

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Newly Single in College: How I Went From a Three-Year Relationship to Single and Ready to Mingle

This is not advice. This is a story about how a girl's life changed, and I will let you decide if it was for better or for worse.
Let me describe my first few weeks of my junior year. There was the Swine Flu… oh, that elusive and ever present disease that our generation will be able to proudly tell our grandkids we survived as we bounce them on our knee. I somehow contracted it, but its source is impossible to trace considering my three roommates and I all got it at exactly the same time. My boyfriend thought I was being a dramatic hypochondriac and ignored my complaints about feeling hot and coughing. Becoming frustrated, I eventually texted him, "Why are you being so distant?" He responded, "I feel like we have been distant for a while now."

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A College Guy Answers Your Love Life Questions: First Dates And Freaky Sex

Got a burning love life q? Consult our Real Live College Guy (he also goes by Chase). Each month, our RLCG will take you inside the college guy's brain to demystify your tricky, sticky, icky love (can you even call it that?) situations. Keep in mind that these are his opinions, not HC's.
Ready? Here goes!
I think I have a great personality and a lot to offer, and guys who know me often end up liking me, but I feel like I don't do a good job of representing my "best self" on a first date. My first dates often don't go well and then I don't really hear from the guy again. What are some tips for girls on how to act on a first date to make it lead to a second one?

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The Morning After: How to Walk Without Shame

The walk of shame: let's admit it, it happens to the best of us. We've all, at one point or another, woken up at a guy's place and trudged home, in last night's outfit (or, worse, in his gym shorts), with our heels in our hands and smudged eyeliner all over our faces. We keep our heads down as we make our way across campus, avoiding the snickers and stares of our all-too-knowing classmates and praying we don't run into anyone we know. But why does the walk of shame have to be so shameful? Why can't the morning after a hookup be dignified, nice, or even hopeful? Whether you're totally falling for the guy or you never want to see him again, no one should ever make you feel ashamed of yourself the morning after a hookup.

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Jess and Katie’s Tech Translations, Vol. 1: IN YOUR FACE(BOOK)...Because our relationship with Facebook is complicated

Dating is tricky in this wacky technological age. Texting is a vital skill, but unfortunately it's not enough. There are so many other platforms, each presenting unique opportunities for expressing your love or, alternatively, totally screwing things up with someone you really like. We've taught you a few things about texting, but it's time we moved beyond phones to something bigger: Facebook.
Facebook is even more dangerous than texting; its purpose is publicity, which means what could just be a sort of embarrassing misstep can quickly explode into a hugely humiliating and viral screw-up. We spend a significant amount of time on Facebook (in the name of research, of course), and we also write on each others' walls a lot. Said credentials don't actually absolutely qualify us to tell you the Ten Commandments of Facebook Relationships. Unlike the Ten Commandments you already know, like "don't steal stuff" and "don't covet your roommate's girlfriend," these rules are immutable law.

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Suck This, Vampires--We’re not that into you anymore: Why Pop Culture Vampire Guys Are Bad For You

Vampires, despite having an icy cold body temperature, are so hot right now. I'll pretend that this doesn't bother me (where was this trend eight years ago when I was watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Buffy could kick Bella's whiny, pouty ass. And Spike is hotter than Edward. A lot hotter. But I digress.) HC readers, this vampire trend is DANGEROUS. Girls who fall prey to vampire obsession are like guys who watch so much porn they forget how to appreciate a real woman who has boobs that are smaller than cantaloupes and hair besides what's on her head. It's not reality. When you try to join reality again and date the boys who live there, you'll be in for some serious culture shock.

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Jess & Katie's Textometer: Texting isn't a game, but we're still keeping score

Oh technology, you double-edged sword. You provide us with some of our favorite things: illegal music, constant communication, obsessive coverage of the greatest shows on television. (Yet you also bring us down with your crappy non-contributions to culture, like this and Miley Cyrus's Twitter— well, at least that's over.
Texting has made us put our dexterity to more exciting use than our opposable-thumbed predecessors, but it has also opened up approximately 937,382 more ways for us to do something humiliating, mean, dumb, or all of the above. In order to aid you in distinguishing the wise from the ill-advised, we bring you TEXTOMETER 2009.

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How Much Stress Is Too Much? Managing Anxiety in College - part 2 - women campus

 
What to do
If you or someone you know is dealing with an unhealthy amount of anxiety, it's important to seek help as soon as possible. "Because anxiety is a habit, the longer anxiety goes untreated, the stronger the habit grows so that it can worsen over time," says Roemer. 
Anxiety is a complicated problem, so the solution won't be the same for everyone. Treatment options include medications, though most doctors recommend turning to therapy before drugs.

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How Much Stress Is Too Much? Managing Anxiety in College - part 1 - women campus

"The best four years of my life."  
Around the time when you left for college, there's probably about a 97 percent chance that someone said these words to you. Sighing wistfully, eyes glazed over with nostalgia, this person reminisced about wild parties and the unrestrained freedom of youth, then cautioned you to cherish each moment before it all passes in the blink of an eye.

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STDs in College: Your Questions Answered - part 4 - women campus

I have an STD, and I have a boyfriend/girlfriend. Is my life over?
No, but here's a story of a girl who went through a pretty rough diagnosis:
When Sarah* was a freshman at the University of Oregon, she had a handsome athletic boyfriend. They dated for quite some time and were deeply in love until things got a little rocky. One weekend when she was at a party, Sarah decided to step into dangerous territory, and had sex with an acquaintance. Not being able to really remember what had happened that night, she decided to ignore the situation and not tell her boyfriend she had cheated.

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STDs in College: Your Questions Answered - part 3 - women campus

What are some ways to avoid STD infection?
Most all STDs can be avoided by simple procedures. "Limit your number of partners, use protection, wash your genitals with soap and water, and urinate soon after you have sex. This might help clean away some of those nasty germs before they have a chance to infect you," recommends Dr. Pierre-Paul Tellier, director of Student Health Services at McGill University. It's easy to forget something as simple as hygiene, but it is pertinent to keep clean to steer clear of infection.

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