The views expressed in this piece are that of the individual writer and not necessarily that of Her Campus.

In a society where women are constantly objectified in the media, the decision to put a swimsuit-clad plastic doll on the cover of a magazine is more than questionable. Mattel, the brand responsible for Barbie, teamed up with Sports Illustrated to produce an "Unapologetic" campaign, which features Barbie on the cover of the magazine's 50th anniversary issue. "As a legend herself, and under constant criticism about her body and how she looks, posing in" the issue "gives Barbie and her fellow legends an opportunity to own who they are, celebrate what they have done and be #unapologetic," said Mattel in a statement.

Understandably, the campaign was met with criticism and debate online. Several articles were published complaining about the campaign, such as a Forbes article entitled "How Desperate is Mattel to Make SI Swimsuit Barbie a Sex Object For Men?" which discusses not only the negative body implications of putting the doll on the cover, but also what that says about men's objectification of women.

Besides the fact that it's unnerving (and creepy) to see a children's toy sexualized on a men's magazine, the choice to make Barbie a "cover model" feels like a giant step back for women. After all, Barbie has often been blamed for being a negative role model for young girls by giving them unrealistic body image expectations, and recent campaigns like Dove's "Real Beauty" have aimed to move away from idolizing the blonde, tanned size-zero supermodel and to instead celebrate the beauty and uniqueness of real women.

Although there may have been some intended irony in placing a doll on the cover, the brands are nonetheless sending the wrong message. As Stanford student Julia Landauer aptly told Forbes, "With a doll on the cover, the editors are essentially saying that a fictional image is consistent with what they normally do, implying that a “perfect” woman is, in fact, fictional."

It seems as though Mattel's decision was made solely to increase sales and gain publicity, without regard for their contribution to the pervasiveness of negative body image in our society. And for that, they should be apologetic.

They dance, they break stuff and they even cry. No, we aren't adding to our list of the 16 types of drunk girls; we're talking the 16 types of drunk guys. Every drunk girl needs a male partner in crime who's just as drunk as she is. 

1. The “Talk Sh*t, Get Hit” Guy

He is the guy who will fight about anything... literally anything. He’ll even get pissed about whose mom makes the best lasagna. Apparently whiskey makes him extremely protective of his mother’s cooking skills.  He chants stuff like, “What, son? You wanna go? You talkin’ sh*t? You wanna get hit?” and he even pecks his head at you like a rooster for effect.

2. The Hulk Hogan

This kid is always cracking coffee tables in half and punching holes in walls. No one ever wants to invite him to parties, because after his seventh beer, he starts crushing the cans on his head and ripping posters and shelves off the wall. But his destructive habits don't stop at furniture and walls. Generally speaking, this is also (usually) the guy who rips his shirt off to prove his point. Note to all the Hulk Hogans out there: ripping a cotton-and-polyester-blend T-shirt in half does not make you look strong. Or intimidating. 

3. Mr. Get Drunk or Die Trying

Everything sounds like a good idea to this kid. He’s the one who has to tailgate in a wheelchair because he thought it was a brilliant idea to do skateboard tricks off the roof after he finished an entire handle of Captain Morgan. Before that night, he had never picked up a skateboard or jumped off a roof in his life, so it was only logical to do both at the same time. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

4. The McLovin’

You almost want to cry watching this poor kid trying to be a “bro” with all the guys at the bar. He drinks a few beers and gets extra friendly, throwing up weird gang signs and making secret handshakes and nicknames with everyone around him. It’s like he doesn’t know any better, so you just have to feel bad for him and let him do his thing.

5. The Jersey Shore Cast Member

These ones can be spotted from a mile away - just look for bedazzled Affliction shirts and stud earrings from Claire’s. They wear crazy AXE scented hair gel and drink fruity liquor and cocktails with names like “Pink Stripper” and “Naughty Hawaiian.” Well, after six Pink Strippers, these guys become concerning. They start dancing like they're in an intense game of Dance Dance Revolution, stomping their feet and pumping their fists.

6. The Sweetheart

This is the drunk guy every girl wants to marry. Once he has a few drinks, his cheeks get flushed and he gets all giggly, like he's at a second-grade sleepover. He may not have the best game, but even when he's trying to take you home, he's adorable and polite. How can you hate this guy? 

7. The Heartbreak Kid

To this guy, the only logical place to talk about getting his heart broken is in public after five tequila shots. You always know it’s coming because his lip quivers, his nostrils flare and he starts to get that Kim-Kardashian-crying face. Oh, Jesus. Please, not here. Not now.

8. The Turtle

This is the super-friendly guy in your apartment building who helps you with your stats homework and comes over to pull forks out of your garbage disposal. He seems so shy and reserved, but when you invite him out to the bars, he comes right out of his little shell. You quickly learn that he likes to drink his vodka with Red Bull and he turns into a rabid, hyper toddler jumping around the bar afterwards. He does crazy dance moves, sweats and talks really fast. You eventually come to endearingly name his dance moves, “Somebody Go See if He’s Okay.”

9. The One Who's Fluent in Gibberish

This kid needs his own version of Rosetta Stone. After one too many, he finds no need for subject-verb agreement or words with vowels. This guy is extra entertaining when he tries to hit on girls. It’s like a really bad game of word charades, trying to guess what's coming out of his mouth. Did he just say "Hermès"... or "herpes"? At this point, this conversation could go one way or the other...

10.  The Womanizer

A little liquid courage has this guy thinking he’s got the game of Ryan Gosling. What he thinks is coming out as sexy and seductive really just sounds like a line from a really bad porn movie. He doesn’t waste any time being flirty because he's willing to take anything with a pulse back to his place. What’s even worse is that he’s also the guy who keeps a tally of the girls he sleeps with after drunken bar crawls folded up in his wallet, ready to be marked again each week. He'll get extra excited when his list hits number 69, because the coincidence is just too good.

11. The One Who Can’t be Fazed

To this kid, the only thing that signifies a bad night of drinking is death. And until that happens, every night is a good night for him. He could total his car, break his back, punch his best friend and end up in jail and it would still be one hell of a night to him.  He is a pro at finding the silver lining in every bad drinking situation, and you're always guaranteed to be entertained when he's around. 

12. The Buy-Another-Round-er

When this guy gets drunk, he turns into Gatsby. He buys the entire bar shots of Patron on his mom’s credit card and makes elaborate toasts to people’s bad test grades and dead cats. What’s sad is that everyone knows this kid is going to regret his open bar tab, but no one stops him because they aren’t going to turn down free booze. Hey, he’s the one offering! We’re not the ones who are going to have our parents taking out a second mortgage to pay off the tab, so keep 'em comin!

13. The Creepy Dude

His eyes are drunkenly glazed over and he begins to talk in a slow, deep, Ron Burgundy voice. He sways his head and raises his eyebrows when he talks, but it’s not really working for him. You can’t really tell if he is winking at you or if he has the spins and is closing one eye to keep himself standing. Either way, he looks like a total creep.

14. The Broaster

Or, “the bro-boaster,” who has no shame in bragging about himself. He’s convinced that he is the biggest and baddest bro at the party because he can drink enough vodka to tranquilize a horse. Last time we checked, that’s not a special skill you can put on a resume. So congratulations on the destroyed liver, bro!

15. The "I Love You" Man

This is the best guy to run into at the bar when you're having a bad day. He loves life more and more after each drink he has, and he's going to let everyone know. He doesn't even know you, but he loves you anyway. He doesn't care if you failed your exam, got fired from your job or cheated on your boyfriend; he's drunk and he loves you. And you. And you. And everyone else in the bar.

16. The Booty Caller

This guy maintains a steady state of drunkeness throughout the night and just hangs with the guys. He doesn’t worry about laying out his game on any girls because he already has a full lineup in his iPhone contacts for the 2 a.m. booty call show. If Amy doesn’t answer, he moves down the B's and calls Becca. But if she doesn’t answer, he doesn’t worry. He still has 24 letters left in the alphabet!

You’ve learned time and time again what you’re supposed to write in a cover letter, how you’re supposed to structure your resume, and why you should get a LinkedIn account. The problem is, everyone else has learned those things, too.  Eventually every application is going to start to blend together in your prospective employer’s mind, so you need to make yourself stand out in comparison to the rest of the candidates.  Here’s how.

Tailor Your Resume

Though it makes perfect sense that you would have one professional, generalized resume on tap, that resume isn’t the one that you should be sending to companies along with your internship application. Instead, take a look at the internship posting and read over the description a second time to see what qualities and skills the company wants in prospective interns.

Take some time to compare what you have on this general resume to what the employer is looking for. Then think back on your past experiences in other positions to see when you may have exemplified a quality that they’re interested in.

“If you have strong organizational skills, a bullet point on your resume could read: ‘Created Excel database to track new client contacts resulting in a 15% increase in monthly sales goals,’” says Brianna McMeekin, a Career Consultant at the University of Pittsburgh. “The point is to be specific and clearly demonstrate the skills that you will bring to the company.”

It’s important that you’re able to cite a concrete example of when you demonstrated the quality that they’re looking for, rather than simply adding a bullet point that says “impressive organizational skills.”  This will show companies that you don’t just talk the talk, you walk the walk!

Careful With That Cover Letter

Usually the cover letter is harder to write than the resume, because you’re really toeing the line between listing your accomplishments and coming off like you’re bragging. Often we resort to re-listing what we already have written on our resume instead of acknowledging other skills or achievements.

“Your cover letter is always an addition to your resume, not a repetition,” McMeekin says. “It’s not so much a matter of separating qualities, skills, or accomplishments into two categories (one for the resume and one for the cover letter) but rather being able to showcase the skills in a more creative and personal manner in the cover letter.”

Consider the company that you’re applying for, and what skills you might be able to put in your cover letter that would make them want to read your resume. 

“The cover letter may provide you the opportunity to connect the dots between your transferable skills and the position you are seeking, as this might not be as easily recognized by glancing at your resume,” McMeekin says. “The cover letter is also your opportunity to identify the specific skills requested in the job description and showcase your ability to perform them.”

However, try not to list every single one of your positive attributes at once, lest employers get bored trying to read through them all. 

“Less is more,” McMeekin says. “Be clear and concise, and make sure that your cover letter is written to convey your most important points.”

Get LinkedIn

A slightly less formal way to get in touch with these prospective employers is to create a profile on LinkedIn, which is another place where you can show off your skills!

“By the very nature of being a social network, LinkedIn encourages users to be engaged in the process of networking and self-promotion,” says McMeekin. “A resume and cover letter are stagnant in the sense that it is a document that once sent out, does not change and does not offer the interactive quality that a LinkedIn profile can. Following companies on LinkedIn, contributing to group discussions, and connecting with employees at target companies are all ways that you can start to promote your name and create your brand on LinkedIn.”

However, this means that you should not just make your LinkedIn profile a carbon copy of your cover letter and resume, nor should you make it a list of words that everybody uses like “hardworking” or “motivated.” 

“Buzzwords are often overused and not backed up with specific and concrete examples,” says McMeekin. “LinkedIn actually dissuades users from including these words because it is generic and does not serve to set you apart from the other millions of users.”

Instead, McMeekin says that you should focus on less overarching skills and hone in on things that you are specifically able to offer the employer that others may not. 

“You want to be concrete in demonstrating qualities focusing on accomplishments versus job duties,” McMeekin says. “Highlight your knowledge in the field of study or industry you are pursuing. For example if you are entering into a technical field you want to highlight your technical skills, i.e. Computer Science majors might want to highlight applications, languages, operating systems and software skills.  Having responsibility for training or teaching others, even if they are fellow interns or students, is also a key skill to highlight.”

Quantity Over Quality

Instead of listing a quality you have, give employers a specific quantity that they can grab ahold of!

“When you are able to quantify, you should,” says McMeekin. “It shows concrete accomplishments. Numbers also work to catch the eye of recruiters scanning your resume since most are only able to devote a few seconds to each individual resume.”

Don’t just say that you work for the most-followed publication in your region; write out the number of followers your publication has! Mention that you wrote a certain number of blog posts per week for a publication rather than simply stating that you held a writing position for that publication. Prospective employers will be much more impressed by a specific number than by a generalization, and it will make your achievement stand out all the more. 

Get Personal

It’s unlikely that listing your graduation year or your major will make your application stick out, since employers are sifting through the applications of so many similar students. 

“My rule of thumb when it comes to writing cover letters and resumes is to think about everything everyone else is probably saying, and to think about a specific key thing I have that nobody else can bring to the table,” said Avianne Tan, a collegiette from NYU. “That sounds a little vague and general, but that's just because that one key thing is different for everyone. I've noticed that a lot of companies I've applied to have been impressed with my love for science and technology as well as writing.” 

Think about what you’d bring to the table at this internship or job that other people wouldn’t be able to. Then emphasize that quality so that when an employer skims your resume, they will remember you as “the one who has published research papers on environmental issues,” “the one who led a leadership seminar,” “the one who speaks five languages,” or whatever your identifier may be!

Be Confident!

Your resume and your cover letter are two of the only places where self-promotion is totally encouraged. The whole point of these documents is to grab your prospective employer’s attention and make them see why they want to hire you, so don’t be shy—list your achievements, emphasize your accomplishments, and show them exactly why you are the best choice for the job!

Spring break is right around the corner, and if you’re lucky, that means friends, sun, sand and bikinis. However, after a winter of eating junk food and binging on Netflix, you might not feel quite bikini-ready. If you’ve been slacking on healthy eating and regular workouts, now is the time to get back into shape! Whether you want to tone up everywhere or focus on one specific problem area, here are some fast ways to get toned and look your best in time for spring break!

1. Crab push-ups

We all want biceps that can rival Jennifer Aniston’s, but arms can be a difficult area to target. Crab push-ups are a great way to tone multiple arm muscles at once for maximum results.

1. Get in the “crab walk” position: sit down on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, with your palms on the floor and your fingertips facing inward towards your body.
2. Push up with your arms to raise your body off the ground.
3. Slowly lower yourself back down, stopping just short of touching the ground, and repeat.
4. Do 20 reps.

These can be challenging at first, so try starting out doing 10 at a time if you need to, and adding more as you get stronger!

2. Arm circles

Arm circles are an incredibly simple and effective way to tone your entire upper arm. To challenge your muscles, use wrist weights or hold a small weight (one to three pounds) in your hands.

1. Keeping your arms straight, hold them out to your sides so your body makes a “T” shape.
2. Move your arms in wide, slow circles.
3. Complete about 25 reps (one full circle is a rep).

3. Reverse crunch

Ab workouts can get repetitive and monotonous, so change it up by introducing some new exercises! The lower abs are a difficult area to target just by doing crunches and sit-ups, so the reverse crunch is a great way to tone this area.

1. Lay on the ground with your knees slightly bent (as if you were doing a sit-up) and your arms at your sides.
2. Raise your legs until your hips are slightly off the floor.
3. Slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
4. Complete 15-20 reps.

4. T-bends

T-bends are a move that can help you whittle your waist and get that coveted hourglass figure.

1. Using a pair of light weights (about three to five pounds), hold your arms out in a T-shape.
2. Keeping your arms straight out, slowly bend at the waist to the side, and then return to the starting position.
3. Repeat on the other side.
4. Complete 10-15 reps.

5. Warrior I pose

Yoga poses can be extremely effective for toning. The Warrior I pose is a great way to tone your legs and give you a great head-to-toe stretch at the same time!

1. Raise your hands above your head and arch your back.
2. Lunge forward with one leg, so your knee is at a 90-degree angle to the ground.
3. Hold this pose for 30 seconds, and then repeat on your other leg.

6. Side leg raises

To tone the muscles on your hips and the outsides of your legs, which are often hard to target during regular exercise routines, consider trying side leg raises.

1. Lay on your left side with your legs straight out and your left arm cushioning your head for support.
2. Slowly lift your right leg, keeping it straight, until it is at about a 45-degree angle from the ground.
3. Hold the position for a few seconds, and then slowly lower your leg, but don’t bring it all the way down.
4. Repeat 15 times on each side.

To make this exercise even more challenging and effective, try adding ankle weights.

7. Medicine ball squats

Squats are one of the most effective moves for toning your booty to make sure you’ll rock your bikini bottom! To make a basic squat even more effective, incorporate a medicine ball into the move.

1. Choose a mid-weight medicine ball, eight to 12 pounds depending on your preferences, and hold it out from your chest.
2. Squat down so your knees are at a 45 degree angle to the floor, making sure your knees don’t go past your toes.
3. Slowly raise yourself back upright.
4. Complete 20-25 reps.

The added weight from the medicine ball will make your muscles work harder, leading to faster results! Squats can often be difficult to do correctly, so try watching this tutorial to ensure you have perfect form and won’t injure yourself.

There’s always pressure to get into perfect shape for spring break, but don’t stress out too much. Eat right, work out, try some of these toning exercises, smile and you’re sure to rock your bikini no matter what!

It may be cold outside, but that just means it’s the perfect time to brighten up your wardrobe! We met up with blogger Carly Heitlinger, aka The College Prepster, (and her adorable toy poodle, Theodore Fitzpatrick!) to see how she’s incorporating brights into her spring look. We love her tailored yet comfy style!

Carly’s must-have wardrobe essential for spring 2014? “Blazers. They’re perfect for transitioning springy dresses when it’s still not quite hot out!”

“I think adding a pop of color is the way to go [for spring]. [A] navy blazer and a colorful necklace or a simple black dress and a bright shoe.”

Get Carly’s adorable Bailey Bow Shoes from UGG here!

Carly’s go-to spring carryall? “Anything that can carry plenty for impromptu spring adventures… I’m trying to go to a few new cities and a few favorite cities with friends.”

Looks like Carly found the perfect adventure-ready tote: the Jane Tote from UGG! We’re obsessed with the blue hue, although we do have a soft spot for the Princess Pink version…

Photography: Tre Cassetta
Makeup: MADE Makeup Lounge
Hair: Drybar

What’s your favorite way to incorporate brights into your spring wardrobe? Let us know in the comments below.

Good news: it finally snowed in Sochi! Events were postponed due to heavy fog that took place on Tuesday, including men’s 15-kilometer biathlon and men’s snowboardcross. In the medals race, the USA is tied with the Netherlands. Keep reading to learn more about what happened during the Games yesterday!

A crazy close finish in men’s 15-kilometer biathlon

The gif above is incredible. It shows just how close Olympic competition can be! Martin Fourcade from Team France (in white) was trying to win his third gold medal of Sochi 2014 when Norway’s Emil Hegle Svendsen (in blue) beat him by mere inches in the men’s 15-kilometer biathlon event. You can see Fourcade trying to pull ahead in the final seconds. In the competition, Svendsen missed zero targets while Fourcade missed one. Both Olympians finished in 42 minutes and 29.1 seconds. Ondrej Moravec won bronze for the Czech Republic.

Halfpipe gold goes to US skier

American skier David Wise took the gold in the skiing halfpipe on Tuesday. During the competition, Wise did a rightside double-cork 1260. The move is considered to be his signature trick. During that run, he received a score of 92, and his win put the US at the top of the medals race. US is now tied with Norway in the medals count; each country has 20 medals. Mike Riddle of Canada took silver in the event, while France’s Kevin Rolland won bronze.

Touching Instagram from injured Olympian

Bryon Wells, a member of Team New Zealand, was injured during his first day of training. He damaged his leg tissue during a poor landing. He was supposed to compete in the men’s freeski halfpipe event, but his injuries were so severe that he still couldn’t walk come Tuesday morning. Wells, 21, posted the photo above to his Instagram yesterday. In the caption, Wells said, “Not how I pictured this day. Devastated.” He also wished his teammates good luck, including his brothers Jossi and Beau-James Wells. Even though he wasn’t able to compete, Wells is definitely still an Olympian in our eyes!

Slovenia takes women’s alpine skiing gold

Tina Maze took the gold in the women’s giant slalom event on Tuesday. The Slovenian completed the course in a total of two minutes and 36.87 seconds. Austria was awarded silver thanks to Anna Fenninger, who lost to Maze by just 0.07 seconds. Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg walked away with the bronze, finishing behind Fennigner with a difference of 0.27 seconds.

Netherlands sweeps at men’s speed skating

The Dutch have been dominating the ice at Sochi 2014! The Netherlands swept the 10,000-meter men’s speed skating event on Tuesday at Adler Arena. Jorrit Bergsma finished the race in 12 minutes and 44.45 seconds, earning him the gold. Sven Kramer took the silver and Bob de Jong took the bronze. The Netherlands has won 19 out of the 27 medals in the speed skating events.

South Korean skaters win 3,000-meter relay, take selfie

South Korea’s short track team won the women’s 3,000-meter relay event, beating Canada and Italy, who won silver and bronze, respectively. South Korean teammates Cho Ha-ri, Kim Alang, Shim Suk-hee and Park Seung-hi finished the event in just four minutes and 9.498 seconds. The four teammates took a selfie after winning (because wouldn’t you, too?). At the Vancouver Olympics in the same event, South Korea was disqualified and China took the gold. This time, however, China would have taken the silver medal, but the Chinese team was disqualified due to a penalty.

Team USA takes bronze in postponed snowboarding event

Aww, international bromance! In the photo above, all three medalists of the men’s snowboardcross final are seen hugging on the Olympic podium. France’s Pierre Vaultier took the gold medal, Russia’s Nikolay Olyunin took the silver and USA’s Alex Deibold took the bronze. The event had been postponed on Monday morning due to severe fog.  

Medal count as of Tuesday night: top five countries

1. Netherlands: six gold, six silver, eight bronze = 20 total
2. United States: six gold, four silver, 10 bronze = 20 total
3. Russia: five gold, eight silver, six bronze = 19 total
4. Norway: seven gold, four silver, seven bronze = 18 total
5. Canada: four gold, nine silver, four bronze = 17 total

To see a full list of the medal count, click here.

Would you take a selfie after winning a gold medal (we would!)? Comment below and then come back tomorrow for another Sochi Scoop recap!

Wooing just isn’t the same as it used to be. While we love when Mom regales us with stories of life as a Collegiette circa 1980, we can’t help but go a little green with envy when we hear about the simplicity of the dating scene. If he was into you, he called. If he wasn’t, he didn’t. With all of today’s technology at our fingertips, things have only gotten more complicated. Should you text him first? Will smiley faces come off as cute and endearing or lovey-dovey and creepy? Should there be a moratorium on Emojis?

When it comes time to navigate the texting world, we’ve got you covered. Whether you want to make it clear that you’re searching for a FWB or want to communicate that you’re girlfriend material, one of our favorite flirtatious texts can get your message across (without scaring him off)!

“This class would be so much better if you were in it with me.”

Texting in class may be a no-no, but texting about a class after class is more than just acceptable: it’s genius. Chatting him up on the subject of your coursework kills two birds with one stone by firstly, giving him hints about your interests and academics, and secondly, making it crystal clear that you want to spend more time with him. Even better, you’re letting him know that you’re thinking about him when he isn’t around. If you haven’t talked about your classes at all before and feel like you’d be coming out of left field with this one-liner, however, just modify the text to fit a more universal activity like seeing a movie, going to a party, or studying in the library (e.g., “Studying in the library would be so much less boring if you were here, too”).

“Are you up for a library date?”

While we’re on the subject of libraries, we can’t help but take a moment to sing its praises: there is no place quite like the library, a comfy retreat where campus cuties and collegiettes can come together to make small-talk and catch each other’s eyes sans awkward first date jitters. Asking a guy to study with you is innocent enough that you won’t come off like a stage-5 clinger, but by using the word “date” – key word! – you casually hint that you’re interested in more than just his superb note-taking abilities.

A photo of an event flyer + “Any chance you’re into [insert event here]?”

You see them every day: those flyers plastered around campus telling you to join this club, attend that lecture series, dance at this concert, take a seat at that open mic night, etc., etc. Chances are you don’t follow up on half of them, and that’s okay – you’re a busy collegiette! But open events like these are the perfect way to cozy up to your crush. A photo of the flyer is eye-catching and infinitely more exciting than a text that only explains the event. Plus, he’ll know you went out of your way to make an effort and invite him to something you knew might interest him!

“I had an awesome time with you when we hung out. Let’s repeat that, please!”

Translation: “I can’t stop thinking about you and have no intention of stopping anytime soon, so let’s hang out.” Whether you chatted outside of the classroom, grabbed a coffee together, or engaged in the DFMO to end all DFMOs, you’re making it clear that you’re hungry for more without coming across as a creeper. By saying, “Let us” instead of, “Do you want to?” you eliminate the awkwardness of the follow-up text. Now the two of you are an “us” without ever having to have “the talk.” Works like magic.

“So tell me honestly: do you wake up with your hair looking that perfect or do you have some kind of secret? My lips are sealed.”

This text can be manipulated to fit the cutie in question. Variations include, “Are your arms naturally that nice or do you work out?” or “Are you naturally this witty or are you holding the improv troupe hostage?” Like us, guys love a little ego-stroking every once in a while. Compliment him on something he’s proud of, tease him a bit... hook, line, and sinker.

“I started to text you about grabbing a coffee this morning, but I got distracted. Rain check?”

If you’re fresh out of inspiration and have nothing else to say, turn to this last resort. The text is essentially fool-proof, and the genius lies in the fact that you’ve successfully made it seem like grabbing coffee together was really his idea (and that you were too busy living your fabulous life to attend). The question of actually going out for said coffee is already decided; now it’s just a question of when.

A blank text

Have something to say? Sometimes silence is the best policy (and a little mystery never hurt anyone). If you’re too nervous to start up a conversation all by yourself, “accidentally” send him a blank text. Chances are, he’ll eventually text you back asking if you had meant to say something, and when that moment comes, surprise him with, “Oops, accident! How are things going with you, though?” He may or may not see through your “innocent” act, but even if he guesses that you did it on purpose, he’ll be flattered by the fact that you wanted to talk to him. Then all that’s left for you to do is chat!

As Victor Hugo once wrote, “The first symptom of true love in a young man is timidity; in a girl it is boldness.” Be bold. Drop some heavy hints. Then drop some heavier hints. The texting world is no place for timidity anyway, so tailor a flirty text to fit your crush and press send!

It's the online dating craze that's been taking college campuses by storm. Tinder has a way of weaseling into our personal lives and becoming the main reason we check our phones every five minutes. If you were one of the many girls who downloaded this app "for fun" only to become totally obsessed, then your Tinder experience probably went something like this.

Stage 1: Denial

Your friend’s been raving about Tinder and all the cute people she’s met through it, so she pushes you to get it as well. But you aren’t interested in “online dating” right now (it sounds so adult!), so you brush it off—it’s so not you.

Because you're perfectly fine with your love life, and you don't need assistance from a trendy app.

Stage 2: Intrigue

But through bribery or phone-stealing, you end up with Tinder installed on your phone, and you're a little curious as to what kinds of people you’ll find.

So you start swiping through a bunch of potentials, but mostly, it’s like:

And after passing dozens of people and liking only one or two passable bachelors, you're like,

Stage 3: Boredom

It turns out there are a lot of selfie-taking hipsters, flexing meatheads and frat-tastic bros who are into the online dating scene.

And you feel like you’ve seen them all, so you tell your friend that you don’t get the hype behind Tinder...

...and that it was nothing like she promised.

Stage 4: Excitement

But then you get your first match and you're like, “Wait, someone thinks I’m pretty?”

Is this really how easy (and ego-boosting) online dating is?

Because you could definitely get used to this.

Stage 5: Awkwardness

But, wait! The hard part isn't over yet. Now, you or one of your matched partners has to initiate a conversation...

...so do you wait it out and play hard to get, or make the first move?

You ask another Tinder veteran for advice and she tells you to be the instigator, so you go out on a limb, send the first message and hope for the best.

Stage 6: Mastery

And it’s a success! You maintain a witty and flirtatious convo and eventually even go on a few dates. Dang, it turns out you are pretty good at this Tinder business.

Soon you're striking up convos left and right and juggling a ton of new cuties (and you're kind of loving it!).

Stage 7: Addiction

And the vicious cycle of Tinder officially begins: the more you browse, the more matches you get, and the more matches you get, the more it makes you want to browse.

The heart button is basically a happiness button, as far as you’re concerned.

Because each new match feels like a million dollars (especially when they send the first message).

Stage 8: Desperation

But after a long Tinder spree that leaves your finger numb, you exhaust your resources and get the dreaded “Finding people near you…” message, and you're like:

So you adjust your settings to extend your distance restriction and broaden your age range. Who can really put a number on love, anyway?

And when you're down to slim pickings, maybe you even lower your standards for who gets a “heart.”

Because you missed how it was when you first used Tinder and how it felt to be wanted by someone.

Stage 9: Sadness

But when the honeymoon phase of Tinder dies down and you realize there really aren’t that many fish in the sea, you can’t help but feel bummed out.

Who knew life after Tinder could feel so... lonely?

So you mope around a little (or lot) and wonder how you became so invested in that little fire icon on your phone.

Stage 10: Clarity

After some time to clear your mind, you realize that you need to cut back a little on online dating.

You manage to find a happy dosage of Tinder that's somewhere between being a hustler and a hermit.

You check your matches now and then, but otherwise, your life is the same as it was before downloading the app. 

The euphoria and daily compliments were great while they lasted, but now you're fine with enjoying occasional love and Tinder-ness and the sweet memories of your first online matches.

Why is it that in 2014, there are still so few women in leadership positions? The experts at Take the Lead are looking to change that!

Take the Lead was created by Amy Litzenberger and Gloria Feldt, two ambitious women who wanted to figure out why there just aren’t enough women in leadership roles. Their goal is to prepare, develop, inspire and propel women to bridge the gap and claim their equal share of leadership positions in the community and the workplace by 2025. Pretty motivational, right? We think so too!

Tonight at 8 p.m. EST, the women behind this inspirational movement will be launching an event that features some of the most dynamic female speakers and thought leaders in the world today–and we’re streaming it here on Her Campus! The Take the Lead Challenge Launch Event speakers include Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook; Carla Harris, who was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council; the founders of Take the Lead; and more!

The event will also include a panel on the impact of media on women’s leadership with some of today’s top female journalists, as well as a surprise, career-changing giveaway for collegiettes who participate! This event is an amazing opportunity to connect and network with other young women who want to take charge, pursue their ambitions and maybe even change the world.

To get involved with this can’t-miss event, be sure to click back to this article at 8 p.m. EST. You can also participate in the conversation during the event by using the hashtag #TakeLeadLaunch.

Get ready to be inspired!  See you tonight!

Flirty boys, tanned skin, no responsibilities, a chance to finally sit back and relax: spring break is exactly what you’ve been waiting for after a strenuous semester! With spring break right around the corner, you’re probably anxious to leave your schoolwork behind for a little bit of fun in the sun, and, more importantly, an unrestricted sleep schedule. You’re probably also anxious to leave behind the myriad of guys at your school who just really aren’t doing anything for you anymore.

You’re most likely at the point in the semester where meeting some new dudes would do you some good, and spring break may be the perfect time to search for some worthy prospects. The only problem is, you may not know where to look or how to approach them!

Have no fear, because Her Campus is here to help! Whether you’re taking an exotic trip with your best friends or you’re simply venturing back home for the week, here’s how you can make a spring break fling happen for you.

If You’re Going Home

If you’re going home for spring break this year, your romantic prospects may be looking a little bleak. Unless you want to hook up with an ex or have a casual fling with the guy who sat behind you in math for three years in high school, it probably seems that you’ll have to spend your spring break flying solo.

But this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. There are probably tons of cute guys from your hometown who’ll be home for spring break – you’ve just never met them!

Where to Look

Going home for spring break has the potential for a casual fling, or even just some new male friendships, as long as you make the effort. While it may be tempting to spend your entire break raiding your fully stocked fridge, if you really put yourself out there and try something new, the potential for meeting some cute guys skyrockets.

If you’re super athletic but haven’t seen any worthy guys at your local gym, use spring break to try some new activities. See if there’s a fun exercise class or race happening nearby or even give rock climbing a try.

“I’d always wanted to do a mud run, so when I heard there was one in my hometown over spring break last year, I immediately signed up,” says Caitlin, a sophomore at Gonzaga University. “There were a ton of hot guys there, and I even kept pace with this one really cute guy named Matt the whole time. We started talking a little bit before the race started, and he was really easy to talk to. I definitely had to run a little faster to keep up with him, but it was worth it because he gave me his number once we were done!”

If athletics aren’t really your thing, then there are plenty of other places you can go to meet some at-home hotties. Take a trip to your local community pool with your friends or hit up the beach if you happen to live within driving distance. Just because you’re not in an exotic location doesn’t mean that you can’t have a little fun!

There are bound to be other people from your high school who are home for break as well, and there may even be a party or two to go to. If you have a mini high school reunion with all your friends who are home for break, there’s a good chance that they’ll bring some of their new college friends with them.

“Last spring break I went to a party with a bunch of my old friends from high school and one of my best guy friends brought his roommate home with him,” says Natalie, a sophomore at the University of Oregon. “I had seen Facebook pictures of him before and I thought he was super cute. I really wanted to talk to him, so I pulled my friend aside and asked if he’d casually introduce us. We ended up talking for a good majority of the party!”

How to Approach Him

Spring break is way too short to wait for the guy to approach you, so don’t be afraid to make the first move! Ask your friend to introduce you to her good-looking friend from college, or single out a cute guy and ask him to spot you while you climb the rock wall at your gym. You never know what kind of cute boys will be waiting for you when you decide to try something new!

It’s not a bad idea to figure out which of your friends are going to be home for the break. It’s an even better idea to find out which ones are bringing home cute friends with them. Your friends will definitely be your best assets when it comes to making a spring break fling happen, so don’t hesitate to ask them! If you let a friend know you might be interested in her cute friend, she’ll definitely pass along the message.

The best part about an at-home spring break fling is that if you two really hit it off, there’s a good chance you can turn your fling into the real thing once you go back home for the summer!

 If You’re Going on a Trip

So you and your best girlfriends decided to take the plunge and hit up one of the popular spring break destinations for some weeklong fun. When you pick a well-known spring break location, there’s bound to be tons of guys who are looking to have a good time, so finding a cute guy to flirt with should be a piece of cake!

Where to Look

The beach is one of the best places to search if your spring break destination happens to be warm and tropical; there will definitely be tons of guys to talk to! Whether you’re tanning during the day, going to a bonfire at night or taking a long stroll through the sand, there will always be something going on and plenty of new people to socialize with.

“I went on a trip to Cancun with all my friends last spring break, and there were a ton of people partying on the beach at all times,” says Hannah, a junior at University of Washington. “We would all wake up, immediately throw on our bathing suits, head down to the beach and usually stay there all day. That was definitely the place where everyone wanted to be. It was really fun!”

If you need a break from the beach, you can also look for local events happening in your area, like concerts or carnivals that you can attend. With all your girlfriends in tow, you’re bound to find a group of cute guys who would be willing to tag along to an outdoor concert or accompany you on a fun day trip to a local tourist attraction. TripSmarter.Com is a great place to search for spring break concerts and activities as well as good restaurants and local hot spots!

Be on the lookout for attractive guys who are staying in your hotel as well. The place you’re staying at will probably be swarming with college kids who are all looking to have a good time, just like you. If you meet a totally attractive guy in the elevator on the way down to the lobby, don’t be afraid to ask him if he knows of anything cool going on later that night. He may have the inside scoop on which club is having the best dance party that night, and he might even invite you and your friends to accompany him and his friends!

Maybe warm beaches aren’t really your scene, so you’re heading to a prime ski destination, like Vail or Salt Lake City, for your weeklong break. Sunscreen and beach volleyball won’t exactly work in this location when trying to get the attention of a good-looking dude, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend your break skiing the slopes solo. Whether it’s a group of college snowboarders or a hot ski instructor you talk to, there’s plenty of potential for some flirty fun.

If you’re hitting the slopes, you may be able to find a cute guy to help you navigate the bunny hill or give you a hand when you totally eat it on your snowboard.

How to Approach Him

While the atmosphere will most likely be incredibly social, you may still need an excuse to approach a guy. Ask him to join your beach volleyball game or see if he can put some sunscreen on that one spot on your back that you can never seem to reach. When you’re on a spring break trip, you don’t even really need a legitimate excuse to approach a guy, but it’s always nice to have one just in case!

“There were a ton of college students there [Cancun],” Hannah says. “It was pretty easy to meet guys. Everyone was very social and just looking to have a good time, so you really didn’t need an excuse to approach anyone. The guys were just looking to hook up and the girls were just looking to flirt. Everyone knows the drill, so there’s really no awkward introductions.”

If you’re somewhere where the weather is a little more on the chilly side, then you and your friends can invite a group of guys to take a late-night dip in the hotel’s hot tub with you, or scope out which ski instructor is the cutest and sign up for a lesson! Don’t be afraid to be a little flirtier than normal, because once the week is over you’ll probably never see these guys again!

“I go skiing and snowboarding at Schweitzer [in Idaho] all the time with my friends, and there’s always a ton of hot snowboarders there,” says Katie, a sophomore at Gonzaga University. “Last time I went, there was this guy who was doing some really cool moves that I hadn’t learned yet, so I just went up and asked him if he’d teach them to me. He was more than happy to show me because I think it just gave him an excuse to show off. We had a lot to talk about, though, because we both love to snowboard so much!”

If your skiing/snowboarding technique isn’t quite Winter Olympics status, don’t let that deter you from striking up a conversation with a Shaun White wannabe. Maybe he won’t be able to teach you any insane snowboarding tricks, but you can always ask him to help you with the essentials, like how to stop or how to move five feet without face-planting in the snow.

Whether you’re at home or at an exotic location this spring break, there’s a ton of potential to meet some total hotties. Time to put yourself out there and perfect those flirting skills – make this spring break one that you’ll never forget! 

A Duke University freshman admitted to The Duke Chronicle that she has been acting in adult films in order to help pay for school. 

After a fellow student, Thomas Bagley, recognized "Lauren" in a pornographic film, her secret was quickly exposed. As a result, Lauren agreed to be interviewed by the Chronicle about her experiences in the adult film industry. In the interview, Lauren disclosed that she has been traveling to Los Angeles during breaks to shoot the films, and that she feels more comfortable in the porn community than at Duke.

"I have always been a very sexual person, and I’m also bisexual, but I haven’t ever felt really welcome,” she told the Chronicle. “But when I’m in Pornland, I feel at home. This is where I’m meant to be, with these people who love sex and are comfortable about it.”

The porn star went on to discuss her views on Duke's culture regarding women and sexuality. "I feel like girls at Duke have to hide their sexuality. We’re caught in this virgin-whore dichotomy," said Lauren. "I think that being a sexual woman at Duke is extremely difficult."

Lauren did not allow the paper to publish her real name or her stage name, which she instead refers to as "Aurora." Soon after her secret was exposed, Aurora began receiving messages shaming her or asking for sex, according to Jezebel. However, Lauren told the Chronicle that she doesn't feel like her work is degrading, and that in fact her alter ego makes her feel liberated and empowered. 

“For people to tell me that doing porn and having sex, which I love, is more degrading than being a waitress and being somebody’s servant and picking up after somebody and being treated like a lesser, second-class citizen, that literally makes no sense, said Lauren. "To be perfectly honest, I felt more degraded in a minimum wage, blue-collar, low paying, service job than I ever did doing porn.”

Since the article was published, the women's studies and sociology major has done at least two interviews and has been invited to speak in Duke classes about her work in the porn industry.

The Beauty School Blog talks a lot about exciting new innovations in beauty, but sometimes it’s important to go back to basic topics, such as eyebrows.

Eyebrow trends, maintenance and importance have been hot topics for the past couple years. Everyone wants to know how to make their brows look fabulous and flawless, striving to find that perfect balance between too thin and too thick. Since eyebrows frame your face and set the stage for how the rest of your makeup will look, make sure you maintain them properly.

NYFW Runway Trend: Bold Brows and Berry Lips

As seen on the runways of the most recent NYFW, pairing bold brows with berry lips has been huge. This look was seen on Rebecca Minkoff, Nanette Lepore and Naeem Khan models, just to name a few.

The bold combination of the two makes the top-notch fashion being showcased that much more eye-catching. If your brows are looking sharp and your lipstick is bold, then there’s no need for an extra makeup besides foundation, since your brows and lips will take center stage.

Celebrity Trend: No More Skinny Brows

In the 1920s and 1930s, eyebrows were very thin. The women of the 1920s kept them straight in addition to thin, while women in the 1930s added a sharp arch that only seemed to harden their look.

Infamous celebrity eyebrows like those belonging to Lily Collins and Cara Delevingne have shown us that the newest trend in eyebrows is simply maintenance. No longer do we need to worry about having tadpole brows that matched those of the models and girls in the magazines.

Personally, I’m very thankful for this new brow trend. When I was a freshman in high school, I trimmed and plucked my thick Portuguese eyebrows to a disgustingly thin and extremely skinny line that made my face look completely out of proportion. Please don't judge this picture too harshly!

Now, many years later as a sophomore in college, I’m happy to simply maintain what I have, since that’s beautiful too.

Not everyone has naturally thick brows, and trends keep changing constantly, so just make sure that you’re doing what works best for your face. Simple brow maintenance is what will make your eyebrows uniquely beautiful.

Brow Maintenance – Finding Out What Works For You:

Maintaining your gorgeous brows only requires a few simple steps. SheKnows.com has some great tips for eyebrow maintenance to keep your brows looking bold and beautiful.

The first step to brow maintenance is choosing a grooming method. Your options include plucking, threading and waxing. Note that shaving your brows and using a depilatory are not options; both are dangerous and can lead to long-lasting consequences.

Plucking: This takes some practice and a proper pair of tweezers, but it’s the cheapest of the three methods. If you choose to pluck, avoid over plucking by only getting the stray hairs under your natural arch. Plucking does require the most time commitment, as you’ll need to be checking up on your brows one to two times per week, depending on how quickly your hair grows back.

Threading: This process uses a thin cotton thread to remove multiple hairs at once. It tends to be the most painful of the methods, but it is the most precise.

Waxing: One of the most common forms of hair removal, waxing is quick and easy. Just like threading, it can irritate the skin around your eyes if your skin is sensitive, so be sure to take proper precautions.

After you’ve figured out which grooming method will work best for your habits, budget and pain tolerance, the next step is to determine your face shape. From there, you’ll be able to figure out an eyebrow look that works best for you.

For Square-Shaped Faces: To soften your bold jawline, shape your brows accordingly. The more defined your jawline, the more angular your brows should be.

For Oval-Shaped Faces: To complement your face, shape your brows using a soft arch to maintain the natural shape of your face.

For Heart-Shaped Faces: To help soften the point of your chin, create a low arch with your brows. This will add more length to your forehead and can balance your other facial features.

For Round-Shaped Faces: To lengthen your face and enhance your natural features, create a more defined arch with your brows.

Finally, fill in your brows accordingly. I spoke with my friend Aubrey for some more assistance on this, as she’s basically the brow goddess of our college. Her brows are always on point. Her boyfriend Andrew did a great job capturing this photo of her bold brows, beautiful blue eyes, and cute smile.

To fill in her eyebrows, Aubrey’s routine is fairly simple.

“I just use any dark brown eyeliner pencil and outline the shape I want. Then, I go back and fill it in, trying to concentrate the color more on the arch and outside. Then, I take a typical spooled brush and go over them to blend the color” she said.

The choice of color that Aubrey chooses matches her hair color precisely, which is critical, otherwise it can look unnatural. If you have darker hair, choose a pencil or powder that is similar in color to or slightly lighter than your hair. If you hair is blonde or another light shade, choose a pencil or powder that is darker.

Following these simple steps will keep your brows looking neat, clean and gorgeous — good luck!

There’s a reason collegiettes gain the infamous Freshman 15. Whether it’s the stress of classes, the busyness of trying to balance a full course load and a social life, or the seemingly unavoidable late-night snack temptations, there are so many aspects of college life that can lead us to develop some pretty poor eating habits. And here’s the kicker:  once we’ve started, it’s not so easy to stop, especially when our schedules are as busy as ever. We talked to collegiettes to find out what bad eating habits you’ve picked up and got some expert advice from Vancouver-based nutritionist Elizabeth Campbell on how toturn these habits into healthier ones.

Bad Habit #1: Developing a dependence on coffee

Many of us feel like we need coffee in order to keep us alert for our early morning classes. If you’re relying on the caffeine in your coffee to get you through the day, you’re not the only one.

Phyu-Sin Than, a junior at Mount Holyoke College, who recently bought a coffee maker for her room, also has a self-described dependence on coffee. “I've picked up drinking coffee a lot, which suppresses hunger, and that's not healthy. I'd be too busy to sit down and have a proper meal, so I usually end up snacking and having coffee a lot of the times.”

According to the FDA, having one to two 5 oz. cups of coffee isn’t very harmful (although some people are more sensitive to the effects than others), but if you’re having four to seven cups of coffee a day, you’re consuming too much caffeine.

Instead of reaching for caffeinated drinks, Campbell suggests starting your day with an antioxidant- and vitamin-filled green smoothie — made up of raw fruit and vegetables of your choosing. You’ll get energy from the natural sugars, in addition to fiber. “[Fiber’s] going to slow down the release of sugar into your bloodstream and keep you more at an even keel so that there isn’t any spiking or crashing in your blood sugar — which is something that coffee would do.”

Also make sure you’re well-hydrated throughout the day, especially in the morning. Campbell suggests starting the day with a bit of lemon or lime juice in your water to help cleanse your liver. “When we’re sleeping at night our liver is still cleansing all of our blood. A lot of times when we wake up in the morning and we’re still feeling a little bit groggy or tired, it just means that our liver hasn’t fully processed all the toxins out of our system.”

Check out this article if you want more advice on how to get energy without caffeine.

Bad Habit #2: Skipping breakfast or other meals

For many of us, sleeping in sounds like a better option than getting up a few minutes earlier to have a proper breakfast.

“I'm, unfortunately, still on a dining plan, so it's hard to get to breakfast when it closes at 11am and I have class at 10 am. I just can't wake up early enough to get there,” says Sonali Patel, a senior at Boston University. “More often than not I wake up late and then rush to class without any sustenance.”

Now Sonali is making an effort to eat breakfast, starting with changing her schedule. “This year I scheduled a gym class from 9 to 10 am, so I have no excuse for not being awake for breakfast. Now I just head over to the D-hall [dining hall] after my weight training and have a bowl of oatmeal or some eggs or some whole wheat pancakes and it is AMAZING. Breakfast is the best meal ever; why is it so easy to skip it?”

Campbell recommends having some fresh food available that you can take with you on the go, such as nuts and seeds, fresh fruit or a healthy granola bar.

She shared a quick and easy way to put together a healthy breakfast granola cereal:

1. Put chia seeds in a bowl (about 2 tablespoons) — “The benefit of something like chia is when you add liquid to it, it expands but it also has all of your Omega-3s, which is good for grain stimulation and health,” says Campbell.
2. Add some nuts and seeds — “[They] have your protein so that’s going to sustain you a little bit longer.”
3. Add slices of dried or fresh fruit — “Having your dry fruit or fresh fruit in there is going to give you a lot of your vitamins and minerals.”
4. Add milk (about ½ cup)

If you’re always rushing out the door in the morning, you can also prepare it at night and save it in a thermos in the fridge to grab in the morning.

Bad Habit #3: Too much alcohol, too many empty calories

Most of us indulge in more than a few drinks every now and then. While it’s easy to knock back a couple of beers or mixed drinks at a party, it’s also easy to forget how many calories we’re consuming with each drink. Alcoholic drinks also lack nutritional value and some are filled with ridiculous amounts of sugar.

According to the NIH [National Institutes of Health], a 12 oz. glass of beer is about 149 calories, but what you really have to look out for are cocktails, which can range from 122 to 460 calories per drink.

“The clearer the alcohol, usually the cleaner it’s going to burn in your body,” says Campbell. For a better alcoholic beverage alternative, try sticking to vodka or gin and mixing it with sparkling water. Other low-calorie chasers you can bring to parties are flavored seltzer, VitaminWater Zero, or diet sodas.

She also proposes drinking water in between alcoholic drinks so that you’re countering the dehydration that alcohol will cause.

If you find that you tend to excessively consume alcohol, try setting up goals for yourself, such as limiting the number of drinking days a week, setting a limited number of drinks you’ll have during a party, or exercising on days you plan to be drinking.

Bad Habit #4: Devouring comfort food while drunk or hungover

Not only are alcoholic drinks full of empty calories, they also cause us to crave salty and fatty foods. After a night of drinking, pizza and cheeseburgers start to sound really good.

“Drunk eating was one of my most terrible habits,” says Sonali. “Now I just go straight to bed when I come home, so if one of my friends texts me to get food, I don't want to leave my bed.” She also keeps healthier alternatives (such as rice cakes, granola bars, veggies and hummus) in her room, just in case she gets any cravings.

To avoid drunk eating in the first place, have a solid meal before you leave in order to prevent cravings later on. “A little bit of fat is really nice when you’re drinking because it helps to slow down the release of alcohol in your bloodstream,” says Campbell. To satisfy your cravings for fat, go for healthier choices like cheese, bread with olive oil, or avocado.

When you’re hungover the next morning, the dehydration from the alcohol causes your body to lose electrolytes like potassium and sodium and results in cravings for bad hangover foods, Campbell says. She recommends replacing lost electrolytes by drinking coconut water before going to sleep, then drinking it again in the morning, along with lemon juice in water.

Bad Habit #5: Having meal replacement shakes or snacks in place of proper meals

We’re hopping from class to class, getting involved in extracurricular activities and trying to keep up some sort of a social life among other things. Sometimes we barely have time to eat, but we need the energy in order to keep up with the busyness of collegiette life.

“Well my eating habits have gone to the sh*tter,” says Miranda Gathercole, a recent graduate of Kwantlen Polytechnic University. “I skip meals [and] have resorted to meal replacement shakes when I’m busy.”

Sonali from Boston University also has trouble eating regular meals and sometimes lives off of cereal and granola bars when the line up at the dining hall is too long. “Sometimes, I don't eat anything substantial until dinner; no breakfast, some yogurt and a granola bar for lunch in between classes and then I have my first actual meal at dinner. It's ridiculous, terrible [and] troublesome, and I'm definitely trying to fix it.”

Having snacks instead of proper meals can also be a problem because the type of snacks we reach for to get energy are usually high in fat or carbohydrates.

“I started snacking all of the time instead of eating full meals, as I was really busy and they seemed so much more expensive to me,” says Abigail Colby, a recent graduate of Salisbury University. “However, this often results in carb overloading and a lot of eating at night. Recently I started making myself a filling breakfast of oatmeal or egg whites to try to get the day off to a strong, and cheap, start.”

 If you need to bring snacks to munch on throughout the day, be sure to prepack snacks that contain fiber (fruits and vegetables, whole grains), protein (greek yogurt) and healthy fats (nuts).

Bad Habit #6: Eating in the name of being social

Food is central to many social events. We meet our friends for lunch, have dinner dates and attend club meetings just for the food (and networking, of course). This eventually becomes a problem because we start to eat even when we aren’t hungry and a lot of the time, the food at social events isn’t the healthiest.

“Social eating is definitely a problem in a sorority house because you want to eat with all your friends and they all get out of class at different times,” says Alexis Benveniste, a junior at Indiana University. “Sometimes it's just whatever is for dinner but other times it's late at night when everyone is snacking but you're not even that hungry.”

A problem with social eating is that we don’t pay attention to how much we’re eating. Be conscious of what you’re putting in your mouth. Paying attention to calories might just stop you from overindulging.

Also, try telling your friends about your intentions to eat less or healthier while hanging out. That way, they can help hold you accountable and will understand if you choose not to be around tempting, unhealthy foods.

Just because you picked up some of these habits in college, doesn’t mean you’ll automatically kick them once you’re out. So, make a conscious effort now, rather than later, to replace these bad eating habits with good eating habits. It may be easier said than done, but it’ll definitely pay off! 

As a high school student, it’s hard to know what colleges are looking for in their applicants. Officer positions in clubs and good grades in advanced-level classes are always a nice place to start, but it’s the students who go the extra mile (literally!) who tend to catch the eyes of admission officers.

Summer vacation can be a great time to get ahead, especially if you decide to attend an academic program. Whether you’re a business buff or a journalism junkie, there’s a summer program that can help you learn more about your future career field and develop connections for the future. It’s never too early to start racking up experiences for your resume, and summer programs are also an effective way for any high school student to get a taste of college living!

The programs listed below are held at universities in the top of their field. Check out some of the leading ranked programs in the country, broken up by area of interest!

Business

1.Leadership in the Business World 

This program is held at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the top business schools in the nation. Here, rising high school seniors spend four weeks in intensive classes revolving around leadership in business.

Application deadline: Feb. 21, 2014

Program dates:  July 6 – Aug. 2, 2014

Cost: $6,595 (covers tuition, housing, most meals, activities and weekend trips)

To apply: Submit your high school transcript, school profile (you can get this from your school office or guidance counselor), two letters of recommendation from teachers, a short essay, an application fee of $75 and the application on the program website.

2.Young Women’s Institute 

This two-week program is held at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington and is exclusively for women who are currently juniors in high school (2013-14 school year). It offers a look into college life while enforcing a passion for business and is located at a renowned undergraduate business school.

Application deadline: April 15, 2014

Program dates: June 8-13 or June 22-27, 2014

Cost: Participants only need to cover transportation to and from Bloomington and personal expenses.

To apply: Send your high school transcript and one letter of recommendation and fill out the application on the program website.

Journalism/Writing

3. Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute 

Also known as Medill cherubs, this intensive, five-week program is held at Northwestern University in Illinois for rising high school seniors interested in all areas of journalism.

Amanda Ritter, a freshman at Northwestern University, says attending this program gave her invaluable skills. “The professors and instructors taught me how to write better, conduct interviews and utilize social media in a professional way,” she says. “We were fully immersed in the journalistic experience.”

Application deadline: March 26, 2014

Program dates: June 29 – Aug. 1, 2014

Cost: $5,200, which covers tuition, room and board, health service, field trips and group events.

To apply: Submit your high school transcript, one letter of recommendation and work samples and fill out the application on the program website. 

4. Syracuse University Summer College: Creative Writing – Fiction & Poetry Program

The two-week program is held at Syracuse University in New York. It provides students with the essentials to write poetry and fiction at one of the top creative writing programs in the country. During the program, students will build a portfolio of their work and listen to guest lecturers.

Application deadline: May 15, 2014

Program dates: July 27 – Aug. 8, 2014

Cost: Residential: $2,418, Commuter: $1,610

To apply: Submit your high school transcript and most recent report card and complete the application on the program website.

Theater

5. The Pre-College Drama Program at Carnegie Mellon University 

This six-week program aims to prepare students for college auditions. It is held at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania for students between the ages of 16 and 18 who have completed their sophomore year of high school. Student Carly Valancy attended this program and says it made her realize she wants to be at a school with a conservatory-style program.

Her most memorable moment also helped her grow as a performer. “I was in the middle of a voice lesson and my voice cracked,” she says. “I was embarrassed at first, but my teacher smiled and asked me to sing the note again. I had a breakthrough, and ever since then I've been really singing correctly. Carnegie Mellon is the reason I am even going to school for theatre.”

Application deadline: Rolling

Program dates: June 28 – Aug. 9, 2014

Cost: Resident: $7,402
(covers tuition, housing, dining and activities fee),

Commuter: ($5,141
covers tuition, housing and activities fee)

To apply: Apply here. You will need to submit your high school transcript, your standardized test scores, an activities resume, an essay, a drama resume, a recommendation from your guidance counselor or two teachers and the Pre-College Cover Letter.

Fashion

6. Parsons Summer Intensive Studies: New York

This four-week-long program is held at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City and is for students who are 16 to 18 years old. Students take rigorous classes and take part in special events such as guest lectures and activities designed to prepare them for a career in the fashion industry.

Application deadline: Rolling

Program dates: May 27-June 30, 2014 or June 30-July 25, 2014 

Cost: $3,364

To apply: Visit the program website and check out the classes offered.

Engineering and Science

7. Engineering Innovation at Johns Hopkins University

This four-week program is held in Maryland and is designed to help students develop skills to think like an engineer. In order to apply, students need to have completed Algebra II and Trigonometry classes and a lab science (physics, chemistry, biology) and be able to work a spreadsheet application, such as Excel.

Application deadline: March 1, 2014

Program dates: June 30 – July 25, 2014

To apply: Fill out the application on the program website.

Law

8. Freedom and Justice in the Western Tradition at Cornell University

This three-week program is held at Cornell University in New York and offers opportunities for college credit. With a focus in pre-law, it is open to high school sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Annie Leiman, a freshman at Cornell University, attended this program the summer before her junior year of high school. “My favorite experience was getting lunch with my professor with my classmates and getting to know a real, esteemed Cornell professor,” she says. “As a current Cornell student, I definitely felt more prepared coming here because of the program!”

Application deadline: May 2, 2014

Program dates: June 21-July 12, 2014

Cost: $6,020

To apply: Submit your high school transcript, current grade report, test scores, a letter of recommendation and the application on the program website.

9. American Law and Litigation at the University of Chicago 

Students who will be sophomores, juniors or seniors during the 2014-15 academic year are able to take a law course for three weeks at the University of Chicago. Attendees get the opportunity to see how the law system works by reading real cases and preparing for court. This program allows students to practice oral advocacy and includes a trip to the federal court in Chicago.

Application deadline: Session I: April 15, 2014, Session II: May 1, 2014

Program Dates: Session I: June 23-July 11, 2014, Session II: July 14-August 1, 2014

Cost:

• Tuition: $3,440
• Room and board (if in residence): $1,707
• Residential program fee (if in residence): $290
• Student life fee (required for all students): an estimated $335
• Student health insurance (optional): an estimated $1,007

To apply: On the website, add the program to your shopping cart and begin the application.

General Studies

10. PreCollege Summer Program at Pratt Institute

This four-week program is held at Pratt Institute in New York and allows students to study art, design, architecture or creative writing. High school students who are 16 to 18 years old and have completed their sophomore year of high school take three classes and one course of their choice for college credit. Students are able to enhance their portfolios, listen to guest lecturers in the field and attend social and cultural events. All levels of experience are welcome.

Application deadline: April 1, 2014

Program dates: July 7–Aug. 1, 2014

Cost: $3,298 plus fees: $866 for housing,
$740 for a meal plan, $112 for local transportation fee (30-day MetroCard for Brooklyn residential students only), $175 optional board (lunch) only for commuters

To apply: Submit a letter of recommendation, a letter of intent detailing why you want to attend the program, and a completed application form (found on the program website).

11. National Student Leadership Conference

The National Student Leadership Conference offers a range of topics for students to study, from sports and entertainment management to forensic science. The locations and lengths of the programs vary by subject, and all high school students are able to apply. These programs are held for motivated, dedicated and ambitious students who want to develop leadership skills, experience life on a college campus and explore future career options.

Application deadline: Rolling

Program dates:Vary by program

Cost: Varies by program

To apply: Fill out the application on the program website.

12. Brown University Pre-College Programs

Each summer, Brown University offers almost 200 courses for students who have completed their freshman year of high school. Students can take multiple courses, getting the feel of receiving an Ivy League education without the pressure of grades. From African studies to medicine, the program offers a variety of subjects so that students can see what interests them.

Lauren Timlin, a freshman at the University of Florida, studied critical writing through this program. “I met people from all over the world, like Colombia and Hong Kong, and learned about their cultures,” she says. “I also learned expressive writing skills from excellent professors and got to learn in an Ivy League environment.”

Application deadline: Rolling

Program dates: Multiple sessions between the dates of June 16 and Aug. 8, 2014

Cost: Varies depending on course length

To apply: Submit your high school transcript, an essay and the application found on the program website.

Every penny is precious for the average college student, but spring break has a way of making you throw your good spending habits out the window. But you don’t have to sacrifice all of your savings for a stellar spring break vacay, collegiettes! Try these tips to have a blast this year but still have money left when you return.

1. Stay with people you know

Know a friend who lives in New York? Maybe your Aunt Jan has a vacation home in Florida. Call those friends or family members and ask if you can spend a night or two with them. You could save yourself $100 or more per night by not staying in a hotel.

Sophie Dodd, a junior at Middlebury College, says that when she vacations with friends, she tries to crash with buddies along the way as often as possible. “Chances are you’ll have a friend at school in Florida, New York, etc.,” she says. So if you know someone who lives at your spring break destination, give him or her a call and see if you can crash there for a night or two.

2. Take the bus instead of flying

Let’s face it: plane tickets are expensive. If you can, take a bus instead of a plane to your spring break destination. The tickets will cost you a fraction of the price of a plane ticket!

Gabrielle Sorto, a sophomore at Georgia State University, says that she once took a Megabus to New Orleans for vacation and paid only $90 for a round trip, a fourth of what the plane ticket would have cost. “It obviously did take longer,” she says. “But it was worth it with how much I saved.” If you’re traveling with friends, you can always play games and have a great time along the way!

3. Make it a camping road trip

Make the journey to your vacation destination into a road trip adventure! If everyone pitches in for gas, your traveling costs will be astronomically lower. Instead of paying for hotels every night, camp out under the stars. You can rent camping equipment from REI for a pretty decent price. You can also check out Recreation.gov to find government-owned campsites along your route, which are much less expensive to rent than private campsites. You can even save money by finding the least expensive gas stations along the way: check out FuelMyRoute.com. Pump up your favorite jams, pack your camping gear and remember that getting there is half the fun!

4. Do some creative touring

When it comes to vacation, it’s easy to spend your bucks on swimming with the stingrays, but there are so many fun and exciting attractions all over the country that you can try for free! Using the free app RoadTrippers, you can search for tourist attractions and offbeat destinations in your area and even compare their costs. You just enter your starting location and your destination, and RoadTrippers will show you tons of interesting tourist spots along your route. Instead of spending nearly $100 on a theme park ticket or breaking the bank over dinner at an expensive restaurant, you can use this app to find fun activities that are totally inexpensive.

5. Bring your own food

Dining out can drain your wallet fast. Did you know that in 2011, the average US restaurant meal cost $35.65? Think of how much money you could save if you packed lunch or cooked your own dinners!

When going on a trip, pack snacks! And, if you’re 21, bring your own booze (those fancy umbrella drinks aren’t always worth the $12). Stock up on granola bars, microwavable treats, other healthy snacks and supplies for preparing meals at a grocery store near your hotel.

Meghan Gibbons, a senior at Boston College, says that to save money on drinks, she brings a reusable water bottle. “I’ll bring it with me by the pool, on the beach or on an adventurous activity to save me money,” she says.

6. Don’t waste the food you do buy

While it’s great to save money by grocery shopping, chances are you’re going to eat out at some point. You’re on vacation, and you have to treat yourself! So when you do splurge, don’t be wasteful. Does your hotel have a free breakfast? Grab a few extra pieces of fruit or a muffin to snack on later. Take your leftovers from a restaurant lunch with you and eat them for dinner. Most restaurants will give you a to-go box, and most hotels have at least a mini fridge to keep your food from spoiling. Don’t let the money you spend on food go to waste!

7. Get discount tickets at Costco

Do your parents have a Costco membership? With a Costco membership, you can get discounted tickets to Disney World, Universal Orlando and many more theme parks. They also offer discounts for hotels, car rentals and vacation packages. You can go to the Costco Travel website to see what deals you can find before you leave. All you have to do is enter your membership information to purchase discount tickets.

8. Bring coupons with you

Groupon and LivingSocial will most likely have deals for your vacation destination! The sites can offer you group deals on dinners out, water sports or even a spa day.

“We went all-inclusive, which in the long run will be far less expensive,” Alli Smith, a staff writer for Her Campus Sewanee, says of finding a good deal on the sites. All you have to do is enter your vacation location a few weeks before you leave, and the sites will send you coupons in your area as soon as they’re available.

9. Use your student ID

You’d be surprised by how many places offer student discounts, and not just on clothes and food: many attractions and transportation companies will offer student discounts. If you’re not sure if a retailer offers a discount for students, just ask!

10. Rent a bike

So many big cities now let you rent bikes for cheap. Instead of paying for expensive cabs or renting a car when you get to your destination, rent a bike at your location and use that to get around. You can log onto Spinlister to find locations near you where you can rent a bike. All you do is enter your location and the site will show you places near you to rent a bike. Or, to save even more money, just walk!

11. Only bring the amount of money you want to spend

Credit cards can be a dangerous thing. It’s easy to lose track of how much money you’re spending when you’re just swiping a card. To make sure you stay on budget, only bring the cash with you that you want to spend when you go out at night. Or, if you’re uncomfortable carrying cash, you can always purchase a prepaid debit card.

Kailee Baylor, president and editor-in-chief of the University of Tampa Her Campus chapter, says that only bringing the cash with her that she wants to spend always keeps her on track. “By only taking out an amount I’m comfortable spending, it stops the temptation of impulse (and often drunk) buys,” she says.

Figure out what you want to spend each night and only carry that with you. It’s always a smart idea to be prepared for the unexpected, though. For emergencies, Kailee recommends keeping an extra $20 in a secret part of your purse. “That extra $20 can pay for a taxi back to your hotel—a lifesaver when you’re in unfamiliar territory,” she says.

12. Spend the night outside of touristy areas

When traveling to areas that draw a lot of tourists, the hotels and hostels right in the middle of everything are usually the most expensive. Chastity Deforme, a senior at Brandeis University, recommends checking websites like Hostels.com to find inexpensive options just a little further away from the center of everything.

“Sometimes you will find bed-and-breakfast houses that give great discounts to large groups, and the places are really quaint,” she says.

13. Use your phone to keep you on track

Have trouble sticking to a budget? You’re not the only one! Budget apps like BUDGT ($1.99) or Travel Budget Tracker ($1.99) allow you to input the amount of money you have to spend and then track your daily expenses. All you have to do is input your overall budget and then enter in how much you spend every time you make a purchase. You can keep track of exactly how much you’re spending and make sure you’re staying on track.

Having a great spring break doesn’t have to cost you a ton of money. With a little extra planning, you can save a ton of money on your vacation, but still have a whole lot of fun! 

Sick of eating cereal and ramen for lunch and dinner? Want to spend less money eating out and finally start cooking for yourself? Put down that frozen pizza, because HC’s Health Editor, Sammie Levin, is here to share her daily eats so you can get ideas for healthy, satisfying meals that are easy enough for any time-strapped collegiette to make. After you read Collegiette Eats, your taste buds, wallet and waistline will thank you.

Breakfast 

I can't explain why, but for some reason things just taste better when eaten out of a jar. Whether it's cake in a jar, salad in a jar or the no-nonsense approach of dipping your spoon (or finger) into a jar of peanut butter or Nutella and going straight for the lick, there's something about eating these treats from a jar that makes the dining experience even more enjoyable. Maybe because it adds convenience or that Pinterest-y, crafty edge we all strive (usually unsuccessfully) to attain, but regardless of the reason, all I know is that this is a real phenomenon. And oatmeal in a jar is no exception.

I first saw oats in a jar several years ago on the blog Carrots 'N' Cake and have been making it ever since whenever I have a jar of almond butter that is empty enough to use. It's a very simple concept: once your jar of your favorite nut butter is almost empty (maybe one to two tablespoons left), you eat your oats out of it. The magic comes from the fact that the streaks of nut butter on the side of the jar mix in with the oats and you can scrape the sides to get the most out of your jar. This can be done with either hot or cold oats. I prefer hot oats because then the nut butter on the side of the jar really melts into the oats, making it taste super rich and indulgent. If you prefer cold oats, you can prepare overnight oats in the jar and keep them in the fridge overnight (or for a few hours at minimum), and then you'll be able to easily take it on the go in the morning - that's the beauty of the jar! 

So, yesterday morning when I woke up and saw that my jar of almond butter was at its last licks, I made a bowl of my favorite oatmeal (oats, almond milk, banana, cinnamon, honey and ground flaxseed) and transferred it to the jar. I savored every bite while doing some last-minute studying for a midterm. 

Lunch

I only had time for a quick lunch yesterday, so I popped an Amy's Light & Lean frozen meal in the microwave: quinoa and black beans with butternut squash and chard. I added some cooked sweet potato chunks that I had leftover from dinner the other night and drizzled some sriracha on top. It may not look too pretty in the picture since the black beans give it a not-so-glamorous color, but it really hit the spot. My favorite Amy's meal is the brown rice and vegetables bowl, but this one was still good. Some brands of frozen meals don't taste like real food at all (probably because they aren't real food), so it's nice to find a brand you know you can count on to hit the spot so you have something to fall back on for those meals when you're in a rush or feeling too lazy to fuss in the kitchen. 

Dinner 

I've been craving spaghetti squash, so I made some for dinner last night. I mixed the strands of half of a small squash with sautéed asparagus and onions, spinach, garbanzo beans and tomato sauce. Yum, yum, yum. And it didn't just taste good, it smelled good, too; my roommates were all saying how good the kitchen smelled when I was done. If you haven't tried spaghetti squash yet, get to cookin'. HC's Senior Editor, Michelle Lewis, just told me that she made it the other day for the first time and is now obsessed, so if I haven't persuaded you yet, then take her word for it!

One of our favorite events, the ladies short program, took place at the Iceberg Skating Palace on Wednesday. In men’s hockey, teams continued to battle it out during the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, up in the Mountain Cluster, an Olympic record was broken in men’s biathlon. Read on to learn more about what made the headlines on Wednesday! 

Hockey results: Russia loses in quarterfinals

Russia lost to Finland on Wednesday during the men’s hockey quarterfinals. Finland beat Russia 3-1. The Russians were hoping to take the gold for the event but their loss knocks them out of the semifinals. On the other hand, the United States won their match against the Czech Republic. The final score was 5-2. Canada, America’s hockey rival, beat Latvia 2-1. Canada and the United States will compete against each other in the semifinals on Friday. In the 2010 Olympics, the US lost to Canada in the final match. Friday will provide the US with a second chance at winning the gold.

Ladies figure skating short program kicks off

American ice skaters Gracie Gold, Ashley Wagner and Polina Edmunds all finished in the top seven during the ladies figure skating short program on Wednesday. Gold, pictured above, finished in fourth place with a score of 68.63. Wagner, whose face is now the latest Olympic meme, finished with 65.21 points, earning her sixth place. Edmunds took seventh place with a score of 61.04 points. Yuna Kim, a 2010 Olympic champion from South Korea, won the short program with a score of 74.92. Russia’s 15-year-old Julia Lipnitskaia fell during her performance but earned a score of 65.23, putting her in fifth place, just behind Gold. Tomorrow the ladies free skating program takes place and medals will be awarded.

Canada wins gold, USA wins silver and bronze in women’s bobsled

Canada’s Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse won the gold medal during the women’s bobsled event. The women completed four runs in a total of 3 minutes and 50.61 seconds. Team USA’s Elana Meyers and Lauryn Williams followed the Canadians by just 0.10 seconds. Meyers and Williams walked away with silver. Williams competed in the London 2012 Olympics, taking a gold in a relay event. She also won a silver medal at the Athens 2004 Olympics. In addition to taking the silver, the US also took the bronze medal thanks to Jamie Greubel’s and Aja Evans’ quick finish.

US skier wins men’s giant slalom

Ted Ligety, an American skier, took the gold in the men’s giant slalom event. He completed his runs with a grand total time of 2 minutes and 45.29 seconds. Ligety, 29, was an Olympic hopeful from the start. He won a gold in skiing combined at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Ligety’s win in Sochi makes him the second American skier to ever win two gold medals at the Winter Games. The silver and bronze medals were won by Steve Missillier and Alexis Pinturault from Team France. 

Another gold for Czech Republic speed skater

The Czech Republic’s Martina Sablikova took the gold medal in women’s 5,000-meter speed skating. She finished the race in just six minutes and 51.54 seconds. Two Dutch skaters, Ireen Wust and Carien Kleibeuker, took silver and bronze, respectively. With the silver medal in this event, Wust now has won a total of four medals at the Sochi Winter Olympics. She took gold last week in the 3,000-meter women’s speed skating event. Wust also won silver in the 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter events.

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen wins his 13th medal

Who said 13 was an unlucky number? For Norway’s Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, the number 13 is something to celebrate. Bjoerndalen won the gold medal on Wednesday in biathlon mixed relay. The Norwegian skier now has 13 Olympic medals, making him the most medaled Winter Olympics athlete in history. This is Bjoerndalen’s second win in Sochi. He won the men’s sprint biathlon on the second day of the 2014 Games.

Norway takes gold in women’s team sprint

Another gold for Norway! Marit Bjoergen and Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg won the women’s team sprint. Bjoergen took the gold on February 8 when she won the 15-kilometer skiathlon. Oestberg won a silver medal in the individual sprint earlier in the Games. The athletes’ final combined time was 16 minutes and 4.05 seconds. Finland took silver and Sweden took the bronze.

Finland wins gold in men’s cross-country team sprint

In the men’s cross-country team sprint, Finland’s Sami Jauhojarvi and Iivo Niskanen won gold. Their final time was 23 minutes and 14.89 seconds. Russia’s Nikita Kriukov and Maxim Vylegzhanin won silver with a total time of 23 minutes and 15.86 seconds. Sweden earned the bronze in the event thanks to Teodor Peterson and Emil Joensson.

Medal count as of Wednesday night: top five countries

1. USA: seven gold, five silver, 11 bronze = 23 total
2. Russia: six gold, nine silver, seven bronze = 22 total
3. Netherlands: six gold, seven silver, nine bronze = 22 total
4. Norway: nine gold, four silver, seven bronze = 20 total
5. Canada: five gold, nine silver, four bronze = 18 total

To see a full list of the medal count, click here.

Which ice skater do you think will win the ladies free skating program tomorrow? Comment below and be sure check back tomorrow for another Sochi Scoop Olympic recap!