College. We spent months choosing it and even more anticipating when it would come. While there, we enjoyed years of opportunity, learning and fun. But before we knew it (or were ready), we were walking across a stage with that all-important piece of paper. With our college days behind us and post-graduation realities hitting hard, it can be difficult to let go of the place we called home for four years. But never fear! Just because we’re no longer students doesn’t mean we can’t stay connected to our schools. Here are six ways to maintain a relationship with your alma mater.

1. Join the alumni association

If you’re hoping to stay connected to your school, the best way to do so is through your alumni association. Every school has a network of alumni that keeps former students connected to each other, to current students and to the institution. Julia Kelliher, who works for Boston University Development and Alumni Relations, describes how BU alumni can stay connected. “We offer many different networking opportunities for alumni whether it is regional or affinity networks an alum may be interested in. Alumni weekend, events, and various volunteer opportunities also provide ways for alumni to stay active within the BU community,” she says. Check in with your school’s alumni association to find events and opportunities near you.

For millennials, finding and keeping up with alumni groups is easier than ever with websites and online networks that help keep you in the loop. Kelliher explains, “The Alumni Online Community in particular helps facilitate keeping alumni connected to the school.” You may also consider joining your school’s alumni community on LinkedIn.

Many recent alumni choose to make this first step to staying connected. Morgan Dux, a 2015 graduate of Juniata College, says, “I'm staying connected to Juniata College through a local alumni chapter.” Meanwhile, Saniya Khan, a 2015 graduate of Molloy College, echoes, “I am a part of the Alumni Business Group as well as the Molloy College Alumni Association.” Indeed, an alumni association is an aspect of university life that allows a real relationship with your school even after you’ve left!

2. Go to a sports game

There’s something special about the camaraderie of college sporting events. Cheering for a common cause, watching your classmates compete against a rival college and tailgating before the game make up some of the best memories you have. While you may no longer be welcome in the student section, that doesn’t mean you can’t head to a game—even after graduating. Gather your friends and relive those adrenaline-filled hours while you cheer on your team! 

If you’ve moved away from your alma mater, check to see if your school is playing at a local college; it's a fun way to stay connected when you’re far from your old stomping grounds!

3. Go back for a walk around campus

If you live close by, what better way to stay connected then heading over to campus and visiting your favorite spots? Maybe the fall foliage is to die for or that coffee shop is the only place you can get your favorite drink. While it’s important not to dwell in the past, a trip back to those familiar places might be just what you need on those days you’re feeling extra nostalgic. Maybe you’ll run into your favorite professor or see the security guard who always asked you about your day. A quick tour around the campus can help you feel not quite as removed from the glory days!

4. Volunteer

Volunteering with your alma mater is a great way to stay involved and your school’s alumni association can help you find those opportunities. Many schools offer options for established and experienced alumni to mentor younger students and alumni. This is a great way to both further your career and keep in touch with fellow graduates. Even if you’re not near campus, you can still get involved with prospective student events in your local area.

Saniya has already gone back to volunteer at her alma mater. “I was a business major and every summer the Division of Business hosts a Business Boot Camp for high school juniors that is partly run by the business students," she says. "This June I went back to help out with the workshops and was also a panelist for one of the sessions.” Working with the next generation of students not only keeps you in the loop but is also very rewarding!

5. Go back for more

If you miss your college days so much you can’t stand it (and would even survive finals again to experience it all one more time), there’s always the option of grad school. Furthering your career and getting you back in the classroom, grad school allows you to be back on campus for another few years. However, the experience will be quite different from your undergrad days and may give you a different perspective of the school. But if you simply must have more time in those hallowed halls, get studying for your GREs and head back for another degree!

If that type of commitment isn't your thing, see if your school will allow you to audit classes, or if they offer courses on continuing education programs. This allows you to get in the classroom without dedicating the time and money to another degree.

6. Stay involved with your campus’ chapter of Her Campus

Your time at Her Campus was probably one of the best things about being an undergrad. Staying connected to your chapter, and keeping up with Her Campus online, will help you feel connected to your alma mater by allowing you to guide the next generation of Campus Correspondents, allowing you to maintain a relationship with students and alumni from your school. Saniya is putting this into action: “I helped launch my school's Her Campus chapter this past spring semester, so I also just attended Her Conference to take notes and help the remaining team get as much information as possible out of all the workshops. I am in touch with next year's two CCs and help them out with any ideas or suggestions.”

It’s hard to let go of those four years, but just because we aren't current students doesn’t mean we’re no longer part of our school’s community. Even though we may not live on campus or go to class, there are still ways to maintain a connection. You’ll always be a [insert mascot here]!

Thanks to our high school health class, that awkward birds-and-bees talk with our parents, certain sex-obsessed magazines and, of course, plenty of discussions with our friends, we definitely know the basics of safe intercourse. Such as: Wearing two condoms is not twice as effective as wearing one; hot tubs don’t stop the sperm from “swimming upstream,” so to speak; and the pull-out method is a far-from-foolproof method of avoiding pregnancy.

However, collegiettes, we’re the first to admit that there’s always more to learn. And unlike some of the more esoteric college courses we’ve taken—“Punctuation of the Middle Ages,” anyone?—everything we discover about this domain is pretty relevant to life. So let’s start separating sex fact from fiction.

Myth #1: It’s impossible to get pregnant while you’re on your period

Just because it’s Shark Week doesn’t mean the chance of creating some guppies doesn’t exist. It’s a smaller chance than usual, yes, but that’s no reason to skip the condom and/or birth control.

“Not every woman’s periods are particularly regular, so if she has irregular bleeding, she may not be ovulating and bleeding in a consistent pattern,” says Dr. Jennifer Robinson, an OB/GYN and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “It’s possible that she may be bleeding even if she’s recently ovulated, in which case she is still at risk for getting pregnant.”

Quick recap: Ovulation occurs during the menstrual cycle when one of the ovaries releases an egg. The egg enters the fallopian tube and is available to be fertilized by sperm, if any sperm are present. If it’s not fertilized, you shed your uterine lining and get your period. The possibility of pregnancy is highest during ovulation.

All women ovulate at different times, so if your period overlaps with the beginning of ovulation, then you’re in Fertile Crescent territory. In addition, since sperm can stay alive for up to five days in your reproductive tract, having sex near the end of your period can lead to egg fertilization after your period is over.

Myth #2: You’ve only slept with virgins, so there’s no way you have an STD

Here’s the problem. Many people consider themselves virgins until they’ve had vaginal intercourse, even if they have participated in oral and/or anal sex… but oral and anal sex can both put you at risk for sexually transmitted diseases.

“One example of an STD that can be transmitted through oral or anal sex is HSV, or herpes,” Dr. Robinson says. “Herpes is a very common viral infection that can even be passed among families just through kissing or sharing cups, so it’s possible someone could have oral herpes without ever having been sexually active.”

There are also other ways of contracting an STD without having sex, like injecting oneself with a shared IV (hugs, not drugs, please). And, unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for people to lie about their sexual histories.

The bottom line? If you’re having sex with someone, it doesn’t matter whether or not he or she is a virgin—you should both get tested for STDs.

Myth #3: You should get your first Pap smear when you turn 18

In the past, your 18th birthday came with the freedom to enlist, vote and buy lottery tickets—and a recommendation from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that you get a Pap smear. Pap smears look in your cervix (the lower part of your womb) for cancers or cells that might become cancerous if not treated correctly. They’re the best way of preventing cervical cancer—woohoo!

“It’s really important that women get Pap smears routinely, because the type of changes that can eventually turn into cancer are very slow-growing, so it’s possible to pick up on very early changes and treat them before the cancer becomes full-blown,” Dr. Robinson says.

However, Dr. Robinson says most doctors recommend you get your first one at age 21.

“Even if a young and healthy [teenage] woman already has changes in the cervix, the vast majority are resolved by her immune system and are not a problem,” she says. “Plus, some of the treatments for abnormal Pap smears can potentially have an effect on future fertility, so that’s [why] we like to avoid treating Pap smears pre-emptively when women are young before they’ve had a chance to have the families they’d want.”

After you’re 21, you should get a Pap smear once every three years and visit your gynecologist every year.

Myth #4: Birth control pills make you gain weight

Who hasn’t heard this one? Please, collegiettes, don’t let it be the deciding factor in whether or not you go on birth control. In 2013, researchers from the Cochrane Fertility Regulation Group did a study of 52 birth control methods and didn’t find any indication that BC leads to weight gain.

In fact, a 2011 study tracked around 500 15- to 19-year-old girls over several years and found that while all of the teenagers gained some weight, the ones who used birth control pills gained less weight than those who didn’t.

“The doses of both estrogen and progestin in birth control pills have been steadily decreasing since the pills were invented in the ‘50s, so they’re much, much lower doses now than what they used to be,” Dr. Robinson says. Sixty-some years ago, the hormone doses could undoubtedly have been strong enough to cause increased appetite and fluid retention.

What do you undoubtedly gain when you use birth control? A decreased risk of pregnancy.

Myth #5: Douching helps you clean your vagina

Ladies, let’s trust our va-jay-jays. Unlike our dorm rooms, our vaginas are self-cleansing, so washing or cleaning out the vagina with a water-fluid mixture (i.e., douching) is unnecessary. In fact, it’s not recommended! According to Dr. Robinson, the vagina is home, sweet home to lots of natural bacteria, which help it maintain a healthy, balanced environment. If you douche, you’re forcing change on that environment, which can cause an overgrowth of bad bacteria, leading to a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis.

Douching doesn’t protect you against STDs or pregnancies—actually, Dr. Robinson says it can push semen farther up into the vagina and cervix, thus increasing your chances of pregnancy.

“Also, when cervical mucous is thin and watery, it’s much easier for sperm to swim through it,” she says. “When it’s thick and sticky, it’s much harder. Douches tend to wash away some of that mucous and make it easier for sperm to swim through to the uterus.”

However, Dr. Robinson wouldn’t recommend using douching as a method of increasing your chances of getting pregnant, since depending on the type of douching material, it can also kill off your sperm. If douching sounds like a precarious thing to mess with, well, it is!

So let’s put a ban on douches of the male and drugstore variety. If you want to wash the outside of your nether regions, Dr. Robinson suggests using warm water and unscented soap.

Myth #6: The morning-after pill aborts an existing pregnancy

Let’s just get this out there: If you’re already pregnant when you take Plan B, ella or another form of emergency contraception, the pill will have no effect. That’s because it delays or stops ovulation (remember, when the egg is released?), so if your egg has already come down the pipeline (err, the fallopian tube), entered the uterus and been fertilized by sperm, then Plan B won’t change that.

“If you were about to ovulate, it would push back the date of ovulation for a couple of days so the presence of sperm and the presence of egg were mistimed,” Dr. Robinson says. “The definition of an abortion is disrupting an established pregnancy that has implanted in the uterus—neither Plan B One-Step or ella will cause that.”

However, there is a type of emergency contraception you can use for up to five days after sex that can prevent sperm from fertilizing an egg or a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. It’s called a Copper T IUD. IUDs, or intrauterine devices, are 99 percent effective in reducing the risk of pregnancy, whereas emergency contraceptive pills are about 88 percent effective. Many women use IUDs as their regular birth control method (you can keep it in for up to 12 years!).

“If someone came to me and said, ‘I had unprotected sex yesterday, I really don’t want to be pregnant and I want really quick birth control going forward,’ I’d offer them a Copper-T IUD,” Dr. Robinson says.

Check out this article on IUDs to learn more.

There is also an “abortion pill,” or medicine you take that terminates an existing pregnancy. It’s also known as mifepristone or RU-486 and can be taken up to nine weeks after the first day of a woman’s last period. This medication is 97 percent effective, can be taken at home, costs $300 to $800 and is available at select Planned Parenthood centers, clinics and private health care providers.

Myth #7: If you get the HPV shot, you’re safe from cervical cancer

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is so common that almost every sexually active person gets it during his or her lifetime. You contract it by having oral, vaginal or anal sex with someone who has the virus. In most cases, HPV goes away on its own, but if it doesn’t, it can lead to genital warts or cervical cancer.

Fortunately, we have two vaccines that protect against most of the types of HPV that cause cervical cancer: Gardasil (tell us you didn’t just mentally shout, “I wanna be… one less!”) and Cervarix. (Gardasil also does cool stuff like prevent the HPV types responsible for most genital warts as well as some cancers of the vagina, anus and vulva.)

But receiving either of the two vaccines doesn’t mean you’re HPV-proof. They don’t protect against around 30 percent of cervical cancers, so that every-three-years Pap smear? Keep getting it! Also, Gardasil and Cervarix don’t prevent you from getting other sexually transmitted infections, so that condom? Keep using it!

When it comes to safe sex, what you don’t know can hurt you. Luckily, we’ve got your back. Have fun, and, not to go all Mom on you, but stay safe, collegiettes!

Joan Rivers, the legend who trademarked the phrase "Who are you wearing?" is remembered for many things, but collegiettes think back on her most fondly as the outrageous funny lady from Fashion Police. After a six-month hiatus, the show returned Monday without its quirky host. In honor of the late Joan Rivers and the return of Fashion Police, we narrowed down the seven most important lessons Rivers taught us about fashion.

1. You're going to make mistakes

Let's face it, if Angelina Jolie gets criticism about an up-to-there slit in her dress, we are all doomed to mess up at some point...

2. The safe route is usually the boring route

*Cue the snores* While some of us may opt for simplicity in our style choices, Joan always reminded us that staying the same, well, stinks.  

3. You have to take risks & have fun!

No matter what jokes Joan may have made about an outrageous outfit, she always relayed to her Joan-Rangers that being over-the-top is awesome! Never be afraid to give people something to talk about.

4. Style is up for interpretation.

In the wise words of this boss-lady, "The ideal beauty is a fugitive which is never found." Everybody interprets style differently, so be who you are and own it!

5. Don't waste your time trying to impress others

"If God wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor." Hey—her words, not ours.

6. Sometimes, you just have to laugh at yourself

Fashion Police showed us that we are probably going to regret many of our own outfit choices. Sometimes, all you can do is laugh at yourself and say, "What was I thinking?No, but seriously, who let me out of the house like that..."

7. Never stop being true to who you are!

In all seriousness, the most important lesson that the amazing Joan Rivers taught us is that we are all pretty freakin' awesome the way we are. All it takes to be a sassy, classy and fabulous fashionista is just by being ourselves!

Graphic tees can go horribly wrong... here's the definitive proof.

1. "Sun your bunz"($11.96 at Nordstrom)

Erm no, thank you.

2. "Melons" ($44.80 at Largo Drive)

This charming number also comes in the "Coconuts" variety, in case your entourage needed a ~fruity~ lesson in anatomy.

3. "I shaved my legs for you." ($21.99 at Forever21)

No but seriously, do people actually wear this?!

4. "Cat! I'm a kitty cat! And I dance, dance, dance! And I dance, dance, dance!" ($26.95 at Zazzle)

That was really difficult to write out, and it makes us wonder who wanted to do it in the first place. ON A PIECE OF CLOTHING.

5. "I can't" ($52 at Forever21)

Yes... yes, you can.

6. "I am your spirit animal" ($39 at Urban Outfitters)

That's not your decision to make.

7. "Nah, I don't have a bae. I have pizza." ($15.99 at Etsy)

As if the unabashed use of the word "bae" on a shirt wasn't bad enough, the sentiment on this one is just plain sad.

8. "Cheap $ cheerful" ($33.99 at Forever21)

We could go on a feminist rant about this shirt, but let's just say we're really upset that it exists.

9. "Real women drink stout" ($28.15 at Zazzle)

Ah, a good ol' lesson in true womanhood!

10. "You look amazing today" ($16.99 at ANGL)

You usually look really terrible, though.

11. "#please #stop #using #so #many #hashtags #thankyou" ($9.99 at Forever21)

Yes, please stop.

What's the worst graphic tee you've ever seen, collegiettes?

We all need a little guidance now and then, so whether you’re stressed about a fling gone wrong, a recently wrecked relationship or how to handle a stage-five clinger, Real Live College Guy Jon is here to help you navigate the college dating scene.

This guy and I are friends; both of us are in relationships. We text often, but one time I was a bit surprised and puzzled by his answer. I was teasing him about forgetting my drink, so when he offered to buy me coffee I told him, “No thanks, it's complicated.” Anyway we joked about it until I told him it’s a tall, extra hot, nonfat latte. He replied saying, “Stop, I am getting all excited here.” Was that just teasing or flirting? We flirt, but nothing out of line. Let me know what you think. - Confused

Confused,

That is impossible to tell exactly what he meant. As we all know when texting, a sender's message can often be taken for a totally different meaning by the receiver. 

I am not sure if you intended for that coffee order to read as flirty but I got a good chuckle out of how he may have interpreted it.

As two friends in separate relationships, I would suggest you reiterate that you want to stay friends but nothing more. If one of you thinks otherwise a lot of problems could arise. With that being said it is perfectly fine to joke and keep a healthy platonic relationship outside of your significant other!

Misunderstanding a text is very common and understandable. It is one of the faults of our tech-driven society. Most of the emotion or meaning of the message can be lost in the interpretation of the text. I cannot stress my advocacy for talking in person or over the phone -- at least occasionally to better understand a conversation. 

-Jon

There's no doubt that Disney Channel Original Movies defined our childhoods. But which movie are you? Take our quiz to find out which movie defines your life! 

Any fashionista who has ever felt ready to basically sell her soul for an invitation to enter the tents at fashion week knows how notoriously exclusive NYFW is—but one fashion house may just be about to change that.

Fashion lovers, brace yourselves: Givenchy announced Monday that it will be offering 820 non-industry, non-celebrity fashion fans (read: if your name isn’t Anna Wintour or Kim Kardashian) seats to the brand’s first ever New York City runway presentation. As you can imagine, fashion girls everywhere are freaking out.

In addition to the 820 tickets that went up for grabs on Wednesday morning at 10 AM, Givenchy has also set aside 280 for students at fashion schools like Parsons and FIT, and another 100 for the residents living in the vicinity of the show’s yet-to-be-disclosed location. If you happen to snag a ticket, you won’t be seated next to Kim herself (there’s separate viewing areas for the fashion industry and the public) but if you’ve ever dreamed of hitting up a fashion week show, this is as good as it gets.

Riccardo Tisci, the head designer at Givenchy, has been known to be one of the most public and engaging designers on social media, but the house’s move is still an unprecedented one in terms of allowing the public to get in on the exclusive scene at New York Fashion Week. Generally speaking, fashion week is pretty off limits to those of us who aren’t editors, celebrities, buyers, models or bloggers, so opening a runway show to the public (especially at a major house like Givenchy) is a major deal.

We’d call Givenchy’s unexpected move a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but we’re seriously hoping that other designers and brands will take notice and follow suit – we’d trade our NYFW live streams on our computer screens for the real deal any day! 

When it’s 2 a.m. on a weeknight and you have an exam the next day, you know that you need to be in bed, get a good night’s sleep and not watch TV, so you do exactly that. Too bad your neighbors don’t—they’re blasting music as loud as it will go, they’re talking loudly—and is that their trash chilling outside of their doorway?

Rude neighbors are as inevitable in college as the first-day-of-school struggle bus, but that doesn’t mean you have to take it like a doormat. HC talked to collegiettes from all around the country as well as Nicole Breen, a former resident adviser (RA) at Assumption College, to find out the best ways to deal with your nuisance neighbors.

Pick your battles

We get it—trying to fall asleep to bumping music is super hard, no matter what day of the week or what time at night it is. But before knocking on your neighbor’s door or complaining to your RA about the loud noise, think to yourself: “Is this complaint reasonable?”

If you’re complaining about the music playing or the loud giggles you hear intermittently at 10 p.m. on a weekend, then your complaint probably isn’t reasonable. Remember that this is college, and although you have the right to fall asleep at whichever time you want on whichever night you want, your neighbors also have the right to wind down after a long week by having a fun time with friends.

If the noise really bothers you, try turning on your fan or listening to some calming music through your headphones. The steady noise will lull you to sleep and drown out any distracting sounds from the surrounding rooms.

Weekend noise stops being okay when it persists after a certain time. We suggest knowing your dorm-issued “quiet hours” and holding your neighbors accountable. If they keep partying past the start of weekend quiet hours, it’s okay to knock on your neighbor’s door or go to your RA about the excessive noise.

Remember that college involves a lot of give and take. You might be used to the peace and quiet of your bedroom and home, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to get used to the sounds of partying and loud talking from the room next door. Growing this thick skin and learning how to pick your battles with your neighbors will help make you a good neighbor.

Things that you’ll want to let go are music on weekend nights, intermittent laughter and the sound of your upstairs neighbors walking around. The things that aren’t so cool on your neighbors’ part are constant yelling and music blasting on weeknights or during exam periods.

Talk to your neighbors yourself

We suggest trying this method first. College is your first foray into the adult world, so you have to start dealing with your problems in an adult way. That means don’t be a tattletale to the RA when your problems with your neighbors are trivial. They’ll respect you more for it.

Former RA Nicole thinks mediating the issue yourself is the best way to go. “Peer-to-peer mediation is difficult, but I do encourage it,” she says. “I've seen neighbors become friends from it, actually. I always would advise my residents to try to address things on their own before getting myself or another RA involved, with the exception of extreme cases.”

Extreme cases can include neighbors blasting music during weeknights or yelling obnoxiously all day, every day. However, most of the time your neighbors don’t even know that they’re being too loud, so a simple reminder like a knock on the door will probably be enough to get them to turn the volume down.

“My freshman year, I lived below these kids who are super loud,” says Renee, a junior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “They had loud music, yelled all the time and walked wicked loud. Once we talked to them about it, they told us just to bang on the ceiling whenever they were getting too loud, and they would quiet down.”

We suggest approaching your loud neighbors in a friendly but direct way; passive-aggressiveness isn’t likely to get you the respect of your neighbors, and you probably won’t get you what you want. For example, try asking them, “Could you please turn your music down a little for the rest of the night? I’m trying to sleep/study, and I’d really appreciate it!”

Consult an RA

Sometimes, no matter how nicely you ask or how reasonable you’re being, your neighbors will flat-out not listen to a word you’re saying. In instances like that, it’s best to consult your RA.

“For consistent and major cases, I would consult your RA right away, because that is their job,” Nicole says. “I have done it in ways where I had a floor meeting to go over quiet hours and courtesy hour rules for the floor in general, and some rooms would always take the hint, and they were never a problem after that.”

Nicole says that RAs will also knock on individual rooms’ doors. “For the most part, [the rude neighbors] never thought twice that a neighbor had complained,” she says. “They just thought I was doing my job as the RA and were usually compliant.”

So if you’re nervous about approaching an RA and being seen in a bad light by your neighbors, don’t be! Your RAs are trained to deal with these situations in a way that will make all of their residents comfortable.

Jordan, a senior at the University of Tampa, dealt with a neighbor who blasted music all day and all night. After a few weeks of trying to brush it off, she and her roommate decided the noise was too much for them, so they contacted their RA.

“My RA talked to our neighbor, and it resolved the problem for the most part,” she says. “My neighbor ended up apologizing to us and told us to knock on his door or text whenever he was being too loud.”

Your RAs are trained for this kind of mediation, so if you have a real issue with the noise coming from your neighbor, contacting an RA the way Jordan did is a surefire way to get the noise to stop.

Don’t stoop to their level

Sometimes your neighbors aren’t even noisy—you’re just convinced that they’re terrible people. When caught in a situation like this, it’s almost always best to turn the other cheek.

“My last year I had the meanest neighbors,” says Julia, a junior at the University of New Hampshire. “They were almost something out of the movie Mean Girls. They weren’t loud or messy in the halls or anything; you could just hear them say all these nasty things about people when they’d walk by or leave their doors open. They were really offensive people, but my roommates and I just had to take the high road.”

Nasty neighbors might not always come in the form of catty girls. They might be the ones who never hold the door or think they’re too good for saying hi to you when you pass by on campus.

Rude people are never fun to deal with, but nobody said you had to become BFFs with everyone you meet in college. If you have nasty neighbors, just try to ignore them. Avoiding an all-out neighbor war is the best way to enjoy your living situation. And cross your fingers your room isn’t near theirs next year!

If your neighbors’ nastiness crosses a line into bullying, contact your RA immediately. Everyone has the right to feel safe and comfortable in his or her dorm, and you cannot let any mean neighbor take that away from you.

Remember, the key to getting along with your neighbors is to treat them how you would like to be treated. If you respect them and give them the benefit of the doubt, they’ll respect you, too. If nothing else, they’ll teach you how to handle tough situations in a real-world setting!

When it comes to your college beauty routine, mastering a hairstyle that requires a lot of time and expertise  isn't your first priority. Most days, you end up throwing your hair into a top knot, skipping the shower and spritzing in some dry shampoo or doing a quick blow dry before running out the door. But whether you're looking to experiment on a weekend or you're prepping for an important date or event, that standard collegiette 'do might not cut it—so when you need some hair inspo (or just want to drool over some lust-worthy locks), here are the Instagram accounts you NEED to check out.

1. @guy_tang

Guy Tang might as well be crowned as a champion hair colorist. Forget all the streaky highlights that our local hairstylists do, and look at how he dyes hair—balayage, strawberry-lavender blonde, Elsa-esque silver blonde and of course plenty of bright colors in between!

2. @hairstorystudio

Hair Story Studio is an elite salon in New York City—in fact, such an elite salon they don’t even give out the address to outsiders. Most of their tresses are highly avant garde, as they look like what we see on runways everywhere. Even we'll probably never have our hair done by their insanely talented stylists, the salon still shares the story of what happens in-salon each day, exclusively on Insta!

3. @timothyaylward

Mr. Aylward’s hands are something of magic, and it is hard for us to wrap our heads around his hairstyling gifts. Seriously how does he get his tresses to be so voluptuous, or get pin-straight hair to look like a pretty basket? Only he has the secret!

4. @harryjoshhair

Karlie Kloss always looks perfect, and her hair is certainly a key factor… but who’s behind it all? Harry Josh, of course! He’s responsible for many of her 'dos, and they’re all quite iconic. With his many bold styles for both short and long hair, we can always expect great results from him whether he's styling for the red carpet or a magazine cover.

5. @ritahazan

What does it take to work for powerful women like Mariah Carey and Queen Bey? Just ask Rita Hazan, who regularly works with such coveted clients. Her Instagram feed gives us an inside peek into the life of an elite hairstylist.

6. @instabraid

We all love to look at great braids on Pinterest, but finding the best can take time—which is why we just follow this account instead, because they've got all the prettiest pictures in one place! 

7. @curlielocsblog

Natural-haired beauties, this one's for you! If you want to embrace your curls and still be creative with how you style your hair, you'll find all the inspiration you could dream of, right here.

While we don’t always agree with signaling fashion out as “plus-sized,” we can appreciate any brand that creates a wider rage of sizes—especially when they do it in style. A lot of stores are saying “so long” to the shapeless sacks that used to define the plus-sized section, according to Allison, the fashionista behind the blog Curvy Girl Chic. Allison is an expert and dished all about her favorite brands that celebrate every body type. Read on for the best of the best, and get ready to start that shopping cart!

1. Eloquii

Every curvy girl needs a little Eloquii in her closet. Allison raves about the brand, saying it's her favorite for "refined but playful and always seriously chic clothing." The site only carries sizes 14 to 24, so they know what they're doing when it comes to dressing a fuller figure.

2. Forever 21

Everyone’s favorite store for inexpensive, on-trend pieces doesn’t exclude anyone with its sizing. The Forever 21+ collection is perfect for any curvy girl looking to stay on trend without breaking the bank, whether you're shopping swimsuits during the warmer months or sweaters and outerwear when the temps drop.

3. Old Navy

Old Navy has stepped up its fashion game in the past few seasons, and its plus-size section has never been cuter. This site is your one-stop shop for everything from wardrobe staples like jeans and graphic tees, to workout gear and loungewear. They always have a great sale going on, and everything looks far more expensive than what you actually pay.

4. H&M+

H&M plus is one of Allison's favorites "for staples like tees and tanks." H&M has always been a go-to for stylish, high-quality clothes that don't break the bank, and their plus-sized options are no exception. Style tip: "H&M definitely runs about a full size small!" Allison warns.

5. Lane Bryant

Don’t think that Lane Bryant is just for older women! The brand’s classic vibe is perfect for any curvy girl, whether you’re in your teens, twenties or above. They also have an amazing selection of suits and other office-appropriate wear, making this a solid option for every career-oriented collegiette.

6. ASOS

Whether you’re looking to splurge on a gown or save and stock up on basic tees, ASOS Curve has you covered. "ASOS Curve has a huge variety of plus-size pieces," Allison says. The site also carries some UK-only brands and ships them stateside, so you’ll be rocking some one-of-a-kind looks you really can’t get anywhere else.

7. Target

You can’t have a list of stores without including every collegiette's favorite, Target. If you’re looking for clothes that are accessible, affordable and still fashionable, you can’t go wrong here. Plus, just like Old Navy, they carry just about everything you need, including activewear and undergarments.

And that's a wrap! No matter where you shop, or what size you are, Allison has some great advice for being confident and rocking what you've got. "Don't be afraid to try different styles, cuts, and colors," she says. "The time to experiment with fashion and your personal style is now, and you should never worry about fashion "rules" as long as you love what you're wearing!" For daily fashion inspiration, be sure to follow Allison on Instagram and check out her blog!

It's no secret that the Internet meme star and perpetually frowning Tardar Sauce (better known as "Grumpy Cat") tends to look rather...unimpressed...about most things in life. 

But we feel that after hearing about the latest project cooking up at Madame Tussauds, she might actually crack a grin for a change. Recently it was announced that the popular wax museum would be designing a new figurine after the celebrity cat. Grumpy Cat now joins a star-studded collection of lifelike statues housed in major cities across the nation and world. 

Well Grumpy Cat, we should mention that you'll be joining the likes of icons like Gandhi, Beyonce and even the Commander-in-Chief himself, President Obama.

In a statement, Grumpy Cat said of the news, "This is truly an honor... I hate it." 

She quietly "tolerated" expert artists as they gently examined her to get the correct measurements. The finished product will be animatronic with five different movements, and will go down in history as the first Tussauds wax piece of the feline persuasion. That kind of exposure is just the kind of thing Grumpy Cat is excited about, right?

If you want to check out the new exhibit, it will be premiering in San Francisco this fall but will be touring through the country after. We cannot WAIT to see what the final figure looks like! If it's anything as adorable as Tardar Sauce...

...maybe they should put a warning sign on it!

With a constantly evolving social climate, there is no doubt the media has definitely transformed over time. Things that were seen as taboo or scandalous in the past might now be widely accepted. The female gender in particular has enjoyed the benefits of this sexual revolution, and a new project by creative director Karen X. Cheng shows just how much things have changed. 

Cheng decided to focus on one culturally significant visual medium: magazines. Looking at various top publications and comparing issues from 50 and 100 years ago with those in the present, it became quite apparent just how liberal our culture has become. Just take a look at a Cosmo cover from 1937 (a time when most of the country was embroiled in a debilitating depression) and contrast it with a cover from this year.

Going from "Fables From Filmland" to "Wild Summer Sex" we can pretty much deduce that a complete reversal of ideals has occurred. In 1935, a person of color on a cover would be national news, and maybe even cause public outrage. And a person of color wearing a skimpy glittery swimsuit posing in a sexy way? Forget about it! As Cheng notes, women have definitely experienced a liberation—they can wear what they want, expose as much or little of themselves as they wish and basically do with their bodies what they choose. Of course, Cheng explains, an alternate theory to all that skin might be more about the media's tendency to objectify women for monetary gains. As Kim Kardashian has proven time and time again, sex sells. People are more likely to pick up an issue with Nicki Minaj flaunting her curves than one with a stuffily dressed woman and her horse. And with magazine editors' tendencies to overuse Photoshop to create impossible standards of beauty, this can be really bad news for the feminist movement.

A solid case can be made on both ends, but regardless, the results speak volumes about how far we've come. For example, check out this year's most talked about Vanity Fair cover and one from 100 years ago.

Magazine editors wouldn't have dared putting a transgender woman on the cover of a nationally recognized publication even a few years ago. Yet here we are in 2015, and Caitlyn Jenner is not only accepted by her peers but widely celebrated as a hero by the media and the public. Both women (and other historical minorities) are reaping the benefits of a more welcoming and accomodating society that is shedding archaic notions of the past and moving towards a more colorful future. As Cheng concludes, "Sure, we’ve gotten more sexualized. More superficial. We read less. We have shorter attention spans. But we’ve also gotten more open-minded. At each step along the way, society has pushed the limits of what’s considered acceptable."

So, yes—women still have far to go before they're considered equal (in everything from sports to film). But we think this is an encouraging sign of progress nonetheless!

We fell in love with country stars Maddie Marlow and Tae Dye when the duo debuted "Girl in a Country Song" last summer. It was a powerful single that was just the anthem we needed, with lyrics that defy the male-dominated country music industry. Fortunately for us, Maddie & Tae aren't slowing down—last week, they released their album "Start Here," which is full of empowering tracks every collegiette can relate to, featuring pieces on following your dreams, knowing it's okay not to have everything in life figured out and other refreshingly honest songs.

“We wrote these songs because no one else is writing about  life the way you’re really living it—it’s not all parties and glam. The Dixie Chicks were like that: this is our truth. They weren’t ashamed. We aren’t either,” Maddie said of their new album.

So when it came to putting together the ultimate female empowerment playlist, there wasn't anybody thought to turn to besides this trailblazing pair. Check out Maddie & Tae's girl power playlist below... and get ready to listen to these impressive songs on repeat!

Whether they’re pop princesses or big screen sensations, the majority of celebrities release a perfume. It’s become so common that we’re not surprised to see another star promoting his or her new fragrance on the red carpet yet again. While most celebrity fragrances have the reputation of smelling not-so-fantastic, here are 7 perfumes from famous names that you’ll actually want to wear.

1. Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker

Carrie Bradshaw lovers, this one’s for you! This perfume will make you feel classy and feminine with its light rose scent and accents of apple, lavender and daffodil. It’s perfect to wear daily when you're hitting the streets of New York City.

2. Curious by Britney Spears

Post-“Baby One More Time” and pre-head shave, Britney released her first fragrance, Curious, which became the #1 fragrance in department stores in 2004. If you like vanilla and magnolia, then you’ll love this scent. Plus, who doesn’t want to wear a perfume with the tagline, “Do you dare?”

3. Jennifer Aniston by Jennifer Aniston

While she probably could have thought of a more creative name for her fragrance, this Friends star created a perfume that we would actually consider wearing. It’s very beachy with notes of sandalwood, amber and violet. The ocean also inspired the bottle, with its cool wave-like design.

4. Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift

Inspired by Tay's song "Enchanted," this perfume will make you feel magical. With layers of green tea, raspberry and honeysuckle, you’ll love to wear this scent both day and night. Don’t forget to wear it with some red lipstick to really channel your inner Taylor.

5. Fame by Lady Gaga

Although we would never be able to pull off any of Lady Gaga’s fashion choices, her fragrance is pretty awesome. The bottle is super edgy and the actual liquid is black, making it a unique celebrity perfume. It’s a fairly rich scent with notes of belladonna, honey and tiger orchid and great for when you want to change it up from your usual floral fragrance.

6. Glow by Jennifer Lopez

With a combination of grapefruit, orange and vanilla, Glow by J. Lo is extremely light and subtle enough for every day use. The bottle is a little divalicious, but the perfume will make you feel fresh and clean.

7. Heat by Beyoncé

Who doesn’t want to smell like Beyoncé? Heat was Queen Bey’s first fragrance and it’s absolutely ***flawless. It’s a warm, spicy scent with hints of amber, orange and almond. It’s definitely sexier than your usual floral scent, making it perfect for a date night.

Which celebrity fragrance would you wear, collegiettes?  

Ah relationship goals: everyone's got them, even if they're not currently in a relationship. We all have varying ideas of what we believe will help to make a lasting love.

You might think that attractivity and chemistry have a lot to do with what makes a great relationship. Yet The Way We Are Now 2015 report finds that of the three biggest relationship goals people ranked, sex wasn't one of them. They asked 6,000 people and almost half of the respondents admitted that sex hadn't happened once in the last month. This means that (BIG SHOCK) we're actually after more than just fun in bed when it comes to romance. Only a third ranked sexual pleasure and attractivitiy as their top priority.

So what did people place highest on the list?

1. Honesty

Over 70 percent of the surveyed population said that honesty was the key to a successful relationship. Hey, if Frank Underwood endorses it, it must be a winning strategy!

2. Communication

Coming in as a close second, 67 percent of respondents picked effective communication as top goal in relationships. After all, if you can't have a decent conversation with your SO once in a while, is it even really a relationship at all? How can you expect to acheive the Cory-Topanga gold standard of love if you can't express yourself to them without hesitation?

3. Commitment

And finally coming in third (but still extremely integral to a longlasting love) is the big C: commitment. In the end, Beyonce was right:

Queen Bey doesn't lie! You can read about those results and other responses here.

Roommates are the best: they’re our friends and our confidants, and sometimes, they’re basically our significant others. When you’re so close to your roommate that the two of you may as well be dating, that’s when you know it’s real. She’s more than just a person you share your room and your fridge with; she’s your better half and the best part of having to inhabit a crappy college dorm room. We think it’s time to pay homage to the beautiful love that only roommates can understand. Here are a few signs that you two are soul mates.

1. Privacy isn’t really a concern

You and your roommate have a VERY open door policy (that includes the bathroom and all). There is literally no such thing as privacy in your relationship, because you already know every detail about each other’s lives, and it’s highly possible that pretty soon you’ll begin functioning as one human being. So be free, be yourself and be creepily close to your roommate on the verge of stalker status, because you guys are in love and that’s the way it should be.

2. You have a telepathic connection

Who needs words when you can say everything you need to with just a look? Whether it’s judging “that girl” at the party, acknowledging that super hot guy at Starbucks or having a full-fledged conversation via facial expressions that causes outsiders to question your sanity, you and your roommate can just look at each other and know what the other is thinking. You’re connected on a whole different level, and it’s actually almost concerning how fluent you two are in your own silent language. 

3. You’re constantly aware of what the other is doing

You aren’t the type of roommates who sit at home wondering where the other is when one’s at the library all day. No, you’re the type of roommates who keep tabs on each other at all times, and if one of you falls off the grid, it’s time to call the search party and make sure she’s okay. Nothing says I love you like an “SOS are you alive?!” text from the roomie. Plus, you both like to update each other on every little thing that’s happening during your day, because your roommate shouldn’t have to wait to find out about the duck family you saw on your way to class.  

4. A night in together can be better than any night out

The two of you out together are a force to be reckoned with. But the two of you alone together for a girls’ night in is downright dangerous. Break out the wine, open up Netflix and get ready for some serious bonding, cuddling and laughing—it’s going to be a night to remember. There’s no need to worry about FOMO when you’ve get the most fun person at the party sitting right next to you.

5. Other people have noticed

So what if everyone has noticed that you and your roommate basically make the perfect couple? Everyone is fully aware that you two are a package deal, and while you know that your two-for-one special is the best thing that’s ever happened to the world, others may question your relationship. Let them be jealous! People should start taking notes, because not even Jay Z and Beyoncé have anything on the two of you.

6. You act like an old married couple

Sometimes you do sweet things for each other, like make each other dinner. Other times you fight about who needs to clean the hair out of the shower drain because you could swear you did it last time. But most of all, you act like you’ve been together for decades because your relationship goes far deeper than a year or so living together. So even when you do fight, it always blows over immediately after. That is, until the next time the drain needs to be cleaned out, because even the perfect roommate can cause some pet peeves.

7. You really don’t need anyone but each other

Sure, your other friends are cool, but at the end of the day, all you really need is each other. Let’s just face it: the two of you are inseparable, and the world would be a little darker of a place if you were only neighbors or classmates. Maybe your relationship is unconventional and borderline crazy, but you’re too busy being besties to care! You don’t need anyone else—just each other, a comfy couch, a pint of ice cream and two spoons.

With texting, Snapchat and Facetime, people may think that long distance relationships are easier than ever. To find out if this is true, Zoosk surveyed over 12,000 members to see how they make their long distance relationships work.

Fifty-eight percent of men and 52 percent of women are likely to engage in a long distance relationship if given the chance, but 57 percent of women compared to 51 percent of men said they'd communicate every day.

Men and women were almost on the same page about how often you need to see your partner to make it worthwhile, with 38 percent of women and 36 percent of men saying every two weeks is a good time frame.

Thirty-two percent of women said they'd wait more than a month to pursue a LDR with someone they met online, but 35 percent of men said they'd wait only two-three weeks.

While women would wait longer to make it official, 34 percent of women would stay in a LDR for a year before someone would need to move, while 33 percent of men would wait only six months.

Do these statistics line up with your LDR? Let us know in the comments below!

Maxim Korea’s September issue was recently released to the public, creating outrage at the images included in the issue and the message Maxim appears to be sending. The cover depicts Korean actor Kim Byung-Ok. He is smoking a cigarette and gazing off into the distance, while placing one hand on the trunk of a car that is slightly popped open. Readers are disgusted over what is protruding from the trunk: a set of female legs bound with duct tape. The heading? “The Real Bad Guy.” Below it reads: So girls like bad guys? This is what a bad guy looks like. Dying for him, right?"

Korea has struggled immensely with its treatment of women, and this situation proves no different. In 2014, the World Economic Forum placed Korea 117th out of 142 countries on the global gender equality index. Womenstats.org reported that the country rates a level 4 on rape against women, meaning that rape happens often. The website also scored Korea as a level 4 on physical security of women, which indicates that they have a low level of security.

Based on these statistics, and many more, the public has come together to fight the rape culture that is plaguing the country. A petition was created online on August 26, 2015, by Internet user megal p. The petition demands that Maxim Korea stop selling its September issue. It also asks the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korea Publication Ethics Committee to strongly reconsider its policies for publications and hopefully implement measures that will stop spreads like Maxim Korea’s from being published in the future.

Currently, the petition has over 10,000 signatures from users all over the globe. However, Maxim Korea does not seem to be willing to back down. Its editorial department stated that, “[they] did depict the crime of murder and body abandonment in a film noir way, but there’s no hint of a sexual offense in the picture, and no fantasizing of sex crimes either.” But whether or not Maxim Korea intended to depict sexual crimes, the public is still fighting for the removal of the issue and intervention from the government in the hopes of putting an end to the constant sexualization and abuse that women face.

So you’ve decided that you’re tired of watching Netflix in your pajamas by yourself. Therefore, it’s time to go out and have a good time like all other twenty-somethings do—or so we’ve heard. But what is often reduced to a two-minute montage in the movies is actually a much longer and more stressful situation in real life. That’s right; we’re talking about the getting ready process during which we inevitably have the following 13 thoughts.

1. What I have on is so comfy. I’ve had it on all day. Do I have to change?

2. My clothes hate me, and I have nothing to wear.

3. Will anyone notice I wore this the last time we went out?

4. I should probably text everyone else to see what they’re wearing.

5. Am I too dressed up or not dressed up enough? These places should have a dress code.

6. I’m pretty sure I can get away with not shaving.

7. It’s never too late to say I’m suddenly not feeling well, is it?

8. Heels or no heels?

9. Mom always said, “Beauty is pain.” And the award for world’s biggest understatement goes to…

10. There might be a time tonight when I'm so drunk that I won’t even care what I’m wearing. Eh, not likely.

11. Makeup is the bane of my existence. And don’t even get me started on this hair.

12. This is way too much work. Why is being a girl so hard?

13. Whatever. I look amazing!

If you watched the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, or have read any sort of news publication within the past week, you know that Miley Cyrus has a mind of her own. Apparently, Miley's individuality translates into not wanting to be a part of Taylor Swift's squad.

You may be shocked (who wouldn't want to be a part of the most awesome #squad there is?), but she told The New York Times that she has no interest. Miley said that while Taylor's squad may be full of other famous people, all of her friends are just regular people. Miley said, "I'm not trying to be in the squad. None of my friends are famous and not because of any other reason than I just like real people who are living real lives, because I'm inspired by them."

Miley isn't exactly a huge T. Swift fan, because she previously mentioned that she had a problem with her "Bad Blood" video to Marie Claire. "I don't get the violence revenge thing," she said. "That's supposed to be a good example? And I'm a bad role model because I'm running around with my titties out? I'm not sure how titties are worse than guns."

Whether Miley wants to be a part of Taylor's squad or not, she'll continue to do her own thing with her own friends. Sorry, Taylor.