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Fights are an inevitable part of school. They’re also pretty remarkable… as soon as one begins to brew, you can almost feel the tension pulsing throughout the school, and students always have an instinctive sense that tells them which way to go to watch. Students would always crowd around the fight, not only to watch, but to block administrators from breaking up the fight. For a lot students, fights are the best entertainment at lunch. I was the same way — I loved watching fights. Why, I can’t really explain or justify, but I enjoyed spectating.

Sure, school fights rarely involve karate, they draw a lot of attention from everybody.

On the administration’s end, fights are a nightmare. Having to break them up, deal with the students involved, and prevent further fights is definitely a nuisance, and so schools do their best to prevent fights.

A really common method to prevent fights is the “no tolerance” policy: if you are in a fight, you are going to be suspended, no matter what. Over the last ten years, this policy has caught on strongly. But is it fair, and does it really solve problems? I’ve never been convinced.

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Finding a cute way to ask a girl to prom is always fun

So you’ve decided who you would like to go to prom with, and now you’re unsure of how to ask that girl. It’s fun to ask people in cute ways, rather than just “hey wanna go to prom with me?”, but that’s not always the best choice.

When deciding how you should ask a girl, you should first know the answers to these questions:

1. How well do I know this girl? How well does she know me?
2. Would she expect me to ask her to prom?
3. Is she likely to say yes?

Sometimes the answers are obvious — if you’re wondering how to ask your girlfriend, all three will be pretty obvious. Others you may have to take a guess on.

Should I ask in a cute way?

If you think the girl is likely to say yes, then I definitely recommend this. Sure, you could just walk up and ask, but asking a girl in a cute way will make it memorable for the both of you, and you’re going to love her reaction. There’s no need to go overboard in how much time or money you spend on this, but putting at least a little effort into it is definitely worth it.

Some guys may give you a bit of flak for doing more than just asking, but in the end, their dates will be jealous that they didn’t receive the same treatment.

However, if the girl is likely to say no (for whatever reason), I would recommend against it. If you go to great lengths just to ask, and then she says no, you’re going to feel worse than you otherwise would because of the lengths you went to. If your hopes aren’t high, then your best choice is just to simply approach her and ask.

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Asking someone out to prom is always pretty nerve-racking. There’s the fear that she (or he) may already have a date, that she may not be going, or, worst of all, that she just might not want to go with you.

You can’t do a whole lot to prevent the first two, but you can definitely avoid the first one by making sure you ask early enough.

A tough choice comes in trying to figure out when to actually pop the question. If you ask too early, it may seem a bit weird or even be too early for the other person to even consider it. Asking too late runs the risk that he or she may already have a date.

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Playing guitar is a fun hobby, and nobody wants to give up playing just because they’re leaving for college. It’s very possible (and easy) to take your hobby with you when you leave for school, but you want to be smart about it.

Choosing which guitar to bring, what kind of guitar to bring, and (possibly) what kind of an amplifier to bring can be tough choices. If you want to make sure that you can safely bring your hobby with you, make sure you choose carefully.

Should I bring an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar to college?

First, choose between bringing an electric and an acoustic guitar.

In deciding what kind of guitar to bring with you, you should first consider the type of music you like to play. That should matter first. If you normally only play with heavy distortion, you won’t really get any satisfaction out of bringing just an acoustic. Your choice should come first and foremost down to what kind of music you’re into playing.

Acoustic guitars tend to be more “social” in a college setting… it’s not uncommon to see students outside playing their guitar on a bench. Acoustic guitars are louder and more portable. If you’re interested in playing with people in a casual setting, an acoustic guitar would be wonderful.

Electric guitars are more of a hassle, since you need to bring an amplifier to make them worth taking… an electric guitar that’s unplugged won’t be much use. Electric guitars aren’t quite as social as acoustic guitars since you’re limited to where there is an electric outlet, so for the most part your playing will only be indoors. But you may find other students with electric equipment, and if you’re interested in starting a band, an electric guitar will come in handy.

You could, of course, bring both, but be aware that you’ll now have two guitars to keep an eye out for.

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If you have a son, daughter, boyfriend, girlfriend, or friend in college and are not sure what to get him/her, thinking of good ideas can be a bit tough.

In dorms, college kids don’t typically have much with them — dorms in themselves are a rather limited lifestyle. If the person you’re shopping for lives in an apartment, there are a few more options, but they tend to be a bit different.

Gifts for college students

• Posters! AllPosters has many different posters, though if you’re unsure, a gift certificate may be better.
• Quality snacks — cookies, crackers, candy, or anything that can be eaten in a dorm. Dining hall food often leaves a lot to be desired, so snacks are always welcome.
• Gift certificates. Find stores near the college that are easily accessible. Fast food, restaurants, and cheap retail stores are always a sure bet.
• Cooking supplies (for students in an apartment). My mom always gets George Foreman grills — easy to use but very essential to have.
• Quality furnishings — nice towels, simple carpets, lamps, chairs, and so forth. Obviously most of these are more necessary in an apartment.
• Bean bag chairs! Perfect for having people over to hang out.
• NetFlix subscription. You’d be surprised how handy this can be.

Seeing as today is Halloween, I was wondering about trick-or-treating.

Ever since I was a kid, trick-or-treating was the big highlight of Halloween. Each year, I would plan to hit even more houses than the year before. Once I was old enough to trick-or-treat with friends, we would try to find the areas with the most homes, where hopefully we could get the most candy. In reality, each year our plans ended up failing due to one reason or another: once we went to a neighborhood where nobody was giving out candy, another we spent looking for a friend’s girlfriend, and one year we were just simply too lazy. in the end, I never actually fulfilled my dream of “The Jackpot”.

Halloween is the ultimate holiday as a kid

As my friends and I grew older, we started hearing the inevitable line from adults handing out candy, “Aren’t you a little old to be trick-or-treating?” I first heard it in 6th grade, and I heard it more every year after that. The last time I went trick-or-treating was during my sophomore year of high school (when I was 16), and I was hearing it quite a bit that year.

During my junior and senior year, I didn’t have any interest in trick-or-treating because other opportunities came up — one year I went out with a girl, the other year I went to see a movie and spent some time with friends. However, if the group decision had been to go trick-or-treating, I would still have been willing to go out. Now, though, I finally feel too old to go out, perhaps a result of being away at college, or maybe because I finally realized I can buy candy any time I want. I would still love to hit The Jackpot, but beyond that I really don’t have much interest in walking around. I’d rather spend Halloween at a party, with friends, or even just watching scary movies and handing out candy to kids.

What do you think?

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Beyond that, I’d like to wish everybody a happy Halloween. Since it’s on a Friday this year, there are many more opportunities than normal. What interesting things are you up to this year?

Before leaving for college, I remember telling my mom, “I won’t get sick at school — I have a great immune system!” I honestly believed it too — I rarely ever get sick, and when I do, it’s usually nothing more serious than a cold.

But sure enough, within only two weeks of moving in I started to feel my first illness coming on. With so many people around, it becomes incredibly easy for diseases to spread. My disease, however, didn’t come from contact with anybody at school — I actually contracted it while at home, and it was hitting me for the first time. And, unfortunately, this was no common cold: this was mono.

Being sick at college can be pretty miserable

As I’m writing this, I’m finally getting over my illness, and it’s not a moment too soon. I’d like to share a few things that I’ve learned firsthand about being sick at college that might help you if you ever find yourself in a similar position as I was in (let’s hope not!).

Being sick when you’re away at college is completely different than being sick back home while you’re in high school. Back home, Mom could take care of you and you could more easily afford to miss several days of school in order to regain your health.

But when you’re sick at college, you’re on your own, and you have to manage on your own. When you first discover that you’re sick, this is definitely a bit daunting — it’s really tough being sick when you’re alone and away from home. But there are ways of managing! This post contains some pointers about how to manage both your health and your schoolwork while sick, as well as some other general tips to keep in mind while sick.

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It rained for the first time of the school year on Friday here in Santa Cruz. This was a rather… interesting event.

At UC Santa Cruz, the tradition is known as “First Rain”: on the first major rain of the year, kids run through campus naked (streaking).

It started raining fairly late at night (about 10 PM), and the general rule is that it has to be a GOOD rain — sprinkles don’t count — and it has to last a while.

My roommate and I ventured outside at around midnight to see just how much truth there was to the tradition. We walked up part of campus to see what the hubbub was, but there wasn’t too much. The rain was pouring down hard and it was very chilly, so we decided to head back in.

Just as we’re nearing our dorm, we hear cheers off in the distance, steadily growing louder. We decided to wait a bit, and then… Keep reading »