Most students think that college is the time to party. You may have fewer commitments, more leisure time and no parental guidance; that sounds like an awesome time, right? Well living it up in college doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend it binge drinking. Sure, that peer pressure mom warned you about is tough to ignore in college. Plus, some parties can be socially awkward, and you may cling to the beer can to become more outgoing. While heavy drinking may seem like a necessary college pastime, it comes with several risks:

Your wallet: you probably thought it was just the books and tuition that broke your bank, but you can plan on spending $25 to $50 a night boozing it up at a club.

Weight gain: If you’re trying to lose the “freshman 15”, binge drinking isn’t going to help. There’s roughly 750 calories in 5 cans of beer and 2500 in 5 margaritas. Read the rest of this entry »

Kindergarten Mixer at Florida State University

One of the most well-known Greek life traditions is the weekly or bi-weekly mixer. A mixer, also known as a social or date party, is when a fraternity invites a sorority to an event just for the two organizations. A private mass date, if you can imagine.

Normally mixers are parties held at the fraternity house, private events at local bars, comedy clubs, movie theaters, restaurants, sporting events, tailgates, etc. Sometimes they can be lavish events at country clubs, or simple cheap bbqs in a park.

Often times the fraternity and sorority will theme their mixers and members will come dressed to the theme. It’s a great way to increase excitement and participation for the event.

If you are planning a mixer here are some great theme ideas:

• “I’m glad I’m not…”: Dress as something you are not (cheerleader, pregnant, the Joker, a freshman, a fan from an opposing sports team, a nerd, etc.).
• 80’s prom: Big hair, big sleeves and cheesy music are all you need.
• Above Par: You’ll need golfing attire like argyle and tweed, and monogrammed golf tees.
• Anything but Clothes: Dress in anything but clothes (Twister board, a picnic blanket, caution tape, a cardboard box, inner-tube with flippers, etc.). Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re spending the summer on campus or at home working at the country club, you’re probably watching your budget. But hosting a Fourth of July party is not out of the question, despite what you have saved in your checkings account.

Follow these tips to throw a frugal but super fun Fourth of July party.

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With the 2010 Winter Olympics just a few days away, why not curb the winter blues and host an Olympic-themed party in your college dorm room or apartment during the opening ceremonies?

Consider this Olympic kick-off party just another reason to gather some friends around, nosh on some great food and drinks and become inspired by the young athletes who have trained for their entire lives for this day.

Here are few tips to get your Olympic party going.

• Don patriotic clothing: Guests are only allowed to wear clothing that represents their country of origin. So if you hail from the U.S., red, white and blue digs must be worn and for your dorm buddy who comes from India, green, saffron and white clothing is their ticket into the soiree.
• Read the rest of this entry »

Halloween is almost here! Hopefully you’ve already picked out your costume, but if not, check out EDUinReview’s recommendations for the best Halloween costumes. So, now you have a costume.

Do you have plans? Well, if not, why not throw a party? Everyone loves parties, especially themed parties. And if you need a few ideas for what would make a ghoulishly awesome Halloween party, check out these ideas:

1. Jason/Freddy Kruger Party- Two of the scariest, evil bad guys ever: Jason and Freddy. You can easily plan a party around this. Tell your friends to come dressed as either of these villains, their victims, or even Wes Craven. Then pop in the DVD and start getting scared. You can play games such as whenever someone dies, everyone has to tell their own creepy story, or whatever creative ideas you can come up with.

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It’s October! And you know what that means: Halloween!

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. When I was a kid, it was all about the candy. Now that I’m in college, it’s about having a better costume than my friends. My first costume when I was a baby was a pea-pod. I remember being a butterfly for four years in a row when I was 6-10. I like to think that my costume ideas have improved since my childhood; however, last year’s attempts to turn a black cocktail dress into a “Desperate Housewife” didn’t really turn out too well.

This year, I plan on picking my costume from one of the following lists of the top costumes for 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are taking a Spanish class, you know that Cinco de Mayo is coming up! For some, it’s a commemoration of the Battle of Puebla in 1862 when the Mexican army defeated French forces. For others, it’s a great excuse to stuff yourself on yummy Mexican food. At my high school, we always celebrated with a school-wide Cinco de Mayo party and everyone brought their favorite dishes to share. If you need some quick and yummy recipes to celebrate the holiday, here are my top cinco (5) favorites! I also work at a Mexican restaurant, so I’m kind of an expert on this whole queso and tortilla thing.

1. Mexican Wedding Cookies – These delicious almond-flavored cookies are rolled in powdered sugar. Recipe Read the rest of this entry »