Spring break now spans the globe. From Mexico to Malaysia and beyond, American university students can be found blowing off steam on the beaches of any country with a drinking age of 18 or lower. Some places welcome the young tourists as an economic boost, while others find their antics highly irritating.

Perhaps this is because spring break is entirely a cultural phenomenon of the United States. It began, according to the New York Times, with the 1934-1935 Colgate University swim team, which went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to practice in the winter. The trend caught on and soon Fort “Liquordale” was the home of collegiate mayhem.






In other countries, students tend to spend time with their families for school breaks. Wild celebrations like Carnival in Brazil replace the traveling debauchery of American co-eds.

At Carnival, young, beautiful brasileiros (Brazilians) don colorful, outrageous costumes and take to the streets with blaring samba music. The festival lasts 46 days and accounts for 80% of beer consumption in the country. School is out for the entirety of the celebration.

During February or March, a similarly vibrant holiday ensues in India. Holi – the festival of color – revolves around bonfires and country-wide water fights combined with tons of pigmented powder. Alcohol and cannabis fuel the partygoers. Anyone who wishes to participate should be prepared to look like a rainbow explosion.






Next door in China, the best bet for a beautiful celebration is the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. Students get four to six weeks off to ring in the coming year. More or less all of them go home during this time, much like Christmas in the United States. Festivities include lanterns, firecrackers, cleaning, and family meals.

A lack of warm vacation spots in Russia leads young and old alike to the highly contested island of Crimea. It once belonged to Russia but is now technically controlled by Ukraine. Who it really belongs to depends on who you ask, but the beaches are packed to the brim with both nationalities.

Though the spring break tradition may appear to simply be mischief abroad, the cultural experience of a new place can be an opportunity for enrichment and personal growth. Doubtlessly, curious American students can be found wandering any of the exotic festivals mentioned above. Though the party started in Florida, it continues to rage each March like the shot of liquor heard ‘round the world.

College has long since been considered a likely place to meet your match. But what about couples that decide to put a ring on it before they’ve earned their diplomas? Most people would tell you that it is more sensible to wait until you are finished with school, and they may be right, but love and logic are two very different things.

By age 25, 50% of U.S. women will have married for the first time, and by age 27, so will 50% of men, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The average age of marriage has increased over the years but still leaves just a 3-5 year gap between graduation party and wedding party.

About one in ten U.S. undergraduates are married, and the majority of that 10% is comprised of women. On top of their studies and married life, some also have children. All of these responsibilities can make it difficult to succeed at school.

But at some universities, marriage is practically part of the curriculum. For example, in 2005, 22% of the student population at Brigham Young University was married, more than twice the national average, along with 51% of the graduating class. By 2010 the marriage rate had increased to 56% of the graduating class.

In stark contrast, only 3% of Yale’s graduating class was married in 2005. The University of California maintains the national average of 10% on its campuses. This demonstrates one facet of the widely varying cultures from university to university.

Some universities provide housing for married couples and offer day care for children, while others have no special facilities whatsoever. Most freewheeling freshmen need not give childcare a thought, but young couples looking to start a family while in school should keep such things in mind.

The most important thing, though, is not when you decide to get married, it is that you make sure to choose the right person. Your study partner may be great at macroeconomics, but it doesn’t mean he or she will be a great partner in life.

The pressure is higher than ever to ace interviews. Jobs are few and far between, and it can be especially challenging for a recent college grad with little work experience to establish a viable career. Yet, so many applicants continue to make fatal mistakes that cost them the job opportunity, like forgetting the interviewer’s name, chewing gum, showing up late, and wearing inappropriate attire. Some errors are outrageous and easily avoidable, but others are more subtle and difficult to discern.

For example, sneakers are an obvious no-no as interview footwear, but the application of a perfume or aftershave that perhaps you like or are used to may be off-putting to a potential employer. He or she may even be allergic. Save the fragrance for evening outings only.

Scott Langerman of Comcast SportsNet shared a story with Washingtonian magazine about a presentation faux pa by an applicant. “A guy forgot dark socks to wear with his suit, so he colored in his ankles with a black felt-tip marker.”

A more understandable mistake was made by a job-seeker at Edelman Financial Services: “The candidate was sitting with her legs crossed and swinging one leg. Her shoe flew off and underneath the interviewer’s desk.”

Preparedness and self-awareness are crucial to a successful interview. You must understand the interviewer’s point of view and how he or she will perceive you. Swinging one’s leg indicates nervousness and anxiety – undesirable traits in someone who would be working with clients in sensitive financial situations. Even if your shoe stays on, this is a major mistake.

Confidence is a quality that will get you very far. Many applicants, especially recent grads, will feel nervous and unsure before an interview – that’s normal. But, if you don’t feel confident, fake it. You need to be your own biggest proponent, so act like you are the most skilled and talented candidate in the bunch. Research the company and the interviewer beforehand and try to find out exactly what they are looking for, then compare that information to your skills, experience, and education, and tailor your responses accordingly. It is a good idea to practice interviewing with a friend or family member beforehand.

Unavoidably, the interviewer will ask you to, “Tell me a little about yourself.” To avoid rambling on about your childhood in Nebraska, the best response is, “Of course. Where shall I begin?” This way the interviewer will direct the line of questioning instead of leaving you try to summarize your life story in two minutes.

According to the Washingtonian, some of the most common mistakes made are answering cell phones during interviews, asking the interviewer out on a date, falling asleep mid-interview, and forgetting the company name or the position they are applying for. Comedic? Yes, but these also have practical applications. Always double check to make sure your cell is off before an interview, do not flirt with or overly flatter the interviewer to try to get in their good graces, rest up the night before, and grill yourself on the job details pre-interview.

Small adjustments like sitting up straight, a firm handshake, and a friendly, positive attitude will make a world of difference too. It is important to employ these rules in your daily life also, because you never know who you may meet when you are out and about. The guy sitting next to you at the bar could be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Who knows? Networking is the best way to land an interview and further your career.

If, in the end, you still don’t get the job – don’t be discouraged. Shake it off and start searching again tomorrow. There are always great opportunities out there for the resilient and resourceful.

Standardized tests have affected college admissions for over 100 years. They
have been administered as a way to determine a student’s qualification for higher
learning, and to expose some interesting information about test scores in relation to
demographic.

The College Board, a non-profit, has administered the standardized test known as
the SAT Reasoning Test since 1901. A student’s score on the SAT is one of the single
most important determining factors for college admission, which makes it a focal
point for motivated high school students.

So what kind of score is required for entrance into a school like Harvard or Yale?
Typically a student needs to score at least 2000 out of 2400 to gain entrance to a
top tier school like Harvard, while the national average is around 1510. Predictably,
there are wide gaps between the scores of students with high-income, well-educated
parents and those with low-income, uneducated parents. Often, these gaps are tied
to race as well. In 2009, Asian students scored highest in Mathematics with an average
of 578, and white students scored highest in the Critical Reading and Writing
with averages of 527 and 518 respectively.

Geographically, certain states also tend to have higher average scores than others.
In 2009, Iowa came in first with a whopping 1813 average, followed by Wisconsin
(1784), Minnesota (1782), and Missouri (1779). The lowest average came out of our
nation’s capital, Washington DC (1378). Maine (1390), Hawaii (1450), and South
Carolina (1452) have similar averages.

There is one alternative to the SAT, known as the ACT, which is accepted by most
colleges as well. The average score for the ACT is 21 out of 36, but a 29 or higher
is necessary for any future ivy leaguer. Most schools will accept either test, but
it is recommended that students take and send both to their choice universities.

For anyone who wishes to pursue a degree higher than undergraduate, there are
more standardized tests to take. These are equally important for acceptance to
a well-respected program. The most prominent tests are: the GMAT for business
school, the LSAT for law school, and the MCAT for medical school. Top programs
require a score of about 700/800 on the GMAT, 166/180 on the LSAT, and a 35Q/
45T on the MCAT.

Standardized tests are certainly not the only factor that affects acceptance, but are
the easiest to measure. Though controversy over the fairness of standardized tests
continues, these tests provide us with valuable information on the state of education
in the nation. While they continue to evolve, they definitely aren’t going away
anytime soon.

It’s not just in your head. There’s a science to beer goggles.

Several studies conducted in recent years indicate that alcohol (among other things) might actually change your perception of how attractive that guy or girl is across the bar, after all. For women, the effects can be lasting.

The most telling study came out of the University of Bristol in England (via MSNBC). It followed 84 heterosexual students and gave some of them non-alcoholic drinks. The rest got vodka drinks with the equivalent of a pint and a half of beer’s alcohol content. The scientists waited 15 minutes before showing the test subjects photos of 40 other students of both sexes. The subjects who were given alcohol registered a 10 percent increase in how attractive they found the people in the photographs. And here’s the kicker: the results made the subjects rate members of the same sex as more attractive, as well.

According to the lead researcher, “The main question is whether these effects are specific to faces, or whether we would rate anything as more attractive after a drink.”

More startling, however, are the results of a similar study, which indicated that even when they’re sober, women who have had something to drink within six months are less able to detect facial symmetry, a defining characteristic of attractiveness (via the Telegraph). 45 women in a study were shown 60 pairs of men’s faces, one symmetrical, one asymmetrical. Regardless of whether the women had 5 drinks or 25, they still had more trouble detecting facial symmetry. This suggests a long-term alteration to brain function caused by alcohol. But, says the lead researcher, “Whether or not any damage or deficits are permanent is hard to tell at this point.”

While some effects may be irreversible, yet another study resulted in a formula that can calculate just how big an effect beer goggles have on people at a certain time in a certain location(via BBC) . It’s not just a matter of how much the person has had to drink, though that is a crucial factor, but it also has to do with the level of smokiness, lighting, distance and a person’s visual acuity.

The formula is as follows:

(An)2 x d(S + 1)
ß = ———————–
vL x (Vo)2

Where An stands for the number of units of alcohol, S stands for the smokiness on a scale of 1-10, L stands for luminance on a scale of 1-150, Vo stands for visual acuity and d stands for distance.

A person who scores less than one feels no effect from the beer goggles. Between 1 and 50, and a person’s vision is already altered. A score of between 50-100 means everyone will start looking attractive.

So, in the end, that mysterious stranger probably isn’t as attractive as they appear to be. But you already knew that, didn’t you?