The formative years
From drinking to dating to discovering feminism, writers share how their university experience changed them and impart the lessons they learned to this year's incoming class of freshmen
I dated my university professor – and it was a messy, eye-opening experience
I was 17, he was 40. My friends were polarized – they thought the relationship was either charming or revolting. It ended messily but the lessons were lasting
Burritos, big macs and beer: how I binged my way to oblivion in college
When you set off for life on your own, no one explicitly warns you about the tough lessons, anxieties or even joys that come with leaving home
Shaving my head in college taught me to be fearless – and I had more sex
In high school I was the cool girl in the tight mini-skirt and padded bra but since my style got weird I no longer shop for self-esteem at makeup counters
Starting over is an art: how to stop feeling lonely and make friends in college
I wasn’t expecting to have to start over socially in my final year but being forced to reinvent myself taught me that unwelcome change is often the best change
If you're trying too hard to be cool in college, you're doing it wrong
Shedding your high school image is perhaps one of the most enticing prospects of going to college. But don’t let reinventing yourself overshadow the real you
Dear incoming freshmen: don't fear failure. It may lead you to success
We all mess up in ways big and small. But those missteps don’t have to mean the end. In fact they can often mean a beginning – just not the one you had planned
Advice from an accidental virgin: how to survive freshman year debauchery
Whether you’re a virgin or not, your sexual history and your feelings about it are not nearly as strange as anyone might try to make you feel
