Maggie McGlinchy

Now that I’ve been abroad for almost three months, I am an expert about all things Europe. Lucky for you, I want to impart some of my wisdom on those who are abroad now, about to go abroad this summer or those who want to or wished they enlightened themselves in Europe, just like me.

State College is full of, er, personalities. Boombox Guy, McLanaman, the Willard Preacher, the Squirrel Whisperer, Mike the Mailman – the list goes on. One of the newer players to the game is Todd of the Vamos! Lion Chariot. You probably have seen him riding around campus or downtown honking his bike horn and waving hello at just about everyone.

Penn State Sophomore Nicole Kelner began her small smart purse business out of her dorm room last semester. Now, with a booming Etsy shop, she has created a brand all before officially declaring her major. Learn more about the Smart Purse after the jump.

A little internet birdy told me about Penn State's surplus eBay account -- an apparent dumping ground for the various departments at Penn State to sell all the crap they don't need anymore. I thought that maybe the Lion Ambassadors were cleaning out their closet of Penn State secrets so I was like "Let's check this out!" And then it just turned out to be a really sub-par garage sale that was so bad it wasn't even selling headless Barbies or crock-pots.

So last night the Maybach Music Group made their way to State College to talk about their bitches that look like bags of money. Fortunately I was one of the people in the audience. Here a general around of highlights that happened in a pretty accurate sequencial order:

Good news! On Monday, Boombox Guy announced that he is planning to pass down his boombox to some poor Penn State soul by Thanksgiving. Think you have what it takes?

Freshman Mary Krupa loves Penn State squirrels. She is best known for putting various hats on them and documenting it. I spent an afternoon with her and these furry guys and it was....wild.

Not sure what to do with your parents this weekend? We combed through all the events going on this weekend and come up with a list of what to do and what to skip.

So the first day is over. You did a lot of sweating, gave a lot of dirty looks, and talked about being from a suburb of Philly about 15 million times already. But when you show up tomorrow, and girls have already dropped out and you can't stop freaking out that you have a reading quiz the next morning, you really start to think, "does this crap really work out like they say it will?"

Yesterday, "7mgte" posted that he is seriously considered living in a van this semester to save some cash and just like, yanno, do it for shits and gigs. Oh but he also said he hopes this will help him focus on schoolwork and stay healthy. Of course, most commenters tore him apart, letting him know how moronic his plan was (and hello? smelly?). But some people brought up valid points.

Freshman gals, the first day of classes is going to roll around sooner than you know it! But before you agree to take the white loop with some random guys you just met, make sure you brush up on what exactly you’re getting yourself into

CollegeACB returned as PSUACB recently, but it wasn't as anonymous as you might have assumed.

Remember when all your friends left to study abroad and it was so melodramatic, like "Ugh, what am I gonna do without you?! I'm gonna miss you so much, don't worry you're gonna have the time of your life!!" Vom. The truth is life went on just fine without all of them but you can't just say that. Because they're going to gush all about how "fabulous" and "cultural" life abroad was (tell me about hostels again, please!?) and you have to come up with some bullshit to reciprocate when they ask, "So what did I miss out on??"

Greeks are always babbling on about how awesome it is to be affiliated no matter what time of year it is, but this week is Greek Week here in Happy Valley, which means you’re going to be seeing even more letters than usual. But that’s not the only tell-tale sign.

It's about 5p.m. and you're stumbling out of Fratland in search of something incredibly unhealthy, preferably fried or doused in grease, but how are you supposed to choose? Luckily, I have worked my way through the pantheon of State College venues and have rounded up the best of the best.

Ever since Grillers was shut down by the State College Department of Ordinance Enforcement & Public Health (those clean freak bastards) I have been in a state of mourning. So on Friday night when I was drinking underage and heard the news whilst stumbling my way over to Beaver ave I was an emotional wreck. Luckily, I was pointed in the direction of Billy O’s.

So, my initial plan was to hop on one of these new CATA buses, because as per our last post, they cost a whopping $5 million so I figured these must be some pretty bougie rides. However, when I waited at the White Loop (aka Whoop) stop yesterday for about 30 minutes, three regular lowbrow buses rolled by, so I said f*ck this, I'm just gonna talk about what I would expect a $450,000 bus would include.

It’s official. There’s no way around it. As far as us Greeks are concerned, there is no State Patty’s Day for us. IFC and Panhellenic have made it abundantly clear that they will not be tolerating any form of inebriated fun this weekend and have cruel and unusual punishments prepared should we try to defy them. So, what other options do we have this weekend? Let me list the ways we can enjoy our non-State Patty’s Day weekend.

Everyone likes to watch people make a fool of themselves. Yes, even you, you self-righteous boob. So why not laugh at someone else’s expense all in the name of charity!?

Well, here we are suffering a post-THON hangover, chugging a venti Starbucks and cursing out all of our professors who even considered assigning work this week. As you annoyingly slurp out those precious last drops of caffeine, you already begin considering when you should get another cup. But when is that exactly?

So what exactly did these kids of the families of the Four Diamonds Fund have to offer? With everything from juggling, to singing, to reciting digits of pi, they wowed the BJC crowd with their skills.

48 tiny models strut their stuff, modeling the latest Nittany Lion Gear that the Penn State Bookstore has to offer. Who know there were still different variations of sweatpants and hoodies to be made? All of the kids did a phenomenal job at modeling, but here are the highlights, in case you missed it.

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. So what does your Venti Mocha Caramel Skinny Chai say about you? A lot more than you think...

Listen ladies, guys really won't appreciate you talking about how cute the players' butts look in their pants or how hot Tom Brady is. Yes, really. Superbowl Sunday is the Sunday Funday of all Sunday Fundays so don't ruin it by being that guy chick. Here are some Do's and Don'ts to follow this weekend

I came back to campus this semester with a pretty dismal bank account and decided to give the whole plasma donation thing a chance. Plus, the chances of finding a paid job that doesn't involve a visor seemed kind of unrealistic so I tried to forget all the times people told me "The needle they use is HUGE," and googled the BioLife website and made an appointment.

How would slobbering, blacked out frat bros respond to a man repeller outfit? Would the contrast from all the other practically naked chicks entice them or would they just think I was there by mistake? I mean. can you imagine if I showed up somewhere in shoulder pads or boyfriend jeans? Not only would I go home alone, but probably in a straight jacket as well. I decided to give it a try last Thursday night (aka Thirsty Thurs of Sylly Week), and here’s what happened.

I grew up on J.Mike's subs--mostly because it took me about 3 minutes to walk there, but also because they're really freaking good. We all know what food snobs Jersey people can be, but I can assure you that J.Mike's will not disappoint here at Penn State. Here's why you should be excited about their Grand Opening tomorrow:

Welp, here I am. I'm Redifer basement, at 2 a.m., with only 10 days in between me and winter break. I have two exams this week, (including one tomorrow, er, today) and four finals next week. Luckily, I was smart enough to decide to go through a week-long bender last week for my last hurrah, but that's besides the point. Time to hit the books...

When the College of Communications scheduled Former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, P.J. Crowley, to speak at the Ben Bronstein Lecture in ethics and public relations, they certainly couldn't have expected it to fall at a more appropriate time.

This year, Delta Gamma (DG), Alpha Sigma Phi (Alpha Sig) and Beta Theta Pi (Beta) won overall for the second year in a row, with their performance of "Hairspray."