Sarah Casimong

Sometimes we are not sure what's going on down there, but paying attention to your vaginal discharge can possibly save your life. Although it is a normal thing, it can also point to signs that you need to see a doctor. So when should you be concerned? We spoke to Dr. Patricia Mirwaldt, director of student health service at the University of British Columbia, to get the 4-1-1 on vaginal discharge.

What Is Vaginal Discharge?

Vaginal discharge is a normal part of our reproductive system. In fact, we start to get discharge once we start our periods. The purpose of discharge is to clear out dead cells and bacteria, according to WebMD. Normal discharge is usually clear or white. However, your discharge can change slightly, depending on the phase of your menstrual cycle, the amount of fluids you consume and the type of medication you're on (decongestants and antidepressants can dry out vaginal secretions, and antibiotics can change your discharge), says Dr. Mirwaldt.

Here is (generally) what to expect:

You’re at a party, music is blasting, and you’re dancing with a cute guy. Do you ever wonder what’s going on in his head while you’re dancing up a storm? Is he judging your dance moves? Does he think that you’re interested in him if you grind with him? We surveyed 11 guys to see what they think about your dancing and asked all the questions you might have but never get a chance to ask.

If you’re dancing with a guy you’ve just met, what is he thinking?

When asked what’s going on in their heads when grinding with someone they’ve just met, 10 responding guys expressed the belief that you’re just having fun and grinding doesn’t necessarily mean anything. One guy takes it as a sign that a girl is interested in him — at least interested enough to dance with him.

“[I’m thinking] she likes me enough to dance with me, but it may not go anywhere further than that,” says Oliver, a sophomore from Douglas College. 

But for the most part, guys seem not to want to get their hopes up.

“In an ideal world, if you’re grinding with a girl, it means you’ve exchanged some sort of conversation, or she at least knows [and likes] what you look like because you smiled at her and asked her to dance,” says Andy, a senior from San Francisco State University. “But too many girls like to dance just to dance, so I’ve come to expect very little.”

Different scenario: What does your guy friend think when you’re grinding with him?

They say relationships are complicated, but non-relationships can be just as complicated — if not more so. Are you still hoping that your friend with benefits or recent hook-up will ask you to be his girlfriend? His motives might be a mystery, but there are some obvious clues that you should look out for. If you’re wondering if your guy will ever officially become your guy, we’ve come up with a list of seven signs that say he might never commit.

1. He has a reputation for being a player.

“He avoided telling me where he was going and what he was doing,” says Soniya*, a sophomore from Carnegie Mellon University, who later found out that her friend with benefits was also busy wooing another girl while hooking up with her. “I should have guessed he was with someone else and that was why our hook-ups always took place at random times, like Sunday afternoons or Tuesday nights.”

Dr. Carole Lieberman, author of Bad Boys: Why We Love Them, How to Live with Them & When to Leave Them, warns us to stay far away from a player — no matter how hot he is.

“If you think you'll be the one to tame a guy who has a reputation for being a player, think again,” she says. “These guys hide deep-seated psychological reasons for not committing to one girl — such as insecurities about their desirability — that only a therapist could change.”

2. He only wants to hook up and he’s not interested in getting to know you.

Looking back in hindsight, Soniya noticed a few signs she should have paid attention to when she started hooking up with her best guy friend. One of the signs was that the whole relationship (or non-relationship in this case) revolved around hooking up.

There’s a reason collegiettes gain the infamous Freshman 15. Whether it’s the stress of classes, the busyness of trying to balance a full course load and a social life, or the seemingly unavoidable late-night snack temptations, there are so many aspects of college life that can lead us to develop some pretty poor eating habits. And here’s the kicker:  once we’ve started, it’s not so easy to stop, especially when our schedules are as busy as ever. We talked to collegiettes to find out what bad eating habits you’ve picked up and got some expert advice from Vancouver-based nutritionist Elizabeth Campbell on how to turn these habits into healthier ones.

Bad Habit #1: Developing a dependence on coffee

Many of us feel like we need coffee in order to keep us alert for our early morning classes. If you’re relying on the caffeine in your coffee to get you through the day, you’re not the only one.

Phyu-Sin Than, a sophomore at Mount Holyoke College, who recently bought a coffee maker for her room, also has a self-described dependence on coffee. “I've picked up drinking coffee a lot, which suppresses hunger, and that's not healthy. I'd be too busy to sit down and have a proper meal, so I usually end up snacking and having coffee a lot of the times.”