The late bird finds the Common Application Web site has crashed just hours before the January 1^st deadline due to all of the other procrastinators flocking to the site.

Let's back up, and stop talking about birds.

The Common Application is a non-profit site that allows students to apply online.  Almost 350 colleges and universities participate, making this a popular resource for the college bound.  

Unfortunately, www.commonapp.org crashed on December 31 due to the high traffic of students trying to submit their applications at the last minute.

And they aren't alone.  The site reports that over 75,000 applications were processed on December 31^st .  I imagine the number of procrastinators that tried to submit an application was far greater. 

Some may say that these procrastinators learned their lesson—the last lesson they'll learn for a while, since they won't be going to college (insensitive, I know). 

But I feel differently.  I kinda sorta sympathize with the late birds. 

The college application isn't what it used to be.  The mojo just isn't there.

Gone are the days of filling in the blanks with your finest handwriting and bringing to the post office your one and only application. 

We now live in an age of 24/7 access to all things online.  We expect to bank, shop, and read the news at any hour, with the click of a mouse.  Why should college applications be any different?

And with multiple applications per student (Common Application reports an average of 4 per student… I think the number may be higher), it is not surprising that so many put off the application process until they absolutely could not delay anymore.

I hate to think of the sinking feeling that some students experienced when they realized the site was down.  I feel for you.  I hope you were able to submit your applications.  I'd say I hope you learned a lesson, but I'm not your mother...

...and I'm also secretly a procrastinator.  I started this blog yesterday.

Time to hear from you, Cramster users! Did you (or will you) apply early decision, or wait until the very last moment?  Did you apply to multiple schools, or just your top choice?  Share your thoughts-- no deadline here.

Rewind 5 years. With seconds to spare, I've scooted into my first class of the day just before the morning bell. A.P. English Literature. It was one of my favorite classes. It was hard, but I actually felt like I was learning and retaining information (all of which, surely, has been forgotten, hence the poorly written blog you're resting your eyes upon).

And then came the A.P. exam. I don't remember my score, but I do remember the ulcer that was developing in my stomach. Thinking my college acceptance hinged on the test result, I studied relentlessly and stressed constantly. 

And therein lies the problem that many schools are trying to avoid:

For some, A.P. tests have morphed into the "sure way to get into college" rather than simply a resource for students that may need more advanced courses than are offered in High School.

Over half of United States high schools offer at least one A.P. class. But some high schools are slowly phasing out A.P. classes.

One such school is Scarsdale High in New York. Scarsdale has introduced the alternative to A.P. classes in the form of Advanced Topics (A.T.) classes, and made A.P. exams optional. A.T. classes feature curriculums that, while still advanced, were not crafted around A.P. requirements. 

Much like the move away from SATs, the phasing out of A.P. classes has sparked a heated debate.

Even as schools move away from A.P. classes, the A.P. exam scores are still--according to Harvard's dean of admissions—and important part of college applications.

Some students feel the A.T. curriculum left them less prepared for the A.P. exam. Others appreciate the freedom to explore additional topics within a subject—topics that were not covered on the A.P. test.

The debate doesn't end with students. School administrators that see the benefits of A.T. classes, and desire to make the switch, are forced to answer to parents that are strong advocates of A.P. classes.

As for me personally, I'm just glad I finished high school before the ulcer could fully develop. 

So, Cramster users, how do you feel about A.P. classes? Would you prefer curriculums that aren't based on the A.P. exam? Are A.P. exam scores an accurate gauge of college performance? Do share, and I'll give you a 5, the highest A.P. score.  

Recently it seems like everywhere you turn there is some reminder telling you to go green. But have you changed your ways? Has your school?

These are green times. The radio informs you about the cash-saving, environment-saving wonders of the Prius or Civic. The TV lets you watch those squiggly light bulbs tell you that switching to environmentally friendly light bulbs is like taking thousands of cars off the road. Man, if only change were always this easy.

I don't know about you, but I've seen the "quick green fix" thousands of times—and no offense, but personally I'd rather get back to Grey's.

I mean, don't get me wrong, going green is something everyone should do, even if it's just a small conservation gesture here and there. But this hubbub makes me wonder—with all these reminders about going green, do you and the people you know actually do anything to help the cause?

Advocates of green living sure make you think that your friends all just hopped off a Greenpeace boat. You don't live green? You must still use VHS, too.

I have a few friends that are recycling enthusiasts (never use plastic bags, separate bottles from trash, refuse to get into an SUV), but the rest? Well, let's just say they love their big Suburbans and definitely couldn't tell you what the three Rs stand for (reduce, reuse, recycle, baby!).

But all shtick and sarcasm aside, there are little things we can do to live a greener life. With the new school year right around the corner, several sites are helping us out:

At TheGreenGuide.com you can greenify yourself for the new year with EcoWriter pencils and "Simple Shoes."

At RedApplesSupply.com you can buy… green apple school supplies. Looks like the green craze has even caused some identity crises.

So, go on – walk to your friend's apartment instead. Pick up some empty plastic bottles on the way and toss them into the recycling bin. And if you're really ambitious, buy school supplies made from recycled materials. A small amount of effort is worth staving off Al Gore for a little while longer.

Does your school take any measures to be green? Would you pay extra for green school supplies? What are some simple tips you have for the rest of us to do our part?

Recent students who took the GMAT are fearful about their academic future due to illegal prep help from Topscore.com.

For those of us who haven't yet given much thought to grad school, the GMAT is another standardized test for students planning to get their MBA. Think of it as the business SAT, the gatekeeper to many graduate business programs.

Topscore.com, a popular test prep site, was recently sued and shut down by GMAC (the guys who own GMAT) due to the site's "live GMAT questions." As the story goes, Topscore hired recent GMAT takers to rack their brains and recall questions from the test. The site then offered this information to members who paid a subscription fee.

With the questions being "live," Topscore subscribers were more likely to come across a familiar sight when they took the actual test. Talk about getting some real help.

But did these students know they were walking a fine line of legality? Most of those interviewed claimed they didn't, that they just wanted to prepare best they could.

Putting myself in their shoes, I wouldn't care if questions came from GMATs taken 5 minutes ago or from a Power Rangers cereal box coupon code as long as it would help me get into the business school I sought most.

So, what gives?

GMAC has already laid the hammer down on Topscore – no surprise there. But the real question is what will happen to the students who accessed, and benefitted from, the hot-off-the-presses questions?

As it stands, GMAC scourged Topscore's databases to find information on all the "guilty" subscribers and is currently weighing its options. But hold the phone… how can GMAC discern which students knowingly accessed illegal information and which just wanted more help?

The punishment for those found guilty can range from canceled scores (and thus, the need to retake the test) to being blacklisted. The latter would, in effect, prevent these students from attending business school.

Tough lessons, but ultimately, for the rest of us, lesson learned.

There are tons of prep schools, books, and Web sites out there to guide you toward a better score on standardized tests. But before you jump in, be sure to check sources, disclaimers and terms of use. At Cramster.com, even though we don't deal with standardized test prep, we do help you prepare for other exams, and we let you know that we take learning seriously. Any skepticism about our intentions can be wiped away by reading our anti-cheating policy.

We frown upon what Topscore did, but the jury's out on whether the students were guilty. Here's to the true story coming out.

So what do you think? How should the GMAT "cheaters" be punished, if at all? How would you resolve this situation?

1. Learn to be a personal chef. I know groceries have increased in price, but they're still cheaper than going out to eat at your local restaurants, which have increased prices even more. Yeah, you want to go out with your friends, but why not show off your hidden Iron Chef skills and impress those friends a bit? And if you can't cook, you can always show off your mom's Iron Chef skills instead.

2. Take advantage of free summer activities. Rather than spending $8 on a movie, go on a hike in your nearest park, at a beach or on a mountain trail instead. You should have no excuse to do activities that cost a lot just because they're convenient (bowling, clubbing, etc.) An active summer is not only inexpensive and simple, but can also keep you looking good as well.

3. Give Starbucks and Coffee Bean a break. Recent stats show that the average American drinks 2-3 cups of coffee per day. Given that, you probably spend $5-15 a day on coffee. With that money, you can buy yourself more than 3 gallons of gas – enough to drive past 40 Starbucks locations. As an alternative to caffeine, drink more water – sure, it helps hydration, but it also helps you stay awake. Besides, it's summertime. You don't have the "I-need-to-stay-up-late-to-study" excuse anymore.

4. Make gifts rather than buy them. Yes, true love is free and beautiful, but reaching that point is not. Instead of spending $80 on a jacket for your girlfriend, make her something simple that looks cute or write her a letter. These are essentially free and a whole lot more sincere as well. You'd be amazed at what money doesn't buy.

5. Upgrade to a premium membership on Cramster.com. Set yourself up for next year with our lowest offer - $39.95 for 12 months of premium access. Hey, we're only trying to help you out. Or better yet, you can earn more karma points and make us pay for your membership instead. Now that's a beautiful thing.

Go ahead - post your own ways of saving a few extra bucks during the summer. I mean, come on, we're looking for tips, too.

I'm sure the majority of you out there use Facebook. Perhaps you don't use it as fiendishly as USC football coach Pete Carroll (I'm not kidding, he has a legitimate Facebook profile), but most of you sign on now and then, or will sign on in the future.

Back when students owned Facebook and it wasn't cluttered with applications, advertisements and 80-year-old thrill seekers, there was an official "courses" feature operated by Facebook. We could find our classes and add them to a schedule that would be displayed on our profile, we could see which classes friends were taking and we could easily form study groups by looking through our class rosters.

The best part about it was everyone used it – so the class rosters were actually complete and the feature was useful.

So what happened to it? Well, in short, Facebook got rid of it, saying developers could make something better in the form of an application. In my opinion, Facebook just got lazy and wanted to focus on making money rather than on students' experience. But hey, I can't really blame them.

Lucky for us, Cramster has developed its own application – Courses 2.0 – that does everything Facebook's old courses did plus a whole lot more. One exciting feature coming soon is the ability to form an online study group without leaving Facebook.

But as you know, the app can't be at its best unless a ton of students hop on board. That's where you come in.

We've created a group called Courses 2.0 – Facebook courses the way it should be in hopes that it can spread the word and make Courses 2.0 the universal courses application just like we used to have.

C'mon – you know having a universal courses app once again would be pretty awesome.

For most high school seniors, it's that time of year – the time when funny hats are thrown into the air to signal the end of sheltered bubbles and parental control, and the beginning of the path to expanded horizons.

But if you were like me, the standard graduation song that everyone hears takes a back seat to your soon-to-be fight song that makes you distinct.

Before you can step foot onto the college campus of your choice, however, you must spend three months in educational limbo. Sure, you'll be working, possibly taking a summer class or two and enjoying your weekends (be careful, kids), but through it all, college will always be on your mind.

Courses, professors, new cities, roommates, classmates, parties, freedom and unlimited cafeteria buffets – no one can blame you for drowning in possibilities.

So how can you strike a healthy balance? Here are five tips to help you get pumped and prepared but keep you away from classic pre-freshman mistakes.

1. Read up on some school history – Let me paint the scene: You're at the first home football game and the band strikes a chord that sends most people around you into song, but you have no idea what's going on. Naturally, you clap and bounce around a little, hoping your awkward smile doesn't catch on and that the song will be over before your giddy friend sticks a fake microphone in your face. Don't let this happen to you. Know the songs, know the recent sports history, know about the traditions – orientation will help, but most of the time you'll be bogged down with registrations and info sessions. Doing some history legwork during the summer will make you a natural fit.

2. Make Facebook your friend, not your lifeline – Back in the day when I was a college freshman (2005… c'mon guys), Facebook was just a baby. Still, there were people who made fools of themselves before they ever spoke with one of their classmates in person; and Facebook was the culprit. Friending a few future classmates, joining a few groups and sending a few messages or wall posts back in forth is a great idea – it will help you out socially in the early going. On the other hand, having 1,000 friends, owning all 10 recent wall posts on a cute boy or girl's wall and being a proud member of 132 groups – some of which are inside jokes among the senior class – is a terrible idea. After being told, "Oh, you're the dude I saw on Facebook!" for the 20th time, you'll understand why.

3. Scope out the area surrounding campus – I'm sure your college will have a multitude of events for the incoming freshmen during the first few weeks of school that will keep you on campus. But once the on-campus buzz dies down, you'll serve yourself well by finding the cool spots to eat or catch a movie off campus. Telling a group of your new buddies, "Hey, I heard about this great Italian place down the road," right before you were all about to hit the cafeteria for the 14th day in a row will make you a demigod in their eyes.

4. Put some money in your pockets – About those great off-campus locales… you probably can't go there unless you have a few bucks to spend. If you don't have a job locked down yet, even if it only pays minimum wage, find one! Gas prices aren't getting any lower and pizza by the slice can only be so cheap. Remember when movies were six bucks? Scouts honor, it wasn't that long ago.  

5. Set yourself up to succeed with Courses 2.0 and Cramster – All right, I'll admit this step might be a few months away, but I promise it's just as worthwhile. College courses are more difficult than high school courses – you knew that already – but there are also more educational tools at your disposal. Signing up for a free membership to Cramster.com is a natural step for math, science and engineering majors, but for those who don't know, Cramster will be testing our new subjects like economics and business in the near future. And going back to Facebook, Courses 2.0 is the perfect application to connect with new classmates. Let friends know which classes you are taking and check out who will be joining you in those classes – it's like the day your elementary school released teachers and class listings, but way more fun. And when the time comes to actually start studying, Courses 2.0 can help you find the right study partners.

Did I leave anything out? What are you doing to prepare for "the best four years of your life?"