Morgantown, W. Va.

(U-Wire) An unusual trend is hitting college students during their… Morgantown, W. Va.

(U-Wire) An unusual trend is hitting college students during their freshman year. Rather than receiving a new computer or cash for graduation, many are getting plastic surgery.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 200,000 cosmetic procedures were performed on patients age 18 to 19 in the past year.

Erica Shockey, a junior business major [at West Virginia University], got her breast enhancement right after high school graduation.

“I didn’t get them to be flashy or anything. I was just very self-conscious about my body,” Shockey said.

Though the main argument for having cosmetic surgery is a more desirable figure or face, younger patients still have to think of the possible repercussions of their decision. Bleeding and infection can occur after cosmetic surgery, and more than 20 percent of surgeries have to be revised. – Amber Marra, The Daily Athenaeum (West Virginia U.)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Are you single, dating or more like Hef? That’s the relationship question as posed by Playboy U., the new community website formed exclusively for collegians by Playboy.

Chip Ross, director of Playboy U., said those wary of Playboy’s risque reputation need not worry.

Ross said the site is a thinking-student’s Facebook. Where MySpace and Facebook are more individual-oriented, Playboy U. is designed to compel students to think outside their clique and join discussions with students from across the country.

Ross said unlike Facebook, the site offers plenty of opportunity to produce content on blogs and discuss relationships, politics, music, film and sports with other college students without the clutter of MySpace.

Playboy U. requires a .edu e-mail address for access. – Jared Culver, The Crimson White (U. Alabama)

Ames, Iowa

When you’re calculating your tuition and fees this semester – books included – there are two tax credits to claim on your income tax return this year. The Hope Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit offer some relief from the high price of education.

Cindy Hockenberry, tax information analyst for the National Association of Tax Preparers, said the Hope Credit gives students a deduction of 100 percent on the first $1,100 of their education expense claims. For expenses after that, the Hope Credit covers 50 percent of next $1,100, but, “you are only eligible for a total refund of $1,650,” Hockenberry said.

“[These] credits are a dollar-for-dollar reduction of tax liability,” she said. “These are standard deductions.”

Students are only eligible to use the Hope Credit for their first two years of college. The other credit, the Lifetime Learning Credit, is open to all students – freshman to graduate level. “The only restrictions are that you have to go to an accredited university,” Hockenberry said. -Kyle Miller, Iowa State Daily