Can anybody identify my succulent (and help me save it)?

Hey everyone! I think I have successfully managed to include 2 photos of my little plant in this post. If not, I will try to fix that. (I just joined a few minutes ago so I apologize for my incompetence!)

Anyway, I bought this plant about four weeks ago, except it was much leafier when I bought it. The guy I bought it from said it was some sort of cactus, although I think based on the research I've done online in the last half hour or so it's actually some other type of non-cactus succulent. But I have no idea what exactly it is. If anybody can tell me, that would be awesome.

More importantly, can anybody tell me why the leaves are falling off and/or what I can do to prevent that? There used to be a bunch more leaves at all the little joints of the stems - I don't know whether or not the photos show the little dark spots where the leaves used to be attached. I was told to water it once every two weeks, so that is what I have been doing. I'm not sure exactly how much water to be giving it each time, though, so maybe I've been overwatering it? I deliberately chose a plant that I was told would be very resistant to death, because I am a busy college student with absolutely zero gardening skill. I'm very sad because my African violet (which I bought at the same time) has already lost all its beautiful little flowers, so now I just have a pot of leaves. And now my little cactus seems to be suffering too!

In case the environment of the plant is relevant (which I have to assume it is), I go to school in Boston (whatever that means in terms of climate and sunlight). My dorm room has a big skylight, so it gets a lot of light. I've been keeping my mysterious succulent on my desk, right under the skylight, so it gets a lot of direct sunlight (which I can only assume is pleasant for a cactus-esque plant accustomed to desert conditions). My flowerless African violet is now on my dresser (a little out of the direct path from the skylight), where I moved it after reading online that they prefer indirect sunlight.

Anyway, if anybody has any information or advice for me, it would be much appreciated! I feel so bad for inadvertently killing my hapless plants!

Unidentified succulent plant (2) ( photo / image / picture from CrimsonClink's Garden )

Unidentified succulent plant (1) ( photo / image / picture from CrimsonClink's Garden )

All cactus plants are succulents but not all succulents are cacti. You appear to have a Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) I think.

You may be been overwatering it. Feeling the soil for dryness is a better schedule than watering every two weeks.

The African Violet will loose the flowers, they only last a few weeks so you plant is probably doing what comes naturally. They do need humidity and can take more sunlight than you think. I have mine still in it's original pot but I took pretty ceramic pot, placed the smaller pot inside sitting on about an inch of stones. Keeping water in the pot to just the top of the stones and placing it in a west facing window the humidity it needs is created and mine has been blooming it's little heart out for weeks. Just remember when you water the plant, don't get water on the leaves, that causes brown spots on the leaves.

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