College Matters

Hi all! I’m moving to Maine. Most of the past month has been spent on a “grand finale” family tour, all around Texas, to visit parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They all think Maine is another country, almost, it seems! Between that weeks-long trip and arranging stuff for the move (uHaul, boxes, blankets, trailer for car, check, check, check) I’ve barely had time to breathe. Now, I AM continuing to answer questions. I just don’t have time to do the posting and blogging that goes with it. So PLEASE don’t give up on me. I’ll be back the second week of June!!!

I’ve made so many connections on Twitter, with students, faculty, and entrepreneurs alike! I absolutely must spread the word about a couple of the newest sites, too – I want everyone who reads my blog to have an opportunity to visit these sites.

I’ve previously posted about the best price comparison site for textbooks (and books in general), . They’ve recently added a new section with book recommendations, so now you can price compare and also content compare. It’s also a good method of browsing in case you’re not sure exactly what you want yet.

College Town Menus is another great site that I’ve recently discovered. Fantastic idea – put the restaurants and menus for all college towns in one convenient place. It’s just starting, which is exciting, because that means they’d love to have input from anyone living in a college town. If you have time to contribute, it’s an excellent opportunity to get to know your own town better as well as to learn about the restaurant selections at other universities.

I just posted an advice column from a question I received (and answered) February 6, 2009. Check it out here. While I understand the student’s frustration at the racial stereotypes being imposed upon her parents, I actually see this as a potentially positive thing. One of the benefits of college is supposed to be learning about others outside of your “norm,” your preconceived notions, and your culture. So, although the student is justifiably irritated, because her roommate’s friends assumed that the student’s mom (of Vietnamese descent) is all brains and her Dad (African-American) is all athlete, she has an opportunity to educate someone and perhaps change the person’s view. I hope she’s able to get beyond her aggravation and do so. Every single one of us is an individual, culturally influenced but not defined by mere skin pigment. We’re all multi-faceted - and hopefully college is the opportunity to see the multiple stripes of everyone’s individuality.