Ask MetaFilter questions in the education category

What is ethnomusicology all about?

Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:58:01 -0800

What topics are covered in ethnomusicology? What sorts of courses do ethnomusicology majors usually require? What do people with ethnomusicology degrees usually end up doing? (Much more inside) I have a pretty strong interest in music theory (particularly tuning systems, temperaments, and their development) and in anthropology. So it seems like ethnomusicology might be a good field of study for me to dive into. But I'm still not sure what ethnomusicology really is. The definitions I have encountered seem hazy and very generalized (although I guess that's usually the case in anthropological topics), and I would like to know if there are specific topics that are always covered in the study of ethnomusicology, whether you end up researching Russian hip-hop or gamelan music or the evolution of church modes. I'd also like to know what you do with a major like that once you've actually gotten a degree. When I get a better idea of this, I hope I will get a better idea of what I want to study and how to study it most effectively (i.e. with a major, a minor, an 'undergaduate thesis' or directed study program, etc).

PS: I am 20 years old. I spent one very bad freshman year at a college I would rather not have to go back to, ending with a GPA just under 2.0. I've spent the year since then working at a low-income grind of a job, which -- while good for my character and such -- is about to make me tear my hair out. In other words, I finally feel eager to actually study and learn the topics that interest me, but I will have a tough time convincing any college of that with my current transcript. Any advice you might have about all that is welcome.

If it looks and quacks like a CS Degree, then is it a genuine enough CS Degree???

JoeXIII007 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:15:25 -0800

Does it really matter where you get the Computer Science degree from? I am currently going to Washtenaw Community College to (of course) save money while getting the all important education. Currently majoring in Math and Science with a concentration in Computer Science.

At the moment I have pretty much put my future plans on going to the University of Michigan just a little further westward (which, if you have not heard, is a pretty reputable University other than being part of the Big Ten, as far as I have known).

MUCH closer (I live just barely east of downtown Ypsilanti, MI) to home is Eastern Michigan University. Going there would undeniably save money on not only tuition and supplies but also gas using the car. For either university, I would be commuting to them.

Now I make the following realizations no matter what the decision:
- The CS biz changes practically daily, so I know I will have to constantly learn new stuff.
- As far as I know, computer scientists are in high demand (at least according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- The education I get at college lays a foundation more than anything (doing a pretty deep google search confirmed this) and anything in industry will have to be picked up along the way.
- Having noted that, I already know people without CS degrees already in the industry (particularly with .NET).

Therefore, it really comes down to the money, quality of college education and risk with sacrificing either, and thus why I ask MeFi: does it really matter where I get the CS degree from??? I have done a lot of research into this decision and I am more than anything looking for the final factor (which I cannot seem to grasp) that will set the decision in stone.

Trivia: Currently 19 years old, holding a 3.97 GPA (only shy of a 4 thanks to an A- for some reason), and have put myself through two semesters (Fall 07/Winter 08) of 18 credit hour loads (for a total of 36 in the college career).

"Taalontwikkelingsstoornissen." Gee, where does the stress fall?

softsantear — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:33:54 -0800

Is there an online Dutch dictionary that shows diacritical marks for the pronunciation and stress of the word? It could be DU-DU, or DU-EN, though I suppose I prefer the latter.
E.g., sites like The Free Dictionary do this for English.

To reiterate, I'm mainly concerned with where the stress falls on words. I'm developing an intuition about some words, but for some I feel like it could go either way. Also, I'd like to be able to double-check to see if a vowel is short or long. Something using IPA, maybe?

I have a paper EN-DU dictionary that has pronunciation guides in IPA, but I'm trying to stave off the need to buy a proper Dutch-English dictionary just yet.

as far from Shopping Mall State as possible

brandnew — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:55:08 -0800

What are some of the more radical, yet reputable, universities in the United States? What are some universities in United States that encourage a culture of radical intellectualism? To be precise, I mean ones that promote or even encourage research and development of ideas that are unconventional, potential controversial, and likely to be found no where else.

I'm looking for those places of education that attract the most pure thinkers - educators and students that thrive by living on the edge of knowledge, uninterested in contemplating the usual paths. Although they may be fearless and provocative, they still employ rigorous and credible standards of research.

Of course this is an ideal portrait, and likely non-existent. But which universities even come close?

Help me decide what to research.

acidic — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:46:10 -0800

I'm in need of ideas for a year-long research topic in economics, preferably relating to feminism, technology, or both. I'm about to embark on a sort of informal thesis, which will occupy about 1/6th of my academic time for the next year, relating to economics. Since it's a bit of a capstone project, I'd like it to involve my other main interests, feminism and the internet. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to take many classes which involve either of those interests as my program is quite standardized, but I'm eager to learn and throw myself into a passion project.

Certainly labor economics is a possibility, e.g. the wage gap, but I thought I would open the question up to the hive mind to see if there are any unanswered questions, creative viewpoints, or any other ideas which might be interesting.

A good example, which I'm already exploring, is a the research exploring the effect of online pornography on the incidence of rape. My perspective is somewhat snarky, a little bit "Freakonomics," and I just really don't want to spend a year, like, rating index funds!

EIT/PE ten years out of school?

notsnot — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:54:10 -0800

How to pass a PE license exam after ten years? I earned a BSME in 1998. Professional engineering licensure was mentioned in one class, as an afterthought - most of the graduates went on to be consultants, where a PE doesn't do you any good. I never took the EIT (engineer in training) test. I worked for a railcar company for 4+ years out of college, then did construction and teaching, when I couldn't find an engineering job, for another four years. I"m now at a company that strongly encourages me to get my PE license so the old PE can fully retire.

I've looked online, but I have no sense of how hard the EIT test is, firstly, and how likely the license board is to let me take the PE test without four years' time after the EIT test.

I'm not dumb, but looking at the reference materials, I barely remember any of this stuff. When I taught math, even high-level calculus and DiffEQ came back like it was yesterday, but I'm pretty sure I didn't learn a lot of the engineering stuff. My recollection of college, the engineering part, was that of a lot of professors' egos, criminal levels of apathy (one professor didn't let me turn in an assignment an hour late because I was at a classmate's funeral!), professors who didn't speak intelligibly, and ridiculous workloads on material that didn't actually teach us anything. Tests were either a joke (everyone had scores of 80% or better) or ridiculous (one person got a 90, the rest got under 40%). I don't seem to have learned a lot of the material. How hard are the tests?

First chapter book a child reads?

sevenstars — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:50:40 -0800

I was asked in France what's the first chapter book an American child reads on his or her own, and I didn't know whether there is one such book. Do you know of one or have any idea of the most likely titles?

UCLA professional programs

mooza — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:56:46 -0800

I'm looking for opinions on the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, whether you've done it, or know someone who has. In particular - opinions on the online course. Cos you know, I'm not in LA and can't be. Google has led me loads of news on alumni and whatnot, but not much reviewing of the experience (particularly the online one). Any other experiences with other online courses are welcome.

Please don't tell me I should just write until my hands drop off and that I don't need a class. Just advice on actual course if you could...

Thanks everyone!

What's the deal with getting a creative writing MFA from an American school, as a Canadian?

skwt — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:08:53 -0800

What's the deal with getting a creative writing MFA from an American school, as a Canadian? Specifically:

money - am I eligible for funding (grants and/or loans) from American schools? Will the Canadian government lend me money (OSAP? (I'm in Ontario)) to study in the US? Can I do both?

visas - hard to get? Expensive? Long waits?

working - can I work while I'm there on a student visa?

living expenses - I want to go to Brooklyn College, but I'll probably also apply to all the other NYC MFA programs (NYU, New School, Columbia, am I missing any?), and schools in Irvine CA, Iowa, and maybe Austin. Would it be a realistic thing to support myself with whatever kind of low-skill job I might be able to find (in Brooklyn or elsewhere), and still have time to do school/write?

staying/moving to the US when I'm done - is this a hard thing to do?

Any answers are welcome and appreciated, but it would be great to hear from Canadians who have done or are doing this.

BONUS QUESTION: With respect to trying to get a teaching job in Canada afterwards, I've heard someone say Canadian schools don't care about a degree from an American school so much because they don't know which ones are prestigious, with the possible exception of Iowa. Whereas getting a creative writing MA from UofT, or the MFA from Concordia (for example), even though they might have less impressive faculty by international standards, will be more helpful in getting a Canadian teaching job afterwards. Anyone know about this? (Aside, I guess, from the obviously-better Canadian networking opportunities)

Thanks

Art School Preferential

cmoj — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:43:27 -0800

Is there a point to art school? I'm coming up on completing my BFAs in about a year, and I'm looking at my option for postgraduate degrees (or not).

Arts doctorates do not exist in America (though the possibility at some build-your-own doctorate school doesn't seem to be excluded). America is where I live. However, they do exist in Europe, New Zealand, etc. So, the "terminal degree" is a masters here and a DA in some other places.

These seem to be my best options:
1. Get a masters here (USA).
2. Get a DA in Europe or New Zealand.
3. Don't bother.

Bringing up:
Who cares about a foreign DA? Does it carry any weight here? Could I teach with it, or would I need an American masters to teach in America? What foreign art schools are most prestigious? Most progressive? Do galleries, endowments, etc. care about degrees at all?

Yet another grad school advice question

fictionalcara — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:26:42 -0800

How does an aspiring graduate student in English traverse the confusion of the graduate school application process? I am four years removed from my undergraduate career (University of Washington, English, 3.39 overall GPA, closer to 3.6 major GPA) with a bit of a complicated history. I was an all-college honors student, one of the only humanities recipients of an undergraduate research grant from the Mary Gates Foundation and 3.85 overall GPA holder until near the end of my junior year when, according to the un-funniest Hollywood script, things fell apart. I dropped out of the extra honors workload both at the all-college level and within the English Department and barely managed to squeak through my senior year with poor grades to make it to commencement, knowing I had to complete one class within my major the summer after commencement in order to finish the requirements for my degree. As you may guess, I never finished the last class and instead silently drifted away from the University with horrible guilt and disappointment.

Fast-forward 3 years later, after having worked one-too-many restaurant jobs and flitting about with little true responsibility, I woke up and began to rediscover my first true love for academics. I was finally ready to confront my old undergraduate demons and just finish once and for all. Despite having moved to CA, I discovered that I need only take any transferable English course at my local community college in order to satisfy the last remining requirement for my degree. Last semester I did just that, and now I finally have my piece of paper! In addition, my preparation for the graduate school application process has included:

- Refreshing my 7 years of Spanish
- Beginning French (if I am able to start grad school in the Fall of '09 I will have completed two full years of college French)
- Studying for the GRE
- Studying for the GRE Subject Test in Literature (Norton Anthologies, reading some of the Big Names)
- Taking two undergraduate level English courses at UCLA starting in a few weeks, in hopes of showing promising and current university-level work, plus two letters of recommendation

When I originally went to college I wanted to teach. The longer I was in school (before the break-down), the more I realized that I wanted to mold college-aged minds. Truthfully I would like to teach literature at a small, liberal arts university, but since the process of that coming to be is potentially very far off, at this point I am happy with the idea of getting my masters and then considering the possibility of teaching at a community college first.

Ideally I would like to go somewhere that will allow for teaching experience and offer as much funding as possible. From what I can tell, the Cal State system which is local and convenient to me does not fit that mold. However what are the chances that I would be competitive (depending on test scores and recommendations, I realize) as an applicant to higher programs, either masters or doctorate level? The maze of offerings is positively dizzying. Some offer only terminal masters, with or without funding, some offer only doctoral level programs straight from a BA with or without funding, some are big names and others are not, but I need to find ones that are appropriate for me. I am afraid to be so clueless as to apply to schools that are either way out of my league, or overlook the smaller name hidden gem that would have been perfect for me, had I only known about it.

My question is, how do I know where I need to go considering my experience and aspirations? Given my academic record and current status, where should I be concentrating my attentions? Short of manually looking at the website of every degree-granting institution, how do I find the right fit?

If it helps, my interest lies in 19th and 20th century American Literature and Culture, Gender Studies, Transnational Studies and Cinema Studies (my undergraduate research combined women silent film stars, transnational dialogues within literature, popular culture and advertisements with 19th and early 20th century feminist literature).

Personal experiences are also very welcome: fictionalcara@gmail.com

Stumped on Essay

tessalations999 — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:59:55 -0800

What should i write about for an admissions essay? I am applying to Business school, and one of the essays is "describe your greatest passion."
Should i write about a concrete activity, or is it ok to write a more abstract essay? If i answer the question truthfully, it will be more abstract, kind of tying together all the activities that i am passionate about. But i feel like they want something more concrete. I am just not sure what exactly they are asking. Any advice?

Thank you so much!

How to get to speed in mathematics for a phd?

tonci — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:43:53 -0800

Looking for programs or study options to fulfill math, statistics and economics prerequisites ahead of applying to grad school? I'm planning ahead for applying to a doctoral program in business and want to keep options open that would require stronger math background than I have. I'm aware of the predoctoral program at NYU and am looking for other ways to fulfill this kind of coursework. I would consider non-degree as well as degree options. The ideal programs would be like the post-bacs that are designed for people applying to medical school who didn't take required classes in college.

Go back for more school or take a meh first job?

sleazy_e — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:07:09 -0800

Recent Graduate: Work towards 2nd Bachelors, Masters, or take a lower paying position I hope will lead to the job I want? I'm from Texas and and a May grad with a BS in Econ (minors in math and writing) from a known State U. Currently I've been searching for job opportunities in fields Junior Financial Analysis or Market Research Analysis, Data Analytics (or really any kind of analysis that requires lots of math, data mining, and forecasting), but these jobs are very hard to find for my (entry? - I've worked every year since high school, but maybe not in relevant jobs) level in Texas (right now, everyone wants senior/experienced applicants) and I am frustrated by the impossibility to get an interview with my ~2.75 GPA (or for reasons companies refuse to inform me of). I am aware that grades are vital to get into the door of these positions.

I believe I am 2 semesters (30 hours) shy of a BS in Applied Mathematics (Finance track) and I can try to raise my grades above a 3.0, but I have already spent 5 years in school and racked up some debt. Now, I was once an Applied Math major before becoming Econ, but I switched due to pressure from paying for school on my own, dealing with an abusive relationship (that ended after the degree change), and constant insane familial problems/drama (think Arrested Development). I want to say that now those distractions could dissipate (except for paying for school on my own), but any future incidents are probable. Let's just say, I'm eager to pursue/finish the degree, but I'm afraid that I fall back into the depression/fear of not successfully getting the high marks needed to make this elusive degree worth while.

Another option is to start an online MS Finance or MS Math/Stat degree from an accredited (not UPhoenix), but not well known University that would take about 2 years to finish while working/searching for employment. I've been told that Bachelors are more available today, so getting a Masters is becoming more necessary to differentiate yourself from the competition.

I've read on MeFi that people recommend taking the CFA Level 1 to differentiate themselves, but I doubt it would help for the jobs outside of Financial Analysis (Data Analytics and Market Research).

Another factor in my decision: I've been offered a position as a cost analyst at a small firm. It sounds okay, but my responsibilities aren't more than data entry (at least at first) and product updating, the salary isn't as reasonable to live on, and it requires 100 miles of round trip commuting from living with my family (moving out makes the job even less economical). The job is well, a job, I suppose and it offers me the ability to pocket a little bit of money after paying all my debts.

My question is given the current state of our US economy, call it a recession or a fearful voting year with tons of graduates and less amount of entry jobs, would it be best to A) try and finish my math degree, B) enter an MS Finance degree, or C) take a left-field-ish job and try to work my way into my desired job?

Help me finish my degree

F.Jasmine Addams — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:50:11 -0800

I completed about 3/4 of the requirements for a BA in history at a US university. I last attended about three years ago. I now want to complete my degree, but I am permanently settled in the UK. Going back to the states isn't an option, so I need to either find an accredited university with an online program based in the US that will accept my credit hours from the University of Tennessee, or I need to somehow finish my degree at a university here in the UK. I think the classroom experience is important for a history degree, so I would actually prefer the second option, as long as my credits from the US could somehow be converted to at least half of the requirements for a history degree here in the UK - I don't mind going back to school for a year-and-a-half, but I don't want to go back for another three years. I also wouldn't mind taking A-levels, if necessary.

This is my first foray into this idea, I will of course do some research and speak to people at my old university and at local universities here in Birmingham, but I am just looking to hear your experiences or your opinions about the viability of my ideas.

How do I start tutoring for reals?

Precision — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:33:58 -0800

How do I, a soon-to-be high school senior, go about tutoring math as a part-time job? I've been working a retail position (cashier at Target) for the past 18 months. Since I turned 16, or shortly after. Throughout my junior year I pulled 20-25 hours a week, topping 30 most of November/December, and working 37+ immediately prior to Christmas. I get a halfway-decent hourly rate, $7.70. Decent for a part-time high school job.

Now, however, I want to quit. Why? No reason, really. Most of my friends in school all graduated this year (I've been roughly a yeah ahead of my grade since freshman year. So I've taken nearly all my classes with the year ahead of me. I'm only taking 4 classes this year as a result.) and I feel the need to make some close(r) friends in my year. Thirty hour weeks cashiering is not how to do this.

My girlfriend currently tutors a 13-year old (soon to be 8th grader, I think) in math and english. She's Korean, and her (very) Asian mother set the job up for her, with the boy's (very) Asian mother. She gets $15 an hour for it, and I think she's been getting 6 hours a week during the summer, not sure how many she gets during the school year. She's also moving to Wisconsin September 1st. So, when we're done crying, I might steal her client.

Anyway, beyond this, what is a good way for a high-schooler to break into this? Ideally, I want to make $100 a week during the school year. Any rate from $10 to $15 per hour is fine with me.

I certainly know the subjects that I'd think about tutoring in (Math and English). I scored perfect 36's on both of those subjects on my ACT test. I'm ranked in the top 2% in my class. I have practice tutoring on the "amateur" level, or whatever. Meaning, I've spent countless hours helping people ranging from 5th graders trying to find the area of triangles to our class valedictorian's troubles with physics. I know how to explain things with clarity and I'm quite patient.

So how should I go about finding a couple of clients? Put an ad in the local paper? Our school district doesn't have any sort of tutor-student matchmaking game going on, so giving my name to middle school counselors will be pretty much worthless.

Ideally, I'd like to tutor students from 7th-10th grades. I feel quite comfortable tutoring maths from about seventh grade math to Geometry (generally 10th grade). I could tutor through high school trig, but I'd probably have to actively review/relearn some stuff as I go... so way too much work for me. English I figure I could competently tutor at very nearly any level.

Full time childcare for a toddler

malphigian — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:44:04 -0800

I'm looking for some advice on full time preschool/child care for a 2+ year old. First off, a little background:
I'm in the midst of trying to sort out a new childcare situation for our daughter (2 years, 3 mo currently).

Unfortunately, my wife and I work full time without a ton of flexibility. We need help from 8:30ish to 6:00ish every weekday. We are working on each taking one afternoon off, which may help a little.

Our daughter has had a full time babysitter. She's been great, and all has been well. That said, the kid has gotten increasingly social and we think she could really benefit from starting preschool in the fall.

Complicating factor: we're in the midst of moving to a new town. So we are losing our great babysitter and we don't have a lot of time to figure this all out.

Now, my questions:
-Only a fraction (1/3rd maybe?) of the preschools we've found offer full time care. Most of them are a few days a week or mornings only. Worse, all the blogs and message board threads I read seem to discuss people sending their toddlers part time. This gives me pause, do they avoid full time because it's a bad idea? Are we setting our daughter up for an overly stressful situation?

-If not, what is our other option? Hiring a new part time babysitter, and having that person pick them up after preschool? This sounds complicated and potentially expensive, but we'll figure it out if that is the better way to go.

I'd appreciate any advice from other parents who have looking into full time care for this age group. Links or book recommendations which discuss the topic would be great as well.

Thanks in advance!

Help me become a better essay writer.

Knigel — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:18:03 -0800

Can you help me find essay communities? I would like to find a place to read other people's essays and share my own for possible feedback. I'd like to be a better writer while helping others. I would also like a place that I could post my own finished essays so that my students and friends can read them. I'm not looking for a place to to rip off other people's work, I'm looking for a place to improve my own writing.

I'd be interested in any essay forums as well.

How does education about religion work in US schools?

bjrn — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:49:54 -0800

Someone told me that in the US most public schools don't have religious studies or comparative religion type classes. Is this true? If this is true, how far does it go? Does that mean there's no (Greek/Roman/Norse) mythology either? And what would be the rationale behind not teaching it?

Summer program for 15 yr old NYC?

quiverandquill — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:45:22 -0800

Can you recommend a summer program, August - Sept, for a bright 15 year old girl living in Queens, NYC? My niece is very smart, loves dance and theater and wants to excel academically. She's starting to make choices that aren't ideal, and (unrelated) do somewhat poorly in Math. I would love to find a program in Queens, or NYC for the month of August that can help her with school, inspire her and encourage her in the right direction. Help?!

Got an (particular) old textbook there?

Squid Voltaire — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:56:46 -0800

I need to know the table of contents for the 2nd edition of Eysenck and Keane's Cognitive Psychology: A Student's Handbook, published in 1990, ISBN# 0863771548 I'm compiling a list of the tables of contents from various Cog Psych textbooks of the past four decades, as a (very) rough way to get a look at how the field has changed. I've managed to find the ToC for Eysenck and Keane's 1st edition textbook, as well as editions 3 through 5--all I need is the second edition to complete the set!

I do realize that this is a ridiculous thing to ask, but you never know. Maybe someone will read this and immediately meMail me the table of contents from E&K's Cognitive Psychology: A Student's Handbook, 2nd Ed., published in 1990. (:

Help me complete the set! I have to catch them all!

Born in the USA

chara — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:07:26 -0800

In the United States, if a college-bound student is under the age of 24 and s/he is a legal citizen, but his/her parents are undocumented/illegal residents, how does this student fill out the FAFSA? Also, are there other outside financial resources for these students that are private and not affiliated with the federal government?

(This is a hypothetical situation; I'm asking for the sake of my own curiosity).

200 Years of State History on $0.00 (in useful materials) a Day!

scaryblackdeath — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:58:58 -0800

I need lesson plan ideas for Washington State History. It's a summer school class with three weeks left, three hours per day... and a number of odd and annoying constraints. Suggestions? The kids are generally pretty good, but I have a mixed bag of age and ability. I have some chatty 8th graders who are being allowed to knock out a high school class early. The rest are high schoolers who need the credit.

The textbook is decent, but I have only 9 chapters left to go with three of the five weeks of class remaining.

I have a couple of random workbooks & textbooks from different editions for additional materials. Nothing really matches.

I can't do movies. I showed ONE, and the district assumed that was all I intended to do for the rest of the term. So movies are on a short list.

No field trips. Wanted to do Seattle Underground, was told it's just not in the cards.

The school library is closed. I'm trying to get into contact with the nearby public library to set up some research time.

The school's computer lab is occupied. I can work out time in the room, but not constantly, so sending kids in there for research projects is a little dodgy.

Tried loading up "Oregon Trail II" in the computer lab, but apparently my copies aren't all that good. Maybe it's just my CD burner? I have two original copies of the game (purchased), but I'd need like 12 to go around even if I paired everyone up.

My building admin has been generally supportive & understanding, but I think they keep getting a new constraint loaded on them from "upstairs" every other day...

Any thoughts, Mefites?

Want to have a real college "experience" but limited to community college and a state school in a city I just don't like.

evanrodge — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:35:15 -0800

Want to have a real college "experience" but limited to community college and a state school in a city I just don't like. Ok, so please let me fill you in on the back story.

During my high school years I switched schools three times. I never really had a chance to make good friends at any of them, although I was a reasonably popular athlete.

My family was forced to move to Tennessee the summer before my senior year. I was struck with a reasonable bout of depression due to loneliness shortly after we moved down here. I still have a few friends from my senior year, but most of them have gone off to college somewhere else. I was so focused on making friends and doing social stuff that I totally neglected my college search during this time. So my dad, who was a star college athlete, pressured me significantly to play lacrosse on scholarship. He talked about that non-stop, day in, day out. So finally I just settled on a small school in NC where I could play.

For my freshman year of college I went to a small school where I was to play DII lacrosse. I then realized that playing lacrosse was something I did as a kid, not what I wanted to do all during my college years. After my first semester there, my mom got really sick, so I decided to just come home and go to community college until she recovered.

This summer has been a total mess. I got accepted back to my small school (LMC) and also a larger state school - UT Chattanooga. However, I can no longer afford to go to LMC because I wouldn't be playing lacrosse for them.

I just visited Chattanooga, and I have to say that I really don't like it there. Its a big city with an outdated school, and I don't know anyone there.

So now I'm stuck. I just want to go to a real school where I can have a real college experience, but its too late to apply anywhere else, and by the time next spring semester rolls around I will have lost a whole year and a half of my college 'life'. I just want to have real friends and have some fun for once.

What do I do now?

Estimating utilities in a college town

laskagirl — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:21:57 -0800

Help us to estimate utilities? Howdy, folks. A relative of mine will soon be attending Humboldt in Arcata. I've been to college myself, but it was on the East Coast, and it was ten years ago, so I'm scratching my head trying to estimate utilities for budgeting purposes. Are any of you familiar with the area? She's going to be sharing a two-room studio. So the two renters would be splitting the utilities for that space. Have Googled and come up unlucky. Thanks so much for any help you can provide.