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May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
April 27, 2009
/ 3 Iyar 5769
Not the way I recall college
By
Mitch Albom
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
If you want to feel nostalgic, go back to college. Not your college. Any college. In the last nine months, I have taken four campus tours of major universities in an effort to find the best spot for one of my nephews.
We traveled to Stanford, Dartmouth, Tulane and Michigan. These are all excellent schools (hey, he's a smart kid), but it could have been Cheesy State or Open-To-All-U.
College, today, is a trip.
At each place, we were greeted by student guides. These kids are, and it's amazing how true this was everywhere we went, severely over-caffeinated. They put the bubble in "bubbly." One young woman at Stanford, freshly scrubbed and wearing flip-flops, walked backward quickly as she toured us and said the word "amazing" at least a thousand times.
This professor was amazing! This lab was amazing! This overseas program was amazing!
And, of course, she was right. Because college today is amazing especially if the last time you lived in a dorm was 25 years ago. The rooms haven't gotten much bigger, but they now have cable TV, Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs in the lounges, personal microwaves allowed.
I didn't see any small chocolates on the pillows, but it wouldn't have surprised me.
By the way, in many dorms, the guys now have rooms next to the girls. That stunned me. It stunned some of the kids on the tour as well. They couldn't understand why there weren't mixed-sex roommates.
SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE TIME
Then there are the facilities. Buildings that look like corporate world headquarters. Bike paths. International houses. At Tulane, we were taken to a gym/sports complex that made me want to turn in my health club membership.
Speaking of Tulane, perhaps it's the New Orleans influence, but its cafeteria had better food than my wedding.
Groups? You can join everything from Save the Rainforest to Barbershop Quartets.
Activities? Well. You wonder how any kid has time to study. There are so many "amazing" lectures, parties, exhibits, celebrations. In one small stretch at Stanford, it had a forum on Tibet, a dance marathon, the Kronos Quartet, a lecture by the executive producer of the "Batman" movies and a Rubik's Cube competition.
I'm exhausted.
When I remember foreign exchange programs, I recall London, Spain and maybe Brazil as choices. The schools today have 40, 50, 60 countries on the roster. One school told us you can pick a country, and it will find a school to partner with.
Pick a country?
GET OUT THE CHECKBOOK
Now it may be because I went to a small school in the Northeast, but we got excited with intramural basketball. A stereo was major technology. A Friday night concert was a big deal on campus. And when they got a soft-serve ice cream machine, well, we were pretty much done.
So you can understand how I went through these tours with my mouth open. Especially in the cafeterias. (By the way, these campuses all have coffee shops, everywhere you look, which may explain the overly perky guides.) And we haven't even gotten to the community public service hours, the flexible year planning (Dartmouth basically lets you tell it what semesters you want to come to school) or the stock market lab that we saw on one campus (you start with a fictional $100,000; who says academia is out of touch?).
Of course, all of this will only cost you a mere $50,000 a year in most places, maybe a drizzle less or more. But what's $200,000 for a degree when the cafeteria has make-your-own-waffles?
I had a great time on these tours. And I was sad that I wasn't starting out in college these days and also glad. I couldn't handle the challenge of finding time for classes.
By the way, my nephew chose Michigan. It's a great school. And he's not really into a cappella.
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