Highlights from Campus Tour #1

Forgetting that the universities I'm interested in also admit undergraduate students, I was a bit taken back by the number of high school students who were on the initial campus tour. Granted most of them seemed like they'd much rather be doing anything but touring a college campus, they were there nonetheless. And boy were their mothers. I, for one, cannot stand mothers who project all their energy and enthusiasm on their child, speak for their child, ask questions for their child, and all but fill out their kid's application. They make my skin crawl. Needless to say, there were more than a few on this tour. I felt a wee bit out of place being the only graduate, but I'm used it it. I'm a Christian conservative in L.A.

Some of the highlights from my trip:
1. Gum popping mother/daughter duos. (Somebody please shoot them....with a pellet gun of course...come on..)

2. The tour guide stopping at a display featuring a piece of the Berlin Wall and mentioning that Loyola Marymount University had an even bigger portion, possibly the biggest in the Western United States. One mother turns to her daughter and says disparagingly, "The Catholics have everything."

3. The tour guide pointing out a quote etched around the Berlin Wall that reads, "A house divided against itself cannot stand," and then proudly saying, "Abraham Lincoln first said that." And me chuckling. It might be worth it to look into where Honest Abe got that quote, darlin. :)

4. Getting a free meal at the school's cafeteria. Since last year, I'm all about free stuff. Prior too, I was too proud to accept. Now, I'm all about it. So it made my day to get free parking and a free meal.

I'm off to my Jewish/Christian conference. I'll be sure to write at length about that as soon as possible.

Oh, and to clarify, I'm most likely going out for just an M.A. at this point. And I'm looking to get it for free. If I get a degree in anything related to education, the "No Child Left Behind" funding will pay for the whole thing. As much as I hate big government, doesn't mean I'm opposed to it funding my graduate/post-graduate education.

Have a great weekend!