Moving into My Own Apartment

Please excuse my long absence. I am in the process of moving my belongings and furniture into my own new apartment. I have just realized it is an exhausting process. I will update this post with my reflections later this week.

[UPDATE 08/29/09)]: I have finally settled into my own apartment. I am very proud of this accomplishment, because it means (from various theories in emerging adulthood) that I am a self-sufficient adult now. I am living off-campus because the rent is cheaper and housing stock is much nicer. I am also closer to shopping and other amenities. There is an accessible public bus route that will take me directly to campus.

I have a roommate who is also attending U-M for graduate school to help split the costs (utilities, rent, groceries) and housing responsibilities. We both do not come from wealthy backgrounds. She is an out-of-state student, therefore I have been showing her around the city, campus, and metropolitan region. We feel very fortunate that we are beginning the next stage of our lives.

It took several days for all my furniture to arrive. I have living room, bookcase, dining room, and bedroom sets. The place looks like a young professional's home. I wanted it this way because I'll be in graduate school for three years. I did not want cheap quality furniture that won't last a year. My roommate complimented how nice my furniture looks (hehehe!). We get along very well, and that's a good thing!

Orientation will begin in less than five days. I am very excited, that I can't wait!

P.S. Don't forget about purchasing renter's insurance. It's worth it!

Michigan Community Colleges Lobby for 4-Year Degrees

Several weeks ago, President Obama spoke to a large crowd of residents at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan. He plans to boost and strengthen community colleges.

However, the state's public universities oppose community colleges having the right to grant bachelor's degrees. They believe community colleges serve a different mission to the community.

So far, community colleges have won the right to offer four-year degrees in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia, the Community College Baccalaureate Association says. Legislative efforts to extend the practice could come soon in Arizona and California, said Beth Hagan, executive director of the Fort Myers, Fla.-based group.

Four-year universities in Michigan claim that this will create unnecessary competition. The universities are located everywhere across the state.

Four-year campuses want the community colleges to stick to their core mission. Michael Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, said community colleges should stick with what they do best: offering post-high school remedial education, preparing students to enter four-year colleges and granting technical certificates and two-year degrees.

"We have our distinct missions," said Boulus. "The two-year and the four-year institutions are very different."

Do you think Michigan community colleges should offer bachelor's degrees? If yes, should it only be limited to specific programs such as culinary arts and nursing?

U.S. News: 7 Reasons Why College Is So Expensive

U.S. News and World Report has posted an article on seven reasons why colleges are so expensive today. I know from my own personal research that college tuition increased dramatically in the 1980s and 1990s. Although tuition increases have slowed recently, national average incomes have become stagnant (and even decline compared to inflation) since the late 1960s, making college so expensive for lower and middle class families.

1. State Appropriations
   
2. Labor Costs and Competition
   
3. Operating Costs
   
4. Rapid Increases in Knowledge and Technology
   
5. Government Regulation
   
6. Economic Ebbs and Flows
   
7. The Sticker Price Isn't Always What You Pay
   

Do you agree with this list? Why or why not?