Ack! Standardized tests!

Don't get me wrong, I like taking standardized tests, always have. Even back in elementary school, I thought of them as a neat game, a chance to pit myself against naive test designers who didn't expect me to get every answer right. I'm just not thrilled about the cost of test prep materials.

The TFA office sent me an email informing me that they've received the scores from the Praxis II tests I took last month and I passed. Now I have the Praxis I, Mathematics Content Knowledge, and Physical Science Content Knowledge out of the way. I really should have taken Physics Content Knowledge (0265) this morning, but several weeks ago when I tried to register my university's testing site was full, as was the next nearest site. Luckily, the TFA staffer I spoke with agreed that it made more sense to register for the June test date than to spend over two hours on the interstate before a 7:30 a.m. test. Thus, I've been able to focus on my thesis and schoolwork and pretty much blow off testing for the past few weeks.

Now, the test date is looming, and I know it's essential that I pass. I've started looking over the list of topics and planning my study time. It's all stuff I ought to know, and the giant University Physics with Modern Physics tome they made us buy to use for one semester of the introductory sequence should contain just about everything I need to review. Even though getting a B.S. in physics ought to be pretty good preparation, I've allowed myself to get sucked into spending money on test prep materials yet again. I broke down and ordered a test-specific guide so I'll have plenty of practice problems at the right level of difficulty. If nothing else, it'll calm my nerves, and that alone is worth the $35.44.

All told, I or my parents have probably spent close to $100 on test prep books for my use to study for the SAT, ACT, GRE (not that I've really done much studying for that yet), and Praxis II tests. It could be much, much worse. In other areas of the country, there's much more pressure to keep up in the standardized testing arms race, and parents pay big bucks to tutors to get their kids ready for the PSAT and SAT. (The PSAT for Pete's sake! I prepped for that by working through the free booklet from my guidance counselor the night before I took the real thing.) I have a friend who makes pretty good money as an ACT tutor, and pretty much every pre-med I know takes the Kaplan MCAT course, but test prep isn't the big business here that it seems to be on the coasts.

I'd argue that's a good thing. Taking standardized tests is a learned skill, but doing well doesn't require a large investment of money. Classes or tutors may be helpful for getting unmotivated teenagers to put in the time, but the information on what to study and how to prepare is available for much less. There are lots of low or no cost resources to try before resorting to pricier options. Official sample tests and study questions for the SAT, ACT, and both general and subject GRE tests are available online at no cost. Number2.com offers very good online SAT, ACT, general GRE programs absolutely free. If you prefer printed materials, having a test book you can mark up as you would the real test is helpful so I'd shell out a few bucks rather than checking materials out of the library. Personally, I like the test preparation books from Barron's, but picking something that'll actually get used is the only important thing.

Siblings.

My brother and I don't understand each other's money decisions. I can't imagine spending $10 a week on chocolate, and he finds my habit of turning off my computer and switching off the power strip whenever I'm not using it laughable. My brother focuses on using his money to increase his current happiness, and I definitely fall more toward the frugal end of the spectrum. In fact, I suspect that growing up with someone like my brother may have pushed me to suppress some of my materialistic urges since his desire to acquire sometimes bugged my parents.

My brother has described me as, "the second cheapest person in the country," and finds it really baffling when I want to spend money on anything. He cheerfully accepts parental subsidies, reasoning that they have more money than he does, whereas I figure every penny they spend on me is one they won't have for retirement or their own current wants. I haven't been able to explain to him why I would prefer to keep my apartment for an extra month if I could instead of moving home. He sees only that it would cost hundreds of dollars for rent and utilities and that I'm not generally someone who spends that kind of money needlessly.

The point of saving is to have money later for needs or wants. There are a lot of things I want but don't get, but once in a while I find something important enough to me, and my usual habits mean I have the savings to afford it. In this case, the point is probably moot, and it looks like I'll be stuck spending the month before institute alternating between staying at home and sleeping on my friends' couch since I can't renew my lease for less than the full summer and haven't been able to find anyone who needs someone to sublet. If all else fails, I bet my brother will let me sleep on his couch once in a while.

Why is everyone so determined to give me money?

It's weird. I haven't been going out of my way to look for employment other than summers of research where the great pay was a less important consideration than the lab experience, but people in authority keep offering great opportunities.

Last semester, I was co-TAing a University Physics I lab section (unpaid), and then my advisor asked me to consider tutoring a student in the class who needed some extra help. The student was a joy to work with, helped make me a better instructor for my class, and paid enough to cover my grocery bills for the semester. Funding from a state research grant I received enabled me to pay myself to do thesis research this semester. A fellowship that didn't even require an additional application means I'll get a signing bonus this summer.

I've just received an email offering me a job I didn't know existed and can't take. The math department offers one partial TA position to a student in the master's program in teaching, paying him or her $3,000 a semester in exchange for teaching a two-hour-a-week remedial evening class and spending four hours a week providing algebra help in the tutoring center. The professor who offered me the position knows (or at least knew) I'm going to do Teach for America, plus I'll only have a minor in math, so I'm quite surprised I was considered at all. I'm drafting a polite note letting her know that if I didn't have other plans I'd jump at this chance but I cannot accept the job.

Is it normal to feel a bit guilty about my good luck? People keep talking about how hard I've worked, but it doesn't feel like it. I haven't really sacrificed. I have certain aptitudes that prove useful, and I'm a hedonist whose preferred pleasures tend to be academic in nature. Yes, I put in time and effort; this is just what I do. Some of my activities have put me in contact with people who share my interests and are in a position to guide me toward interesting opportunities, but I haven't made an effort to network, it just happened. There are a lot of people around me who really strive for success, and it doesn't seems fair that I can just drift along and achieve the same results.

Insurance, I Bonds, and Adulthood

I went by the office where my mother works to get a quote on short-term health insurance. I'm covered under my father's group plan until I graduate, and I'll be covered through my employer in the fall, but I need to figure out what I'm going to do about this summer. COBRA seems awfully expensive so I'm pretty sure I'll opt for an individual short-term high deductible policy instead. Do you have any great suggestions for where to research my options or caveats I should be aware of?

After that I headed to the bank. Like Ms. Miniducky, A, and many other bloggers, I've been toying with the idea of moving some money into I Bonds since interest rates keep dropping and inflation seems likely to rise. I purchased one paper $50 I Bond in 2005, and I don't see a lot of benefits to messing with the hassles of getting set up for Treasury Direct when a ten minute visit to my bank will accomplish the same thing. I know I could have earned slightly more interest by waiting until the end of the month to transfer the money out of savings, but since I don't expect to touch this money for several years unless I'm faced with a dire emergency, I went ahead and ordered another $2,000 worth of I Bonds today.

Somehow doing all this makes me feel very grown-up, which I suppose I sort of am now. Many kids in my small town went out and bought cigarettes on their eighteenth birthdays, even the non-smokers, just to revel in their newfound privilege. I cashed out my custodial savings account and got a checking account and a certificate of deposit in my own name instead. (I was very disappointed that everyone who could drive me to the county office was busy and I had to wait until a few days later to register to vote as well.) In my mind it was always a given that becoming an adult meant planning for the future and managing money to the best of your ability. (Thanks, Mom and Dad.)

The real dorm living essentials

Attending Summer Institute for TFA means I'll be returning to a living arrangement I haven't had to deal with since freshman year, the dreaded tiny shared dorm room with communal bath down the hall. Most high school seniors who're headed off to college in the fall can look forward to a similar housing situation. In the coming months they'll be inundated with advertisements for all manner of products that are touted as "must haves" for college students. Don't rush out to buy everything on these lists; some items are really necessary for everyone, some are useful but optional, and some are pointless. You probably have much of what you need at home and needn't rush out to get new things. Here are a few items I've found to be particularly important for comfort and productivity while living in dormitories.

Good bedding: You may not be getting tons of sleep, but you'll want to be able to get a good night's rest when you have the chance. Dorm beds are often spectacularly uncomfortable. A good pillow helps, as does a mattress pad, whether a cheap egg crate, a fiberbed, or fancy memory foam. (Twin and twin xl memory foam pads can often be purchased very cheaply a few months after school starts when stores put all of their leftover back-to-school merchandise on clearance so it might be worthwhile to start shopping while you're in high school.) Don't buy sheets before you're sure whether you'll have an extra long mattress; I've always had standard twin beds and been able to use bedding from home.

Shower shoes: Pick up some $1 flip-flops to avoid the ickiness of bare skin against the floor of a shower dozens of other people also use. If your dorm floor has a tub and you are likely to take baths, buy some generic bathroom cleaner and a sponge to wash it before and after each use.

Ear plugs: It's pretty much a given that you and your randomly matched roommate(s) will have diametrically opposed musical tastes and sleep schedules. Even if you somehow manage to luck out in that regard, the night you need to get a major paper written will coincide with the tunnisboule world championships*, which will conveniently take place directly outside your door. If you plan to do any studying in your room, ear plugs are your friend. It may take some experimenting to find a brand of ear plugs that are comfy and fit well enough to block noise effectively.

Headphones: Ear plugs are good, but they don't block all sound. Your roommate will be far less likely to bludgeon you to death if you don't constantly subject her to your musical preferences, especially when you need to listen to something to keep you awake at 3 a.m. while you finish up a paper and she needs some rest before a 7:30 a.m. honors chem test.

A computer: You may be required to purchase a computer with certain specs as a condition of enrolling. Even if a computer isn't mandatory, seriously consider getting one; it'll make your life much easier. The computer labs at my university are often full, some have limited hours, and most require trudging across campus, not something you'll be eager to do in the middle of the night. It's much nicer to know you have a dedicated place to work that will always be available.

Laptops can be convenient, but I opted for a desktop, used it as my sole computer for over 3 1/2 years, and am still very happy with my decision. If you need a computer primarily for research, writing papers, and email, you can probably find a package deal with monitor and maybe a printer that'll do everything you need for less than $500 if you wait for good sales. More RAM is generally a good thing, a nice monitor is a plus for watching dvds, and a cheap tv tuner card is nice if your dorm has free cable and you like that sort of thing. You might consider OpenOffice as an alternative to the expensive Microsoft Office if you aren't hopelessly attached to Excel for sciencey uses.

If you shop around and consider what you actually need, starting college needn't be hugely expensive. Plan on buying the minimum and purchasing additional items over the first few weeks as you get a better sense of what you'll use.


*Tunnisboule was invented in fall 2004 by some people who lived down the hall from me. It is a team sport played with brooms with dustpans duct taped to their handles, some sort of ball, and the elevators at either end of the hallway as goals. The rules are fairly flexible, and you're allowed to hit people with your broom handle if you feel like it. There's a lot of yelling involved.

I'm in the mood for some celebratory overspending.

Despite being an absolute nervous wreck, I managed to pass my thesis defense. I won't find out my level of distinction until after the honors council meets in two weeks, but at this point I'm just happy I did well enough to graduate. (Well, I say that now knowing full well I'll be disappointed with myself if I didn't do well enough for summa.) I got my placement interview with TFA out of the way yesterday as well. By some minor miracle, I also don't have any major assignments due next week so I can take a more leisurely approach to homework rather than trying to cram productive activity into every waking moment.

Throw in a nice check from the latest installment of my research grant, and I find myself grappling with the temptation to go out and spend some money. Last night I kept the urge reasonably well in check. I went to a movie with my brother, but I had a free pass so the only splurge was $4 for popcorn for the two of us. I may not be quite so good throughout the weekend.

I want pad thai with tofu, something cold, fizzy, and caffeinated, and maybe that yummy appetizer with with the crab. I want to order used copies of some of Ian McDonald's books since River of Gods was my favorite thing I've read so far this year and the library doesn't have any more of his stuff. I want really good dark chocolate and some chewing gum. I want a bunch of things that aren't at all essential, and worse yet, I feel that I'm entitled as a result of my hard work. It's tempting to give myself $50 to blow on whatever I want this weekend and go back to being frugal next week.

Medicaid patients will "stimulate the economy".

The pf blogosphere is abuzz with discussion of the economic stimulus payments most taxpayers will receive in the next couple of months. Many are touting the opportunity to use this returned tax money to save, invest, or pay down debts.

My grandfather, on the other hand, absolutely must spend his stimulus payment within three months of receiving it as a condition of continuing to receive Medicaid benefits. He's 88, has suffered from aphasia as a result his second stroke when I was in elementary school, has had respiratory problems and been on oxygen since a bad bout of double pneumonia in 1999, and never regained the ability to walk after being bedridden following surgery summer before last. After completing physical therapy that summer, he ended up in a nursing home because he now needs more help with the basic tasks of his daily life than my grandmother and the rest of my family can provide.

Nursing care is tremendously expensive, and the bills quickly ate through my grandparents' savings. My grandfather was approved for Medicaid last fall. His pensions and social security income all go into a trust: he gets $40 a month for his own needs, my grandmother gets a fixed sum to supplement her own social security benefits since my grandfather has a far greater income, and the rest goes toward his medical bills. He's allowed to keep a small amount of money, and under most circumstances if he exceeded that limit he'd no longer be eligible for Medicaid.

The stimulus payment will push him and many other Medicaid patients over that limit. The state had to institute a special policy to deal with this problem: if the money is spent for my grandfather's benefit within three months, it won't count. Otherwise, my grandfather will lose Medicaid benefits and have to reapply, even though his stimulus payment would cover less than a week of his care.

Now we just have to figure out how to spend this money. It's hard to buy for someone whose activities are so limited. Watching sports and old movies on tv and reading the newspaper are how he fills much of his time.