Is the tassle worth the hassle?

A graduation display at a local campus bookstore features a banner reading The Tassel Is Worth The Hassle. Which provokes a question in many students minds, students not quite ready for graduation in particular. Is the The Tassel worth The Hassle?

Seriously.

The only reply available now is "Who knows?"

You wont know until when? Your own graduation day? Your first hiring because you are eligible now that you have a degree? That long distant day when you have finally paid off your student loans?

Like completing the requirements for your degree the realization of the value of your hard work is incremental. It may take some time before you can finally say, Yes, it was definitely worth it.

Until then you have a choice to make that distant day come sooner. Just keep showing up, turning in assignments and generally plugging away. You're time is coming.

Another Kind of Travel Warning

Eric was a first year law student in need of some serious down time. When break came he and a couple of buds drove to another state.   The buds in this case were two joints.  In the state where Eric attends law school marijuana is not an offense, neither consumption nor possession.  In the state Eric traveled to marijuana is an offense.  Along the road in his destination state Eric was stopped by a State Trooper.  A quick search revealed Eric's joints.  During the conversation Eric appraised the State Trooper of his own personal rights and reminded the Trooper who his real employer was.  That is, Eric got lippy with the cop.  Bad idea.  As mentioned here elsewhere, The Law and It's Enforcers take themselves very seriously.  Eric was jailed and charged with felony possession, entirely possible under that state's laws. Eric's choices were few i. e. Plead guilty to a felony and pay a large fine  or plead not guilty and return for a trial after paying very large bail. Eric chose the first.  Now Eric is a law student with a felony record. Very difficult dilemma.

Couple of points, real obvious.  First, no matter where you travel, another state or another country, know the laws and don't violate them.  Second, simply, don't mouth off to cops, TSA agents, highway patrol officers, state troopers, border guards, gendarmes, security officials or any type of law enforcement personnel.  It won't help.  They have all the power.  When dealing with such officials a Planet College reminder;  Silence is Golden so whenever you are in a law enforcement type situation give 'em your name, show your ID, explain your presence and Shut UP!

Travel warnings.

Spring and then, of course, summer are looming on Planet College. With these new seasons travel, getaways, road trips, breaks and thus travel plans are arising. With the international political landscape changing, (ask a Poly Sci major) a little planning now might save a lot of trouble soon. The United States State Department posts on their site here advice for US travelers. A warning is posted for countries where no US consular or embassy is available to aid US citizens. This type of warning applies largely to countries where long term internal trouble is anticipated. Currently Syria is one such country. This site also posts advisories concerning countries where current conditions might be hazardous for a traveling US citizen. Currently Mexico, due to a long standing 'drug war' is such a place. If you are planning any type of foreign travel soon or in the near future it is wise to check this site. You don't want to spend a lot of money to end up some place it is totally uncool to be.