Surrounded by parties and pricey campus shops
Stan asked me if I ever thought of attending a business school in Stanford. I shuddered at the thought. This was the topic of conversation at the English Department the other day, where my coursemates were sold to the idea of a new fellowship covering tuition and fees for MBA students. But there would be a catch. The graduate must be willing to work in the Midwest. The best things in life may not be free at all.
Everyone in the university knew that MBA students in Stanford would like to go the Silicon Valley (after graduation). The Midwest was one of the underserved regions, a prominent setting in Stephen King's novels. The sight of the corn field would scare me, and I wasn't kidding. My housemates made fun of me, but I wasn't offended at all. I was certain that Mr. King was alluding to the political climate, and the uncertainty could be a good premise for Horror fiction. The election was fast approaching, and neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton mentioned the underserved regions. A former beauty queen was the unlikely subject of their tussle, while Katy Perry's latest video made me wide awake. I wasn't sure if there would be a huge turnout on November 8.
Surrounded by pizza, I imagined I wasn't running out of money. But it was the opposite. Mark confessed that long-distance relationship wasn't cheap. I figured it out after he studied abroad (during our third year), but I saw a glint of envy in Stan's eyes. My mother told me to go on easy on the pizzas, but I was often on the rush. There was hardly any time for preparing food, and no one (in the department) was willing to eat outside. A senior student advised me about textbooks, but I hardly paid attention to his words of wisdom. I was about to ask him about his bookshelf. He might have a copy of the novels that were included in the reading list. I was reluctant to approach him, as I don't want other students (in the English Department) to find out that I was running on empty. Besides, I kept on telling my folks that I could handle my finances. Let's just say that I was on a learning curve.
My budgeting tips
I learned to kick the coffee habit, which was hard at the beginning. Reading at 8 AM would be a Herculean task especially if I wasn't in the mood to read a chapter or two. I became wary of the campus shop, even if this was the place where my coursemates would hang out. Teenagers must follow the trends, but I don't want to burn a hole in my pocket. Last but not the least, I would look the other way whenever there was a sighting of a pricey sports gear. A pair of rubber shoes was good enough.
As for the novels, my cousin lent me some of her titles. She was a heavy reader, but she had no plans for authorship. A true bibliophile, which I couldn't say the same. It was the same case with my coursemates. We haven't figured out what we really wanted to do later in life, as minding our spending habits would be enough. Someone would announce a party, which was a life saver.
