A Classical Grown-up

When they're little, children pretend to be grown-ups. Teenagers want to be treated as grown-ups. College students think they are grown up. 

Then it happens: when they graduate, they want to be children again.

At least, that's how it worked for me. School may have been a hassle, but the learning has just begun--and the deadlines are less flexible, the stakes higher. 

I will be starting graduate school this August, and this month, I've begun to receive the requisite forms: student loans, immunization records, mandatory health insurance, and so forth. 

It's a whole new vocabulary (grammar) to learn. What is a subsidized loan? What makes it different from an unsubsidized one? What is a PPO? What is a Health Savings Account? 

It's a whole new set of data to organize and process (dialectic). Is it better to pay out of savings, losing the interest I would have earned, or take out a low-interest subsidized loan? What are the costs and benefits of a low copay compared to a low monthly premium?

It's a whole new batch of decisions to make and explain (rhetoric). I chose to enroll in this policy because of A, B, and C. I took out X number of student loans with the anticipation that I will pay them off in Y number of years as long as I follow Z plan of action.

And I thought learning the Periodic Table was difficult. 

I guess it's back to "kindergarten" for this reluctant grown-up--without the naps. Does anyone have children in the "let's play house" stage who might like to trade with me? 

Just thought I'd ask...

~Jen

...because everyday adventures can be classical opportunities too...