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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 180 Comments · by

Thursday’s TPS Report: Classic Blazer

The Personal Shopper (TPS) |

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Old Navy Classic Blazer | CorporetteOur daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. I've featured a few striped blazers over the years, and I really like this one — the gray on black, the darts, the cool way the pattern on the collar plays with the pattern on the blazer… and I love that it's machine washable. The blazer is available in regular, tall, and petite sizes XS-XXL (also in solid black and gray) and is on sale for $32 (was $40) at Old Navy. Old Navy Classic Blazer Here's a similar plus-size blazer that's also machine washable. Seen a great piece you’d like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com.

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Comments

  1. Vegas, Baby

    Hubs and I are planning a 3-day trip in a month to celebrate our 30th birthdays, which are both in the last few weeks of the year. Both have stressful jobs, so this is a fun, lighthearted long weekend away!

    My impression (which I admit could be wrong…) is Vegas is one big game – do X to get Y. Well…. what do we have to do to get a little extra attention from the hotel – a free drink on the floor? Room upgrade? Etc. We’re not huge gamblers, but we’d be inclined to throw $20 on red for kicks, maybe try our hand at blackjack or some other basic table games… and I’ll definitely be found at the slots at some point. What are the best tricks for booking tickets to a show (Cirque? Comedy?) – do it in advance or wait until we get there? Tell me your secrets!

    • Anonymous

      If you’re playing on the floor, you’ll get all the free drinks. Just tip well.

    • Tagging on

      Also: what do people wear to the clubs in Vegas? By people, I mean people who are older (40s) and don’t usually go to clubs. Are we even allowed?

      [Or is it: It is VEGAS! It is perhaps the one place where it is not possible to be dressed inappropriately! Bedazzled velour track suit? Check! Tuxedo? Check! At the same place at the same time? Check!]

      That said, I do have a leather pencil skirt. But I can’t think of what I’d pair it with (if it even the right thing to wear) except pasties and some lucite heels. And even then a pencil skirt seems to be too corporate. DVF wrap dress w/o a bra (but I’m older; I think this *might* have worked back in the day)? Help!

      • TO Lawyer

        There is no such thing as being over or under dressed in Vegas. I like anonymous’s styling suggestions for your leather pencil skirt. At clubs, most of the girls will be dressed in pretty scandalous dresses but don’t feel a need to keep up. Wear whatever you’re comfortable in and what makes you feel s*xy.

        You are definitely not too old for the clubs in Vegas! And have fun!

        • Anon

          You can be underdressed in Vegas! Most clubs have a dress code. As long as you’re wearing something dressy, like heels, a skirt, something sexy, a short dress, etc, it’s fine. No flip-flops, no shorts unless they are hot pants or super short/sexy. Same goes for your SO if he is a guy – no open toe shoes, no shorts, etc. I’m assuming that you’re going to go out fairly early (not show up to a the most popular club after midnight), so you’ll be waved in if dressed appropriately. A leather pencil skirt sounds fine.

      • Bee

        Skinny jeans, heels, black top, statement jewelry. Sparkly or sequined flats are a nice alternative to heels, especially if you’ll be walking a lot. For tops, you could pretty much wear a black t-shirt if the jewelry is big and sparkly enough, but if you want to dress it up more, I’ve gotten some reasonably-priced going out tops from WHBM.

      • Senior Attorney

        You nailed it: Vegas is indeed the one place where it’s impossible to be dressed inappropriately. If you like to dress up, this is your chance! If you want to dress down, that’s perfectly fine, too.

    • Rogue Banker

      Ooh, a post where my former life working as a casino cashier comes in handy! (Caveat: not Vegas. I grew up in a small town in Colorado where gaming is legal and accounts for about 70% of the town’s economy. We were about 6-8 months behind Vegas in terms of machines/games/tech/etc.)

      Ditto to the free-drinks-if-you’re-playing comments. It’s actually in the casino’s best interest to get you buzzed – because tipsy players are dumb players. Know your limits, and don’t be afraid to ask for a soda or something. Our rule used to be no more than one alcoholic drink every 20 minutes.

      TIP. THE. STAFF. Tip the bartender when she brings you your drink, tip the dealer when she deals you a natural 21, tip the slot tech when she brings you your jackpot. It doesn’t have to be much – a buck or two to the barkeep each round, 5% of the win to the slot tech, something like that. There is no faster way to piss off the staff than to stiff them, since tips are a pretty large portion of our paycheck.

      As far as “how to beat the house”, because I can feel that question coming… it’s really almost impossible. Winners don’t pay the electric bills at those places (and with that many machines running 24/7/365 the electric bill is ENORMOUS). But there are a few games that pay better than others.
      My suggestion for a newbie is to g00gle “blackjack basic strategy” , which is pretty easy to learn – it tells you whether to stand or hit, based on what the dealer shows vs. what you were dealt. No card-counting needed. You can print out a small copy of the table and keep in in your purse.
      Stay away from Keno at all costs – the house take on that game is outrageous. Penny slots also tend to be tight, but the higher denominations are looser. Gimmick games (Free spins! Fancy bonus rounds! Cute sound effects!) are, as a rule, tighter on normal spins than old-fashioned games. Always play max bet – most slots only pay jackpots on max, and there’s nothing worse than seeing those Flaming 7s come up and realizing you only bet one coin.

      Last and most important, do not go onto the gaming floor with more money than you are prepared to lose. Leave your debit/credit cards and checkbook in the hotel room, and don’t go back to get them. What you bring down there with you is what you have to spend, full stop. I’ve seen way too many people lose way too much money to not advise caution.

      Good luck!!

    • SD Girl

      I go to Vegas twice a year because my family loves to gamble. As for shows, I usually get them the day of at Tickets4Tonight. There are a couple of locations. After watching almost every show on the Strip, O is still my favorite. I agree with the above comments about clubbing outfits. You can wear whatever you want and there are people of all ages in these clubs. I suggest getting into contact with a promoter of a club you want to go to. They can get you in for free and you don’t have to wait in line. There are also night clubs and day clubs. Both are fun but in different ways. Drais is the new club in town but I still like going to XS. It’s easy to get the attention of the hotel. Just win a lot of money or lose a lot of money and they will most likely comp your room to get you to play more. This does not apply if you play poker. Play blackjack. It will give you the best odds against the house and it’s easy to learn. Don’t forget about all the great restaurants in Vegas.

    • Rory H

      If you book thru a travel agent (your credit card company’s travel perks may even have this) they can often get you amenities like upgraded rooms, spa passes, etc. It doesn’t have to be expensive to book w/an agent. HIGHLY recommend the show “Absinthe” which is like cirque+burlesque+comedy. But not if you’re easily offended!

    • anonymous please

      Blonde Lawyer, could you contact me? I’ve already been approved for a SOFI refi, and they’re willing to apply your code retroactively to my account and yours. Email me at abd331333 AT gmail…

  3. Experience w Land´s End Ponte Dress

    My old firm has a very strict dress code,i.e. black/ grey/ blue suits with white/ pink/ blue blouse only. My new firm is a bit more business casual, allowing some slack. To add color and business-casualness on a tight budget, I´ve ordered some Land´s End Ponte dresses. The material seems to be not true to form (and prone to p@ntylines). Do the dresses indeed grow larger over time? (They are already a bit too large and will need to be altered.)

    • YouSaucyMinx

      Hmmm I’ve never had that problem with Lands End dresses.

      I’ve has several for over 2 years, and they are the same shape/size as when i got them, not stretching.

    • Anonymous

      I love them as fairly casual usually Friday dresses that only last a year. There’s a reason they’re cheap.

      • Miss Behaved

        I have 4 or 5 of the Land’s End sleeveless ponte shift dress and they don’t seem in any danger of wearing out. I’ve had all of them for at least a year.

    • Tagging on

      I think it can be a good bridge piece, but it has got to fit right. There are underwear with silicone grippies that you can get at Soma (Target used to sell them and it seems like they stopped) that have eliminated VPL. I wear mine with a blazer (solid The Dress, blazer with some sort of visual interest) just to keep it more work-y. I think I got mine a bit too big and am going to get it tailored b/c I love how it looks in a catalog / on other people. I tried putting it in the dryer to shrink it (has not paid off yet), but have not noticed it stretching out or looking worn out.

      • Anonymous

        I think I’m out of the loop – I thought The Dress was the fka Suzi Chin from Nordie’s drapey faux wrap dress. Is there a new The Dress? If so, link please?

    • Bonnie

      I haven’t been impressed with LE ponte dresses and think they end up looking very casual. IMO you can get much better quality dresses at places like lastcall. Most dresses do show panty lines, especially solid dresses.

    • A Clark

      Check out the anntaylor sale going on–a lot of things are 50-75% off (including the tweedy jacket and skirt I’ve been eyeing).

      I also like The Limited collection suiting for the price ($50-60) for the sheath dress vs. paying $25 for something that I can’t manage to style in a non-casual way.

    • anon

      I have 4 of these. The solid color ones seem to be made from a different, better, stiffer material than the print ones. The gray herringbone one from last year is pilly and grew, but the leopard one made of the same stiff material as the solid ones I got at the same time is still free of pills and has maintained its shape. Although it shrunk because I accidentally dried it. I have 2 other solid colors that are newer and they are the nice stiff material.

      For the record, the LE ponte dress is the only sheath style dress that has ever fit my pear shape (0-2 on top, 6-8 on the bottom), so I love it. And, in my academic-professional life, it’s perfectly formal with a blazer.

    • Diana Barry

      YMMV, but I wouldn’t wear them unless I wore them to the holiday party in December in the office. If they are more like a thick cotton velveteen, then they are OK, I think, but I’d have to see them.

      • Anonymous

        They are more like a thick cotton velveteen. They’re from AT last year- can’t find a link now. You’d have reservations because they’re not totally appropriate or because they’re frumpy or otherwise not great looking?

        • Wildkitten

          Many people think velvet is only appropriate for holiday parties. I’ll wear it any time between Thanksgiving and New Years, personally.

        • Diana Barry

          I think it depends on how VELVET it looks. If a thick velvet pile, then less appropriate. If they just look like regular pants, they’re probably fine, but cotton velveteen can also get droopy after a while.

        • PolyD

          We can be inappropriate together. I bought some black velvet pants from BR last year (cotton blend, more like a rib-less corduroy if that makes sense). I will probably wear them to work in late November-early December, and maybe January. I’m going to treat them just as if they were regular black pants.

          • Anonymous

            I’m actually wearing a pair of burgundy-brownish ones today with a white button down. They look almost like normal pants to me and they feel like pajamas. So yeah, probably inappropriate & out of season.

        • hoola hoopa

          Velveteen is different than velvet IMO. I think they are appropriate for most offices Nov/Dec and maybe Oct/Jan depending on weather, color, etc.

          Velvet is holiday festive.

    • YouSaucyMinx

      I don’t think velvet pants work for the office, unless as Diana said, it’s for a holiday party after hours. Even then, I think they aren’t something I would recommend anyone wear.

      During the day, they can quickly go into tacky/velour track suit territory.

    • Bonnie

      IMO they can be ok for work but scream holiday so I limit mine to December wear.

    • kellyandthen

      Follow up threadjack: I work in a business (leaning casual) environment in higher education, and I’ve made the transition away from suits and other more business formal attire. In addition to my dresses, blazers, basic trousers, and pencil skirts, I’d like to incorporate some corduroy trousers for more casual days. I love the look of a crisp button front blouse and blazer, but I can’t wear button front blouses.

      Any ideas for how to style corduroy trousers for a business (leaning casual) environment?

      TIA!

      • Scully

        I equate corduroys with jeans on the casualness spectrum, but I’ll trust your read on academia is correct. Corduroys can be bulky, so slim straight cuts are probably best. I think colored cords are fun with neutral blouses. Maybe pair with a silk blouse like Boden’s Ravello to play with texture? Can you solve the button-front problem (possibly gaping?) by putting a sweater over it?

        • kellyandthen

          Thanks, all! I’ll revisit the blouse-under-sweater idea. My issue is that I have narrow shoulders but I’m, uh, very “large of chest,” so finding a blouse in my size that even closes is the issue. I have a few that I can button with gaping, so I’ll revisit those! I read about a trick to layer a cami over the blouse but under the sweater to keep the lumps and bumps from the blouse under control, I’ll try that too.

    • Mpls

      Are you talking about pants with a nap (where the fabric clearly lays different if you run your hand back and forth on it) or a thicker pile to the fabric, like velvet?

      That might help differentiate between the responses you are getting up stream.

  5. Medic Maggie

    I’ve been MIA slammed at work.

    And I hate to start with an early TJ, but I searched and quickly I couldn’t find what I was looking for.

    I’m in the market for new “standard” undies. I wear the VS cheeky when I need no VPL, but I’m totally outsized by my current unders-collection (they’re all too big!!). I am looking for cotton/mix basics. I recall someone mentioned Gap as having great basics for the price, but I wondered if there are other favorites out there in the same price range. (5/$30 or so).

    • Lily Student

      Marks and Spencer’s! Totally worth the transatlantic air fare!
      (Also accidentally hit report instead of edit, sorry Kat!)

    • Anon

      Uniqlo has good, basic, cheap undies. Also, not as cheap, but Natori underwear are the best underwear of all time.

  6. WWYD

    We have a new hire. He basically got the job because of a family connection. He doesn’t seem particularly excited about it, doesn’t seem particularly qualified for the position, but ultimately none of this is my responsibility. To the extent that it affects me, it’s only because I may have a bit more work to do as a result of him being unable to do much, but given my position I have some leeway in setting my own pace/schedule, so I shouldn’t be particularly burdened by this, I don’t think. So far, however, new hire has been mostly trained by his predecessor; I haven’t had to deal with him. Fast forward to now, and as of today I have been tasked with supervising his first major assignment. His last assignment was unusable. He was supposed to submit new assignment yesterday to predecessor and he did not; predecessor is now gone. It is now 10 am and new hire hasn’t even shown up. Deadline for the assignment is early next week but that’s the date it actually has to go out, not a date for him to submit his final draft. From my brief convo with this guy yesterday afternoon I have little confidence he understands what he is actually working on or any of the issues involved. Would you say something to him about how this is really unacceptable or would you just make some obvious edits and let his work speak for itself? FWIW, I will not be judged for his work, effort or lack thereof. Also, due to the nature of the assignment, I can supplement his work with a brief memo to boss to correct for any shortfall on his part — so, it’s not like I’d be letting anyone down by not going the extra mile to fix his stuff, although that would be extra work for me. I guess my question is more about whether I should try to communicate to this guy that he is not really behaving appropriately or if I should just say “F. It” because it really doesn’t matter what he does, he won’t get fired and I am wasting my time?

    • Anonymous

      I’m not sure why the options are tell him he’s unacceptable or do nothing? Why not ask him where it is when he comes in and mention that it’s important he meet deadlines because other people are depending on them, and rework his draft and then sit down with him to discuss it? Without making it a punitive you suck convo. If you’ve been given the job if supervising this task if be seriously ticked as your boss if you just handed it to me wrong- why bother having you there then?

      I think you need to let go of your resentment and focus on doing a good job.

      • WWYD

        Maybe I phrased it wrong. Without giving away too much, I think my boss knows he sucks. And he just showed up and I did ask him when he expects to have it and his answer basically went from “this morning” which is what he said when he didn’t have it yesterday afternoon to “later today.” And I did say “ok, just be mindful of the fact that I still need to review it and boss needs to review it, so you need to hand it in with enough time for all that and we are already cutting it close.” To be clear, my boss did not ask me to fix his work or even really work with him on it. He just asked me to look it over and let him know if there are glaring issues.

        I don’t think I am resentful of this guy. I just generally have little patience for incompetence and I obviously need to work on that since he will be working with me. My question isn’t do I do nothing. I will give him some feedback on the work, etc. But would you say, “New Guy, you left at 4:45 Wed. without completing your assignment on time and you came in at 10 am Thursday when you said you would have it that morning. This is not okay. If you have a deadline, you need to meet it. If that means you come in extra early or stay late, then that’s what you have to do”? Because obviously if he is required to do work and I am working with him on it, I can’t let that work be sloppy or unusable. But the issue is do I try to explain to him how to act like an adult and sort of take on the role of babysitter or do I just fix his work as much as I can, supplement it, and let the whole thing be what it is. My instinct is to talk to him about this, but other people I work with are of the mind that it’s not in our job description to babysit this guy and tell him things that should be beyond obvious, like “show up on time, esp. when you’re missing deadlines”.

        • Wildkitten

          It doesn’t sound like you told him the deadline and it sounds like when he told you his plan for the assignment you told him okay.

          • WWYD

            No. He was told he needs to get it in yesterday. He did not. I am working with him as of this morning. I said, “I need to have it today.”

          • Wildkitten

            Here’s where I got my impression:

            I did ask him when he expects to have it and his answer basically went from “this morning” which is what he said when he didn’t have it yesterday afternoon to “later today.” And I did say “ok, just be mindful of the fact that I still need to review it and boss needs to review it, so you need to hand it in with enough time for all that and we are already cutting it close.”

          • Anonymous

            Agree with Wildkitten. You’re communicating “this deadline is a guideline blest chat about it.” Not “where is this? It was due yesterday. It is now late that is a problem.”

        • Moonstone

          I think it’s better to focus on the work than to discuss the hours in the office. Something I have learned from Ask a Manager is that colleagues often are not privy to details like: “I accepted this job on the condition that I leave early on Wednesdays and come in at 10 on Thursdays.”) So it can derail the message if you focus too much on when he’s there. But I do think it’s good to set the expectations (“OK, I need it on my desk by 4”) really explicitly when you have one of these family-connections-hires. You need to be superprofessional in all your dealings with him, so if he badmouths you, he just sounds petty.

    • Wildkitten

      If your job is to supervise his first major assignment you should explain to him the expectations and the deadlines (including intermediary deadlines that give you time to provide edits and feedback).

    • Ellen

      Hug’s to you. Your schmoe sound’s almost like Mason. It is VERY exasporateing when profesional women like us have to deal with men who are onley in the firm b/c they have some family or busness connection, but are otherwise wortheless. I think you have to go on record, at least with your manageing partner, that the schmoe is wortheless or else they will blame you for his incompatence. FOOEY on men that think they are owed a job just b/c they are related or have some conection while we profesional women slave away covereing for them. FOOEY!

      With that said, I have a thread-jack. Speakeing of incompetence, am I the onley one that think’s the goverment is out to lunch with this ebola stuff? Why arent they just stoppeing people from comeing into the USA instead of letting them in and haveing them spread ebola and THEN trying to figure out how to stop it once it’s here? The guy from the CDC is out of touch, and there is no real training for nurses to deal with some schlep that walks into a hospital somewhere. By then he has probabley spread it, be it to his girlfreind, and other’s he has been in contact with. Even the nurse was told it was OK to fly the plane even tho she was with the ebola pateint, who should never have been let in in the first place. I also think Dr. Oz may be right, but why can’t we just say NO ONE comes in unless they can prove they are clean for 21 day’s. My dad says this is what the USA did with Elliss Island, which is empty and he think’s can be used instead of bringeing in peeople into contact with the rest of us. FOOEY on the goverment for sitting on their tuchuses while we get EBOLA. FOOEY b/c I do NOT want to live my life lookeing over my shoulder when peeople sneeze or vomit. I say we stem this mess by containing it BEFORE it comes into the USA. I think O’Bama needs to stop thinkeing about his next job, and do the job of properly handeling this NOW. FOOEY!

      • Anonymous

        I don’t think that it is at all possible to implement this suggestion. You would really have to not let anyone in at all, from any destination, not just the countries with confirmed cases. I don’t see how this can be done.

      • rachelellen

        I once saw a bumper sticker that said “Another Irish Voter for O’Bama” but it was on a pickup truck and not in Manhatten so I don’t think it was our Ellen.

      • anon

        Unless you are a nurse, orderly or doctor, you are much more likely to die of the flu than of ebola, so don’t fret too much Ellen.

    • Woods-comma-Elle

      I tend to agree with the above posters. I’m not sure how you would at the same time be supervising the assignment and then not being held accountable for it if it is wrong, but to me, if I am supervising someone, the buck stops with me and it is in my interest to make sure the work is good.

      I would approach it exactly as suggested above – ask him when he gets in how he is getting on with the assignment, explain the deadline and discuss with him what he needs to do and when you need to see his work in order to finalise your part. Then if he fails to meet that objective/deadline, you deal with that as and when with a separate discussion.

    • Pippit

      I recommend going. :)

      I’m not sure what you are asking. The site itself is pretty isolated, and there’s only one place to eat. Are you asking how to get there? For information on hiking to the site? Hotels in the area?

      • Bonnie

        ;-) The question was a bit general. I’m primarily looking for advice on which tour company to use for the Incan trail and what else to do while in country.

        • Patent pending

          I used enigma travel and they were great. My husband and I did not book a private tour but ended being the only people, just by luck. The group that left the day before had 8 people I think. SAS has huge groups, mostly college aged. Paying a bit more for enigma was totally worth it.

      • Pippit

        I didn’t hike the Inca Trail, in part because I’d heard it was not a fun hike. From what I’d read, the path is overused and has become kind of unpleasant (someone who’s done it lately may have better information). I decided to take the train to Machu Picchu and do some hiking around that area, which I really enjoyed.

        As to the rest of Peru, eat ceviche, spend some time in Cuzco, visit the floating islands (that was a highlight for me). I didn’t love Nazca, but had to do it just to check it off the list (Be prepared for motion sickness on the plane. It’s a small plane, and it loops around so people on both sides of the plane can see the figures.).

        Have fun!

    • cbackson

      Stay at the Inkaterra if you can afford it. Have dinner there if you can’t.

    • Anon

      I didn’t do the Inca Trail so I can’t speak about tour companies (we were booking too late, and also we did a two-day hike of Colca Canyon – which was AMAZING – so we didn’t necessarily need more hiking). But I did spend a month in Peru, so I can suggest other great things to do: (1) Huacachina – a desert oasis south of Lima, you can go on dune buggy rides and surf on sand dunes; (2) Arequipa – beautiful colonial city in the south with great food/architecture; (3) Colca Canyon – near Arequipa, twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and just gorgeous. We also went to Puno/Lake Titicaca, which was pretty cool but wouldn’t make my “best of” list if you don’t have as much time (it’s also much higher altitude than Cusco/Machu, and everyone in my group experienced some form of altitude sickness there). I thought the Nazca Lines were overrated, but I didn’t do the helicopter ride (fear of heights) so that might have been why.

    • Min Donner

      Eight or so years ago, a group of friends and I did a Gap Adventures tour that started in Cusco, went through the Sacred Valley, and did a 3 day hike on the Lares trail, and then took the train into Aguas Calientes and visited Machu Picchu the next day. Our guides were pretty great, and I’d recommend it. If I recall correctly, we didn’t do the Inca trail because those trips were already fully booked. I don’t know how the trails compare, but I will say the Lares trail was difficult (the hardest part was the altitude, and several people on the tour actually went back down the mountain with one of the guides and met us later because their altitude sickness was so bad). A potential downside is that you don’t get to hike through the Sun Gate and see Machu Picchu at dawn, but at least at the time it wasn’t over run, I don’t think we saw any other hikers, and it was absolutely beautiful.

  8. Sunshine

    I’m attending a conference in FL soon. Typical conference attire is business casual during the day and jeans for dinners. Many of the men who typically wear shirts and ties to work forego ties. I typically wear a blouse with 3/4 sleeves and I will take a few cardigans or more casual blazers. One of our dinners is at a beach restaurant and the invitation says “resort casual attire.” What would you wear? Would a maxi dress with a denim jacket be OK? TIA!

    • Parfait

      Maxi dress yes, denim jacket iffy. I think. I’d choose a softer garment to wear over it, a wrap or a waterfall cardigan or something.

  9. Drycleaner rant - update

    As a brief update to my post yesterday about a dress that shrunk at the hands of the drycleaners –

    The internet magic worked!

    The dress is 100% rayon. I soaked it in a tub of lukewarm water mixed with copious amounts of hair conditioner for about 30 minutes, squeezed out the excess water (without rinsing) and then literally stretch the fabric out by hand. Holy smokes! I gained back nearly all of the 4 inches in length, the sleeves are back to their normal wrist length (instead of just below elbow), etc.

    Just thought I’d share in case anyone else needs this trick! It was a last-ditch effort for me – the dress was unwearable as-was, so if this ruined it completely, then I was okay with that. But now I have my wearable dress back!

    • BB

      Interesting! I had no idea rayon shrinks at the drycleaners. I have 2 rayon dresses that I made myself, but I washed the fabrics beforehand, so hopefully they won’t shrink any more!

        • BB

          Nope, hand washed in cold water – turned out fine for me, although like I said, I washed before it was made into clothing, so maybe it shrank in the process. The texture and colors were all fine though.

        • Drycleaner rant - update

          I also thought rayon was dry clean only, and the tag on the dress clearly indicated the same. However, the dress shrunk terribly! Since it was unwearable at that point, I figured that trying the conditioner soak/stretch couldn’t do any more harm, and was pleasantly surprised when it worked!

    • Parfait

      That’s great! I wish I’d known that 24 years ago. I still mourn that rayon dress that shrank out of all wearability in 1990.

  10. Diana Barry

    Update on the dresses – I ordered that Adrianna Papell beaded one and it is not great – not fitted and just kind of shapeless on me. I will hit up Cusp and BCBG this weekend and see if they have anything nice and cheaper – otherwise I will keep the black beaded French Connection one since it is THE BOMB. :)

      • Hildegarde

        Yep, I think if you can afford it it’s better just to get one thing you love and will wear again, because you feel amazing in it, than something cheaper you like less and will tire of. If you like having a new dress for every occasion this doesn’t apply, but that black beaded one is classic enough you could wear it for years if you wanted.

      • Diana Barry

        Thanks! I know you are probably right, but I do like an excuse to go try on more dresses. :)

    • Anne

      The beaded dress will reflect the candlelight beautifully during our window conversations and make it easier for me to see you!

        • Mrs. Barry

          Just be sure that you don’t get so distracted by the beading that you accidentally serve her too much raspberry cordial. You know what happened last time.

  11. Facebook Rant

    Does Facebook irritate anyone else? My feed is currently cokie smurf blabbering about veganism (its a good thing coke is vegan), a chimney going on about GMOs (cigarettes are GMO…) and a couple who break up and cheat on each other buying a house. I know fb is about making yourself look good but come on.

    • Rogue Banker

      My FB feed lately is about 40% out-of-focus baby pictures, 40% unsourced political nonsense (including GMOs, Ebola, and gun control), 10% “Mah man is such a cheating piece of $#!+” and 10% religious glurge. I’m only on there anymore to keep up with my grandparents and my best friend from college – and one good buddy from HS who posts the most beautiful pictures of our hometown/surrounding area. Other than that, FOOEY on everyone else’s drama and bull.

      On the bright side, I also follow George Takai and he’s honestly the best thing about that s!te. Also, there’s a page called “I F*cking Love Science” (actual page name is uncensored) that I adore, she posts the most random fun little bits of science-y info.

    • Senior Attorney

      You totally need to unfriend me because I post a photo of what happened at the house (doing a major remodel) every day. ;)

      Try following Humans of New York. It’s super awesome and helps balance out the annoying friends.

    • Baconpancakes

      Unfollow is your friend! Confession: I think I only follow 35% of the people I’m “friended” with on facebook.

      • SD Girl

        +1. I unfollow 80% of my “friends” on Facebook. Reading the mini feed has been more enjoyable. Whenever I get to a post that is constantly annoying or I just don’t care about what that person is doing, I just press unfollow and never have to deal with it again.

      • hoola hoopa

        +1 to hiding! I probably also only follow about 40% of my ‘friends’ and am very rarely annoyed on FB. It’s easy to re-follow someone, so you can do it temporarily (during election season, etc).

        Agree that following blog-ish people/orgs (above suggestions are good ones) that interests you helps break up the feed.

    • Parfait

      I have two suggestions.

      (1) I use “Hide all From” ruthlessly for reposted content. I hide all from Buzzfeed, the New York Times, YouTube, that liberal outrage blog, that conservative outrage blog, etc etc etc. I want my Facebook feed to be original content from my friends. I want to know what’s going on with them. I am okay with not seeing that funny cat video and the latest quiz results and the latest thing in the news that outraged you.

      (1b) I also use “Hide All From” for the posts on my feed that are “Your Friend Commented on Some Stranger’s post” or “Your Friend Liked Something Some Stranger Posted.” I do not care. I am sure your other friends are lovely people, but if they set their privacy settings to public or friends of friends, their stuff bleeds into my feed and I don’t need to see it. Hide all from Some Stranger — done.

      (2) Sometimes there is no “Hide all From” option. In this case, I use “I don’t want to see this.” I have no idea if this actually DOES anything, but it makes me feel better.

  12. Anne

    Heading to London for a conference next week – will also have a couple of days in the city on my own after/before the conference. I’m fairly familiar with London, been there several times a year for the past couple of years, but tend to stay in my own little rut while I’m there, so I thought I’d throw out a question for new ideas.

    Any interesting recommendations?

    My thing usually tend to be: Shopping (Marks & Spencer, Waterstone’s/Foyle’s, Boots, Clarks) National Gallery/National Portrait Gallery, Hyde Park, coffee shops to people-gaze.

    • Museums?

      I’m a big fan of the Victoria & Albert Museum. The British Museum is also great. If you like looking at fancy food shops, go to Fortnum & Mason.

      • Parfait

        +1 for Fortnum and Mason. Make sure you have a pound coin for the bathroom if you think you’ll need it. I went there straight from the airport one time, had no currency smaller than a 20 pound note, and was very embarrassed not to be able to drop an appropriate coin in the cunning little basket for the nice ladies, especially considering how swiftly they descended on my stall with air fresheners as I exited it. (Yeah. It was bad. Not a shining moment of my young life.)

    • Anonymous

      I’d stick to a similar palate but switch it up: John Lewis/Peter Jones, Daunt for books, Marylebone High Street for general shopping, V&A or Tate for art, Regents park for strolling, drinks in Shoreditch instead of coffee elsewhere. No need to totally reinvent the wheel.

    • Kontraktor

      Maybe hit up some Michelin restaurants for lunch. They seem to be a dime a dozen in London and many have really reasonable lunch prix fixe menus.

      These weren’t Michelin places, but I really enjoyed Maroush II (middle eastern/kebab/mezze food) and Mimino (Georgian food, which can be really hard to find in the US). If you go there, get the ostri beef and some variant of the khachapuri bread. It’s a traditional Georgian bread made with a special cheese that is really hard to find/get, but it is so tasty.

    • k-padi

      Try getting tickets to one of the shows. I saw The Book of Mormon on opening night by buying a ticket through the hotel concierge and had a blast. The theater district is near Chinatown so you can make a fun night of it.

    • Nonny

      More shopping recs: Hobbs, for workwear. Brora, if you like nice sweaters.

      A lesser-known museum: The Wallace Collection, in Marylebone. That and Sir John Soane’s Museum (in Lincoln’s Inn) are probably my two favourite museums in London.

      • MJ

        Nonny–besides our Brora connection, we could be museum buddies. Sir John Soane’s is my 2nd fave museum behind the Cabinet War Rooms!

        I also think that days out to Oxford or Cambridge can be fun too! And Greenwich is awesome and Tube-accessible too (but faster on the mainline train from London Borough station). The park grounds are pretty, you can see the Greenwich meridian and it’s just a cute town.

        I also love Belsize Park and St. Johns Woods for wandering.

        Have fun!!!

  13. farewell email

    I’m moving internally and tomorrow is my last day. People usually send out farewell emails on their last days even if they are moving internally but the problem is that I won’t be moving offices until next weds. Is it weird to send out the email tomorrow when I’m still going to see everyone on monday (even though I’m technically on a new team then)? Should I send it out on weds or forgo it alltogether?

  14. Word!!

    Hi! I’m interested in working part time at home during my super boring evenings and was wondering if anyone has worked with a reputable online company? I have all sorts of skills and am a quick study. I have a computer and phone. I should be able to find a moonlighting gig, right? But some of these companies seem super shady. Does anyone have any experience, good or bad, with online work? Thanks!

    • Carrie...

      Is there any additional training/education/work that you could do related to your current job? Something that could up your skills and expand your future options?

      • Word!!

        Finding additional work that could up my skills would be an excellent bonus. But I suppose I at this juncture, I’d simply like to make a little extra cash using the resources in my home (since I pay for elec, internet, etc – might as well use it!). Thanks Carrie!

    • Miss Behaved

      My dad does some part-time internet and database development. He gets his jobs through guru.com. You could try there.

    • NYC tech

      Freelance! You get control over your own schedule, control over the jobs you take, and don’t have to give a cut to a shady website. Cultivate your network to find that first client.

      • Word!!

        I’ve always wanted to freelance but its so intimidating! I’m guessing you just approach others about what they need and how you can help then see if they actually want your help and then tell them how much your services cost, do the job and invoice, right? <— sorry, super crazy sentence! LOL! do you freelance NYC tech? How did you get started? Thanks for the advice… I really don't want to give a cut to shady peeps! :D

    • Katie

      I’m all for making money on the side, but why are your evenings boring? Go fill them with something you love!

      • Word!!

        I’m new to my town and have few friends. Focused on work and such. The move also cost a pretty penny so I’d like to make back a little of what I spent. I am looking for activities to participate in so your advice is solid. Thanks Katie!

        • Katie

          Oh man, I know that feeling. It takes awhile to build a life somewhere. I run an eBay shop on the side and it’s surprisingly fun, and easy to ramp up or down depending on what else I have going on :)

    • Parfait

      You could be an Uber driver. I would totally do that if I had the time. And a newer car.

      • Brit

        Just be careful with what’s happening in your state with Uber right now. I know, here in PA, the PUC (public utilities commission that is the state agency for public transportation) was sending out agents at one point to call for Uber cars and then handing the drivers citations when they got in. I think that’s mostly stopped, but it could be an issue other places.

        • Katie

          I have a feeling Uber will be made illegal in most jurisdictions in the next year or so.

  15. Plated or similar?

    I’ve been seeing a lot of ads for Plated, the food delivery service, and am wondering if any of you have tried this or something similar. I like the idea of having someone else do the thinking/ shopping for dinners, but $12/plate seems quite expensive for the added convenience.

    • anon

      I tried Plated and Blue Apron. The food from Blue Apron was way more delicious and I feel like I actually learned some techniques I didn’t ever feel like trying out on my own. The Plated meal was expensive (I mean, it was swordfish, which is a pricey food that I wouldn’t normally pay for since I wasn’t sure I would be able to to cook it justice, but I had lots of coupons) but very uninspiring as a meal. I also liked that Blue Apron let me get 3 different meals and Plated required me to order 4 of the same meal.

      The best review I saw of these services is that you can’t compare the price to the meals you would prep and cook on your own, but rather think about the price of not-that-great takeout compared with a gourmet meal. So $12/meal is not much more than a fast casual restaurant would be but you’re actually going to be eating as good as a $25/entree, with of course some investment of your time, but if you like the actual cooking and not so much the thinking ahead, it works out.

      Bottom line – I would love to do Blue Apron on a regular basis, but we have enough food allergies in my household that we often can’t have the weekly meals and as of a few months ago they couldn’t accommodate them. I wouldn’t spend the money for Plated again though.

      • Plated fo lyfe

        Ha – you are doing Plated wrong. You definitely don’t have to get 4 of the same meal, and they are $12/meal. Plated also gives allergy-specific menus if you need them.

    • I don't cook

      We did Plated and Blue Apron for a few months. The meals were a bit more labor intensive than I was expecting. Food was always good, but I did not enjoy spending 30+ minutes actively cooking when my expectation was this would simplify life. Food taste and quality were both great.

      • Anon

        +1. I’ve tried a couple of these services, and determined that they don’t simplify my life at all. Yes, they do the shopping for you, but I still need to go to the store anyway to get food for the rest of my meals, and the bigger problem is that they don’t do the cooking for you (and in my experience, the meals take a LOT longer to prepare than promised, especially if you’re not used to cooking)! My dream is an affordable service that provides fresh, pre-cooked meals that I can just reheat for a few minutes in the microwave. In the absence of this, Whole Foods is my go-to for dinner about 3 nights/week: for $6 you can get a meal box with tofu and two of their healthy deli salads (or $8 for chicken instead), add a small light soup for a few bucks, and voila! Healthy dinner for under $10, and in under 10 minutes. :-)

        • Anon

          Where do you live? Such meal services exist in my town. Not cheaper than cooking if you are organized and frugal, but cheaper than eating out and cheaper than what I actually do spend left to my own devices.

    • anon-oh-no

      if you happen to be in Chicago, Madison & Rayne is fantastic. It is basically a local version of plated/blue apron. The food is awesome and super-easy to make. Its delivered fresh to your house in an insulated bag once a week. We order two meals per week, with 3 servings each (enough for my 2 kids, husband, and me). I’ve been tempted to try plated/blue apron because they are quite a bit less expensive, but M & R is just so great that its worth the extra money.

    • Wildkitten

      Blue Apron was great – delicious and fun – but out of my budget without a discount.

    • Miss Behaved

      My parents did a week of HelloFresh after my mom had her heart attack in the spring. They loved it, but neither of them work so they couldn’t justify the expense on a weekly basis.

      I gave it as a gc to my sister-in-law because she’s been confined to bed-rest and I’m thinking about giving it to my sister, too, because her husband is having back surgery.

      • OCAssociate

        Are the HelloFresh meals easy to prepare? I’m thinking of 15-20 minutes prep time as “easy.”

        • Lady Tetra

          I use hello fresh sometimes too (once or twice a month, when I know we don’t have a lot of dinner plans). They usually take about 20 minutes. It’s mostly chopping veggies that takes up the time.

        • Miss Behaved

          They seem to be. The instruction sheets were very easy to follow and included pictures. If I recall correctly, they ordered lamb pitas, cod picatta with israeli couscous and seared steak with an herbed butter. They loved everything and have since made the couscous a number of times.

    • Scully

      I love Blue Apron, but here’s why it works for me:
      -I love cooking, but hate leftovers. BA only gives you enough for dinner that night.
      -I don’t mind spending 35-50 minutes cooking (the average time BA takes for me).
      -I was stuck in a rut making the same quick meals over and over.
      -I was throwing away a lot of food due to poor menu planning/last minute schedule changes.
      -I was spending lots of money both at the grocery store and on takeout, so $10/meal is definitely in the budget for me.
      -I like most foods and am an adventurous eater. I have no dietary restrictions or allergies.
      -My SO’s least favorite question in the world is “What do you want for dinner?” Now I send the menu and he picks one of three choices without fuss.

      Don’t use it if you are picky, are looking to save lots of money, or don’t have the time to cook.

      • Anonymous

        I like it but not for every week. I get it once a month or so to give me a break from grocery shopping and a nudge towards more involved cooking.

      • Amy H.

        +1000 to all of this. I like Blue Apron because it’s like my personal trainer or boot-camp instructor. It forces me to meal-plan and actually to cook the meals — because when everything you need is right there in the kitchen there’s no excuse to flop on the couch and say, “Oh, let’s just order delivery tonight.”.

        All the dishes I’ve had have been very good, and 2-3 have been so delicious as to make it into the regular rotation. I’m also a lot more comfortable cooking fish now, which is a great thing.

    • Plated or similar?

      Thanks, all! This is helpful. In looking at the food available, Plated does look best, but I may try a couple before deciding. I really just want to move away from constantly ordering out since it’s wasteful and I don’t generally get something healthy.

  16. College stuff -- for any aid / admissions admins and/or parents

    My cousin’s oldest is very smart. He lives in a small town and none of the parents / grandparents went to college. State U is good in our state, but will still be a stretch for them (younger children still at home). Private schools in our state are either non-competitive or are hyper-competitive (e.g., National Merit Scholars might not get in); both types are very expensive.

    Am I crazy to think that cousin’s son should consider some private colleges (perhaps not as hyper-competitive but still good) in near-by states (visiting farther would be a problem) in case his aid package at a well-endowed good school beats the cost of State U? I do not want to point them in the wrong direction (or encourage him to get his hopes up where money and not his ability may be the limiting factor).

    My alma mater won’t be an option b/c he’d be out of state that that State U and they have almost no aid $ left for out of staters.

    • Anonymous

      What state are we talking? How poor are they? How’s his GPA? It’s not crazy generally to investigate whether a private school might offer a better aid package than your local state school, but it’s not a given either.

      • College stuff -- for any aid / admissions admins and/or parents

        NC. The family isn’t poor (their area is super-low COL), but less funds available than other college-bound families (so 5K/year if that for college). State U here is great, but with living expenses, etc., he’s looking to keep his debt as low as possible. An option might just be to live at home and work and try to transfer after two years to a four-year school.

        • Anonymous

          I’d just caution that most places are still going to look at his expected family contribution, and that calculation is probably going to be a lot higher than the family thinks they can afford. If he can get into UNC I would advise making that work. He’s going to wind up with debt either way in all likelihood and it may as well be from a great school.

        • Anonymous

          And, actually, if he can get into UNC I would think Duke or Wake Forest wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibity either.

        • anon prof

          He should consider Davidson. They have a sizable endowment. He may have to take out a loan to meet the expected family contribution (despite the “no loan” packaging), but it’s a great school. One of the most important things is to go somewhere with a very high graduation rate–ending up with debt and no degree can be a terrible outcome.

        • snowy

          “isn’t poor (their area is super-low COL), but less funds available than other college-bound families”

          If they’re going to be using the FAFSA, it won’t matter what “funds they have available”. Every penny you have is considered fair game (exegeratting a bit here, but my point is Fed financial aid doesn’t care how much you’d like to spend on college, only how much they think you should).

          My family was not well off, and I got a great aid package at a top tier private school. It paid about 50% of my room/board/tuition fully in grants (never had to pay them back), meaning effectively the amount my parents and I had to pay for room/board/tuition was equal to the room/board/tuition of a state school. It is possible for a state school and private school to come out as the same price then.

          However, if they’re too well off to qualify for anything, then I think it’s unlikely a private school will be cheaper on a merit scholarship alone. Most Ivy/top tier schools do need-based only (this was the case at my alma mater). Many of them also don’t have athletic scholarships (again, my alma mater included).

    • Lady Tetra

      A lot of private schools have very good aid packages available. Additionally, there are merit-based scholarships out there, you just have to look closely. Also look at community organizations (Rotary Club, etc) that might offer small scholarships for kids in the community. Basically, there is a lot available, but it is all very competitive so he should apply to everything he has a chance at soon.

    • Blonde Lawyer

      My out of state private school provided me a MUCH better financial aid package than my local state school would have. It was also important to me to get away from my small town and the people from my high school, many of whom were going to local U. In particular, I needed to move away to move on from a relationship that was turning unhealthy. I think if I had stayed in my hometown my life would have ended up very very different in a very bad way. I think being exposed to people from higher income classes was important to my professional development as well. I think it is worth looking out of state and considering even modest loans to cover the cost differential.

      He could also apply to further away schools without visiting them and only go visit if the acceptance and aid package make it worth considering.

      Also, private schools tend to throw more money at out of staters to show how wide spread their student base is.

      The amount my parents paid out of pocket for my out of state school was less than full tuition at in state school. They were duped into signing me up for a $2500/year loan though that I’m still a bit bitter about. The school made it appear like it was tied to my financial aid but it wasn’t and could have been rejected.

    • Wildkitten

      Some people I know ended up at fancy private schools with great financial aid because a relative paid their application fee for the fancy school. That might be a fun way to allow the kid to see what package he can get from private U without his family having to pay the $80 just to find out they can/can’t afford it.

      • Blonde Lawyer

        I totally forgot about application fees. It has been a long while since I applied to colleges.

        • Lady Tetra

          A lot of places will now waive application feeds on a need basis. Not sure how much “need” you must indicate though.

          • MJ

            Yes–he should absolutely call up schools and ask for fee waivers. He should apply to some out-of-state schools where his numbers are a bit above their averages. He is more likely to get aid from those places because he helps their numbers and geographic diversity.

            You can buy college guides on amazon for very cheap and just send them to his house to page through.

            Also, if he’s Catholic, he might consider some far-away Catholic universities like Marquette, Gonzaga, Santa Clara, LMU, etc.

    • Anonymous

      Based on his location, I’d seriously consider looking in VA. Some of the liberal arts colleges there have significant endowments and offer very generous aid packages based on merit.

      • Anonymous

        I’d expand to anywhere on the East Coast. How often does his family need to visit him at school anyway really? And there are train/bus/carpool options to get home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

      • College stuff -- for any aid / admissions admins and/or parents

        Thanks! VA is one county over, but they price out of state tuition at multiples of the in-state rate. When I went, you could sign up for ROTC and get in-state tuition that way, which he would be in favor of doing anyway.

        I know one person who wound up at W&L due to their aid package but would have been happy to have gone to State U (and had never considered W&L due to it being so expensive otherwise). It’s just all so unknowable, especially when the options run the full gamut.

        • Brant

          The family may qualify for a tuition waiver, and if not, maybe you could help defray the cost. My guess is the family won’t qualify for as much aid as they need, and so the kid should look at schools that will offer him merit scholarships, even if they are out of state. I don’t know the southeast schools that well, but as an example, I was offered a full merit-based ride to Lehigh in PA back in the day. It even came with an option for a free 5th year if I wanted to stay and get a master’s. I was ended up at a better ranked, more brand-name school, but took on a bunch of debt. In hindsight, I should have taken the money :)

          • Meg Murry

            The only thing to watch with merit scholarships is to look at the conditions on them. My husband got a great merit scholarship, but it was provided he maintain a GPA he didn’t achieve his freshman year, so it was gone – and there was no earning it back. That was also common at a good regional school near me trying to become a great school – they offered amazing merit scholarships (free ride with a certain GPA and SAT score), but required you to maintain an impossibly high GPA which doesn’t work if so many students are all trying to maintain their GPA to keep the scholarship and classes grade on strict bell curves.

            He should look and apply for the merit scholarships, but you need to help him evaluate the fine print on them before he just accepts them – the school is banking on students not being able to maintain the conditions for the whole 4 years.

        • Anonymouse

          Oh, I’ll just go ahead and say my alma mater. Check out the University of Richmond. Very generous financial aid packages.

        • Betsy

          If he is interested in ROTC, is he interested in joining the military? He should check out the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP). Students who are in ROTC and the National Guard/Reserves can’t be deployed but get to enjoy the benefits of both ROTC and NG/Reserves. The military benefits vary from state to state, but there are many states where National Guard members get free tuition at public schools. In my state (NH), National Guard members get free tuition and many ROTC students get a stipend to cover housing, so SMP students have almost their entire cost of school covered.

      • Duchess

        Or Vanderbilt. It’s in Tennessee, and their financial aid is now set up in such a way that, what any student would be taking out in need-based loans, will now be provided in scholarships or grants. Hard to beat the education he’d get there either…

    • Anonymouse

      Not crazy at all! I started my undergrad at a state school and received a small amount of merit-based financial aid. My parents helped cover the rest with my college savings. It was about $10k a year. I ended up hating that state school and transferred at the end of my 2nd year. My two years at the state school had drained my parents of their college savings for me.

      I transferred to a private college with both a very large endowment and very high tuition & fees. But they covered nearly everything for me in grants. I paid $1k a year to cover the remaining costs not covered by the school’s financial aid, and then I took out loans to cover a new computer (badly needed) and books. I worked in the admissions office to cover living expenses, and it was a sweet gig. I encourage everybody to please, please not exclude private colleges when just looking at the sticker price. I try not to think of how much better my savings would look had I just gone to the private college from the beginning.

      • College stuff -- for any aid / admissions admins and/or parents

        Thank you all so very much!

        I turned down a full-tuition scholarship at a place where the living expenses were sky high (higher than my parents’ mortgage) because it was just too much to swing. But I did manage to graduate debt free from State U in four years and I want that for my cousin’s chid as well. I think as long as he doesn’t need a plane ticket to get there / home, lots of schools you’ve mentioned deserve a look.

        Y’all are a great hive!

    • anon

      I graduated from UNC 5 years ago. I know that the state’s financial situation has changed since then and will continue to change until your nephew goes to college but don’t rule out UNC being very affordable. My parents chose not to save or contribute to my college in any way. They had a combined income of roughly 120k/year in Raleigh, and once my sister also started college (at another UNC system school), we qualified for enough need-based financial aid to make UNC free. This still surprises me (and I am immensely grateful), as I think a family making 120k/year can afford 3-4k in tuition/year.

      I also recommend going to UNC over any of the other UNC schools, unless he wants to be an engineer or a vet, then NC State.

    • cbackson

      Take a look at Emory. The university has made a big investment in improving affordability for middle-class families (family income up to $100K). The program is called Emory Advantage. He sounds like exactly the person they hope to help. Feel free to email me (my username at the gmail) – I’m a heavily involved alum and know a lot about the school.

    • rachelellen

      Used to be that Rice in Texas, which is an excellent school, had super-low tuition for some unique reason that I can’t remember now. I bet there are a few other one-offs like that around the country.

      • Rice Grad

        LOVED going to Rice. Low cost with high value – good endowment and on-campus job opportunities to make up any gap.

      • Terry

        It used to be free! (My father, class of 196-something) was one of the last to benefit from this.) Rice made a huge difference in his life. He grew up in segregated, small-town Mississippi and Rice opened the world to him. Although I didn’t attend myself, I’ll always think fondly of it for this reason.

    • Phoenix

      You’re right on the money in encouraging him to apply to competitive private colleges. First generation college students are the ones who benefit most from attending an elite college. Many of the schools now have strong financial aid programs for low-income students. For example, Harvard gives a free education to any admitted student from a family with a total income of less than $40k. The University of Chicago has a similar program (Odyssey scholarships). Some googling found similar programs at Wesleyan University, Harvey Mudd College, Amherst College, Middlebury College and Princeton University.

      • Anonymama

        Private colleges, especially those with large endowments, may also have more leeway to amend financial aid packages based on unique family circumstances, beyond what is considered in the fafsa.

    • anonsg

      Also check FastWeb for general college scholarships – the ones you get on there are sometimes contests and writing competitions, but there are also scholarships (maybe will have to write a personal statement, etc.). Sometimes the scholarships are from nonprofits or corporations, but a good start for scholarships regardless of where you go to school. Also, depending on where you are applying, some schools also have a separate Need Access application to apply for to get finaid in addition to FAFSA.

    • anon nc student

      Look at Elon. They tend to be a safety school for UNC/Duke/top tier students and have some robust scholarships.

  17. Paging Separation

    How are you? How are things going? Hope you and the baby are staying safe.

      • Separation

        Yes, the good vibes are reaching me! Yesterday was h3ll but today is looking better. Thanks for posting :)

        • Senior Attorney

          One more day of hell behind you, one day closer to better days!

          Hang in there!

        • Rogue Banker

          Thinking good, peaceful thoughts for you and the little one. Glad today’s better than yesterday, and hoping the trend continues. ♥

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