When I first started this Substack, someone asked me the very reasonable “what’s it about?” question. My answer then, as now, was pretty squishy: it’s about bodies and being a woman and internet rabbit holes and life in middle age and whatever else I feel like writing about. The shorter answer is that this space has been where I do a lot of writing about stuff I’m trying to figure out - about myself, about our culture, about parenting. I write to understand things and I’ve been so, so grateful that there are a whole bunch of you along for the journey.
From time to time, I’ve also used this site as place to write about something that I already feel like I’ve got pretty well figured out: higher education. I’ve worked in higher education for 24 years as a professional (I actually got my first job working in college admissions as a student worker in 1996) and I love this part of my life. I like talking about how things like financial aid and admissions really work, I like trying to demystify the college search process, I love helping people feel less intimidated by higher education. I gave a talk about admissions and financial aid few weeks ago and a parent afterwards told them that I “made it seem like all this stuff was knowable” and that made my whole night.
But as much as I’ve liked writing about higher ed here, it hasn’t always felt like the best fit with the rest of my content. I haven’t felt great about having paywalls on my posts (I currently paywall all my posts after two months). I feel like there are folks who are interested in my higher ed content but don’t want the other messier and more personal content (and vis versa). So… I’m launching a new Substack!
Friends, meet Open Water’s sibling site: College Sanity!
Here’s the deal: from now on, any writing I do on college related stuff will go over there. I’ve also moved over some of the pieces I’ve done here and put them up without paywalls. If you are interested in my writing on higher ed, consider signing up for a subscription.
A note on the subscriptions: I’m offering both paid and free subscriptions but all the content over there will always be free. In a world where private consultants charge thousands and tens of thousands of dollars, I want to be free for any family who is looking for advice or insights on higher ed. The only advantage you’ll get as a paid subscriber is the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with supporting a writer’s labor. If that aligns with where you are at with your budget and values, cool! If not, subscribe for free and I’ll be happy to see you there.
(You can also show love for the site, assuming you like it, by sharing it with other folks who might be interested in the content)
In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting about the following topics:
What the hell happened with FAFSA this year?
The future of test optional admissions policies
Selective colleges and anti-trust lawsuits: Why did so many “good” schools get sued?
The myth of the well-rounded applicant
If American higher ed isn’t a topic you’re super interested in, no worries. Just keep hanging out here. I’ll continue to post here on the same cadence as I currently do.
Final note: NOTHING I write here or over at College Sanity is ever meant to be a reflection of the viewpoints of my current or former employers. I also get exactly $0 from any college, higher ed organization, or related industry, so any advice or opinions I give will always be wholly my own. Yes, I am pretty drunk with power about it.
Obviously I will be studying and taking notes.
Very cool.