Dumpster Diving...how I chose my school.

Now that I'm older, I'll admit that I learned a lot of things from my older brothers. Though they tied me up to play "hide and seek" and kicked me in the face while insisting we were playing a game called "shoe phone," they also gave me some useful information that I will forever carry with me. One of those useful tips: dumpster diving.

I don't know why, but when I applied to colleges, I knew I wanted to go to Virginia Tech. I applied two other places but knew that VT was the one for me. As most kids do when applying to schools, I was brought to Tech to have a look around and make sure it was the place for me. Unlike most kids, I was not accompanied by my parents. Instead, my father drove me four hours down I81 and dropped me off at my brother's apartment. Now, this would be the ideal situation, having a sibling that attends your school. He'll teach you the ropes: how to get from here to there, what classes to take, who to hang out with, etc. Well, I got some advice on all those subjects, but seeing that I was applying as a theatre major and he was an ex ROTC, ex engineer, and I still have no idea what his major turned out to be, I didn't retain much of the information he spewed to me that weekend.

Much of that weekend was spent with my brother trying to convince me not to go to this school. Stories of how the academics sucked and the professors as well as the whole school would screw me over didn't scare me. I didn't see anything horrible, I saw a great college town: beautiful weather (which apparently was a rarity until I showed up), great food, and the best part, my brother's lovely girlfriend who turned into one of the best sister-in-laws I could ask for!

I was also exposed to the poor college life and the awesomeness of dumpster diving. One of the nights spent in his apartment, I witnessed my brother and his roommate spot and retrieve a dryer that had been thrown into the dumpster. That moment sealed the deal, this was the school for me. How cool was that!? A FREE DRYER! I'll admit, I do have some of my mother's frugilness, but I like to have fun in the ways I save money!

Long story short, I have made it a tradition ever since that weekend that at the end of every semster I will go around my apartment complex and search for awesome items in or around the dumpsters. How can you beat free? And hey, there's always a good story to tell when your friend asks you, "Hey, where did you get this awesome piece of furniture?"

So as the semster is coming to a close, I wish you all happy dumpster diving!