I'm a Minneapolis girl, so North Dakota seems right next door to me, even from the Ozarks where I now live, but I've been around and I know that part of the country seems foreign to many people. No, we don't live in igloos in the North.

Here's the good news if you have a fear of snow, or cold in general. It really doesn't matter where you live. You can still be a student in the Continuing Education division at the University of North Dakota. They've got all kinds of really great online programs for non-traditional students. In fact, they've been focusing on students just like you and creating courses that are getting attention.

Julie Hjelle is a non-traditional student studying at UND from afar. She's an over-the-road trucker. Read Julie's story and find out how she does it. UND might be the right school for you, wherever you are.

Are you a non-traditional student at UND? Talk to us!

In a conference call with reporters last week, President Obama discussed his plans to make all student loans federal. The banks, of course, are fighting that. If I understand the situation correctly, they've been essentially acting as agents for the government anyway, making student loans they subsequently sell back to the Treasury Department.

According to an article by David M. Herszenhorn for the New York Times, Obama's plan "would save the government roughly $87 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office — money that the White House says should be used to aid impoverished students."

The administration’s view, shared by a number of Democratic lawmakers, is that the private lenders should no longer be paid by taxpayers to operate a virtually risk-free business in which they essentially use taxpayer dollars to originate loans, with repayment guaranteed, and then resell those loans to the Treasury.

Republicans fear the plan simply builds a bigger government. I hope the discussion includes comments from students of all ages, the people paying off these loans. What do you think about the whole matter?

Dan Rosenfield contacted me about two scholarship sites with which he's associated. One is Online Degrees, Financial Aid and Scholarships. The other is called College Scholarships, Colleges, and Online Degrees. Both look to be pretty comprehensive collections of your options out there.

I don't know about you, but I find too many choices immobilizing at times. How do you sort them all out? If you've got advice, join us in the forum.

Paying for school...

• Scholarships - The Gift of Confidence
• fafsa.gov vs. fafsa.com
• Paying for Business School

Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher and prolific writer. He wrote often about education, and specifically, science. If you're in the mood for food for thought. you might enjoy perusing a collection of his most famous quotations.

There's also a collection of inspirational quotations for teachers.

Do you have a favorite? Share it with us.

Jill Biden called community colleges America's best-kept secret this week while speaking in Paris to a Unesco conference on higher education.

In his article, Matthew Saltmarsh quotes Biden as having said, "Community colleges are the way of the future. Now with people losing their jobs, they’re a great place to go for new training.”

Saltmarsh also includes these statistics: There are almost 1,200 community colleges among the 4,100 public and private higher-education institutions in the United States, serving almost 12 million students.

The gist of Biden's speech was that America's community colleges are not only great places for Americans to get training for new jobs, but they're also a potential export to countries trying to develop institutions of higher education.

Do you attend a community college? Did you? Share your experience with us.

The Student Center on campus is always the best place to find whatever it is you need. Advice, instruction, community, whatever. We have a Student Center right here on the site. It's in a constant state of evolution and is still very young, but check it out. You'll find:

• Tips for balancing school, work, and life
• How-to's
• Study tips

...and more.

Let me know what you're looking for if you don't find it, and I'll get on it!

I have a friend, Neeraja, in India who inspired a chapter in my teen novel. I sent her a copy of the book when it was published, but she had a very difficult time reading popular fiction.

This morning I read a blog written by Alicia Rudnicki, who teaches English as a Second Language to high school students. She said they're crazy about Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. Even the boys are interested in checking it out. Mostly to discover Edward's secrets, I imagine.

This begs the question, why is popular fiction helpful for some ESL students and not others? What could Neeraja read that would help her improve her English? What do you read that makes it easier to learn English? Talk to us.

Help with ESL:

• 5 Methods of Language Learning
• A Year in the Life of an ESL Student
• ESL Through Movement

Tim and I belong to the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis and spent a marvelous morning there last Friday. If I lived closer, I'd be there to drink my coffee in the mornings and I'd sign up for every single class they offer. You might be surprised by the continuing education you'll find at your own botanical garden.

Last week I heard from Dachell McSween at the New York Botanical Garden. They offer courses in Botanical Art and Illustration, Botanical Crafts, Botany, Garden Writing and Photography, Horticulture, Floral Design, Gardening, Horticultural Therapy, and Landscape Design. I find that incredibly impressive. Doesn't it make you want to sign right up?

Wherever you live, discover the botanical garden closest to you, if you haven't already, and indulge your desire to learn more about the beauty and diversity of the plants growing on this amazing Earth.

Listening is harder than we tend to think. How well do you listen? Test yourself over the weekend. Start with a listening test. Notice how well you do at the 4th of July activities you attend, and then test yourself again. Just for fun.

Awareness can do wonders to increase your ability to listen well. And listening well makes you a better student. You'll hear the important information you need to make studying easier.

People have a tendency to raise one eyebrow when I talk about meaningful conversations. Some even ask me what I mean. That always makes me smile.

Don't you get tired of superficial chatter? If you're an adult student this summer, and you'll be at a holiday party this weekend, I'm curious about how many of you will have a chance to have a meaningful conversation about the subjects you're studying. I hope you'll come back and share with us how it went. It doesn't have to be a serious conversation, although it can. Conversations can be meaningful and fun.

Good luck, and have a happy Fourth. Be safe.