Fascinating little study by a group of Car and Driver magazine folks on the perils of texting while driving. Conclusion? Texting is even worse than driving under the influence, and the older you are, the worse it is. The findings were serious - but I have to say, the way they phrased it was hilarious. You'll have to check it out. The gist, though? They put a 22-year-old and a 37-year-old in cars and measured how long it took them to respond to brake lights ahead. Then they had them read texts while driving - "Caddyshack" quotes, in case you were wondering - and text them back. And then they got them goofy drunk and put them back behind the wheel on a closed course, where the results were not great. But they were even more alarming for the sober texting 22-year-old, whose reaction time while sending or reading texts sent his car sliding an average of 16 to 31 ft. farther than when phone-less. The texting 37-year-old's car went an additional 129 ft. farther during the 35 mph hit-the-brakes test, and 319 ft. when his speed was upped to 70 mph. And the test only measured response time, not driving skill. Back away from the cell phone.

At the same time we're reading all these tales of budgetary woe and campus cutbacks, comes this tale of campus valet parking. Yep, you read that right. Columbia and Florida International both launched valet parking programs earlier this year, according to Inside Higher Ed, USC has had one since last year and now Florida Atlantic is mulling the possibility. They're not the only ones with swanky perks. North Carolina's High Point University not only does valet service, it also offers a campus concierge, hot tub and free ice cream.

So while the rest of us are sweating the pros and cons of letting our kids even take a car to college, other families are mulling how much to tip the valet?

It's been a week since I first read about this "campus interview fashion show" and I'm still snickering. Here, see what you think: A high powered, independent college consultant - who normally charges her Greenwich, Connecticut clients $15,000 a pop for her expert advice - decided to host a free fashion show at a Ralph Lauren store to show families how their prepsters should dress for those critical on-campus admissions interviews. And apparently, she thinks admissions directors want to see "Gossip Girl" lookalikes. Among the outfit suggestions for young gentlemen seeking to reinforce their academic acumen: a yacht club-ready pair of striped seersucker shorts, yellow popped-collar polo, white cardigan and mocs, no socks. Think Chuck Bass. Or a Kennedy. And for the young women? A $450 ensemble that included a tight madras miniskirt, ruffly white ruffly blouse and a blazer straight out of Constance Billard, although it's missing the Blair Waldorfesque headband, and a very ruffly, white edged chambray mini-dress a la Serena van der Woodsen. (Don't take my word for it, check out the pictures.)

OK folks, reality check, please. Appropriate campus interview wear ... or ridiculous?

Lots in the news this morning that pertains to college families and college-bound kids. Among the headlines:

• President Barack Obama just signed new legislation expanding the Post-9/11 GI Bill to include children of servicemen and women who have died in the line of duty.
• The number of colleges participating in that bill's "Yellow Ribbon" matching program - that's the one where private colleges supply matching scholarships to veterans - has soared to 700, including many Ivies.
• And the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is about to get easier. Under changes announced by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan yesterday, a fifth of the questions will disappear, the number of web pages you currently have to deal with - 29! - will be cut in half, and short cuts will allow low-income students to skip financial questions, and married students and the 24-and-older crowd to skip the parent info. Even better, the Department of Education is teaming with the Internal Revenue Service to test an auto-fill feature that lets you fill in income info directly from your tax return.