For most of our formative years, we relentlessly ask our parents, teachers and others in authority the age-old question, "Why?"  To which they frequently reply, "because I said so."

The grad students we met at a pizza place near the Alexandria campus of Virginia Tech were no longer asking anyone "why" questions.  Instead, they were asking themselves and each other, "why not?"  Why not become a successful architect?  Why not study abroad for a semester?  Why not move to a big city and live in a loft for a few years?  Why not postpone marriage until you've seen more of the world?  Why not take a year off to do something that helps society?

All great questions with potentially great answers.  But each woman admitted that the freedom to explore all the possibilities was at once exhilarating and unsettling.  What if they made a bad choice?  What if things didn't turn out as they expected? 

The best form of protection from a wrong choice was information and advice from people they trust.  For now, that includes their close friends and occasionally, their parents.