DEAR HARRIETTE: I am in the final semester of my undergraduate program, and the semester will end in December. However, I do not officially graduate until June 2016, and the financial aid department has informed me that I have extra money left over for the spring 2016 semester. Since I am not graduating until 2016, I was thinking I should take some classes in the spring just to sharpen my skills in preparation for graduate school. What are your thoughts? – A Student for Life, Bronx, New York

DEAR STUDENT FOR LIFE: First of all, congratulations on your imminent graduation. It takes a lot of focus and commitment to reach this stage in your life, and you should be proud. You have just been given a gift. To be able to take more classes without having to pay for them is a huge bonus that many students would be thrilled to experience. By all means, go for it. Be wise in choosing the class or classes that you take. Since you already know that you intend to go to graduate school, select classes that can help to ease the transition into your field of interest. If you are unsure, speak to a guidance counselor about the general curriculum for your area of choice. Staying in the thick of education is wise, especially since your plan is to continue for the next couple of years.

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DEAR HARRIETTE: My son invited a group of his friends to celebrate his birthday. They went out to a nice place to eat, and when it came time to pay the bill, his friends paid the bill but they gave the waiter a poor tip. My son was embarrassed by his friends, and he went into his pocket to give the waiter a respectable tip. How can my son make sure this never happens again? – Please Leave a Tip, Chicago

DEAR PLEASE LEAVE A TIP: Your son did the right thing by supplementing the waiter’s tip. What was especially smart is that he was paying attention to the amount of the bill and what would be appropriate to offer. I do not think that he needs to reprimand his friends or make them feel uncomfortable. Since he invited his friends to dine with him, there should have been no expectation that they would pay in the first place. Unless he set that up from the start, the expectation could have been that your son would pay the bill or that all would split the check evenly.

Rather than feeling embarrassed at the point that the tip was too small, your son could have publicly stepped up and said, “Hey, guys, I’m going to take care of the tip. I think our waiter did an excellent job, and I want to reward him accordingly.” Feeling like he had to sneak behind his friends to pay the bill made him feel bad and left them without an education. Being open about it could school them without reprimand.

— Lifestylist and author Harriette Cole is president and creative director of Harriette Cole Media. You can send questions to [email protected] or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.