College is stressful enough without worrying about events back home. For students from Puerto Rico, it must seem impossible. Roughly 77% of the Puerto Rico is still without electricity, and 26% do not have access to clean drinking water, even a month after the storm, according to AJ+. But thanks to a few schools across the country, some of those students will soon have one less thing to worry about.
Take New Orleans’ Tulane University. On Oct. 13, the school announced in blog post that they’d be offering a tuition-free guest semester to students from the U.S. territory. The school explained they saw this as a way to pay back the help they themselves received after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“After Katrina, universities and colleges around the world took in our students with open arms; it’s now our turn to pay it forward and assist students in need,” the blog reads.
Tulane would not charge tuition to the students, the post explained. Instead, they would be required to continue to pay their home university instead. The offer was also extended to students from the U.S. Virgin Islands and St. Martin as well, both of which were also hit hard by the storm.
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are both territories of the United States, and people born there are U.S. citizens.
Tulane isn’t the only school extending a helping hand to students. Schools around the country are joining in. Florida International University, for instance, is extending the tuition discount normally reserved for native Floridians to Puerto Rican students like Mariela Serrano. The 18-year-old student hadn’t been able to call her family back in Puerto Rico for weeks.
"I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't sleep," Serrano told NPR. "The only thing I could think of was my family's well being."
She eventually was able to get in touch, but learned that the storm and lack of electricity had wiped out her mom’s dentistry business. The University’s discount meant Serrano was able to send about $4,000 back home to help her family recover from the storm.
Many other schools are offering reduced tuition, free semesters, or extended applications as well, including the State University of New York, Connecticut State Colleges & Universities, the University of Arkansas, and the University of Florida, NPR reports, as well as several community colleges. Broward College and Hillsborough Community College in Florida are also extending a hand to students affected by Hurricane Harvey as well.
Hurricane Maria is an emergency unlike anything we’ve seen in the United States for more than a decade. It’ll be months before the island is able to return to what it was like before — public schools are just starting to open up again.
Hopefully, efforts like these will help make sure Puerto Rico’s students can still fulfill their educational dreams with as little interruption as possible.
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Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.