Selingo: Sprinters, Wanderers, Stragglers
April 11th, 2016Times have changed and for many, the launch into adulthood is taking much longer than it used to. In the early 1900’s teenagers fresh from high school could receive and maintain a solid long-term job, leading to adult responsibilities right away. Now, with a bachelor’s degree becoming the new normal, students go straight to college, graduate and – sometimes too late – realize that the job market is highly competitive.
These days, a student’s level of success isn’t measured by the degree he or she holds, but how effectively those four college years are used to get ahead.
Author Jeffrey Selingo separates young adults into three groups: sprinters, wanderers and stragglers. This incredible article takes a deep look into the choices of three young adults during this important time to reveal how their decisions affect their long term goals.
Published April 5, 2016
Written by: Jeffrey J. Selingo
At the age of 18, G. Stanley Hall left his home in the tiny village of Ashfield, Mass., for Williams College, just 35 miles away, with a goal to “do something and be something in the world.” His mother wanted him to become a minister, but the young Stanley wasn’t sure about that plan. He saw a four-year degree as a chance to explore.
Though Hall excelled at Williams, his parents, who were farmers, considered his undergraduate years a bit erratic. He didn’t think he had the requirements for a pastor, but nonetheless enrolled in Union Theological Seminary in New York after graduation. The big city was intoxicating, and living there persuaded him to abandon his religious studies. After securing a loan, he set off for Germany to study philosophy, travel and visit the theaters, bars and dance halls of Berlin.
Read more at The New York Times >>Tagged: Career, Choices, College, Personal characteristics
Good advice for introverts
April 4th, 2016Did you know that your personality type may play a part in your learning style?
If you are an extrovert you may enjoy class discussions and participating in group projects, whereas an introvert may struggle with those aspects of a traditional classroom setting. However, being an introvert means much more and has many positive characteristics that can be a benefit in school and a future career path. It is most important to know and understand yourself and those around you in order to be the best you can be and to work well with others. Tom Lovett, headmaster at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont, wrote an interesting article giving his personal story of how he uses his personality type as an asset and how you can do the same.
Addendum: a very good book on the topic of introverts’ strengths is Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain.
Article posted March 11, 2016
Written by: Tom Lovett
I am an introvert. So are at least one-third of those reading this right now, if we are to believe the research. Until very recently, I have scored very high on the introversion scale in every personality test I have ever taken. A couple of years ago, I scored closer to the extroverted range, probably because of spending over a decade doing alumni events and meeting new people around the world. At my core, however, I am an introvert. What does that mean?
First of all it means that I gather energy while I’m alone and I spend it when I am with others. To prepare for my day, I need to spend at least an hour alone each morning, and I recharge by spending an hour alone at the end of each day.
Read more at St. Johnsbury Academy >>Tagged: Personal characteristics
Career Skills and the Liberal Arts
February 29th, 2016Liberal arts graduates have highly developed analytical, reasoning and communication skills and are poised to adapt to new developments over the course of their lives. In effect, the liberal arts teach us how to learn in a variety of spheres … which our fast-changing world demands.
Today’s article link sheds light on how colleges are pairing tangible skills with the breadth and depth of the liberal arts, using Bates College in Maine as a primary example. With the liberal arts under attack by so many, more liberal arts colleges are likely to take similar routes, focusing increasingly on employability. That’s a very good thing!
Article published February 23, 2016
Written by: Carl Straumsheim
Computer science might not be the first field that springs to mind when thinking of the liberal arts, but at some colleges, interdisciplinary computing is seen as one way to connect the department to other disciplines on campus.
Bates College, a liberal arts college in Maine, may be the most recent example. The college, which enrolls about 2,000 students, doesn’t offer anything resembling a computer science program — not even a concentration. Given the chance to create one from scratch, the college will in 2017 introduce digital and computational studies, an interdisciplinary program that fits the label of neither computer science nor digital humanities.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed >>Tagged: Career, College, Liberal arts, Opportunity, Personal characteristics
Greek Life: Gauging Campus Impact
February 15th, 2016Sorority and fraternity (Greek) life on college campuses can be powerfully important in social life, minimally important, or not at all.
Is Greek life for you? If you’re asking yourself this question it’s important to consider that universities use Greek membership statistics to reflect the level of involvement on campus. Unfortunately, objective data do not always tell the full story, so in addition to asking your counselor or tour guide for information it’s useful to find other ways to determine the relative impact of sororities and fraternities on campus social life.
More students and parents have been asking us about this lately, so Shrop Ed’s own Ashley Drapp offers tips today that can guide exploration into Greek life on college campuses.
Here are Ashley’s suggestions of questions to ask to help you get a full assessment of Greek life at your college of choice:
- How many students rush at the beginning of freshman year? Some schools have Rush Week the week before first semester begins, some rush the first week of fall semester and others do not rush until 2nd semester. If most of the Greek “Rush” happens the week before standard start, social bonds may be formed during this time and freshmen who arrive after the Rush period may feel left out.
- Out of the number of students who rush, how many students actually join a fraternity or sorority? Many may rush, yet a smaller number may join. Is this because it’s difficult to receive a membership bid, or is this because many prospective members determine during Rush that Greek life is not for them?
- What is the percentage of students involved in Greek life during their freshman year? If high, it may be harder during freshman year to find other students who are not affiliating with fraternities or sororities.
- What is the percentage of students who stay in their fraternity or sorority during all four years of college? Many students at large universities do not remain in their fraternity or sorority during all four years of college, and this attrition affects the percentage of overall students reported to be involved in Greek life. This is why statistics reported about overall campus involvement may not tell the full story.
There are many websites to use as resources for these statistics. US News and World Report published two articles listing colleges and universities with the highest percentages of male and female undergraduate students in fraternities and sororities in 2014.
- Sororities: read more here>>
- Fraternities: read more here>>
Peterson’s, an online college resource, posted a great article that also brings up some important factors to consider when thinking about becoming a member of Greek life. We think it will be helpful as you ponder how you’d like to structure your social life at college. Read more here>>
Tagged: College, Personal characteristics
