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Selingo: Sprinters, Wanderers, Stragglers

April 11th, 2016

Times 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.

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