Twitter is fun, and I'll be dropping this labor-intensive project and switching to tweets. Some homeschool and college admissions links will be part of the Twitter mix.
If time permits, I may return to blogging back at my old book blog after the holidays.
Adios.
UPDATE: When I stopped entering blog posts, the Twitter one-liners were no longer picked up, so that element of the sidebar has been deleted. If you would like to find me on Twitter, try this link:
http://twitter.com/divagari
Nov 23, 2009
Oct 30, 2009
Pause
On starting this blog, I thought it would be a short project, all wrapped up by the end of August. Now it is almost November, and it looks like the reporting of the resources we used to homeschool the teen years could continue for months to come. Although college life--especially in Boston--still commands my attention when it appears in the news, my interest in homeschooling and high school is waning. I hope that the materials I've posted so far will be helpful to other homeschooling parents. Best wishes to all for rewarding teen years with your children.
Now I'll be taking a short break to attend to some family business and will return in a week or so with a sharper focus on college life and young adults.
Now I'll be taking a short break to attend to some family business and will return in a week or so with a sharper focus on college life and young adults.
Selling and Selling To the Millennial Generation
The Chronicle of Higher Education makes some of their content available free online, and a couple of weeks ago they ran an article of special interest to parents of high school and college students.
"The Millennial Muddle: How stereotyping students became a thriving industry and a bundle of contradictions"
A reading list can be compiled from the article, although some of these books look jingoistic and skippable. Even the unappealing books are interesting for their take on youth culture, or more to the point, their attempts to categorize young people.
Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation by Neil Howe and William Strauss (2000). It sounds like the type of mushy, feel-good, self-congratulatory dreck that appeals to a lot of people, including some homeschoolers. I would like to pass, but these books and Mr. Howe's wildly successful consulting business probably make it mandatory reading for a person who wants to follow issues affecting young people, even though their analysis is ten years old.
Some colleges, some of them named in the article, pay Howe consulting fees for advice on the Millennial generation. If I had realized that many college admissions personnel pay attention to the advice of Howe and Strauss, this popular book probably would have made my reading list years ago.
Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 by by Neil Howe and William Strauss. Again this sounds like feather-weight reading. Not for me. If I want something frothy on the subject of adolescents, I'll read a history of pop music.
Several other Millennials books followed. No thanks.
Quote from Siva Vaidhyanathan, University of Virginia: "If you work in higher education, the first thing you should do is throw out all their books," says Mr. Vaidhyanathan (of Howe & Strauss). "Generational thinking is just a benign form of bigotry, in which you flatten out diversity. This is debilitating to the job of trying to work with young people."
When Hope and Fear Collide: A Portrait of Today's College Student by Arthur E. Levine and Jeanette S. Cureton (1998). This book sounds more research and reality-based, but is it still current? Like Millennials Rising, it may be out-of-date.
Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before (2006) by Jean M. Twenge, who teaches psychology at San Diego State. This is it. My husband and I always said, yes, we want our children to learn self-esteem. We also want them to learn how to respect others. I think it is hilarious that Twenge gave her boyfriends narcissism tests, written psychological profiles to determine their self-love. What a hoot. (One flunked and was shown the door.)
The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (2009) by Jean M. Twenge Ph.D. and W. Keith Campbell Ph.D.
The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (2008) by Mark Bauerlein. Kind of a provocative title.
"Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America," published by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2004.
Forthcoming, as yet untitled, book by Fred A. Bonner II about the teens who do not fit the stereotypes laid down in the Millennials books. This one also sounds worthwhile. I am predisposed to disregard stereotypical thinking about teens, especially since homeschooling teens often have life experiences that take them beyond the constricted, age-segregated, tribal culture of their schooled peers.
Eric Greenberg is a philanthropist who found the time to write a book called Generation We: How Millennial Youth Are Taking Over America and Changing Our World Forever. Hard to say. Need to read some reviews.
Scott Degraffenreid, a former forensic accountant, wrote Understanding the Millennial Mind: A Menace or Amazing? and patented the term "crash-test geniuses" to refer to young people's willingness to "reboot."
"The Millennial Muddle: How stereotyping students became a thriving industry and a bundle of contradictions"
A reading list can be compiled from the article, although some of these books look jingoistic and skippable. Even the unappealing books are interesting for their take on youth culture, or more to the point, their attempts to categorize young people.
Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation by Neil Howe and William Strauss (2000). It sounds like the type of mushy, feel-good, self-congratulatory dreck that appeals to a lot of people, including some homeschoolers. I would like to pass, but these books and Mr. Howe's wildly successful consulting business probably make it mandatory reading for a person who wants to follow issues affecting young people, even though their analysis is ten years old.
Some colleges, some of them named in the article, pay Howe consulting fees for advice on the Millennial generation. If I had realized that many college admissions personnel pay attention to the advice of Howe and Strauss, this popular book probably would have made my reading list years ago.
Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 by by Neil Howe and William Strauss. Again this sounds like feather-weight reading. Not for me. If I want something frothy on the subject of adolescents, I'll read a history of pop music.
Several other Millennials books followed. No thanks.
Quote from Siva Vaidhyanathan, University of Virginia: "If you work in higher education, the first thing you should do is throw out all their books," says Mr. Vaidhyanathan (of Howe & Strauss). "Generational thinking is just a benign form of bigotry, in which you flatten out diversity. This is debilitating to the job of trying to work with young people."
When Hope and Fear Collide: A Portrait of Today's College Student by Arthur E. Levine and Jeanette S. Cureton (1998). This book sounds more research and reality-based, but is it still current? Like Millennials Rising, it may be out-of-date.
Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before (2006) by Jean M. Twenge, who teaches psychology at San Diego State. This is it. My husband and I always said, yes, we want our children to learn self-esteem. We also want them to learn how to respect others. I think it is hilarious that Twenge gave her boyfriends narcissism tests, written psychological profiles to determine their self-love. What a hoot. (One flunked and was shown the door.)
The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (2009) by Jean M. Twenge Ph.D. and W. Keith Campbell Ph.D. The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (2008) by Mark Bauerlein. Kind of a provocative title.
"Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America," published by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2004.
Forthcoming, as yet untitled, book by Fred A. Bonner II about the teens who do not fit the stereotypes laid down in the Millennials books. This one also sounds worthwhile. I am predisposed to disregard stereotypical thinking about teens, especially since homeschooling teens often have life experiences that take them beyond the constricted, age-segregated, tribal culture of their schooled peers.
Eric Greenberg is a philanthropist who found the time to write a book called Generation We: How Millennial Youth Are Taking Over America and Changing Our World Forever. Hard to say. Need to read some reviews.
Scott Degraffenreid, a former forensic accountant, wrote Understanding the Millennial Mind: A Menace or Amazing? and patented the term "crash-test geniuses" to refer to young people's willingness to "reboot."
Oct 29, 2009
Unemployment Rates in Selected College Towns, Sept. '09
September's metropolitan unemployment numbers* were announced yesterday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in their monthly report, "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment." In almost all of the college towns I have been tracking in previous months, the unemployment rate is moving in the right direction. Eugene, Oregon has improved by almost a full point. The September unemployment rate is followed in parentheses by the August number.
Grand Forks, ND: 3.8% (5.0%)
Eugene, OR: 11.5% (12.4%)
Lawrence, KS: 5.4% (6.2%)
Madison, WI: 5.6% (6.0%)
Boston, MA: 8.8% (8.4%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: 7.3% (7.7%)
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: 7.7% (8.0%)
Ann Arbor, MI: 9.3% (9.4%)
Los Angeles, CA: 11.9% (11.8%)
Providence, RI: 12.4% (12.5%)
*This file is refreshed each month by the BLS, and clicking on the link takes you to the most recent report.
Grand Forks, ND: 3.8% (5.0%)
Eugene, OR: 11.5% (12.4%)
Lawrence, KS: 5.4% (6.2%)
Madison, WI: 5.6% (6.0%)
Boston, MA: 8.8% (8.4%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: 7.3% (7.7%)
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: 7.7% (8.0%)
Ann Arbor, MI: 9.3% (9.4%)
Los Angeles, CA: 11.9% (11.8%)
Providence, RI: 12.4% (12.5%)
*This file is refreshed each month by the BLS, and clicking on the link takes you to the most recent report.
Oct 28, 2009
A Misleading College Admission "Tip"
Some college and university admissions officers appeared on NBC's Today Show last Friday, offering advice on college admissions. Granted, the interviewees were not given very much time to respond to questions; the segment flew by too quickly. However, some of their "tips" were of questionable value to a general audience of parents and teens. A few of the comments were not applicable to all types of colleges and universities, and while the tips might have been useful for each admissions officer's own school or one of its peer schools, some of the statements should not have been offered as fact for all higher education institutions everywhere. The comment on Early Decision was especially misleading.An admissions representative was asked whether applying Early Decision was helpful. The inaccurate answer was "Not really." Perhaps she was speaking about the policy at her own school, and students applying Early Decision there are not more likely to be admitted than Regular Decision applicants. Nevertheless, it is unconscionable to spread the blanket advice on national television that Early Decision does not usually give applicants an edge.
Don't take my word for it. A good book that explores the effects of applying early, including Early Decision, is The Early Admissions Game: Joining the Elite by Christopher Avery, Andrew Fairbanks, and Richard Zeckhauser (Harvard University Press, 2003). I read this book six years ago and was thoroughly convinced by their argument.
The authors detail the advantage Early Decision gives those students who do not need to wait to compare financial aid offers before committing to a school. At the publisher's website, one of their conclusions is posted. "The authors frankly assess early applications. Applying early is not for everyone, but it will improve--sometimes double, even triple--the chances of being admitted to a prestigious college."
Early Decision policies came under much scrutiny several years ago, and a few colleges dropped Early Decision in an effort to make the admissions process more equitable and fair. Some schools honestly state on their admissions pages that Early Decision conveys an advantage. See the next post for a few examples.
The Early Decision Advantage in College Admissions
Some colleges state plainly on their admissions websites that applying Early Decision gives applicants an edge over applicants who apply Regular Decision. Here are a few examples, with text copied from the Admissions Office website at each school.
Davidson
Is there a selectivity advantage to applying Early Decision?
Statistically speaking, yes. A higher percentage of Davidson applicants are admitted under an Early Decision plan than under Regular Decision.
But Early Decision is a binding process and, as such, should not be undertaken lightly. By applying Early Decision, you are affirming the following statements:
Early Decision Advantage
Franklin & Marshall values students who commit “early” to the College. Your early commitment places your application in a favorable light in the selection process. Statistically, students applying Early Decision are accepted at a higher rate than students applying Regular Decision.
Duke
About 10 percent of our applicants apply under our Early Decision plan. There is a measurable advantage in the admissions process to applying Early Decision. In 2008-2009, we admitted 38% of students who applied Early Decision and 20% of students who applied Regular Decision.
Davidson
Is there a selectivity advantage to applying Early Decision?
Statistically speaking, yes. A higher percentage of Davidson applicants are admitted under an Early Decision plan than under Regular Decision.
But Early Decision is a binding process and, as such, should not be undertaken lightly. By applying Early Decision, you are affirming the following statements:
- Davidson is your first choice college
- You are not applying Early Decision to another college or university
- If accepted to Davidson, you agree to enroll
- If accepted, you will withdraw immediately all applications for admission and scholarships to other colleges and universities.
Early Decision Advantage
Franklin & Marshall values students who commit “early” to the College. Your early commitment places your application in a favorable light in the selection process. Statistically, students applying Early Decision are accepted at a higher rate than students applying Regular Decision.
Duke
About 10 percent of our applicants apply under our Early Decision plan. There is a measurable advantage in the admissions process to applying Early Decision. In 2008-2009, we admitted 38% of students who applied Early Decision and 20% of students who applied Regular Decision.
Oct 27, 2009
Unschooling and Carnegie Units
We were unschoolers who gradually added more structure in order to meet the requirements of college preparation. Since my son only had three outside grades at the time he applied to college last year, Cafi Cohen's system (presented in her Homeschoolers' College Admissions Handbook) provided the road map for documenting the work he had done independently under my supervision. Test results, letters of recommendation, his essays, grades in two dual-enrollment classes and one online class--each of these elements contributed to an overall picture that validated the parent-assigned grades for his independent homeschool work.
Some unschoolers I have come across online have been dismissive of the credits-on-the-transcript approach, and they are entitled to their point of view. It would be nice if they could refrain from sneering at those of us who choose a way different from theirs, but oh well. Pat Farenga, an unschooling advocate for almost three decades, and an associate of John Holt, explains Carnegie units in his unschooling seminars, so I am not the only unschooling parent to accept this method.
The Carnegie units system involves assigning credits based on hours of instruction. One credit is usually equal to a year of work. I have always been puzzled by parents who claim they had nothing to do with reporting credits, when they record instead the years of work completed in a subject. Same thing, people. Parents who send their children to community college for three years of dual-enrollment and call it "homeschooling" also leave me scratching my head, but that is another story.
We operated a not-very-buttoned-up homeschool but presented a standard-looking transcript, thanks to the guidance of Cafi Cohen. Many different styles and methods of documenting homeschool work have been effective in the past for other homeschooling families. I can only describe what worked for my children's college applications.
Some unschoolers I have come across online have been dismissive of the credits-on-the-transcript approach, and they are entitled to their point of view. It would be nice if they could refrain from sneering at those of us who choose a way different from theirs, but oh well. Pat Farenga, an unschooling advocate for almost three decades, and an associate of John Holt, explains Carnegie units in his unschooling seminars, so I am not the only unschooling parent to accept this method.
The Carnegie units system involves assigning credits based on hours of instruction. One credit is usually equal to a year of work. I have always been puzzled by parents who claim they had nothing to do with reporting credits, when they record instead the years of work completed in a subject. Same thing, people. Parents who send their children to community college for three years of dual-enrollment and call it "homeschooling" also leave me scratching my head, but that is another story.
We operated a not-very-buttoned-up homeschool but presented a standard-looking transcript, thanks to the guidance of Cafi Cohen. Many different styles and methods of documenting homeschool work have been effective in the past for other homeschooling families. I can only describe what worked for my children's college applications.
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