by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.
I’m really behind when it comes to posting my When a College Says No article. Two dozen stories have floated past my social media accounts, important reminders that we make sure students know their life isn’t in a yes from a top college. Magic Johnson’s two years at Michigan State were game changers, and MSU didn’t make the US News rankings that year. (OK—there was no US News rankings then, but you get the idea.)
Since the well-being of the student is being nicely covered by others, here are two other tidbits that could come in handy when you talk to your students and your parents about plans that have become unraveled. Many of you will be talking with people who are disappointed about what Harvard and Columbia told them, but with a little creativity, these tips can even be of help to them:
The House Jamie (not his real name) closed the door to his pickup. He’d graduated from high school two years ago, and the ensuing fifteen months had been nothing but false starts. Convinced college wasn’t for him, he enlisted in the armed forces, only to discover that really wasn’t going to make him all that he could be.
He came home, waited a while, and decided maybe college was worth a shot after all. He enrolled in a local community college, taking three classes because he was told that would be a more manageable load, and off he went.
By October, it was clear he was right in the first place. He stopped by the registrar’s office and withdrew from all his classes.
The empty page that seemed to be his future filled his thought, until something caught his eye. He was taking the same route home, but for some reason, he’d never seen the building site for a new home that filled his attention now. “I wonder how you get to do that kind of work?” he thought, as he pulled his pickup onto the site, deciding his question deserved a direct answer.
Jamie stopped the first person he saw with a hard hat, and asked his question. After a thoughtful pause, the hard hat—who happened to own the construction company-- said “Ya know, anyone with the guts to drive onto a job site and ask that question deserves a shot. Go buy some good boots, and we’ll see you at 7 tomorrow morning.”
Jamie didn’t know it, but he was entering a world of work that was in high demand, and paid a starting hourly wage of $20, that quickly went as high as $41 once it was clear you could do something with a hammer. True, he’d still be living at home; but with no student loans to pay, and with the sandwich shop pay only $12 per hour, in a few years he could have enough money for a new truck, a place of his own, and money to try college again if he wanted to. Keep in mind—Jamie was 19.
Life and College The second thing to remember is a factoid—the average age of most community college students is about 27. This means they graduated high school for a “good paying” job that, three kids and ten years later, isn’t so good anymore. Yes, college at 27 is a different world—one’s penchant for beer pong is typically long gone—but it’s still another try at the larger goal.
Keep these in mind. They may be more helpful than you think.
Since the well-being of the student is being nicely covered by others, here are two other tidbits that could come in handy when you talk to your students and your parents about plans that have become unraveled. Many of you will be talking with people who are disappointed about what Harvard and Columbia told them, but with a little creativity, these tips can even be of help to them:
The House Jamie (not his real name) closed the door to his pickup. He’d graduated from high school two years ago, and the ensuing fifteen months had been nothing but false starts. Convinced college wasn’t for him, he enlisted in the armed forces, only to discover that really wasn’t going to make him all that he could be.
He came home, waited a while, and decided maybe college was worth a shot after all. He enrolled in a local community college, taking three classes because he was told that would be a more manageable load, and off he went.
By October, it was clear he was right in the first place. He stopped by the registrar’s office and withdrew from all his classes.
The empty page that seemed to be his future filled his thought, until something caught his eye. He was taking the same route home, but for some reason, he’d never seen the building site for a new home that filled his attention now. “I wonder how you get to do that kind of work?” he thought, as he pulled his pickup onto the site, deciding his question deserved a direct answer.
Jamie stopped the first person he saw with a hard hat, and asked his question. After a thoughtful pause, the hard hat—who happened to own the construction company-- said “Ya know, anyone with the guts to drive onto a job site and ask that question deserves a shot. Go buy some good boots, and we’ll see you at 7 tomorrow morning.”
Jamie didn’t know it, but he was entering a world of work that was in high demand, and paid a starting hourly wage of $20, that quickly went as high as $41 once it was clear you could do something with a hammer. True, he’d still be living at home; but with no student loans to pay, and with the sandwich shop pay only $12 per hour, in a few years he could have enough money for a new truck, a place of his own, and money to try college again if he wanted to. Keep in mind—Jamie was 19.
Life and College The second thing to remember is a factoid—the average age of most community college students is about 27. This means they graduated high school for a “good paying” job that, three kids and ten years later, isn’t so good anymore. Yes, college at 27 is a different world—one’s penchant for beer pong is typically long gone—but it’s still another try at the larger goal.
Keep these in mind. They may be more helpful than you think.
No comments:
Post a Comment