18 Overlooked Things to Bring to College
Mon 10 Sep 2007 – 20.42
The same list applies to first apartments, really, but yes, you should read this and remember it. Luckily, I had an older sister who warned me about some of these, and me being a geek filled in the rest. Here’s one that’s commonly overlooked:
9. Stapler - There will be countless times that you will find yourself needing a stapler. If you think you are going to go through college without ever writing a paper that is more than one page long, then you may be in for a rude awakening.
On a food note, you can never have enough milk or eggs. The ultra-perishables are like gold in a dorm environment, especially on those Saturday afternoons when last night’s party leads to today’s craving for pancakes.
So for all the 18-year-olds reading this blog, now you know.
posted by Scott in education, life.
Tue 24 Jul 2007 – 12.01
Lately, we’ve been having conversations about how the SATs don’t matter once you start University, and GPA only matters if you’re applying to graduate school. In a similar vein, here is a well-written and somewhat scientific argument as why bad grades don’t mean shit.
The War on Bullshit seems to be a pretty harshly-written look at life, so take it with a grain of salt. While I agree with the sentiments of this article, I have the feeling that the author is more than a little bitter over past grades. A bit like me and my C in Linear Algebra — I got a 100 on the midterm, yet ended with a C? WTF?
posted by Scott in education.
Geeks Make Good Lovers: Master’s Degree Thesis
Mon 23 Jul 2007 – 10.50
This is a few months old already, but still worth a note. Jennifer Chowdury, a Master’s graduate from NYU, shocked academia when she turned up for her presentation in her underwear. But it was part of the gig. According to Wired,
Her master’s thesis project, Intimate Controllers, is not explicitly sexual — but it’s not something you would use with your sibling, either. Intimate Controllers is a set of sensors embedded in underwear that direct the action on a video game. Rather than sit separately on the couch and jam fingers against small plastic buttons, players touch each other to control the game.
And naturally, there’s video.
Kinda makes my Thermal Systems Design class seems downright catatonic.
posted by Scott in education, relationships.
College Guys, according to women
Mon 18 Jun 2007 – 14.23
The woman’s point of view is often overlooked here on twentyhood, perhaps because there are in fact no women contributing to the site, so it is with great pride that I share a post I found on Free My Campus about the Top 10 Guys You Meet in College. My favourite, strictly for comedic reasons:
7) The Jock: this guy isn’t actually on varsity, but you’d never know it by the way he dresses and talks. Apparently, playing 3 sports a year in high school wasn’t enough for him, so now he’s involved in over a half dozen intramurals: baseball, basketball, hockey, crew, dodgeball – you name it, he’s played it and has the t-shirt for the week-long tournament to prove it.
Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll post my rebuttal, The Top 10 Girls You Meet in College …
•• List Here »
posted by Scott in education, life, relationships.
What College Didn’t Prepare Me For
Wed 13 Jun 2007 – 16.52
The Ultimate ‘What Now?’
Freelance writer and blogger Kristen Fischer is a twentysomething. She’s written about being a freelance creative and productivity for sites like freelanceswitch.com, among others. She’s also the author of Creatively Self-Employed: How Writers and Artists Deal with Career Ups and Downs! and for her next book, she’s writing about, wait for it, life as a twentysomething.
If you, the lovely readers/listeners, would like to help Kristen in her campaign to educate soon-to-be-twentysomethings (twentynothings?) then please head over to her site and fill out the little survey. (You’ll have to just copy the text and email it, it’s not a web form.) Describe your tale of twentyhood, and you just might find yourself in the pages of history, talking about how much you have Ramen noodles.
Fill out as much or as little of the survey as you feel is fit. Maybe try and focus on completing on section in a very detailed manner, with the others as sort of an overview? Either way, head on over to the site and help a Jersey Girl out. Also, I’d be interested to see who among you is participating, so make sure you leave a comment here.
posted by Scott in education, life.
Private Loans Deepens Student Debt
Sun 10 Jun 2007 – 12.11
The NY Times has a lengthy feature article aboutu Student Debt, more specifically the Private Loans that most students are faced with as a method of paying for an education.
The problem this time around isn’t soley the rising costs of University tuition. In addition, there is a wave of new Federal De-Regulation on the financial services industry, and of course the recent actions that cut funding for all sorts of government-sponsored (low-interest) loan programs. For example:
Unlike federal loans, whose interest rates are capped by law — now at 6.8 percent — [private] loans carry variable rates that can reach 20 percent, like credit cards … And while federal loans come with safeguards against students’ overextending themselves, private loans have no such limits. Students are piling up debts as high as $100,000.
Ouch. The story goes on to highlight some twentysomethings who are down on their luck moneywise. There are graphs and everything, which makes this a very thorough read. Fair warning, if you read this article, your blood pressure will likely rise a bit — unless of course you have zero debt, in which case maybe you should head over to tiffany.com and buy some useless shiny crap.
posted by Scott in education, personal finance.
25 Places Neo-Grads Want to Work
Thu 31 May 2007 – 11.27
Now that you’ve graduated from university, where do you want to work? Chances are, if your like most people, it’s one of these top 25 employers desirable to young graduates. Needless to say, the competition is tough, and your BA in Theatre Studies probably won’t cut it. But for those of you who have the mental mettle, have a look at this BusinessWeek Article and view the slideshow
•• Article Here »
•• Slideshow »
posted by Scott in careers, education.
Mon 28 May 2007 – 11.46
O that someone would have pointed me toward such a blunt look at life in the after-degree.
Cracked.com isn’t a source for profound thought, but in this cheeky look at life after G-Day, are some very serious themes. We’ve discussed issues like these on the show, but never in a proper “graduation episode”. For example: Moving Back into Your Parents’ House, Finding a Job, and Using Your Degree.
Have a read, especially if you’re a recent or soon-to-be graduate. I’d love to hear feedback about these issues and perhaps we on the podcast can discuss what is generally considered to be the hardest, most depressing time in the life of a 21st Century, Middle-class twenty-something. Bonetti and Joaquin have hinted so, but I’ll come right out and say it — the year after your education finishes is the worst year of your life. And if you can that period to twelve short months, I envy you. Sorry to be so depressing.
posted by Scott in careers, education, life.
Thu 03 May 2007 – 9.40
*sigh*
Alas, what I have been suspecting since I began Univeristy way back in 1999, Scientific American has concluded that a higher IQ, and more intelligence, doesn’t automatically bring you a higher degree of wealth. While there is a trend between income and intelligence (I would hope so), the trend dies when concerning Net Worth, savings and other measures of overall wealth.
For example, a person with an IQ of 130 earns between $6,000 and $18,500 more per year than a peer of lesser intelligence. But this higher yearly income did not translate into higher wealth. In fact, people with slightly above average intelligence (105 IQ score) had an average net worth higher than those just a bit smarter (110 IQ). “There are some very smart people who get into financial difficulties,” Zagorsky notes. “Even smart people don’t save.”
posted by Scott in careers, education, personal finance.
Mon 16 Apr 2007 – 13.36
Finally, brains are the most important feature for attracting a mate. At least according to the new-and-growing group of urbanites who are sick of the conventional dating scene which has become a bit Discover Channel as of late.
From the Washington Post comes the story of how more and more singles are giving up the club scene to hang out that Library or museums for intellectual romps and possible romance:
In New York and other northeastern urban centers, including Washington and Boston, gray matter is the new black of the hip social scene. Thousands of young singles and couples are eschewing the perfunctory dinner and a movie for a growing circuit of late-night museum prowls, Oxford-style debates with pre-feud cocktail parties and book readings with cash bars and after-hour bands. In New York, even spelling bee nights have popped up as a romantic twist for the chic, unmarried and grammatically gifted.
Ok, how can I join?
posted by Scott in education, relationships.