What advice do you give to a kid going off to college?

[JettaKnight]

If I am not mistaken Moody Bible College is located in Indiana?

Chicago.

One of our pastors went there, and I have great respect for it; good school.


Around here, most go to Grace in Warsaw. HoughMade had at least one of his go there.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Don't

 

[ChristianPatriot]

I just knew someone was going to take issue...

In most cases it does. I'm sure a lot country churches with under 100 will hire someone without formal education, but every full time pastor I know has some college training. Personally, I wouldn't want a pastor that doesn't.


If education is required to work on my physical health, then it should be for my spiritual health.


EDIT: I do know several children's Pastors without degrees.

Personally, I‘d want whatever Pastor that God wants for my church, but that’s just me I guess

But I digress. Not the time/place for this discussion.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Don't

This is going to be the default answer to my kids unless they can prove to me otherwise that the career that they want to pursue absolutely requires it.

 

[JettaKnight]

Don't

I'm going to assume you're talking about about CameraMonkey and his "dont", and just say , "OMG! Use an apostrophe, amirite?!"

 

[JettaKnight]

This is going to be the default answer to my kids unless they can prove to me otherwise that the career that they want to pursue absolutely requires it.

Fair enough. As a college organization volunteer I looked at so many kids and thought, "Why are you here?"


A lot of what I learned as an undergrad wasn't directly related to my degree and career.

Leadership, friendship, service, diversity (and not in the woke sense), a wife... and what I got from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship far outweighs my degree in the eternal realm.


There's no other time in your life where you can grow so much in only four years.

 

[Creedmoor]

Chicago.

One of our pastors went there, and I have great respect for it; good school.


Around here, most go to Grace in Warsaw. HoughMade had at least one of his go there.

I will say that Indiana Wesleyan Univ in Marion has a beautiful campus. iv'e eaten lunch in the food court there a half a dozen times. Very clean and well kept.

 

[Cameramonkey]

This is going to be the default answer to my kids unless they can prove to me otherwise that the career that they want to pursue absolutely requires it.

Same. Kinda. I'm directing my 15yo to start with an associate's from Ivy Tech. And possibly extend to a BS to give him a edge in his career. (assuming he doesnt decide to enter the trades)

I personally have been excluded from positions that dont actually require a 4 year degree to do the job due to lazy HR depts. I dont want him to be limited like I am.

But I am talking cheap degrees to blast through what they are now calling the paper ceiling. Not degrees that will put them in the poor house.

And more importantly, if either kid wants a degree, they have to prove to us that they can actually use the degree and support themselves. A LOT of the issues are people getting expensive degrees for jobs that either dont exist* or the jobs dont pay enough to pay off the loans. That is the big problem that led to where we are now.


*the best is a PHD in something crazy like library sciences. (It may be something different, I dont recall) But the point is the only jobs that require that degree are people running big federal libraries/museums, or those that want to teach the course. But combined, those two jobs only account for far less than 100 actual positions worldwide. They graduate about 50 students a year with this degree. And those that get the positions tend to retire, not change jobs.

 

[WanderingSol07]

I assume they are going to college to better themselves, not to party for 4+ years. If so they should pick a major that will help them get a job. Not necessary a job they will like/love, but something that will give them a good income while they figure out their next step. Once they have a degree, no matter what major, it will open doors for them. Knowing past alumni and where they work would help.

No gaming! Leave the Nintendo at home!

One of the great things about college is making friendships/connections that will last their lifetime. With people that have similar goals as they do, but from all over the world. Joining clubs and fraternities/sororities would help with this. Get an internship the last year or two would be great to get work experience in the field they major in. Co-Op would be great too.

No matter which major, they should do well in their beginning English and Communications classes, being able to communicate and articulate their thoughts will serve them their entire life.

Tell them it will be one of the best times of their life, freedom from mom and dad, very few obligations, and being with people that are like minded but with different backgrounds.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

There's no other time in your life where you can grow so much in only four years.

Along this same thought, “grow” can also mean “change”. The influences you keep around you in your 20’s can be massively formative to your behavior and belief system. So many kids I knew growing up went total 180 from the good values they were raised in because of friends and influences in their college years.

 

[patience0830]

The days are long but the years are short.

What advice did you give your kid before sending them off to college?

What do you wish you had told them knowing what you know now?

Thanks!

No one is responsible for your safety but you. I repeat, no one is responsible for your safety but you.
Alcohol dulls your senses and removes your good judgement. If you drink, do it among friends you trust. And be careful who you trust.
The designated driver will always be the most desirable man in a group of drunks to a woman with the kind of morals you want in a wife.
I had sons. Daughters will require minor modification in language but it's still solid advice. Especially the first 2 sentences.

 

[Twangbanger]

...

No gaming! Leave the Nintendo at home!

...

1. Definitely, leave the Nintendo at home!

2. Never, ever allow your kid to have a Netflix subscription. There is too much going on at college. You have the rest of your life to get hooked on shows. Get TF out there and DO something. You've got a paid gym membership and as Ark said, the metabolism of a 20 year-old. DO SOMETHING!!!

3. Don't major in STEM unless you have a very clear vision of how A) you fit into this profession, and B) how this profession fits into the context of the world of the future.

4. Do not get wrapped up in some high-pressure campus religious organization like Cru (used to be called Campus Crusade for Christ). It is a pyramid scheme bordering on a cult. When choosing a campus church, make sure they are investing in "bricks and mortar" right there on campus and building up the community around them, not extracting money OUT of the community to fund missionaries and "outreach" people in other places. That is the pyramid aspect. Make sure their roots, aspirations, and investment are LOCAL. Be especially suspicious of groups that want to send you on mission trips but want YOU to raise thousands of dollars of your own funds to pay for it. If you're volunteering to help people, YOU should not be paying for the privilege. This is a huge red-flag that the organization is a religious pyramid scheme.

Amplifying on #1, Purdue had a dorm murder last year. A group of kids were playing online, and a Korean student "rage-quit" the game because he lost, grabbed a pair of scissors, and killed his Indian-American roommate from Indy, who was playing at the same time.

Most times when I went to drop off or pick up my son, his roommate was gaming. This seems to be this generation's "TeeVee," but far more addictive.

Amplifying on #2, NetFlix is also far more addictive than regular television. They have psychologists studying people's reactions to these shows, trying to figure out how to "hook" them better. The "binge watching" trend is far worse than anything we ever had on TV back in the 80s or 90s. There is high-powered psychology behind how these shows are created. They are designed to suck you in. Be sure to put boundaries around the amount of time you will allow this to take out of your life. Set aside "x" amount of time for relaxation/escape, then when the timer is up, turn it off. Or better yet, never subscribe to it in the first place. There is too much else to do at this time in your life.

#3 is painful for me, but I'm an engineering manager, and I will flat out tell you that STEM jobs are being sent out of this country at a staggering rate because companies do not want to pay an "American" wage to the people doing them. A STEM degree is better than many, but the days when it assured you of a stable career are over. Every time a factory gets shut down and sent overseas, dozens of engineers, IT people, technicians, programmers, etc. lose their jobs. People with STEM degrees are going to have to be as nimble, adaptable, and resourceful in maintaining their career paths as people with Liberal Arts degrees had to be in past decades. There is no safe career field anymore. NADA. (Even health care is getting sketchy, depending on what part of it you are in).

#4 - a relative's kid got wrapped up in this. They wanted to send him on a mission trip to China, but required him to come up with $6 GRAND (!!!) of his own money to fund it. (We're talking about a college student here). He came back to his home church and hit up a bunch of congregation members to raise the funds. When he "made" his required amount, the organization "marked" him as someone with fund-raising skills (ie, a church-network of nice, older, high-income members he could hit up for donations). It ended up being life-altering. The organization started making him offers of employment upon graduation to go work at other campuses. He ended up walking away from a STEM career his parents paid serious money for him to get a degree in, and currently he and his wife (also in Cru) make a meager income, living off the kindness of strangers and monetary assistance from their parents, scraping enough money to get by while working on a campus drawing other college kids into the life they chose. It is basically a commission sales job where they have to obtain enough donations to fund their keep, while developing new leads on young people who can be recruited into the organization as fund-raisers. (As you can imagine, Mom and Dad are super-stoked).

Join a campus religious organization if you wish, but don't become a Moonie. Make sure their interest in you is for the right reasons, not recruiting you into some kind of donation racket.

 

[dprimm]

PROFESSORS GIVE YOU POINTS FOR SHOWING UP AND TALKING. Go to class. Attend class. Ask questions. You are paying through the nose for this, so at least show up and be there for it.

If they know who you are.

Go to their office hours and ask them questions on material you are struggling with

When I went, old exams were available to help you study. I never thought about taking my work to the professor to see if what I was doing was correct (keys were rarely provided)

Attend class - sit near the front where they see you and what you are doing

Hand write your notes. There is memory tied to the writing.

I am wiling to share my note taking method that students told me actually worked in college.

No electronics during class. Remember you are making sure the prof knows who you are. Make sure you are paying attention

Find clubs for what you are interested in. Meet people in them. If you are religious find a church w a great college program.

 

[bgcatty]

Study hard and play hard but don’t become a drunken or otherwise intoxicated fool!

 

[rosejm]

Don't let your schooling get in the way of your education.

 

[Creedmoor]

Don't let your schooling get in the way of your education.

Bueller.... Bueller...... Bueller

 

[Tactically Fat]

Wipe until the paper is clean.

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

And the most important one for the guys... "Dont stick your **** in crazy."

When your buddies tell you to check out your GF's mothers and aunts- do it. They always turn into their mothers. Its proven.

 

[wcd]

Chicago.

One of our pastors went there, and I have great respect for it; good school.


Around here, most go to Grace in Warsaw. HoughMade had at least one of his go there.

Ah I was not sure, have a friend that attended there, he is a pastor as well new. It’s one of few institutions I could make a financial donation to

 

[J Galt]

Men cannot be women.

Women cannot be men.

Children cannot consent to sex. That is child molestation.

Question (internally) everything and verify independently. Your sources for verification matters.

If you plan on being an employee after graduation use this as an opportunity to study the enemy and learn to "move amongst the people as a fish swims in the sea."