OT: Will Future College Grads Be Prepared?

[flyer]

Have to agree pregnancy is probably the least of most people’s problems today, and having ultimate control in life in any socioeconomic strata (for the short time each of us have on earth) is clearly becoming more and more questionable, for everyone going forward.

Making the most of life as all of us are trying to do is great–making as much money as you can, giving your family the best life possible, etc., etc.–is also great, but I just watched a relative say goodbye to this world, and anyone who thinks they have ultimate control in the final analysis, is, quite simply, delusional.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=flyer]Have to agree pregnancy is probably the least of most people’s problems today, and having ultimate control in life in any socioeconomic strata (for the short time each of us have on earth) is clearly becoming more and more questionable, for everyone going forward.

Making the most of life as all of us are trying to do is great–making as much money as you can, giving your family the best life possible, etc., etc.–is also great, but I just watched a relative say goodbye to this world, and anyone who thinks they have ultimate control in the final analysis, is, quite simply, delusional.[/quote]

I’m sorry for your loss, flyer. I just lost a vital, very athletic good friend of ~40 years to pancreatic cancer two months ago. He lived 103 days from diagnosis and lost 78 lbs of body weight during that time. He worked FT all his life up to 18 days before his diagnosis, where he was forced to take disability due to intense pain. He was waiting to retire until the last quarter of this year so he could be eligible for Medicare.

It was not to be.

All we have left are our wonderful memories.

[flyer]

Thank you, BG, and my sympathies to you as well.

We’ve lost a few older friends and family in the past–in fact, most in our families seem to live long lives– but this was a younger member of the family, just in his late 40’s, and we’ve been seeing more and more of this with other family and friends over the past few years.

We can all do our best to make life last as long as possible, but there are just no guarantees wrt our earthly existence.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=flyer] . . . We can all do our best to make life last as long as possible, but there are just no guarantees.[/quote]

Agree, flyer. In late Oct, I downgraded my Covered CA plan from Platinum to Silver 73, due to my premium going up 20% for 2016. After that, I went in for my annual physical exam and promptly upgraded my 2016 plan to Gold the next day after learning of a couple of troubling issues. My Gold premium for 2016 will be nearly the same amount as my Platinum premium was for 2015 (same carrier).

I fear being hung out to dry with medical bills, etc, if I don’t have adequate coverage. And this is coming from a fit individual who is primarily a vegetarian and has worked out at a gym 3-5 days per week for the past 7 years (when not on the road).

We can’t control everything in life … even within ourselves. And none of us can choose our parents.

[FlyerInHi]

BG, control is exactly what you’re doing about your health.

Leaving it up to God would be a couch potato who eats junk food, or maybe even something in between. There’s a lot of scientific data out there and people who want control will use the data. Some other people simply go by what tastes good (to them) and food culture and habits.

There is control up to a certain point.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=FlyerInHi]. . . There is control up to a certain point.[/quote]
Yes, that’s true. And after a certain point, when we reach a “particular age,” we can’t control it. Many health issues are “hereditary.” It is what it is.

[flyer]

Hope everything turns out well wrt any health issues, BG. I’m sure you’re seeing excellent doctors, with the great resources we have in San Diego.

Like you, we take very good care of ourselves, and even though I pass my FAA exams, my wife insists on both of us having every exam possible, so I comply. That’s about the best any of us can do, and, imo, the rest is up to a higher power.

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=flyer]Hope everything turns out well wrt any health issues, BG. I’m sure you’re seeing excellent doctors, with the great resources we have in San Diego.

Like you, we take very good care of ourselves, and even though I pass my FAA exams, my wife insists on both of us having every exam possible, so I comply. That’s about the best any of us can do, and, imo, the rest is up to a higher power.[/quote]

Dies g-d specifically control individual health, like giving individual children cancer as part of a,plan, or mak I ng sure a particular kid gets into Harvard?

[NotCranky]

god specifically wants me to be a coffee addict, I have it in writing , so it’s almost biblical.

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=Blogstar]god specifically wants me to be a coffee addict, I have it in writing , so it’s almost biblical.[/quote]

Interestingly science says prayer worsens medical outcomes, but only when the prayer target knows he is being prayed over. Theory: pressure to get better to prove supernatural effects makes person worse. If no knowledge, no effect.

Not that this has anything to do with the existence of G-d. He might be displeased by specified or public prayers. Theres some textual support for the latter. He might just not care specifically. But it is indisputable: praying 4 others publicly is very unhealthy. Google 4 details.

No study yet on whether praying 4 specific kid outcome scholastic ally helps, but probably hurts if u tell them…

[dumbrenter]

[quote=harvey][quote=flyer]Shockingly, only about 20% of new college grads are getting the jobs they want, where they want them, and the BLS predicts that will not change much in the future.[/quote]

Why is that shocking?

What should the number be?

Personally, I’m not surprised by that vague statistic. Four of five people don’t receive fulfilling careers immediately after obtaining an undergraduate degree? Sounds like real life.[/quote]

Reminds me of the joke about the school where every kid in the school is “above average” compared to their peers int he same school!
But I think the shocking part is the expectations that grads and their parents have after they have been ‘sold’ on the school.

[NotCranky]

[quote=scaredyclassic][quote=Blogstar]god specifically wants me to be a coffee addict, I have it in writing , so it’s almost biblical.[/quote]

Interestingly science says prayer worsens medical outcomes, but only when the prayer target knows he is being prayed over. Theory: pressure to get better to prove supernatural effects makes person worse. If no knowledge, no effect.

Not that this has anything to do with the existence of G-d. He might be displeased by specified or public prayers. Theres some textual support for the latter. He might just not care specifically. But it is indisputable: praying 4 others publicly is very unhealthy. Google 4 details.

No study yet on whether praying 4 specific kid outcome scholastic ally helps, but probably hurts if u tell them…[/quote]
Whi r u pryin for me dad u tink im dum?

[NotCranky]

Talking about how everyone is fucked up because they do x or don’t do y is just another way of bragging. That applies to social assistance. Our kids are the real moochers, getting all this material stuff and trips all over the place and enrichment learning before they ever even do one damn thing for society.
Getting houses, cars and cash passed down to them just because they were lucky enough to be pigg kids, moochers I tell you. The poor kids really don’t get shit, everybody eats and even the wealthiest person can have public education for their kid if the want it. Shame on us.

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=Blogstar]Talking about how everyone is fucked up because they do x or don’t do y is just another way of bragging. That applies to social assistance. Our kids are the real moochers, getting all this material stuff and trips all over the place and enrichment learning before they ever even do one damn thing for society.
Getting houses, cars and cash passed down to them just because they were lucky enough to be pigg kids, moochers I tell you. The poor kids really don’t get shit, everybody eats and even the wealthiest person can have public education for their kid if the want it. Shame on us.[/quote]

I’m a book of job man myself, but if the book were rewritten today job would be a vegan fitness freak with cancer.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=dumbrenter][quote=harvey][quote=flyer]Shockingly, only about 20% of new college grads are getting the jobs they want, where they want them, and the BLS predicts that will not change much in the future.[/quote]

Why is that shocking?

What should the number be?

Personally, I’m not surprised by that vague statistic. Four of five people don’t receive fulfilling careers immediately after obtaining an undergraduate degree? Sounds like real life.[/quote]

Reminds me of the joke about the school where every kid in the school is “above average” compared to their peers int he same school!
But I think the shocking part is the expectations that grads and their parents have after they have been ‘sold’ on the school.[/quote]

I’ll have to admit that I’m kind of ‘sold’ on my youngest kid’s school (a CSU campus). I DO think the CSUs have really, really good instructors who are dedicated to the success of their students (even the ones who teach GE’s). The problem is that students don’t take advantage of all on campus that is on offer to them for their really high fees. At my kid’s campus, the fees (exclusive of tuition) are now close to $2K year. Instructors DO have office hours and “free” tutoring is offered on most subjects several days per week in the library. Class sizes have now been reduced to 24 – 70 students with most of them capped at 34 students (even GE classes). Freshman are really coddled to the point where they get priority registration for the first quarter and are registered in all the right remedial ENG and MATH the summer BEFORE their freshman year begins. There is help in person and online for almost any problem, academic or otherwise. If the right help a student needs isn’t available on campus, they will be referred out to the appropriate community resource and an appt will be made for them (ex: problems of students who are single parents). Some campuses today even have mini-hospitals on campus and state-of-the-art multi-level fitness centers with climbing walls and a host of exercise classes, etc. All one needs is that magic student ID to avail themselves of all these benefits.

I really think the CSUs (at least some of them) are now trying mightily to address every concern of a student as a whole person to ensure their success and continuation to earn a degree due to high dropout rates of previous years (due primarily to financial issues, frustration with registration and poor preparation in HS). Their more holistic approach is contributing to the overall success of students in the long haul.

I like some of the smaller public campuses out-of-state, as well (i.e. 4K students). I think it is really cool that the instructors in these campuses get to know as many students as possible personally and walk with them on campus and lunch with them. Two that come to mind have several professors each who retired from the UC and CSU systems and subsequently came to work for these campuses for the more “personal” atmosphere.

If I was young and could have a do-over, I would enroll in the CSU … probably Humboldt State … so I could be out in the woods often, lol ….
“Bezerkely” would be my second choice (courtesy of spdrun, lol). And yes, I could get admitted to Cal. I was admitted to it over 40 years ago with an ACT score of 31 but declined because I “couldn’t afford it” back then (I went to HS out of state).

Bad mistake. I could have gone on to law school at Boalt Hall and my life would have been completely different :=0

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