I recently helped one of my students out when she had to do an interview with a professor.
I told her I had to think about a couple of the questions and would reply via email later.
Here are the 2 questions:
1. If you could require a college student to read one thing before they graduate, what would it be and why?
2. What advice can you offer an undergraduate?
Those are pretty big questions. I could’ve answered a lot of different ways too. There are potential funny answers, lots of them. There are also plenty of serious answers.
I came up with answers I felt good about and sent them off.
I’m curious, how would you answer those two questions for a young student?
1. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. When I was 20 someone gave that book to me and said I needed it. They were absolutely right. It’s hard to explain but I think everyone needs it.
2. Think about what your dream job is and then map out how to achieve it. I had a pretty good idea of things I would have liked to do but didn’t spend much time thinking about how I was going to get there. Also, when you have a map, it’s a lot easier to handle the tough times because you can see the next step. Also, try to laugh as much as possible. (Although I would offer that as advice to just about anyone in any situation).
1) The “Bible”…. I wish someone had suggested me to read it when I was younger, it was not til I got older that I started reading the Bible and now most decisions I make are based on what is written. ex. What kind of employee should I be, what kind of person should I be to others, what in my life should be important, how I should treat my spouse, what is the best way to control my finances, what is the best way to control myself, why hating others serves no purpose but just hurts you instead, why “Love” is so important? Those are just a few there are so many more..
2) To take thier time and really decide what they want to do, even if it means putting off your graduate studies for a year or two. The biggest mistake I see is students taking out loans, going in to debt to get degrees and never use them…. Then to never burn bridges with past teachers or employers, there might come a day you will need them for a reference, job or advice…That has gotten me trough the years….
3) Buy the DVD for Fraggle Rock….. Got to laugh and feel goood at times
These are tough questions, but I’ll be practical.
1. Every student should be required to read a book about what it’s really like to work in their chosen field. I had a roommate one semester who thought he was going into medicine, but then he had a heart-to-heart with a doctor, who told him what being a doctor was really like (undecently long hours, a lot of stress, not nearly as much money as you’d think, at least not at first and maybe not ever).
2. My advice to undergraduates: You know those kids who never seem to study? They’re either a lot smarter than you, meaning they don’t need to study as much, or their parents are rich, meaning it doesn’t matter what grades they get. You, though, you need to study. You need to come to class and hand in your assignments on time. Also, you want to leave the party before the police show up.
I think #1 is great advice. I’m continually amazed at how little students know about their chosen careers. You spend thousands of hours training for a career and never spend ten hours reading a book or doing a job shadow to learn how the hours in that career actually break down. Many people learn that the part of the job that first attracted them is only five hours of their work week and the rest is filled with stuff they hate.
1. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
2. Even as you walk out of this place, diploma in hand, you probably won’t know what you’re going to be when you grow up. That’s okay. Just prepare yourself so when it floats by, you’re ready to leap.
Ever going to share your responses to these two, Clay? Love to hear ‘em.
1) One of the following dystopias: 1984, Brave New World, or Fahrenheit 451. I’m leaning more towards Brave New World, but any of the three will get students to think about how they live now and the choices they make.
2) Learning doesn’t exclusively happen in the classroom and doesn’t end when you graduate. Learn to learn on your own because it will allow you to adapt to the job market and bring your great personal satisfaction.
Ooh, very tough questions. The book that most changed my life was Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” so I’ll go with it. It’s the best book I can think of that examines the power struggle between true individuality and institutional, crushing conformity.
As for advice, it goes hand in hand with my book choice. Be yourself, for crying out loud. Dare to be different. Most of the great…and rich… innovators in this world (Steve Jobs, anyone? John Lasseter? Bill Gates?) are the non-popular kids who march to their own tune. If you find something you like to do, it doesn’t matter what it is. Become a master at it and write your own story. Oh, and young adulthood does NOT last forever. You may think your life sucks now. It really doesn’t. Practice gratitude every day.
1. my book cause that means they bought it and i would have made money
2. there are 2 main keys to finishing college: 1) go to class every day. 2)pick the right teacher, I prefer ratemyprofessor.com or asking someone who’d taken the class.
you’re welcome america.
Without a doubt, I’d have them read A Prayer for Owen Meany. It’s taught me more about grace, forgiveness, and friendship than any other book. I reread it every few years because of what it teaches me about life and truly living. I don’t love all that John Irving has written but this is simply superb.
I love that book! AND NOW I’M TYPING LIKE OWEN!
Hahaha! This is why we’re friends.
1. Winnie the Pooh. Really all of life’s lesson are right there: tenacity, positivity, resilience, the Golden Rule. What more can you ask for in a book?
2. Don’t major in English.
OK, seriously. Don’t let fear rule your life.
Can’t wait to read your answers.
ONE book?! You do ask the hard questions on this blog. Okay, the one book would have to be:
1.) HEAVEN by Alcorn. It’s about…heaven, thus you’ll learn about the things on earth that are worth pursuing.
Best advice?
2.) It’s better to be kind than to be clever.
1) The book of Proverbs. So much wisdom and truth. Everything about life, living, right and wrong in one spot.
2) Don’t take yourself too seriously. Find out what your gifts are and use them to the fullest. Aptitude tests, conversations with people in the job you’d like, internship if possible, and a LOT of prayer. Try to be an expert in one area/field, if you can.
I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up!
1. Bet you thought I was going to choose Shakespeare, eh? Nope. People need to come to him by choice. The Book Thief comes close. Poetry, kindness, love, hope, despair. All the biggies.
2. Venture out of your comfort zone: travel, speak to new people, embrace new ideas, but don’t forsake your roots.
1) This is a very difficult question, and I’m not sure I can really answer it with any real satisfaction. Perhaps either Night or Dawn by Elie Wiesel. Or Neuromancer by William Gibson. Or Dictionary of the Kazhars by Milorad Pavic.
2) Take responsibility for your own learning. If you don’t, you won’t learn much even from the best of teachers. And if you do, you can still learn a lot even from the worst of teachers. The teacher can only do so much, and you can’t always limit yourself to what the teacher does and does not expect of you. Eventually, you have to take responsibility for your own learning.
1. Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl. I’ve no idea when I first read this book, but recently re-opened after I leant to a friend; my notes and underlines were very telling of where I was then, and where I am now. Bottom line ~ it offers a wonderful tool…how to handle the inevitable, suffering.
2. Don’t let fear (or someone else’s) stop you. Find your precipice, fashion some wings, and soar. You’ll be your parent’s age before you know it…
(so glad I happened to read my blog reader today, great post & responses!)
1. The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.
2. It’s not about you. It’s about what you do for others.
1. Don Quixote
2. Enjoy the ride.
1. Something by Mark Twain.
2. Travel as much as you can whenever you can because one day you won’t be able to and it is easier to imagine yourself on a desert island if you have been to one.
1. It’s impossible to pick just one book! I’d have to qualify my answer with questions before I could decide.
2. Advice: It ain’t gonna get any easier. Break your dreams into a step-by-step set of goals and keep plugging away at it.
Hi Clay.
The book: Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Harriet Beecher Stowe lays out the issues between the agrarian and urban communities as well as the racial issues in a level, thoughtful way, and it explains a great deal about modern racial and financial tensions. As Holmes would say, if you don’t understand the past, you can’t understand the present. Seriously. It’s awesome.
Advice: Don’t get so locked in to what you think you know that there’s no room left for you to learn anything. Life has blessings and adventures you cannot imagine. Let Life surprise you.
All the best to you, Clay.
I was about to answer the questions, but then I remembered that I have no business influencing young minds. Ask my toddler. He knows
Letters to a Young Contrarian – Christopher Hitchens. A must read for every young person embarking on adult life.
I would recommend they work for a year after graduating, not always in their field of study but hard labor so that they never forget to appreciate what they might have in the future. It will also give them an insight into what they really want to do.