Post by wrightwilliams on Aug 9, 2011 16:10:45 GMT -5
David Brook's "The Organization Kid" presents an issue that's been around for a while now. Students are pressured to do everything they possibly can on any given day. The major colleges are looking for students who can do it all. They want kids who do fine arts, athletics, are involved in their community, and all while maintaining a perfect grade point average. A school's desire for "high-character, well-rounded students" creates the exact opposite. While all of the extra-curriculars are helpful and healthy, doing too many can be unhealthy socially. Once of the most important components of a developing student is social interation. Without the ability to communicate and socialize with others, good grades and resumes are going to have a tough time picking up the slack.
So much of life is about being able to talk to people. You could be the most "well-rounded" and smartest person in the world. But without the ability to relate and talk to others it won't guarantee success on its own. Jobs that pay a lot of money tend to have the pick of the litter when it comes to choosing someone to fill a positon. Seemingly all of the potential employees are well-rounded and smart. The difference is often whether or not the potential boss likes you or not. Given the choice between two smart, well-rounded businessmen, lawyers, or doctors, the person hiring is going to tend to pick the person who best interacts with other people and is fun to be around. When students neglect social interaction in order to progress their future careers they lose one of the most valuable real-world skills.
You're going to have to deal with people the rest of your life. 20 years from now no one cares how many extra curriculars you did in high school, or how many nights you stayed up to study because you had three different extra-curriculars taking up the rest of the day. What matters is how you're able to talk and work with other people. And those skills are mainly refined in High School in College.
Extracurriculars and hard work aren't supposed to completely neglected in favor socializing however. It is important to work hard and participate in sports and fine arts and community service. You just have to keep it in perspective and make sure these activities aren't completely dominating your schedule and keeping you from having a normal life. Once the balance between having a normal social experience and working hard in school is reached, oppurtunities for success and progression should be a lot more accessible. As with pretty much everything, the perfect position is in between two extremes, while not succumbing fully to either.
So much of life is about being able to talk to people. You could be the most "well-rounded" and smartest person in the world. But without the ability to relate and talk to others it won't guarantee success on its own. Jobs that pay a lot of money tend to have the pick of the litter when it comes to choosing someone to fill a positon. Seemingly all of the potential employees are well-rounded and smart. The difference is often whether or not the potential boss likes you or not. Given the choice between two smart, well-rounded businessmen, lawyers, or doctors, the person hiring is going to tend to pick the person who best interacts with other people and is fun to be around. When students neglect social interaction in order to progress their future careers they lose one of the most valuable real-world skills.
You're going to have to deal with people the rest of your life. 20 years from now no one cares how many extra curriculars you did in high school, or how many nights you stayed up to study because you had three different extra-curriculars taking up the rest of the day. What matters is how you're able to talk and work with other people. And those skills are mainly refined in High School in College.
Extracurriculars and hard work aren't supposed to completely neglected in favor socializing however. It is important to work hard and participate in sports and fine arts and community service. You just have to keep it in perspective and make sure these activities aren't completely dominating your schedule and keeping you from having a normal life. Once the balance between having a normal social experience and working hard in school is reached, oppurtunities for success and progression should be a lot more accessible. As with pretty much everything, the perfect position is in between two extremes, while not succumbing fully to either.