Thriving at College is now among the top 100 best-selling books in education on Amazon. The book contains three chapters specifically on the academic aspects of college life: the importance of diligence in courses (doing enough work out of class to keep up with what happens inside class), studying systematically rather than cramming, preparing for exams, understanding and interpreting (but not being overwhelmed by) grades, interacting appropriately with professors, pursuing work experience in your academic discipline, and more. Principles of work-life balance are spread throughout several … [Read more...] about Thriving at College: On “Bestseller in Education” list
Education in Asia and the West
Amy Chua, author of the best-selling, controversial book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, has an article in today's USA Today on the importance of blending the best elements of Asian and western educational methods. An excerpt: The average American child spends 66% more time watching television than attending school. We have alarming rates of teenage substance abuse and the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the developed world. In the recent Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, American high school students ranked 17th in reading, 23rd in science and 31st in math — with … [Read more...] about Education in Asia and the West
Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle
There is a danger in comparing your performance at the beginning of an undertaking to someone else who has been doing it for 15-20 years. It's the danger of a new author comparing himself to a seasoned veteran. It can happen in any line of work - a doctor performing his first surgery, a lawyer giving his first delivery before a jury, a professor in the midst of her first semester. This is a concept that I labored to explain in writing Thriving at College. Comparison with others can be demoralizing or helpful, depending on how we do it. It's demoralizing if we internalize it to the extent … [Read more...] about Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle
John Piper on Turning 65: Focused, Happy Work
A great article from John Piper on turning 65 and the importance of remaining fruitful and productive in God's kingdom until the very end. Excerpt: So at 65, I am still gagging at the pictures of leathery old sunbathers on white shores and green links. For 15 years, I have thrown hundreds of senior mailings in the recycle bag unopened. Not that I am opposed to saving 79¢ on lunch at Perkins. Just don't try to sell me heaven before I get there. There is too much hell left to fight. And: At 65 Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of England, and for the next five years led the Western … [Read more...] about John Piper on Turning 65: Focused, Happy Work
Class of 2011, Most Indebted Ever
$22,900: Average student debt of newly minted college graduates, according to a WSJ article by Mark Whitehouse. Whitehouse goes on to argue that such debt levels, while representing an all-time high, may not be a problem for some: "As of 2009, the annual pre-tax income of households headed by people with at least a college degree exceeded that of less-educated households by 101%, up from 91% in 2006. As of April, the unemployment rate among college graduates stood at 4.5%, compared to 9.7% for those with only a high-school diploma and 14.6% for those who never finished high … [Read more...] about Class of 2011, Most Indebted Ever
Marvin Olasky Interviews Robert Sloan
Marvin Olasky interviews Dr. Robert Sloan (President of Houston Baptist University and former President of Baylor University) in the latest issue of World magazine. The two discuss Sloan's sometimes embattled presidency at Baylor and Sloan's hopes and aspirations for HBU. The print interview is an abridged version of the full, audio version, available for download. An excerpt: Now that you're at Houston Baptist, what are your hopes and aspirations? We have a 12-year plan called the Ten Pillars. It rejects the idea that to be more academic you have to give up faith, as if faith and … [Read more...] about Marvin Olasky Interviews Robert Sloan