<p>Don't know how many saw this video clip this morning on "The Today Show".</p>
<p>msnbc.com</a> Video Player</p>
<p>It's about the high dropout rate and the need for freshman to cope with the stress faced in college.</p>
<p>One of it's surprising statistics--26% drop out--and most of this is concentrated in the 2nd semester of the freshman year.</p>
<p>should be "freshmen" not "freshman"--both in the link and in my message--sorry</p>
<p>I'm not totally illiterate--it just seems that way sometimes.</p>
<p>The link didn't work for me.</p>
<p>It takes a few seconds to load--and then it randomly picks a 15 second commercial to display before showing the actual show. (Sorry, but I can't prevent this).</p>
<p>The video clip itself is about 6 minutes long.</p>
<p>"Our children are smarter, but sadder" was the ending comment. Does anyone agree with that statement? Last night our high school had a group of 8 freshmen and 2 sophomores come back and talk about college. Only one was very unhappy, to the point that she's transferring next semester. She was at Northwestern and said she knew immediately she had made a mistake. She hadn't visited the school while it was in session so she said she had no idea about the stress level of the students. Four kids from her dorm have been taken away by ambulance. I believe it was because of drinking. Northwestern also seemed much larger than she expected (She's from a small high school.)</p>
<p>I'm not a religious guy, but it does remind me of a biblical quote:</p>
<p>For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. ~Ecclesiastes 1:18</p>
<p>As I recall, the reference is to the fact that once you realize how things really are, then you realize that there is always more to comprehend and learn and overcome than you can possibly ever accomplish, thus you begin to realize the limitations of your actions and your ability to change things.</p>
<p>Perhaps the comment the person in the clip made was pertaining to this--that after spending years to excel to get into some of the top schools, some students feel (1) overwhelmed by the competition, (2) a lack of "connectedness" to the school and others at the school--(this was mentioned in the video clip), and (3) lonely and frustrated that nobody seems to be recognizing their plight or their inability to handle some of their new-found independence. I'm sure this is why the Today Show aired it--to encourage parents to discuss these things with their children who are students--to see if they are feeling this way and therefore need help.</p>
<p>I think it was also saying that the good schools try to take steps to help out--but that the parents need to do their part, too.</p>
<p>They are not smarter. But they ARE sadder. I see these students every single work day. I am speaking generalities, so of course there are lots of exceptions, but on average what I see is this: They have been under much more pressure for much longer in their lives, under much competition that continues, highly programmed, much, much more focused on making numbers and "appearing" (rather than "being"), much more focused with 'prestige' and $$ than getting an education, much more focused on parent pleasing, much opposed to risk taking and individuality and carving their own path. No room for ambiguity. Nor making mistakes. Nor trying different and unpredictable paths. Nor even necessarily doing what they genuinely love to do (often confused and think what they "should" do is wha they "want" to do). </p>
<p>From a much younger age they are managed by their parents to jump the right hoops, and followed by hovering parents who themselves agree they are not capable of doing things as adults use to do (because they've never had to/been allowedto). As such, they are not equipped to be on their own. We've raised a lot of great collectors of numbers and titles, that with intense parental coaching have come out to look better (and hence beat) than the competition, but what's missing is inner maturity, character and strength.</p>
<p>I'm curious as to why you don't think kids are smarter now. You must certainly agree that we're better educated, right? Obviously, high genetic intelligence can no longer be an evolutionary dominant trait (I'd say it's likely the opposite), but I'd say that kids are now more educated earlier on, which may have a correlation with the ability to learn and conceptualize later on down the road.</p>