Monday, March 17, 2008

Recent News

Here's a few quick links from the NY Times that caught my eye-- as usual, it takes me forever to get around to posting these!

Easy Come, Easy Go for Idealistic Heirs

Income and Happiness: An Imperfect Link

Expectations Lose to Reality of Sports Scholarships

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I put myself through college on various types of scholarships, including a medium sized Division 1 athletic scholarship, and the article about college sports scholarships really hit home. Practicing 5 hours a day,6 days a week, 3 seasons a year is a full time job. It is particularly challenging while living in an environment where partying is a daily activity. College was one of the most difficult and exhausting periods of my life. But I loved my sport, and was thankful every day that I was able to finance my education by competing. Most of the other scholarship athletes on my team quit by Senior year and I expect that their parents picked up the slack. Mine were in no position to do so. I graduated with student loans, but they were insignificant in comparison to what I would have had if I had not been a college athlete. I moved to a borough after graduating, got a job in finance and saved as much money as possible. I managed to pay my student loans off in less than 3 years and am now completely debt free. The experience has shaped my professional life, as well. I understand dedication, hard work and teamwork. The most important lesson I learned in college may have been that it is possible to work hard and achieve something that may have seemed entirely out of reach. I also learned that success is rare without a great deal of hard work and sacrifice.