Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Harvard Kids: On Speed Dial Where Life Is A Blur - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Harvard Kids: On Speed Dial Where Life Is A Blur - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.:

"'Harvard kids don't want to do 5,000 things at 97 percent;
they'd rather do 3,000 things at 150 percent.'"


One of our advisers, a NYC- based, Harvard-educated, well-known writer sent me a link to
this article with the word, "terrifying".   I sent a note back, "ever think there will be a sustainable backlash to balance this out?".  His response, "when we start seeing articles "Burned out at 30" and "Dead at 30" maybe a FEW will get the idea . . . people like busy, busy, busy - then they don't need to think" . . .

The article is from Harvard magazine and covers the frenetic, sleepless, driven, tornado-like jam-packed lives led by these students along with some of the cause and effects, such as the newish hover-craft parenting style and international competition.  It also covers the down side and ramifications of a young population who are lost without blow-by-blow structure. 

Yet one of the more interesting angles is how the intensity and perceived value of extra-curricular activities has increased, even though it has always been an important part of the Harvard culture. 

An interesting insight into the lives of some of our brightest college students with link to full story here and a few excerpts below:  

"College here is like daring yourself to swim the length of a swimming pool without breathing. A lap is a semester. I want to do everything I