The Advantages of Closing a Few Doors

[Mombot]

I have often wondered, and I believe I posted somewhere on CC, this same question. I was presented with these choices for college: live at home and attend the local community college. live at home and attend the local 4 year commuter school, move 100 miles away to attend the state cow college or 110 miles away to the state flagship.

To me, making the grade and convincing my parents I belonged at the state flagship was a coup. There was no such thing as community college in dad's day so he thought the living at home/paying almost nothing for two years was manna from heaven and why would anybody with a brain do anything different. After all it was FREE COLLEGE.

I may be more my dad's daughter than I realize; I have often wondered whether we do kids a disservice by shoving all these choices in their faces and then beat the drums about how a HYPS admission means so much. I work in tech and I'll tell you there are a whole bunch of MIT and Dartmouth tools that we work around. HYPS is no guarantee of relevance.

[jessiehl]

I have often wondered whether we do kids a disservice by shoving all these choices in their faces and then beat the drums about how a HYPS admission means so much.

Having choices, having the *freedom* to choose, is a wonderful thing. Being savvy enough to narrow down your choices and close some of those doors is a wonderful thing too, a vital skill.

[starbright]

Momneedsadivce: why would you want her to close doors if, as you say, she's managing it fine?



I think Ariel's work is great. We don't like to give up ownership of anything, even when its to our detriment. I've often said, especially to my PhD students, that, in hindsight, I see that my best career moves involved decisions choosing to NOT do something.


This work nicely complements Barry' Schwartz's Tyranny of Choice.

Print: The Chronicle: 1/23/2004: The Tyranny of Choice