Interesting perspective on learning analytics... big brother is helping you learn.

Northwestern football players (temporarily!) earn the right to unionize (the decision will be appealed). What do you think? How will that change college athletics? Comment welcome!!!

Ross, Menand, and Life

Last semester, I decided to help out my Intro to Political Theory Professor Mika LaVaque-Manty by attending his lecture to LSA alum for Michigan’s latest fundraising campaign.

President Coleman loved my professor's lecture!

As he expounded on Menand’s theories of education (the guy we just read about in class today) to all of the Michigan alum in attendance, I came to the conclusion that I’m a staunch Theory 2 advocate- that college isn't about filtering you into certain careers, but rather its purpose is to give you a set of tools you can pull from to adapt to any career you encounter later in life. During my Thanksgiving break, as I was explaining Menand’s and others’ ideas we’ve covered so far in Political Theory (not before eating some pumpkin pie of course), I realized how Theory 2 fits into my own life both today and later down the road. Allow me to explain.

My passion in life is business, and since my sophomore year of high school, my dream has been to attend the Ross School of Business here at Michigan, just like my dad did for his undergrad.

Me outside of Ross as a sophomore in high school.

I love everything about business. I frequently read the Wall Street Journal marketplace section in the morning, I’ve read a number of books on economics, and I study a lot of our great business leaders by reading books on them like “Steve Jobs.” I also talk to my dad everyday about what’s going on inside his own company and try to learn from him as much as I can. Yet, as pumped and dedicated as I am about business, the reality of my situation is that, while I hope Ross works out, it might not. But, by adhering to the tenets of Theory 2, either way I’ll be okay.

Specifically, Theory 2 suggests that college should be about the information itself that students are learning, and that this information will help them no matter what field they want to go into. In other words, Theory 2 is about creating educated citizens who learn how to think. From my perspective, whatever your career is, you learn the specifics of your career on the job. But if you know how to think and problem solve, it doesn’t really matter what the specific issues are, because you’ll have a good foundation to work from to solve whatever problems may arise. Applying this in my own pursuit of a business education, if I get into Ross, I’ll have the opportunity to better sharpen my business knowledge. But if I don’t, I’ll still know how to think and problem solve based on the wide range of courses I’ll take (and have taken) here at Michigan, and that will make all the difference in my life.

Now, although some out there may think I’m overly optimistic or just plain naive, I know that Theory 2 is the best way to go because, candidly, that’s the path my dad followed.

My dad and I on the Ross steps before the Michigan- Michigan State football game last year.

Initially, he thought the opposite of Theory 2, and went to business and then law school very focused on a specific career path. But then he got put into an environment when he was practicing law that actually believed in a liberal arts approach to law. So instead of letting him go into exactly what he wanted to do, which was corporate securities, he had to do a little of everything and ended up falling into something that he loved, which was environmental law. I think this is the point my Professor had been trying to make all along, because even though my dad was very business funneled and focused, that’s not what he ended up doing. He wouldn’t have preferred to have done a liberal arts approach from the beginning, but had he not been open minded about it (and he almost wasn’t), he never would have ended up in the career that he loves.

In the end, I don’t know what’s going to happen with my admission to Ross. Ultimately, you never know what’s going to happen. Ironically enough, after my Professor's special lecture that Friday, I happened to meet the very person I hope to work for later in life walking outside Angel Hall! Like I said, you never know what’s going to happen! What I do know is that I’ll try my best to get in, and stick to my concept that if things don’t work out, there are always different ways to get to the same place. As Theory 2 conveys, I’ll be open minded about my future, and know that learning to think is the best thing I can do for myself here at Michigan, Ross or not.

Taking notes via paper or laptop-- which is best?

Pretty good evidence supporting taking notes the old fashioned way. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wray-herbert/ink-on-paper-some-notes-o_b_4681440.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=3033987b=facebook

Hey guys, here's the blog post I was talking about that I did for my Intro. to Political Science class last semester. I thought it was pertinent to what we were talking about in Psych. because Professor Shah mentioned a lot of the similar things in class the other day about viewing death as a tool to live a good life today! Hope you like it!

What Steve Jobs and Socrates Tell Us About Life

 September 25, 2013 

Jordan Davis

The Personal Is Political 39 Comments

Steve Jobs at Stanford’s commencement in 2005.

Everyone’s got their favorite YouTube video. Whether it’s Ray Lewis’ pre-game dance, Harry Styles twerking or Miley Cyrus’ video for “Wrecking Ball,” they’re all great. Personally, my favorite is Steve Job’s Stanford Commencement Speech from 2005. It’s iconic, simple, and jam-packed with lessons on how we all can succeed in everything we do. I have it bookmarked on my computer, and I find myself watching it at least a few times a month just because it’s just so applicable to everything I do. The first time I saw this, I said to myself, “Man, if I can apply what Steve Jobs is saying here to my own life, I’ll be set!” However, the real reason I love this speech so much is that, upon further reflection, I realized that I had already been living my life by many of the same principles Steve describes. Let me give you a few examples.

First, here’s a case of how I’ve “connected the dots.” Since I was a little kid, I’ve always loved talking with people. It’s part of my personality. And when I used to go to the grocery store, I always loved stopping to talk to all of the cashiers. Little did I know at that time, however, that I would want a job at that grocery store later when I turned 16. But, when the time came around, I got the job pretty quickly because the cashiers I had always been nice to told the manager that they had to hire me. I never knew when I was a kid that I’d eventually want to work at the grocery store, but I always thought saying hi to everyone was just a nice thing to do. Reflecting back on that experience taught me that doing the right thing today can really pay off in the long run. But, as Steve Jobs says, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”

Next, this is a case of how I’ve been “hit in the head with a brick, but never lost faith.” When I was in high school, I had to take AP Calculus, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve had to overcome in my life. I poured my heart into reviewing and understanding the material, but it just didn’t make sense to me. And not only did my grade reflect it, but I thought AP Calc. may hold me back from getting into college! However, I believed in myself and by working through the concepts with my teacher, I eventually salvaged my grade. This situation in particular taught me to always have faith in myself and to never panic, because through a lot of hard work and determination anything is possible.

Finally, this is how I’ve remembered that “my time is limited.” When I was 5, I faced an early brush with death, as I suffered from a life-threatening illness. Thankfully, I’m fine now, but the experience taught my family and I the invaluable lesson Steve Jobs reiterates in his speech: “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” So since I was 5, everyday of my life I try to put a smile on my face and just live each day to the fullest, because you never know what life will throw at you.

The fact that he said this is astounding.

Oddly enough, I think what Steve Jobs says above mirrors something that Socrates stated in “The Apology.” Back in Socrates’ day, the fear of death would make men on trial put on a big show crying and begging for clemency. Socrates, however, thought men should not fear death itself, but instead fear living their lives unvirtuously. So what does keeping death in mind do for us, and what are Socrates and Steve Jobs trying to tell us? I think Socrates is telling us to embrace death as a means to live virtuously today. We really have no control over death, so why fear dying when we should instead fear not living well right now. And Steve Jobs likewise embraces death by imploring us to remember we’re going to die, because it makes the fear of embarrassment much more manageable. The fear of death especially can stymie the good life, so why not turn it into something positive we can use to improve how we live today? You might as well live the way you want to, as if you weren’t worried about being embarrassed, because in the end, as Steve Jobs says in his speech, “all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”

Now, if you haven’t already, go watch the speech! I think it has the potential to change your life like it changed mine, and it may even become your new favorite YouTube video. Although it’s seriously hard to top anything Miley Cyrus does these days.

What’s a GPA? When College Campus Is a Strange Land - Association for Psychological Science

This points to a very interesting study about students who come from less privileged backgrounds and their experiences in college (and also, how can they exploit those differences).

What’s a GPA? When College Campus Is a Strange Land - Association for Psychological Science

What’s a GPA? When College Campus Is a Strange Land - Association for Psychological Science

This points to a very interesting study about students who come from less privileged backgrounds and their experiences in college (and also, how can they exploit those differences).

What’s a GPA? When College Campus Is a Strange Land - Association for Psychological Science