I just have to do a quick shout out for the guys who are Greek at UT. ;)

Every one I know, or know of, is doing extremely well - the cumulative GPA for my son's pledge class was around 3.4, with many pulling 4.0's. Most of the guys that my son hangs with in his fraternity are in the business school, and are either in business honors or are applying/accepted into the MPA program - so no dummies there.

I'm not arguing that going Greek won't be a detriment to some, but it isn't always the case. Kids who know how to manage their time and take care of business will be fine, those who don't will struggle (whether they are Greek or not).

Work hard/Party hard is the tried and true method for success!

I don't mean to diss all UT Greeks. I have had some outstanding Greek students and plenty who fell in the middle. I've also had some who were total screwups. The major thing that annoys me about Greeks who are screwups in my class is that they seem to be more likely to think that pulling connections/threatening me with Mommy and Daddy's wrath is going to make me magically change my grade.

I also think the difficulty of being a business major is way overrated, but that's an entirely different conversation I guess. :)

I would enjoy you as a mom.

You know, what I've heard is that it is ridiculously hard to get into the business school, have to be top 3% or so, but that once you're in, the classes are graded with generous curves ;). Gotta Love It!

But, I totally get your point about the Mommy/Daddy threatening thing. That would certainly turn me off in no uncertain terms!!


Thanks :)

I didn't go to Camp Mystic myself but some of my best friends have been counselors there for a few summers. :)

Sorry, just got excited to see a little something familiar.

em, I also know tons of counselors at Mystic! I LOVE HUNT, TEXAS!!!

When I was growing up, my family owned a house on Old River Road on the way to Mystic, and I spent many summers there. I wish we still had it!!

My boys all went to La Junta, they were lifers, attending from 6 to CIT. My youngest was a junior counselor last year, but is taking next summer off. He hopes he can go back and be a counselor after he graduates next year.

My boy went to Camp Stewart. Actually made Chief his last year. He started at age 9 as did Madison. We LOVE Hunt! I'm hoping that Parker will go and be a counselor when he is a Sophmore in college. That is the youngest they take them.

I know in Florida, which has had a similar scholarship program for a long time, it's not just "get a 3.0, and you're golden." There's a corresponding SAT/ACT score, and there is a list of schools (based on performance) that are not qualified to take students into the scholarship program.

You know what? No one's ever surprised when a kid can't hack it in college and has to come home--unless there's an unforseen problem like homesickness or an illness. My HS teachers said that they could predict who was going to be home after a year.

in addition, they have to contribute a certain number of volunteer hours to charity.

That's great. I did an IB program in high school, so the 200 CAS hours we had to fulfill were my top priority. I went to HS 10 years ago, and so they've probably changed the community service requirements. I don't think they had them when I was in school. Maybe they did, but since I knew I wasn't going to a Florida public school, it didn't matter.

If you have good preparation in H.S., you're golden. I went to an academically demanding public H.S., a second-tier public university, and I sailed through. Grad school was likewise no problem. IMO, it often comes down to writing, the ability to research information, and work ethic.

I was stunned when colleagues at work told me that their professors did not require papers in their undergraduate courses. :confused: I had to write at least one or two papers for every single undergraduate course. In grad school, I had to produce 60 pages on ten different topics (with footnotes!) within the first month.

IMO, where you go (either H.S. or college) does make a difference.

I agree completely! I remember how scared I was to start college after hearing the standard "Look to your right and look to your left. Two of you won't be here next year." during orientation.

Yes, the work in college took effort, but it wasn't as overwhelming as I expected, even courses in the Honors College. I think it had a lot to do with how hard I was pushed by some really great teachers in high school. I also think having the ability to write well was key. I always chose the college class that had a final paper instead of a final exam if I had the choice. Writing a paper felt to me like you had total control over your grade. An exam - not so much. But writing a final paper? All the requirements are there for you to read and you can ask for help and guidance as you do it. How much easier can it be?

And don't even get me started on people who don't go to class. If all you do is show up and do the readings, you should be able to pull a 3.0 out of most classes. :)

this is what I needed to hear!
 

Thank you, Tri Delta, Sallie! Your post was exactly what I needed to hear. I have been procrastinating,putting off completing my thesis proposal. I am in a Master's program, majoring in English, via distance learning. My grades have been great, and I am a strong writer. I've just had a block, you might say, about this proposal. Your common sense comments have removed my block, and I shall return to work!:p

EEEK!!! Back when I was in college (in the early 80's), I would drop a course if I found out the final was a paper! I would rather have my entire grade depend on 1 test than a paper. But, there was no scantron (that's how old I am!!), very little multiple choice, so most tests were blue book essay type.

Somehow I made it through, and am now a pretty decent writer. I had no confidence in my ability to formulate a paper.