Time to brag & need feedback!

[jimnyc]

It's not often that I take the time to brag about my family. Or hell, even myself, of who I'm my biggest critic.

I usually mess about my wife, even though she's the coolest and most beautiful woman in the world AND a redhead!!

The son, who can be difficult at times, like ALL kids I suppose, has always been intelligent. And even though he's a consistent straight A student, his grades lacked this senior year in the 2nd half. In his head he was done already, and he got lazy. He eventually applied himself and of course got through. This kiddo can do amazing things if I learns to consistently apply himself to what he does. Hell, if he attacked school the way he does video games at night, he would be golden! And he knows a TON about computers, and while a lot learned from me, he simply applied himself because he wanted to learn about them.

So now off to college. No screw ups and not many lazy days to be had. He'll need to apply himself all the time to keep up, and apply himself that much harder if he wants to excel and have things easier on himself.

What he's so lucky enough to about to be entering (the bragging part, on how great of an opportunity he has been given) Maybe not the greatest in the nation, and not an Ivy league school, but very very well for what he's headed to college for:

Rankings:

Rensselaer is consistently ranked among the best universities in the United States and the world. For over a decade, Rensselaer has remained in the top fifty national universities in the United States, and is currently listed among the top six universities for highest median earnings. In 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked Rensselaer 42nd among all colleges and universities and 31st for "Best Value" in undergraduate education. As of 2017, Rensselaer's undergraduate engineering program is ranked 30th and its graduate program is ranked 39th by U.S. News & World Report. Rensselaer's undergraduate and graduate engineering programs include Aerospace/Aeronautical (23rd), Biomedical (39th), Chemical (22nd), Civil (27th), Computer (27th), Electrical (26th), Environmental (34th), Industrial (17th), Materials (22nd), Mechanical (24th), and Nuclear (12th).

In 2013, U.S. News & World Report ranked Rensselaer 6th for multimedia and visual communications. The same source ranked Rensselaer's computer science program 47th in the nation for graduates. The Leiden Ranking (2016) placed RPI at 127 among the top 900 world universities and research institutions according to the proportion of the top 1% most frequently cited publications of a university. In 2016, The Economist ranked Rensselaer #18 amongst four-year non-vocational colleges and universities and Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings placed Rensselaer among the top 50 universities for technology in the world. In 2012, RPI was ranked as the 4th best engineering school in the world by Business Insider. The Newsweek/Kaplan 2007 Educational College Guide named Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute one of the 25 "New Ivies", a group of 25 schools described as providing an education equivalent to schools in the Ivy League. In 2017, Rensselaer was ranked 3rd in the U.S. by College Factual among all universities in physics. In 2015, Forbes ranked Rensselaer the 12th most entrepreneurial university in the world. The Lally School of Management and Technology is ranked 6th in technological entrepreneurship and 21st in entrepreneurship by Entrepreneur. The Lally School's corporate strategy program was ranked 11th in the nation by BusinessWeek and the management program was ranked 5th in the nation by TFE Times.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rensse...itute#Rankings


For those of you who do have a degree - PLEASE write something encouraging here of just how important it is to tough things out and get a college degree & the opportunities it can open for you in life.

For those of you who have worked jobs, where you have seen first hand what it has done for folks, please share here.

This would mean a lot to me & hopefully Jordan. I know this is 2 threads, but I want for this to be something I have him read. I want him to understand going in what he is facing, and what a measly 4 years of his life will mean for the rest of his life. And hell, I'm 50 now, so I know that 4 years is nothing and goes by like that - but at that age it's hard to understand that, as 4 years sounds like an eternity!

[Kathianne]

It's not often that I take the time to brag about my family. Or hell, even myself, of who I'm my biggest critic.

I usually mess about my wife, even though she's the coolest and most beautiful woman in the world AND a redhead!!

The son, who can be difficult at times, like ALL kids I suppose, has always been intelligent. And even though he's a consistent straight A student, his grades lacked this senior year in the 2nd half. In his head he was done already, and he got lazy. He eventually applied himself and of course got through. This kiddo can do amazing things if I learns to consistently apply himself to what he does. Hell, if he attacked school the way he does video games at night, he would be golden! And he knows a TON about computers, and while a lot learned from me, he simply applied himself because he wanted to learn about them.

So now off to college. No screw ups and not many lazy days to be had. He'll need to apply himself all the time to keep up, and apply himself that much harder if he wants to excel and have things easier on himself.

What he's so lucky enough to about to be entering (the bragging part, on how great of an opportunity he has been given) Maybe not the greatest in the nation, and not an Ivy league school, but very very well for what he's headed to college for:

Rankings:

Rensselaer is consistently ranked among the best universities in the United States and the world. For over a decade, Rensselaer has remained in the top fifty national universities in the United States, and is currently listed among the top six universities for highest median earnings. In 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked Rensselaer 42nd among all colleges and universities and 31st for "Best Value" in undergraduate education. As of 2017, Rensselaer's undergraduate engineering program is ranked 30th and its graduate program is ranked 39th by U.S. News & World Report. Rensselaer's undergraduate and graduate engineering programs include Aerospace/Aeronautical (23rd), Biomedical (39th), Chemical (22nd), Civil (27th), Computer (27th), Electrical (26th), Environmental (34th), Industrial (17th), Materials (22nd), Mechanical (24th), and Nuclear (12th).

In 2013, U.S. News & World Report ranked Rensselaer 6th for multimedia and visual communications. The same source ranked Rensselaer's computer science program 47th in the nation for graduates. The Leiden Ranking (2016) placed RPI at 127 among the top 900 world universities and research institutions according to the proportion of the top 1% most frequently cited publications of a university. In 2016, The Economist ranked Rensselaer #18 amongst four-year non-vocational colleges and universities and Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings placed Rensselaer among the top 50 universities for technology in the world. In 2012, RPI was ranked as the 4th best engineering school in the world by Business Insider. The Newsweek/Kaplan 2007 Educational College Guide named Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute one of the 25 "New Ivies", a group of 25 schools described as providing an education equivalent to schools in the Ivy League. In 2017, Rensselaer was ranked 3rd in the U.S. by College Factual among all universities in physics. In 2015, Forbes ranked Rensselaer the 12th most entrepreneurial university in the world. The Lally School of Management and Technology is ranked 6th in technological entrepreneurship and 21st in entrepreneurship by Entrepreneur. The Lally School's corporate strategy program was ranked 11th in the nation by BusinessWeek and the management program was ranked 5th in the nation by TFE Times.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rensse...itute#Rankings


For those of you who do have a degree - PLEASE write something encouraging here of just how important it is to tough things out and get a college degree & the opportunities it can open for you in life.

For those of you who have worked jobs, where you have seen first hand what it has done for folks, please share here.

This would mean a lot to me & hopefully Jordan. I know this is 2 threads, but I want for this to be something I have him read. I want him to understand going in what he is facing, and what a measly 4 years of his life will mean for the rest of his life. And hell, I'm 50 now, so I know that 4 years is nothing and goes by like that - but at that age it's hard to understand that, as 4 years sounds like an eternity!

Congratulations, Jordan! You should be so proud of yourself, your dad sure is! LOL!

I've been cyber watching you grow up since you were maybe 10? Maybe even earlier! Your dad has often bragged on you, justifiably so. I know the school work will unlikely faze you, but maybe the social aspects might be a worry? Don't let it. One, you will probably find that there are others who have faced the same, it's part of the reason they were attracted to the same university as yourself, you all just need to give yourselves a chance to find each other.

You should take those chances now, they may well be one of the keys to the contacts you'll need when school is behind you for a time and you want to put some bucks in the wallet! Both of my sons, one of whom seems to share your tendency to be aloof, made lifelong friendships in college. That one son? He never bothered with folks in high school, 'they weren't all that nice and talked about dumb stuff.' Yet, other than his brother, the friends from college were the ones standing up for his wedding and they had a blast!

Life isn't school, or rather school isn't life. It is a path though to the type of life you seem to want. Go for it! Don't let fear or others' opinions keep you from what you want. You've been dreaming of this and have earned the right to give it your best! Believe me, your dad will keep us informed. I wish you only the best!

[FakeNewsSux]

FakeNewsSux
University of Wisconsin, Class of '81
BA-International Relations/Economics

Jordan,
I don't know you but I've enjoyed getting to know your dad online. If you are half as sharp as the old man you should have no problem at RPI. I'm not sure if your school is still known as RPI but that's how I came to know it. My sophomore year at UW our hockey team team began playing RPI regularly in our non conference schedule and they became quite a formidable opponent over the years. I would recommend season tickets, usually cheap for students and a good tension release.

Not sure what your major might be but it looks like it would be in the sciences or engineering. As a liberal arts major, it sounds like you'll need to be a bit more diligent in the classroom than I was. You probably wont be able to fill a Blue Book with 12 pages of bullshit on a final exam like I could and still slide by! If you stay disciplined and knock out the daily work in the library before you get back to the dorm, you'll stay ahead of the game.

Half of what you learn in school is about yourself. How you handle deadlines, pressure, time management, prioritizing, etc. is all part of the game. Professors will deliberately pile more work on you than you can possibly complete just to see how you handle it. Don't take it personally, everyone is treated equally, like shit. Don't be afraid to work with others and ask for help.

I envy the resources you have available. The only computing I did for my Econ classes was done on a mainframe in the computer science building with punch cards. I had a portable Smith Corona typewriter to type my 25-40 page term papers on with nothing but Correct Type to fix my mistakes. No word processor to move paragraphs around or do spell check! Not to mention the internet for research.

Enjoy your time in school. There will be a lot of bullshit to deal with both scholastically and personally but it will be the greatest time of your life. The friendships you will forge will remain with you throughout your life, just ask Taco Junkie. Good luck and have fun!

[darin]

University of Maryland, 1994
Highline College, 1995
Northwest University 1996
US Army 1992-2000

Jordan,

here's the deal - from my perspective. Breadth of knowledge can be key. Knowing at least something about a lot of things tends to put us in positions to leverage our experiences across a broader spectrum of careers or jobs. Never stop learning.

The degree will tell you 'what' - experience will tell you 'how'. Find both. Both are key in most cases.

Enjoy it. Enjoy the heck out of it but not at the expense of the future.

Best of luck! you got this.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

You my good friend have every right to be immensely proud and brag about having such a great son. As would any loving parent.
That your son will get such education and be able to choose a very promising career is a thing to celebrate.
As we all want our children to be successful in life and even achieve better than we ourselves did.

I say, congratulations Jordan!!
You have stuck it out and when you graduate from college you will have far greater opportunities in life.
All because your mom and your dad gave you such* because they love you so very much*...Tyr

[CSM]

Jordan,
Congratulations!!! RPI is one of the most respected schools here in New England. Successful completion of any course of study there will open doors that you can only imagine. I work in the high tech industry and have seen and worked on projects that make advances in technology for the betterment of all mankind. Such projects require the higher education that RPI and other colleges provide. Take this opportunity and wring from it all that you can. You have a long life ahead of you so you may as well make a difference in the world. Good luck, study hard, and keep your head on straight. Decades from now you will be very glad you did.

[Elessar]

Fairmont State College WVA, now University 1972-1977
Physical Education and English

United States Coast Guard 1978-2015
Boatswain's Mate then GS-11 SAR Controller
Numerous schools for Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, Instruction and Testing, Aquatics



Jordan,

I am familiar with RPI, having gone to college at Fairmont State U in West Virginia - and all the above members
are correct in the assessment that it is one of the best schools of it's kind in the country.

My son just completed medical school and attained a Doctorate in Physical Therapy - DPT. He did that through
hard work and dedication. He ignored the social life and even quit the football team during his undergraduate
time to concentrate on his grades. This month he took his state medical exam board and passed. This all done
on his own without any interference from me, except support.

First thing to do is get a good guidance consuler.
The road may look long right now but remember, as with everything there will be ups and downs.
Do not let the downs discourage you; do not let the ups make you cocky and lazy.
Try to take an elective each semester if your required classload allows - chorus, for example -
to relieve some of the boredom and monotony.

Support from your family is only a phone call or E-mail away for when the blues set in.

Best of Luck!

[jimnyc]

Hey, thanks much to each and every one of you, that truly means a lot. I hope Jordan can absorb information and advice better than I did at his age. And I believe he does, and that's why he's been successful thus far. This will be a drastic change for him, but you guys and gals show that it can and does get done, and it's always a positive story.

From the bottom of my heart, again, thank you all. I expected some replies but not as in depth. That's so cool, you guys all rock!!

[Abbey Marie]

Hope I’m not too late here...

First, Jim, It’s not bragging if it’s among friends! And we parents know exactly how hard it is to raise a child and worry about their future. When it goes well, we deserve to spread the good news.

For Jordan:
Fordham University - BA Political Science
Temple University School of Law - JD

I was the first person in my family to receive a college degree. And the first person in the extended family to earn a law degree. It actually took me quite a while to adjust to that. It almost felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there. But here’s the thing- I knew in my heart, and so do you- that I wouldn’t be satisfied in a career that didn’t utilize my brain. I went away to school nervous about the whole experience. I had no role model to guide me, and I knew no one at Fordham. I won’t say it was entirely smooth sailing from day one. But I will say that it ended up being the time of my life. Just the other day my daughter asked me what year of my life I’d most like to relive, and without hesitation I said “19”. College was that much fun!

On a more serious note, the kind of jobs an intelligent young man like you will want, will practically fall into your lap after getting this degree. And the truth is, it will never be easier than it is for you to do it now, at this age and stage of your life. My oldest and very intelligent brother, dropped out of college. He ended up going to college at night, after working all day at a full time job, while supporting a wife and three kids. Can you imagine how hard that was for all of them? And certainly minus the fun factor that comes from going when you’re young.

Well, I’ve run on long enough. Know that your parents love you, we here are all rooting for you, and I will add you to my prayers.

[jimnyc]

Certainly not too late, Abs!! And thank you SO SO much! Another great story for Jordan to absorb. I'm going to have him read this thread shortly before leaving to give him some last minute encouragement. Maybe even print it out for him!

[High_Plains_Drifter]

University of Wisconsin Extension - Auto Engine Mechanics; 1973
Madison Area Technical College - Auto Mechanics; 1974-75
(Not a real school but worth mention) International Business Machines, O5M Office - Office Products Customer Engineer; 1976
US Air Force - Integrated Avionics Instrumentation/Flight Controls Systems Specialist F-16; 1979-87
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College - Electrical Engineering; 1990-92
Motorcycle Mechanics Institute - Harley Davidson Technician; 2003-04

Best advice you can give to any youngster that wants to grow up not having to flip burgers for a living...

"THE MORE YOU LEARN, THE MORE YOU EARN."

Congrats to Jordan, and Jim for raising a good kid that's seeking to further his education to better his life.