In choosing a school, the prospective collegian often has multiple “helpful” people in his or her ear: mother, father, best friend, sibling, high school counselor, teacher, outside education advisor, and, of course, oneself.

Assume the student’s final decision is among three colleges with different characteristics.

One way to put together the inputs from different sources is to assign scores for each of the voices in the student’s ear. In other words, the reflective student is analyzing how each of the voices would react to certain variables.

The scoring system goes from 5: which means maximum confidence in a positive outcome for the student if he attends the school listed, to 1: the least confidence in a positive outcome.

These scores are applied to a list of variables relevant to the student and each of the schools being seriously considered by the student. Here are a few factors, in alphabetical order:

Academic rigor … Availability of contemplated major … Distance from home … Extracurricular opportunities … Net cost of attendance … Networking reputation … Time management

When you go to a high quality restaurant and pay for an expensive meal, but it is great food, drink, and ambiance, the price fades from memory. While the financial impact will reappear on the next credit card statement, the overall experience remains positive.

If you go to a college which scores high on all the non-financial characteristics, it probably is worth it, even with the debt that will become totally evident when the monthly repayment schedule commences.

To state the obvious, the summary score on the inputs from various voices is not meant to be a conclusive “answer” for the student. It is more like a stimulus to the student doing methodical thinking about the selection of a college.

http://bobhowittbooks.com/?page_id=22

All my life I have wondered about “Somebody”.

Is “Somebody” a man or a woman, or perhaps a mythical combination of both? Does “Somebody” rent their residence or own a house with a mortgage and a picket fence, 1.9 kids, and a dog? Did “Somebody” complete four years of university education or drop out after eighth-grade or inherit enough money that education was irrelevant?

You see, I need to know these things because many times when I ask a person where they learned what they have just told me, their reply is, “Somebody told me.” Since the reason I often ask about the source is that I am not persuaded by the logic of the underlying information, I need to find this “Somebody,” the repository of great, albeit unexamined truths.

If I cannot find “Somebody,” I shall shift my attention to “That Guy.” My suspicion is that we are probably talking here about a college professor, but then again he could be a priest or a sanitation worker. I ask a person how he or she knows something and the response is, “That Guy told me.” No name or address or description or cell phone number; how do I Google “That Guy” so I too can learn truths which just ain’t so.

Aha, I’ve got it! Forget “Somebody” or That Guy.” Such individuals are veritable know-nothings compared with the penultimate source of revealed truth, the person to whom all turn to ascertain answers to life’s multiple puzzles.

I am referring to the ubiquitous “They.” Want to know why a course of action, at school or work or in a relationship, is considered advisable by the individual with whom you are talking; simple, “They” said so. Want to better understand the peculiarities of certain people or organizations in which you are interested? Check with “They.”

“They” can say anything about any person or subject and their statements are irrefutable; “They” can never be caught to be quoted directly, and “They” are never around to do a post-mortem on the consequences of their advice. Nonetheless, the accuracy of their pronouncements surely must be extremely high as people every day answer question after question with the succinct repeated declarative, “They said so.”

The beauty of “Somebody, That Guy and They” is abundantly clear: the real-life person involved is able to off-load individual responsibility for truly understanding the course of action that is outlined to you. He or she can place accountability on the shoulders of anonymity and evade any necessity for an “I” statement.

Too bad this approach does not work.

Take ownership of your thoughts and your actions will follow. The only person in the morning mirror is you.

http://bobhowittbooks.com/?page_id=22