Lazy kids

[Darth Wagtaros]

Yes.  When I was in high school alcohol was hard to come by, some people drank but most did not.  I can remember a friend who would hang out in the parking lot of supermarkets, trying to get people to buy alcohol for him, sometimes it worked, but not always. It got much, much easier in college, but there was still the danger of a citation for underage drinking, which I and many others I knew got, and bars were out of the question without a decent fake ID.

In Boston, it was very much hit and miss in terms of which bars carded and which didn't.  If they checked IDs and you didn't have one, they wouldn't serve you booze but they never kicked you out or anything (in my experience).  I had the best luck in terms of not getting carded at a place called Crossroads Irish Pub, which (maybe not coincidentally) Joe Kennedy used to own. 

Big crackdowns on that now.  They send in agent-provacatuers and drop mega fines on any stores or bars that don't card.

It may be related to the massive increase in speed traps/revenue enhancement strategies cities and towns and New England state governments have been working on the past few months.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

The gap year concept seems popular with everyone except Americans.

well except those annoying ones "backpacking through Europe"

Even that is better for you than spending a year failing college because you feel like you have to hurry.

1st year is there specifically as a year to party your face off iirc... All I "learned" in my first year was how to party.

seriously though I don't feel like there is any reason to feel bad taking time off between school and Uni, nor should you feel bad if you dive in and end up with a degree faster than most of the folks you know, or going back later. I have several friends who have gone back and got their teaching credentials 20 years later. They seem to be coping well.

It shouldn't matter when you go to school, or whether you take some time to work for a few (or 20-30) years.

[crazy canuck]

1st year is there specifically as a year to party your face off iirc... All I "learned" in my first year was how to party.

This is one of the best reasons why 17-18 year old kids should not dive into University without having at least some idea of what they wanted to do.  I saw a bunch of kids who basically just drifted because they didnt want to be there.  They went because their parents said they had to.

The experience was a complete waste of time for the kids and of expense for the parents.  As you say the only thing the kids learned was how to drink.   But worse then that once they did get some idea of what they really wanted to be, their low GPAs meant they couldnt actually get accepted into the courses of study they needed.

If my boys dont know what they want to do after high school they can work/travel for a year or two to figure things out.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

1st year is there specifically as a year to party your face off iirc... All I "learned" in my first year was how to party.

This is one of the best reasons why 17-18 year old kids should not dive into University without having at least some idea of what they wanted to do.  I saw a bunch of kids who basically just drifted because they didnt want to be there.  They went because their parents said they had to.

The experience was a complete waste of time for the kids and of expense for the parents.  As you say the only thing the kids learned was how to drink.   But worse then that once they did get some idea of what they really wanted to be, their low GPAs meant they couldnt actually get accepted into the courses of study they needed.

If my boys dont know what they want to do after high school they can work/travel for a year or two to figure things out.

sure. Though NOBODY except me paid my way at University. I also worked pretty much fulltime the whole 6 years it took to get my "useless" BA. I partied my face off the entire time I was there, still managed reasonable grades, and fulltime work, theatre, film volunteering, helped published a poetry journal, etc.

It's what you make of the time in Uni. The actual schoolwork doesn't have to be some be all end all of "what I'm doing with my future".

I don't regret going at 17 in the least. Everyone is different though and should make up their own minds.

[Monoriu]

When I was in university, the most frustrating thing was that everybody told me to slow down.  Parents, professors, friends, counsellors.  They all gave murderous advice.  Do what you enjoy.  See the world.  Experience different things.  Take your time. 

I said to hell with all of you.  I am going to take the courses that are necessary, not the ones I like, and I am going to get out of this hell ASAP. 

[Caliga]

I said to hell with all of you.

Conan the Chinaman.

[Monoriu]

I also figured that if THAT'S how Canadians think, then I had no business finding a job there.

[MadImmortalMan]

When I was in university, the most frustrating thing was that everybody told me to slow down.  Parents, professors, friends, counsellors.  They all gave murderous advice.  Do what you enjoy.  See the world.  Experience different things.  Take your time. 

I said to hell with all of you.  I am going to take the courses that are necessary, not the ones I like, and I am going to get out of this hell ASAP.

This is a good point. People who need to see the world and take their time shouldn't be wasting that time studying. They should be off backpacking in Europe with maple leaf logos on their hats. Mono had a purpose and intended to complete it. He knew what he wanted to accomplish.

That doesn't mean everyone is able to do that at age 17 or 18 though, and in those cases, they should probably wait until they are ready to actually do the thing. Otherwise, they might find themselves digging out of an academic hole or spending thousands on education that will go to waste. You want a level playing field when you begin. You don't want to dig yourself into a bad spot before you decide to start working at it.

[Neil]

When I was in university, the most frustrating thing was that everybody told me to slow down.  Parents, professors, friends, counsellors.  They all gave murderous advice.  Do what you enjoy.  See the world.  Experience different things.  Take your time. 

I said to hell with all of you.  I am going to take the courses that are necessary, not the ones I like, and I am going to get out of this hell ASAP.

And you fell face first into something infinitely worse.

[Zanza]

When I was in university, the most frustrating thing was that everybody told me to slow down.  Parents, professors, friends, counsellors.  They all gave murderous advice.  Do what you enjoy.  See the world.  Experience different things.  Take your time. 

I said to hell with all of you.  I am going to take the courses that are necessary, not the ones I like, and I am going to get out of this hell ASAP.

And do you now recognize they were right and you were wrong? 

[Phillip V]

I don't get all these personal references. Can someone give me a bio summary of each forum member?

[Monoriu]

I don't get all these personal references. Can someone give me a bio summary of each forum member?

Short version: Born in Hong Kong.  Went to Vancouver to do university degree and grab Canadian passport.  Went back to Hong Kong after 4 years when both goals were fulfilled.  Became office assistant in Hong Kong government.  Been working there for 11 years. 

[Darth Wagtaros]

I was born at an early age, though already people could tell of my genius.  Escaping the bario of Oxnard I first worked at a high class food establishment called Jack is in the Box.  After a while I learned that Jane was actually in the box, and escaped before the law could find me.

[Caliga]

The details of my life are quite inconsequential.... Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a 15-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize; he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament... My childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon... luge lessons... In the spring, we'd make meat helmets... When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds — pretty standard, really. At the age of 12, I received my first scribe. At the age of 14, a Zoroastrian named Vilmer ritualistically shaved my testicles — there really is nothing like a shorn scrotum — it's breathtaking... I suggest you try it.

[crazy canuck]

 

Priceless