Greg Mankiw is a professor of Economics at Harvard University. He has written an introductory Economics textbook that is widely used in AP courses around the nation. He has served on the Presidents Council of Economic Advisors, and is a real star in our field. In a recent New York Times article, he spelled out his advice for the college bound. Read the article and leave your comments. Do any of his points hit home for you?
46 comments:
Well every single points got me. However, I am already aware of all of the following points before reading this article. I also study these seperate topics in my free time, so I know the fundemental basics for all of them. On a side note the majority of class should be aware of these points already, due to past experience or classes.
Many of his points hit home for me. While reading the article, I became aware of the fact that I seem pretty well set for college. All the things he advised students to learn I have or am taking classes in. The last piece of advice to I need to adhere to more frequently, I am an easily influenced person and take everybody's advice to heart.
He made very good points, as all of those topics are necessary to be successful in present-day life. Many of those skills have become basic necessities in order to understand how the world works around us. A little of economics, statistics, and psychology will be helpful when it comes time for us to finance and organize our lives. It is also important to not trust everyone we encounter, but to filter in every advice and follow the ones that relate to us and the path we have chosen.
N. Gregory Mankiw speaks the truth. I thought about the subject a little bit myself before and I came up with some of the same points as he did. I entered Economics not thinking "Ok, mandatory credit," but rather "Ok, the real world runs on this." I'm also in Stats and scheduled to take Psych next semester, two subjects that Mankiw suggests to take. I signed up for these courses ignorant of his opinions, but as the year progressed, I saw the usefulness of Statistics (some may disagree....a lot may disagree) and I was happy to see that Harvard professor has the same idea. I can't say much for Psychology since I have not taken it yet, but reading the article made me put it at a higher priority - I'm much more doubtful at dropping it for an Off Campus next semester. As for Finance, I completely agree with Mankiw, however, Elkins doesn't offer any Finance 101 for anybody to take. I would love to take Mankiw's advice to "ignore advice as you see it," but I can already say my dad wouldn't be so keen about that (Indians and their need for absoluteness =/).
I agree with the point that math classes are lacking in probabilities and statistics. Those are my two weak points in math and I wish I knew them better. I also think it is smart to have a basic background knowledge of economics because it is a skill you will need in life.
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Karen Pasay-An >.<
After reading this article and realizing that I have or am taking these classes, I do see the need to take classes like Statistics and Psychology. The basic knowledge and skills learned in these classes will be great tools to use later on in life. I also strongly agree with his statement about following your own instincts. Yes, you should listen to advice that people give you, but only you know what's right for you, and in the end it's your life that these decisions affect.
Some of the points did hit home for me in this article. The one that stuck out the most was to follow your own instincts, because for me, especially going off to college in less than a year, I try to take the advice of those who have already been through that. By reading this, I also realized and agreed with what he said about which classes are the most beneficial to be taking in school.
i agree that public and or private schools are lacking math classes such as probability and statistics. The only time that we as students learn those topics in high school is during the time where TAKS comes around the corner. Even though there is a course for statistics in high school for advanced placement credit, there needs to be a sense of importance of statistics in middle schools and elementary schools.
I've always wanted to learn psychology, but have never had the chance. I've never been particularly enthusiastic about economics, but I'm glad I'm taking it now. Growing up in a somewhat sheltered environment, my parents deal with all of the financial stuff while I just do my schoolwork and enjoy life, so I really would have no idea how to handle myself in the real world otherwise.
Physiology has always been an... intriguing topic. It's amazing how the human mind works both in the physical and physiological aspects. Though, I haven't taken any classes over it, I find myself interested in the books that cover it.
The enjoyment of Economics, for me, comes from the stock market. I enjoy watching those graphs and determining the best way to get money, and I would have never gotten that enjoyment if it hadn't been for my father.
Finance is a self-explanatory one. Everyone needs to learn how to use the cash, and use it wisely. Though, I haven't dealt much with money and the efficient use of them. I hope I have time to learn.
And finally, Statistics. This is paired with many of the above topics, and can't be gone without. I am currently taking a course in it, and hoping to get the most out of it as well.
All of his points hit home for me, though admittedly I was already aware of all of these before ever reading the article. I'm taking both economics and psychology this year (since I intend on majoring in the latter,) but if Elkins offered a Finance class, I'd definitely take it. The way I see it, the more I know about the economy, the easier it will be to make responsible financial decisions later.
Also, everyone out there should already know to accept advice but ultimately to rely on your own common sense and judgement. Too many people today, I find, are used to Mommy and Daddy making decisions for them and just blindly following whatever they say without using their brains at all.
I think he makes well supported arguments. Much of the information we learn in school today is not applicable to everyday life, but statistics, economics, and psychology are subjects that are found in most daily practices. How often do we read an article in a newspaper or a magazine and look for allegory, symbolism, and a unifying theme? An education focused on useful knowledge will benefit us more in the long run.
I think he made several valid points. I do not believe that student leave their career as a student prepared for the real world. I think that everyone needs a basic understanding of the various topics he discussed in order to progress in life. I also think that statistics need to be more heavily involved in math classes. I often find myself in Calculus wondering when I would ever need some of the things we learn.
I agree that math classes in high school do not correctly prepare students for the math they have to face in everyday life. I also agree that everyone should take a a course economics simply to gain knowledge in how the world around them works. This guy is really smart :)
I believe Greg Mankiw makes some very valid points that go against the popularized advice for incoming college freshman. I particularly agreed with his point that not every adult will be correct. Since everyone's experience in college is different, it is irrational to consider everything everyone says in the same category, as some are bound to be contradictory. Furthermore, I agree with Mankiw's stance on the level of high school mathematics courses. I believe that a greater importance should be placed on more common mathematical pursuits such as statistics, finance, or accounting. Despite this, however, I would also be inclined to advocate for the establishment of specialized mathematics courses, including, but not limited to, multi-variable calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra.
He made good points that corordinates withevery day live stories. which made me think that i should have taken psychology and statistics. I do agree on his fact about knowing economics for every day life. I believe that every one should follow their instincts.
The points driven home have, for me at least, been driven in by daily life. These points did confirm a somethings that I thought I should know, such as learning Statistics and Psychology. Overall this article confirmed what I already knew was needed to actually succeed in life, and college.
I agree that schools need to take more initiative in teaching students about statistics and probability. I addition economics is needed in everyday day life and to study economics will help benefit us in the future.
i agree with the fact that math like algebra and calculas are stupid. math like money should be taught beacuyse we have to use this in the future in our daily life. everyone must know a little eabout economics and physicology.
Most points are extremely valuable. The probabilities and statistics point definitely hits home; I have a hard time remembering even basic statistics because of the difficulty in remembering how to do something we learned so long ago.
I agreed with the author's points. Many classes in school do not teach students to think for themselves, allowing them to be manipulated as adults. Knowledge of economics and psychology will definitely help prevent young adults from being easily influenced by scheming politicians or superiors. In addition, proficiency in statistics and finance undoubtedly has real-world applications that can only help a young adult learn to handle the responsibilities of independence. The author's final point, that people should judge the merits of advice themselves, is definitely valid because many are unaware that some pieces of advice may have been useful a couple of decades ago but not anymore.
All that Greg Mankiw says is true. One point that hit home for me is taking psychology. As I progress through both psychology and economics, I am beginning to see how they relate and how economics is affected by what people think. Another point that hit home is following your own advice. I think that you should listen to everybody's advice but in the end the decision is yours and yours only.
In the end, these points should be considered by every student as they make choices in classes they should take because in the real world these points can help you be successful financially.
I agree with Mr. Mankiw. Most high school grads know very little about the economy or civic duty. I particularly liked his point on learning some finance. Maybe if the "future" of our world had knowledge on how to handle their money, they would do so more responsibly and we would not have such a huge debt problem. Also, his emphasis on teaching students math that will relate to their lives is a very good idea. A large problem in our society is lack of motivation of kids. Giving them a reason would improve their efforts to succeed. Last but not least, phychology. At least learning the basics would produce more well-rounded young adults, who could then work together more efficiently and achieve bigger goals.
All of his points hit home for me. Psychology is a subject that I'm really interested in. Ir is just amazing to learn the reasons of certain behavior and how people think.For the math part, I don't think I will have a chance to use stuff learnt in precal in our real life, but statsittics is always useful. I'm not really good at taking aadvice, because some times I think that the case might be different for me so what other people do is not necessary what I need to do. Of course, I appreciated for advice people give me.
Most all of the authors points are reasonable to me and a few opened my eyes as I am headed toward college. I especially agree with Mr. Mankiw on his statement that high school geometry and trig. is far too idolized. Instead, since we will one day be major parts of the stock market, a course in economics or statistics should be mandatory. I am concerned,however, in the validity of his statement that the "basic lesson of finance [is] that diversification provides a free lunch". As an honorary member of TANSTAA"F"L, I'm appalled that he (I'm assuming as a teacher he is also a Grand Puba) is misleading people to believe there will ever be such thing as a free lunch!
Samir Williams (7th period)
Poimts that got me were that we should ignore some advice as we see fit and to take some psycology. So overall its pretty neat to see this.
All of the points brought by Mankiw are very valid ones that I feel everyone should be aware of and should hit home for most. All of what he said had an importance in what could be useful later on in life. It is quite obvious that after reading this article Economics, Statistics, Psychology, and Finance should be high priority classes for everyone.
All the points made by Mankiw are valid and make sense. Most of the points did hit home for me. After reading this article, I became extremely confident about my future because I know that I'm going to do whatever I want and that no one is going to influence my decisions.
All the points made by Mankiw are valid and make sense. Most of the points did hit home for me. After reading this article, I became extremely confident about my future because I know that I'm going to do whatever I want and that no one is going to influence my decisions.
I agree with most of his points, especially about knowing some economics and following your own instincts. I believe its pretty important to know economics so that you'll be aware of what's going on, and like the author of the article said, not fooled by the government. And yes, people should always, or at least most of the time, follow their first instinct. There is nothing wrong with receiving opinions. Sometimes, that's the best bet. Other than that, his advice was pretty useful.
I agree with every point made. I feel that we need to be better prepared for the real world we will all soon be entering. How can we expect to be successful if we don't have the proper knowledge. We must all think for ourselves and take everything we hear with a grain of salt.
Most of these points hit home for me. Its so true that we do need to make sure to understand all these points because in the near future it may very likely pay off. I feel like following your instincts hit me the most because I am about to make one of the biggest decisions of my life. Where do i want to go to college. So this Professor hit home for me mostly on that point. I also understand now why some classes in high school, though highly boring, are the ones that will pay off in the mere future.
I agree with many of the points that he makes. No matter which profession you plan on going into you will most likely be dealing with people and money and its important to know how to properly handle those subjects. College is a great place to learn these skills because you need credits to graduate anyways so you might as well get practical ones.
Most of his points hit home for me. When I was reading the article I began to realize that all these topics are necessary to be successful. I also became aware of the fact of how prepared I am for college because many of the things the talked about I am doing or have done. I agree with, essentially, everything he had to say.
I agree with Professor Mankiw's points. A basic knowledge of the economy is necessary to make decisions out of school. In the future, it will be necessary for me to make my own financial decisions and use information learned from school to apply to real life situations. Fortunately, I have already taken or am taking the courses that Mankiw recommends taking.
I agree with his point that all people should have some knowledge in economics. Before this class i didn't really know much about it but now i realize how much it really effects our lives. I also agree with him that we waste time on subjects in school that we won't really use later in our lives.
The point that hit me the most was to take psychology. really i thought that course would only be helpfully for someone who has to do with crazy people but apparently it is also helpful economics. After reading the article i can see as to why it would help as it helps with realizing human rational flaws
D.J. Hicks
7th period
I highly agree with the article. Now in my senior year i really need to focus on what I'm doing in school and make sure i have everything together. Also i think learning economics is very important becuase you use it a lot throught life.
It’s surprising to know that several classes lack probabilities and statistics. The points that he made are relatively significant as most of us are preparing ourselves to go to college and I find it very useful to know something extra than other people know. I strongly ask students to grasp a basic knowledge of economics. It’s lot more than a High School required class. There are a lot of stuffs that teenagers and growing adults need to know in order to sustain in the society. There are millionaires who ended up in streets without having any money left in hand because they did not know how to manage money. The wrong decisions made will have a great price to pay later in life.
I agree with most of the points he made. After reading the article, I realized that economics, psychology, and statistics go hand in hand. All of these skills are beneficial in every day life. I agree with his statement that students should be learning more of these subjects at school.
i agree with his points. i think we need economics to know whats going on in the society. I also believe that we should follow our instincts rather than listening to several advices. Overall i think his advices are really helpful.
Most of the points hit home to me. As I read the article, I began to question my nervousness about being prepared for college and saw I was more ready than I thought. I agree with his ideas of taking psychology and statistics because these are 2 subjects that are very applicable in the real world.
All of his points are true. A little knowledge in psychology and economics can help everyone, no matter what field they are in. I've taken psychology it it helped me understand how people act a little better. Even if you don't plant on investing in stocks or bonds, economics can help you manage the money you have.
He made very good points because i feel that every one of his points is necessary to move towards a successful life. i believe it is important to follow your own judgments, but to take in as much advice from others as you can.
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