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 this 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? Remember no copying your fellow student's comments.
62 comments:
Aadesh Brahmbhatt
6th period
I enjoyed the articles advice. I can agree with the point of studying economics since the course contains a plethora of practical knowledge. Through economics, I have already been able to apply concepts such as opportunity cost to my daily life and even school work (remind me to show you my equation mr.pye!). I also agree with learning statistics since it teaches you how to think practically and how to interpret data. One additional piece of advice that I would add would probably that students should learn some computer related skill, since the future seems to be hurtling towards the computerization of everything, it can be easy to fall behind.
Joshua McCann
6th period
I think statistics is a great way to learn about economics because it teaches you how to think practically. I've been able to apply supply and demand to my daily life. We should all learn more computer skills because the future is hurdling towards a new technology era with will grow rapidly. The article gives great advice and is a great way to interpret economics.
Tiffany Chan
4th Period
The article explained a lot of interesting points. I agree with the issue about how few high school students graduate with skills that will help them make smart choices later on in life. I believe high school should teach their students how to make smart decisions in life because they will need it in the future especially in college.
I think the article good as a whole because it definitely guves advice on what to do with respect to college. Learning the basics like the economy, statitsics, and psycholigy are all factors that seem to be important and crucial for incoming college freshamn to the author.
2nd Period
This article was very eye-opening. The part that really hit home with me is the section of the article where he talks about people giving you advice. He says that it is important to listen to the advice being given to you by those who've already been in your position, but at the end of the day, it's your decision, you have to make the final call.
Gabriel Martinez Period 2
This article is really intresting and really made me open my eyes. Learning is really important for our students and know how to make own decisions. It talks a lot about own choices and being independent, this is really important.
This article was very interesting to read. I felt that It gives lots of good advice that applies to anyone who has a minimal understanding in economics. I feel like he does a good job of justifying why college or high school students like myself would or should be taking an interest in learning a bit about economics.
What struck me the most about this article was the ability to relate everyday school topics to life. All the topics spoken about in the article some how served a purpose in the future world most people will enter after school. Learning about psychology was a topic that surprised me because I couldn't see the use of knowing ho people think. After reading this article I can now see how these topics like pychology and other can help me in the future
The reason I like this article is that it totally bashed on most maths beside statistics. He gives good practical advice on how to be the best possible economist. The one thing I wish he had said is why I should be an economist.
Hannah Stone; 2nd Period
I liked the article a lot. It opened my eyes to the fact that there are many things related to basic finance that I do not know how to do yet that I will need to know before I start making big financial decisions for myself. He does a good job of explaining why it is important for college-bound students to have an understanding of economics.
Demarcus Davis
6th Period
I would say the main point that hit home for me was the author's point about listening to the advice given from others but more importantly following one's own instincts when making decisions. As a senior I've been getting lots of advice from adults and peers some which resonates and some which doesn't but to have someone else say to follow your own instincts ultimately really hit home for me. Overall I liked the article a lot and I believe it would be beneficial to learn about some basic economics before graduating from college and becoming an adult just as the author said.
I would totally agree with Greg Mankiw's point and this article is very interesting to read. He basically bashed on very math class in that he proved that only statistics is based on real world. He also wants every student to learn finance, psychology inorder to be better in life after all. Before graduating college and before entering into the real world, one must complete courses in order for them to enter into the real world of business and crisis. He also mentioned that economics is very crucial to every day life
Haven Mikaele
Period 2
I really enjoyed reading this article. I think that these are great tips for high school and college students who are looking to help understand the world and people in this world. I think that high schools around the US should make these courses required. It will help the citizens, and America. Reading this article, I regret not taking these courses, and I now plan on taking them in college.
What I like about this article is the accurate statement that High School students graduate without the tools we need in life. Most of us are about to graduate and have little to no knowledge on how to save and manage our finances, as well as the process of paying taxes.
Vinit S.
4th period
This article is very interesting because it made me realize how i already apply basic principles of economics, like supply and demand, to my life. He also lists a few classes that would be very helpful with economics and i, having taken them, completely agree as statistics helps you think practically and psychology helps you understand the human mind.
Amanda Hong Period 6
This article is very accurate in the way that high school students are required to take so many unnecessary courses that are not essential or helpful to our daily lives. I completely agree with the courses he suggests because the information that they teach will help us make and understand important decisions in the future.
Sabrina James
6th period
In most material aimed at giving "advice to college students", a big focus is on what to bring, how to schedule yourself, how to get along with a roommate--all helpful to some degree, but it was nice to see some attention put on the actual educational factor. I also liked the practicality of suggesting certain courses because they would be legitimately helpful in life. The psychology course, in particular, caught my attention, because I love the subject and fully intend to take a class on it, but it wasn't what I expected from an economics professor.
Rolando Pineda, 4th period
Mr. Mankiw's article hits several critical points that I believe most college bound students overlook on their way to their given university of choice. As many of my own sources of sound counsel have stated, knowing how to manage your finances is essential as both a college student and as a working class citizen, so taking up a class or two in economics would be a wise decision.
Meghna George, 2nd Period
I think this article was interesting because most of the courses he mentioned are classes that most students have taken. Schools should focus more on making psychology and statistics as mandatory classes instead of taking unnecessary classes because stats and psychology can actually help benefit in the future. The author points out how economics and the other classes listed are what people use in a majority jobs which is interesting because even though you may never major in economics you will still end up using it for your job, so it is a beneficial course to know.
I thoroughly enjoyed this article. Personally, I feel that today's high school curriculum fails to equip students fully with what they need. The world of taxes, 401ks, and insurance is foreign to us, and we lack the knowledge necessary to succeed in the world. In my opinion, statistics and finance classes are extremely necessary courses to take in college.
Jenny Dyess Period 2
"Economists like me often pretend that people are rational. That is, with mathematical precision, people are assumed to do the best they can to achieve their goals."
N. Gregory Mankiw
This statement definitely hits home for me because most of the time I see people making idiotic decisions regarding their education and often times it bothers me. They become too lazy to do their work and when they get poor grades they wonder why they got the grade, but what they don't understand is that they EARN the grade on their essays at the end of the day.
Not many kids in my grade are attempting to get into colleges that offer a strong education that will prepare them for their future. They believe that they can live on a mediocre salary when they want extravagant houses and cars. They don't realize just how much their education matters, not just college but high school as well. Their foundation has already been built and Mr. Mankiw brought up a very valid point that hits home: The future is uncertain but we shape our futures by the actions of today.
Veronica Wang
Period 6
I did not feel this article was particular enlightening. Many of the points brought up are very common arguments that students bring up when suggesting students to take courses outside of the basic core courses because we are too focused on "traditional mathematics" etc, I believe that the focus provides for a very solid foundation that other more "modern" subjects such as psychology and statistics can build on. Additionally, these modern subjects that are suggested are all suggested based on his own personal opinion on what is helpful to his life. I think students should take into consideration what courses will help them in their field of study the most rather than what an economist finds helpful.
Hannah Kaplan
6th period
I liked the author's point about taking psychology. When I took psychology it really opened my eyes to something that I have never learned before. I really enjoyed that class and everything I learned in it. I really believe that psychology helped me understand why people are the way they are. I also like how the author talks about taking advice as you see fit. It's important to get advice, but it is also important to make your own decisions.
Since this article comes from a professor of Harvard, a certain air of authority hangs around it. Some of his advice is unsurprising, with an economics teacher advocating classes in economics. The advice that shocked me was the idea of taking psychology. To be honest, I have a bit of a prejudice against psychology so for such a distinguished man to show its importance is surprising.
I personally do not think I will be taking his advice, since my major requires no economic knowledge and I think his article is a bit presumptuous in believing everybody should take those classes regardless of interest and need.
A key point in Mankiw's article that I find interesting is when he mentions that majority of the things we learn in high school is pointless in the real world. On the other hand, economics plays a pivotal role in guiding us through the business and economic world. When we graduate college we are on our own. How would we know how the economy is and how to be prepared for it when it crashes? I believe everyone should take economics at one point in their lives because it you will need it eventually.
Shanika Jacob- period 6
This article was very enjoyable and interesting to me. One point that hits me the most is that future is unknown. Soon as i enter college, my generation will be the own shaping the world's economy along with everything else in the world. It opened my eyes that I will be responsible for the future and I have to take it seriously
The article was extremely interesting. I came to the realization that truly learning about economics is something of importance because things going on in our economy today are shaping the world for the next generation. The article mentioning things about mathematic curriculum could have some truth to it because many students do need the background of stats and etc for their particular major in college. Overall, the article was well written because it opened my eyes on our lives and the importance of us all taking action to better the future.
Michael Enyioma
4th Period
I do believe that students in high school and college should know about the economy and what it entails. Many young people and even grown adults do not know how to handle their finances the right way. And with the way that the economy is heading, we need to stay informed in what we need to do to stay afloat financially.
Timothy Chang, 4th period
I agree with the author in that economics has a lot of practical applications in everyday life that many other subjects taught in high school lack. Economics allows you to make wise lifetime decisions out of college, such as how to get a secure job and manage your money, etc. In addition, I found it interesting that economics is related to so many other fields, including statistics, finance, and psychology, which means that taking an economics course can help students excel in other subjects as well.
4th Period
I believe it is very important that high school students should study economics before going out into the real world where they are supposed to be independent and making intelligent decisions. It is important to always be prepared for anything, like downturns in the economy. We never know what the future holds so the more we know/study/learn about economics, the better decisions we will make. We are the future and the best thing is if we know the tricks of life, one being helping the economy by being knowledgable and smart at making decisions. I truly believe economics can really help not just an individual, but for everyone (and our economy). I know for sure that I need to be prepared for the future and learning economics is one of the things that will help me.
Russell Wong
6th Period
Professor Mankiw pointed out the importance of the importance that all students should learn some methods of finance and to me that was eye catching. I've heard time and time again how so many have gone into debt and makes me wonder if it really was their fault or their lack of knowledge to manage money. I see Professor Mankiw's point as extremely important to a developing society with constant flowing money. As the amount of money only increases it is only natural to point out that we need students today to learn more and teach others.
Joyce Varughese
Period 6
Professor Mankiw's article interested me in that the foundation of economics and finance comes from understanding human interactions and their pros and cons. By recognizing the possible flaws in society through taking courses such as psychology, one can be better prepared to understand possible mischievous plots undertaken to ruin one's life in the long term.
Alexis Zamora
Period 6
This article was very interesting as it was written by a college professor and father, two occupations with very different circumstances. Gregory Mankiw explained as a teacher and father his advice is to be open to many different subjects not necessarily taken as base courses due to their large use in business and careers. What hit home to me was his recognition that the future is never certain and as generations pass new industries will always be forming, and to expect that.
Stricklin Snyder
2nd
As a student who went into economics knowing hardly anything, I appreciate this article. It is very important for everyone to understand what economics are and how they work in order for an economy to work. I believe that Professor Mankiw's article should be promoted so that economics can become an important staple in education.
Joshua shajie 6th
I agree with everything Mr Gregory Mankiw has said. Let's start with economics, economics is what drives our country and most other countries. In most of our own personal decisions the economy plays a major role. From what car we buy from what food we eat to what career we choose everything is one way or another influenced by the economy and studying economics will only improve the decision making in our daily lives. Next he talks about statistics which I totally agree upon. All intelligent choices come from some kind of statistical analysis whether it be on what restaurant we choose to eat in or what stock we buy. If we take a statistical approach to life we will make better decisions. Finance is quite obvious most things require money and learning to how to handle your money properly will only benefit you . These three key points he has said all boils down into decision making and learning these subjects will only help you make those better decisions in life. In the title he has a phrase the "game of life"I believe that life is a game of decisions and that the best way to be successful is to make yourself better at making decisions
ulises osorio
2nd period
this article was very interesting to me because I've always believed that high school makes us take many pointless classes when classes like statistics,finance and psychology are not required to take to graduate. out of all the courses these three would benefit us most in our future lives. it should be required to take these courses to graduate because they actually will help people in their lives and allow them to make smarter decisions and be better informed on things like taxes and how some people may think.
Maria Francis
Period 6
This article made me appreciate the fact that I've taken both statistics and psychology. Even though I've learned a lot about calculating probability and understanding human behavior, I don't know if that's really helping me understand economics better. Maybe as the year progresses, I will find the usefulness of psychology and statistics in understanding economics. However, I agree with the fact that high school students are required some classes that do not necessarily help them out in understanding the economy and not forced to take classes that will. I see this as one of the biggest shortcomings of the American school system.
I agree with Gregory Mankiw's idea that economics is a necessity that every student should learn. The other subjects such as finance, psychology, and statistics are more abundant in everyday human life which is all the more reason to learn those as well because we as adolescents are more likely to encounter them compared to other school subjects such as calculus and geometry. This article does hit home in the sense that I have always felt that those particular subjects held more value in the real world.
Arun Christopher 2nd
This article gives good advice to people in college and people that are going to be in college soon. He talks about the different kinds of classes someone should take in college to really learn about what is going on in the world, and also to learn how the world works.
Maya Ewens
2nd period
This article helped me realize that although I want to go into a specific field of work, there are many other courses that can help shape me into a better person. I know that learning Statistics, Psychology, and Finance can increases people's knowledge and make wiser choices in life. I just did not know that these courses are so important to take even if I just want to major in Biochemistry. Some extra knowledge does not hurt to know especially if it is going to help a person make better choices.
This articles focuses on what to learn and what to ignore as a college student learning and understanding economics. I agree that economics is a necessity that every college student should learn. Actually understanding the economy is so important when making many decisions in life. I thought Gregory Mankiw made a good point about high school education focusing on courses that will not actually help the students in their daily lives in the future which is essential that they learn in college.
Manwik raised good points in his article. While coursework varies depending on one's future career, economics, statistics, finance, and psychology are subjects that are applicable to every person. It is important to gain real-world knowledge so you are not thrown into the deep end after graduating college.
Mankiw speaks truths that many high school seniors and college students are unaware of. The topics he discussed apply to almost everyone and can make our society more efficient if all of society was educated on economics, statistics, psychology, and finance.
I personally like and agree with this article because as a senior in high school I've realized that we are forced to take countless unnecessary classes like geometry and algebra I & II. Where as , courses like statistics and psychology are only used as filler classes that we
"don't need". This article hits home for me because i believe that as young adults who are about to make the next step in our lives we need to make the subjects that would benefit us in the end mandatory. This ensures that we are not entering the real world unable to carry ourselves or without the proper knowledge.
Marcus Thompson 2nd,
This article had a lot of the ideas and thing i thought about as i was coming up in high school and especially now in senior year, so i really enjoyed the article. Classes like basic finance, statistical math, and basic psychology would be very beneficial to graduating seniors as required or recommended classes because, many graduated seniors go out into college and or life not knowing a lot about taxes, mortgagees, or social issues. But we know the mitochondria is the power house of the cell which can be important, but it also wouldn't hurt to have that more real world applicable information added into students curriculum.
Paige Price
4th Period
I really like this article. This economist understands what we, as high school students, go through
We take so many classes that have nothing to do with the world around us. They don't show us to to live on our own. For the longest time I wondered how knowing the cosine, tangent, and sine or certain angles will help me buy my first apartment or vote for the first time. We have the future in our hands but we don't know what to do with what we've learned in high school. The curriculum in high schools don't prepare us for the real world and that is what hurts us.
Matheus Menezes
6th period
He got my attention when he explained we should learn economics to avoid being fooled by economists. As we have studied already, there are some faulty trains of thought that happened throughout economics and its development. It is good to know what the real theory behind economics is and how we can apply it in the real world. I also think applicable what he addressed about statistics and how applicable it is in our lives as opposed to algebra and Euclidean geometry. I feel like the study of a more easily related math would be really helpful to all students of all trades and ages. Lastly, I appreciate his words on the last paragraph and how he tells us to make our own decisions because the future is in our hands. He gives us his advice and tells us to completely ignore it if we do not like it. I think it goes to show how humble the professor actually is and how much we could learn from him.
Stanie Clement 2nd period
I really like this article because it highlights how useless the school system is when it comes to teaching kids real world skills. Learning stuff like logarithms is not going to help you file your taxes or find a job. This article really points out that education goes further than equations and vocabulary tests.
What I really related to was the patt where he acknowledged that some advice might be worth ignoring. The times have changed and society is no longer what it used to be. I also really liked the part about psychology as I have already taken and understand its applications in economics such as the self fulfilling prophecy.
What really stood out to me was the psychological aspect of economy. Behavioral instincts play a large role in economy because economics is all about the needs and wants of people. If you are able to understand that aspect then you can analyze and understand the economy much better than people who do not know what the people want.
The thing that really hit home for me in this article was his point about geometry. We're request to take classes that won't help us in the future however the classes that would help us aren't offered or they're considered "electives". I agree that everyone should study economics at some level, even if they're just reading a textbook about it. Its important to know what's going on in the economy and the business world so that you're more prepared to handle your own business. Regardless of the progession, it makes money so economics and statistics is a great gain of knowledge as opposed to geometry which only architects or people with a similar profession will use.
Dayja Mathews
2nd
nabeel momin
4th
This article is very interesting. It shows how we actually need statistics, finance, and psychology in our daily lives. it also informs is about how these classes can rally benefit us in the future unlike all our other classes and i believe that its true. these classes can tremendously help us out in the future. they can help us with financial decision making and help us being fooled from economist unlike our other classes.
Julia Mathew
2nd period
I liked how this article recognized how our school system focuses too much on some things that do not have much application in the real world. We are not taught useful things like how to file taxes or purchase a house ,yet we are drilled on polynomials, angles and other difficult math concepts. We are depended on to build the future but as the author said we are not taught what is necessary to get to that goal.
Geo Kuzhippil
4th period
I find this article very interesting and very accurate. In my opinion, schools really concentrate on subjects that students don't tend to use as their lives progress. I found it interesting how they separate the useful subjects from the trivial ones. The author really demonstrates our struggle to keep advancing in the future when the adequate and necessary information we need to learn is not available to us.
this article mainly focuses on what is important to learn for a college student. I persoanlly feel that college students should be exposed to not only learning economics but understanding it as well. When a student goes out in the world, and gets a job, having a background of economics could help him or her make financial decisions. When a student has this knowledge it will help them make important life decisions. I also agreed with Gregory Mankiw take on the education high school students receive. I also believe that there are some courses that we are required to take, although they may not help us outside of school.
Anna Lee
2nd
I honestly do not care much for this article because I was already planning on taking all of the courses he briefed on. However, it is a nice to-do list for students who do not have an idea of what type of classes or what type of degree they want. His opinions are fair in their reasoning and it is obvious he has good intentions. However, I do not believe every student should take psychology because many people tend to over stretch minimal knowledge of subjects like psychology and sociology. Although the subject itself is interesting and valuable to learn, some people may be better off without it.
Madison Bettis
Period 6
I really enjoyed this article mainly because it lists many of the skills needed for life after high school. And I feel as if high school does the bare minimum of preparing us for what is ahead. The case the author made on financial responsibility really stood out to me as I am a teenager who will be financially responsible for myself in a short while. I feel that many teens are not prepared to take care of their finances in a practical manner as many have been fully taken care of by their parents all their lives. It is important to know the basics on how to manage money as you are setting out into the world for the first time.
Thanh Vo, 6th period
Makiw makes valid and persuasive arguments for these particular subjects although important benefits could be argued for various other subjects in school. I do agree that courses such as economics and psychology play a huge role in students' academic careers, teaching them to be more intelligent and thoughtful participants of society. However, this could also be said for mathematics, literature, etc. Overall, I found the read to be very informative but not too thought-provoking.
Tim Cummins
Period 2
One point is when he points to the possibility of this current time being a "lost decade" in turn of economic standings for us soon to be going into the real world. Also he has a strong opinion towards economics in evaluating many things including the presidential race. The fact that he is using concrete facts to show what his class can help with outside world problems, for some classes they force us to take in high school in my opinion help us little with real world life. He does a good job of showing how a firm standing in economics can really help mostly anyone.
Camdyn Brocail -Period 4
I like how this article had a interesting approach and how it was accurate about the tools we use in high school. I believe schools should focus on more necessary classes that teach life skills like paying taxes, instance, saving money, raise a family... etc. Classes completely pointless or "blow-off" classes should not even be an option when all they do is restrict students from learning to the best of their abilities. The article highlights the true impotence of learning.
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