Everyone on DCUM should read Frank Bruni's recent book on colleges

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I for one take everything that I read as gospel and assume that it's all true.

Love,

DCUMypoia

troll.

[Anonymous]

“Who is this Frank Bruni Buffoon? The FAILING New York Times cannot seriously expect me to READ their FAKE NEWS columnist. I’m a STABLE GENIUS and do not have to read FAKE NEWS to know the score!!!!”

- Donald J. Trump

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course, there is this thing called "research." Good journalists tend to be rather good at the whole research thing. Maybe consider reading the book before deciding you couldn't possibly learn anything from it?

Yeah. I've been interviewed by fellows while they do their 2 years of research and book-writing. Yikes indeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know that he's a good journalist on education specifically?

Because. I. Read. The. Book.

It is well-researched and well-argued. I'm university professor and part of my job is evaluating research and scholarship by other people, and this struck me as a very solid and persuasive book, overall. FWIW, it also received numerous excellent reviews. Did I agree with every single statement in it? No, of course not. There were a few bits where I thought he needed more, or didn't ask questions he should have asked or discuss issues he should have discussed, etc. But as a product, myself, of several super-duper elite institutions (fancy prep school, fancy college, fancy scholarship to fancy foreign country, fancy professional school, and succession of fancy jobs at elite institutions and universities), and with kids at an expensive elite private school, I found the book thought-provoking and useful. It made me think somewhat differently about how to steer my own children when college frenzy begins.

Read it and judge for yourself. Maybe it will not change your views, but maybe it will.

or they can just stay in academia forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know that he's a good journalist on education specifically?

Here comes the conspiracy theorist.

Yes, Sir, it was the Russians who funded his book, to generate further havoc among parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here comes the conspiracy theorist.

Spare us the melodramatic hyperbole.

Most people spend their careers developing expertise in one subject area, be it medicine, law, IT, finance, whatever. I think it's natural to be skeptical if someone were to suddenly shift their work to a completely different topic.

I don't doubt that Mr. Bruni can perform research or cite studies. But given the choice between a book written by a smart guy who has jumped around covering one subject to another (albeit well, judging from his accolades), and someone who has spent their entire career writing about education, you know what? I'm going to choose the latter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know that he's a good journalist on education specifically?

Because. I. Read. The. Book.

It is well-researched and well-argued. I'm university professor and part of my job is evaluating research and scholarship by other people, and this struck me as a very solid and persuasive book, overall. FWIW, it also received numerous excellent reviews. Did I agree with every single statement in it? No, of course not. There were a few bits where I thought he needed more, or didn't ask questions he should have asked or discuss issues he should have discussed, etc. But as a product, myself, of several super-duper elite institutions (fancy prep school, fancy college, fancy scholarship to fancy foreign country, fancy professional school, and succession of fancy jobs at elite institutions and universities), and with kids at an expensive elite private school, I found the book thought-provoking and useful. It made me think somewhat differently about how to steer my own children when college frenzy begins.

Read it and judge for yourself. Maybe it will not change your views, but maybe it will.

or they can just stay in academia forever.

Right, because academics are completely unqualified to comment on education. Seriously, PP, you are so resistant to acknowledging even the possibility of new information that I suspect you’d reject new ideas handed down directly from a divine power. In your view, is there anyone in the world qualified to provide you with valid new insights? If you are this hostile to hearing new perspectives at work, maybe you really are Donald Trump. Otherwise, what’s so hard about saying something polite? “Thanks, I haven’t read that book, and I’m not sure I will agree with it, but I’m always happy to get new recommendations.”

Or, better still, if you have nothing helpful to say, you could just refrain from commenting.

[Anonymous]

So is going to George Mason ok? Is that what you want for your kids?

[Anonymous]

Bruni's book is a wonderful antidote to the Yale-or-Jail mentality that infects many. Both stats and bring-it-home examples showing that there is indeed life outside HYPSM. Agree with the OP that the lessons drawn about colleges apply to high schools as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here comes the conspiracy theorist.

Spare us the melodramatic hyperbole.

Most people spend their careers developing expertise in one subject area, be it medicine, law, IT, finance, whatever. I think it's natural to be skeptical if someone were to suddenly shift their work to a completely different topic.

I don't doubt that Mr. Bruni can perform research or cite studies. But given the choice between a book written by a smart guy who has jumped around covering one subject to another (albeit well, judging from his accolades), and someone who has spent their entire career writing about education, you know what? I'm going to choose the latter.

Interestingly, most people who do spend their whole careers writing about education tend to agree with Mr. Bruni. Read the reviews of his book. And I would add that His book is only one example (particularly accessible example, but not the only one), of books making similar points written by people who are in fact lifelong education experts. But do your own research.

[Anonymous]

"Yale-or-Jail mentality"? Seriously? This isn't the 20th century. I personally don't know anyone who actually talks like that, and doubt that more than a small minority of Americans think that way either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here comes the conspiracy theorist.

Spare us the melodramatic hyperbole.

Most people spend their careers developing expertise in one subject area, be it medicine, law, IT, finance, whatever. I think it's natural to be skeptical if someone were to suddenly shift their work to a completely different topic.

I don't doubt that Mr. Bruni can perform research or cite studies. But given the choice between a book written by a smart guy who has jumped around covering one subject to another (albeit well, judging from his accolades), and someone who has spent their entire career writing about education, you know what? I'm going to choose the latter.

Interestingly, most people who do spend their whole careers writing about education tend to agree with Mr. Bruni. Read the reviews of his book. And I would add that His book is only one example (particularly accessible example, but not the only one), of books making similar points written by people who are in fact lifelong education experts. But do your own research.

From my experience, many education consultants in DC also have the same view as Mr. Bruni. In fact, I've even heard the Director of Admissions at a Big 3 make many of these same points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Yale-or-Jail mentality"? Seriously? This isn't the 20th century. I personally don't know anyone who actually talks like that, and doubt that more than a small minority of Americans think that way either.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/127631.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He used to be the New York Times food critic, and had also covered the White House and been a movie critic, before moving to the op-ed side. In other words, hard to say that education is his specialty so I take his views with no greater credibility than any other journalist writing on the subject.

That Bruni? Oh for heaven's sake, why would I spent time reading his opinion on colleges in America. Thanks for letting me know. I had heard of the book. What a waste of time that would have been. He probably had it ghosted.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations, you cited a single thread on an anonymous message board where the posters are predominately from the DC area. That hardly refutes my claim that only a small minority of Americans think this way, and I don't know anyone personally who posted in the thread.