First Blog Post

Developing the ability to summarize articles, analyze sources, and create one's one interpretation and opinion, is invaluable in becoming an individual in this ever growing world of information technology in which ideas are transferred almost instantaneously. This ability is also the reason why reading and taking as much literature as possible, also proves to be a great factor in one's personal success, one such example being the growing internet guru Tai Lopez. Exposing oneself to several different viewpoints and opening the mind to infinite possibilities will also strengthen one's own personal views and opinions. One such case of this was the open letter to the chancellor of UC Davis by Nathan Brown. In this letter, he explained what happened, and how it happened, when he witnessed police brutality against peaceful student protesters. Originally, I had not fully conceived my own opinion about the matter when I heard about it, but after summarizing key points of the letter in my mind, I can say I have now. This is because often times when confronted with an argument that makes a good point against one's beliefs, there is an analytical moment of genius that occurs, allowing for another connection to be made that further strengthens one's own opinion. All of this is attainable through summarizing large bodies of text, for an absorption of knowledge in a more concise form.

In "Senate Legislation Targets Aggressive Recruiting of Veterans by For-Profit Colleges" by Chris Kirkham, it is described how "For-Profit" colleges have modeled together a new business plan that involves targeting the benefits provided by the government to former U.S. Military service members. Although beneficial for veterans in some cases, it puts an disproportionate amount of veterans in their colleges, over regular students. On top of that, it creates a mentality that veterans now all have dollar signs over their heads, and the only goal is to reap in as much of their benefits as possible, instead of provide a real education for them and get them graduate them into a career that will fit them best. In fact, because of this tactic, graduation rates have plummeted because often times, veterans who were unprepared to go back into college, were chosen over students who were far more prepared. It's not that veterans have a less chance of graduating college if accepted, it's that proportionately, some people are more qualified over others, whether they are veterans or not.