Louis C.K., number 98 on Comedy Central’s list of the “100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time,” is seeing a lot of air time for a bit he did on Conan O’Brien a few months back. The Emmy Award-winning writer certainly has some strong words for today’s digital generation:

“Everything is amazing right now and nobody’s happy…. We live in this amazing, amazing world and we are wasting it on the crappiest generation of just spoiled idiots that don’t care.”

As with all great humor, it is entirely based in reality – the moaning and groaning as we wait for a signal; our complete frustration with any flight delay; etc.

Of course, with technology comes expectations, eh?

And when expectations are not met, well, just what are we to do?

As for total irony, perhaps you could download this clip and watch it on your next flight via your laptop or iphone.

The now freshman at Furman University posted a three round, one under par total of 215 at a challenging Augusta Country Club layout. What made the accomplishment so astonishing was that Rancourt’s closest challenger was Debby Gardner of the Waterville CC. Gardner posted a three day total of 238, a full 23 strokes behind Rancourt’s pace.

But the 2009 Valedictorian of The Pendleton School in Bradenton, FL is now well-known for setting such pace. She not only won the 2007 Maine Junior Championship by posting the best score in the qualifying round, she went on to close out the title by winning her match play rounds 10 & 8, 8 & 7 and 6 & 5.

And despite the fact she just completed high school, she has also posted a 4th and a 5th place finish at the 2008 and 2009 New England Women’s Amateur Championships.

In addition to her 4.4 GPA, Rancourt somehow has found the time to perform in local Maine theaters and to work on her many dance moves (12 years of street funk, hip hop, jazz, or ballet). Perhaps even more importantly, the gifted young athlete is also in the habit of giving back to the community through her numerous volunteers efforts.

Whether it be fundraising with “Art from the Heart,” mentoring in the Buddy Lunch program at a local elementary school, or working with Habitat for Humanity, Rancourt’s volunteer time clearly demonstrates that not all of today’s youngsters are focused solely on themselves.

Just prior to the start of her freshman year at Furman, we spent some time talking with Alexa regarding the challenges of balancing academics and time for the game of golf, her decision to attend Furman on a combined academic and athletic scholarship, and what the game of golf has taught her about being a better person and student.

Can you talk a little bit about when and how you became interested in the game of golf?

My grandfather and my dad got me started with my first set of golf clubs when I was about 5. I didn’t take an immediate liking to it though. Actually, besides driving the cart and trying to hit the ball as far off the tee as I could, I didn’t find much interest in the game at all. Then, when I was in 8th grade, my dad and I took a winter road trip to Myrtle Beach, SC and played 8 rounds of golf in a week. I’m not exactly sure what is was about that trip, but on our way back home I remember telling my dad that I was hooked, and that golf was something that I wanted to pursue.

You are still considered a resident of Maine yet you attend the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Can you explain to our readers how you came to attend school in Florida? How important has this prestigious school been in your development as a player?

Because of my interest in golf and the lack of a season in Maine, my parents and I began looking at schools down south when I was entering my freshman year in high school. I ended up staying at Waynflete in Maine for my freshman year, but I knew that I wanted to go somewhere warm after that, somewhere where I could take golf more seriously. At first we looked at public schools in South Carolina and Florida but then my dad came across a few different golf academies (DLGA and one in Hilton Head, SC). I visited IMG Academy (which is the name of the entire sports academy that DLGA is a part of) and absolutely fell in love with it. The school itself has played an integral part in my growth as a golfer; the coaching, the facilities and the scheduling have all helped me to develop my game. However, just being in Florida and playing in tournaments against some of the best juniors in the country has helped me improve immensely.

I see where you graduated first in your class at Pendleton. Can you talk a little about the school, its size, your academic program there, etc.?

Pendleton is a fairly small school. I don’t know the exact size, but there were 114 students in my graduating class, which gives you an idea. It’s a fairly new private school (I think it was founded about 10 years ago) and it was started specifically for student-athletes at IMG Academies. Because of this, it’s right on the campus of the sports academy and anyone who attends the school is also part of the sports program (basketball, soccer, tennis, golf or baseball). The classes are split up into morning and afternoon blocks, depending on when your practices are. For example, I played golf in the morning so after lunch I would attend my classes. My first one was at 12:45 and on days that I had two classes I got out at 3:30. On alternating days, when I had three classes, I got out of class at 5:00. The program was really well organized in the fact that the teachers were very understanding of travel for tournaments and a lot of classes actually did online work so that you could take your work with you easily if you had to leave for long periods of time on tournament.

strong>I understand you will be attending Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina this fall on a combined academic and athletic scholarship. How does a combined scholarship differ from a traditional athletic scholarship? Are there specific academic requirements that must be met?

My scholarship is about 75% athletic and 25% academic. The distribution of the athletic money is decided completely by the golf coach. Each sports team has a certain number of scholarships that they can give out and they can break them up or distribute them any way that the coach sees fit. For example, my golf team has six scholarships, but the coach could break it up any way she wants. This also means that depending on your performance from year to year, the coach can reassess the scholarships and then add or remove money for each player. As far as my academic scholarship goes, it’s based on my grades and test scores and transcripts from high school. In order to keep the academic scholarship from year to year I just have to keep above a 3.0 GPA. Initially, I thought that I wanted a full athletic scholarship but looking back I am actually glad that it was split between golf and academics because it means I am being recognized by the school in both areas of achievement, golf and academics.

How did you come to select Furman as your school? What will be your major and what are your future goals related to that major?

Furman was one of the last schools that I talked to for golf. I contacted Jen (my golf coach at Furman) at the beginning of my senior year, which is pretty late when it comes to recruiting. I talked to her a little bit through email and knew that I liked what I saw when it came to the golf program. She invited me on what’s called an “official visit,” which is where the school pays for the entire trip (flights, food, housing, etc.) and I went and spent 48 hours with the team at the school. When Jen first drove me onto the campus, about an hour after my flight arrived, I knew then and there that Furman was going to be a perfect fit for me. I got that feeling that everyone talks about where you “just know”. The rest of the trip just got better from there, and when Jen brought me back to the airport two days later and made the scholarship offer I knew that I was going to say yes. This was in the first week of November, 2008. The early signing period for athletes was the following week so I signed my letter of intent then and applied early decision. It was nice because while all of my friends were filling out pages and pages of multiple college applications, I only had to fill out one!

Right now, I am undecided on a major. I love English, so my initial thought would be something that allows me to pursue writing and literature (i.e. Journalism or an English major) but I’m really not committed to anything yet. As far as future plans, I want to play on the LPGA Tour after college. Since much of my attention is focused on achieving this goal, I haven’t thought much about plans related to whatever my major is. Once I select a major, I’m sure I will have a better idea of future plans related to that path should golf not work out.

Can you explain to our readers your golf training regimen, both the fitness segment and how you go about practicing the game?

I work out three to four times a week. When I was at IMG, we had a workout routine based mostly around core and strength training with a lot of weights. However, the weights can often make you more tight and less flexible and therefore restrict the golf swing. Our college workout is much more to my liking because we work three times a week (as a team) with a pilates instructor who teaches golf-specific workouts. In just two weeks of this workout, I have already become more aware of my body and how it should be functioning in my swing.

As far as practice goes, I spend at least four hours every day working on my game. My coach gives us drills each day which help us to have a focus in our practice so that we aren’t just hitting as many balls as possible or aimlessly making putts. Instead we have goals, such as “make 10 three footers from four different sides of the hole” or “hit 20 balls, alternating between driver and 8 iron, going through your full routine and picking a different shot to hit each time”. The majority of the practice time (when we are on the range) is spent on short game; I would say, about 75% of the time. We normally play three times a week. Whether it’s 9 holes or 18, it’s a chance for us to implement our practice on the golf course.

Can you give our readers some hints as to how you balance your commitment to the game with your school responsibilities?

Sometimes the balance can be hard but I feel like I enjoy my school work and learning just as much as I enjoy being on the golf course. Because of this, it’s not so much an issue of balancing my commitment as it is just staying on top of my time management. IMG really helped me in this aspect because the schedule is very similar to that of a college athlete. I had to learn early on (in my sophomore year of high school) how to schedule things so that I had time for practice, studying and socializing. I think the key to this is prioritizing. For example, golf practice and my classes are the main priorities and then I schedule studying time around that. The remaining time is left for any number of things; socializing, relaxing, more practice, etc. Time management is key to being a successful student athlete, whether it’s at the high school or college level.

You have a number of other interests beyond golf – the theater and dance among others! Can you talk a little about your background in these areas? Will you continue to do both of these activities while at Furman?

I have always loved the performing arts (theater, dance and singing). My dad is a musician, he plays casually now but it used to be how he made his living. I’ve grown up around music and singing my entire life, so singing, whether it be in front of people or just around the house, has always been a part of me. I stopped dancing when I went to Florida three years ago, but it is definitely something that I would love to get back into. In fact, I think that it would be extremely beneficial for my golf game because it keeps you flexible and limber. Theater has been an interest of mine for a while, as well. The last production that I was in was about two years ago but I would love to try to get into some plays here at Furman, even if they are just small shows. It’s difficult in the fall and the spring because our schedule with golf is so time consuming, but I am hoping that I have a little bit of time in the winter to pursue some of these activities a little more seriously.

What serves as your best emotional outlet? The game of golf? One of the aforementioned activities? Other?

Golf is definitely a great emotional outlet for me. I feel so at home on the golf course that I tend to forget about whatever is happening off the course. One of my favorite emotional outlets besides golf though is definitely writing. Whether it’s just scribbling down my thoughts or taking those thoughts and forming them into poetry, I feel like writing allows me to release my emotions, happy or sad, and put them into a useful and creative form.

You have been involved in a number of community service activities as well. Can you talk a little bit about those activities and why you do them? Are there similar types of activities you hope to be involved with at Furman?

Community service is very important to me. I have been given so much in my 18 years, from my parents, grandparents, school and even people that I don’t know. I feel extremely fortunate to have been given all the opportunities that I have had and I feel that through community service, I can give some of that back. I’ve helped out with Habitat for Humanity before and I think that’s one of my favorite service activities because it’s extremely hands on and you have a clear visual of the work that you are doing to help somebody else. I also really enjoy working with kids. I’ve helped out with the First Tee and a few other junior golf clinics for girls and those have been incredibly enjoyable. My team just did a clinic for young girls a week ago and it was great to see the interest that the girls had in golf at such a young age. Jen, my coach, is very big on community service and giving back so we already have some activities planned for the year. Actually, one of the reasons why I loved Furman so much when I came on my official visit was because I built a doghouse with the team for a charity that rescues neglected and abused dogs. My golf team, and Furman in general, puts a huge emphasis on giving back to the community.

Do you think golf as a game has helped you become a better person? A better student academically? If so how?

It definitely has. Golf is a game of honestly and integrity and I think that to become a successful golfer it demands that you have a certain level of maturity. The game of golf teaches you to accept responsibility for your actions, because whether you play well or you play badly, it lies completely in your own hands. To play at the competitive level that I am now at, you have to have diligence and focus and a desire to better yourself on and off the golf course. So yes, I believe that golf has helped me develop into a stronger individual which has in turn helped me on the course and in the classroom.

You have a number of accomplishments thus far in your young life. Which one has brought you the greatest satisfaction and why?

I think it’s a draw between two moments. Getting a full scholarship to college has been one of my greatest moments so far. It was extremely satisfying for me because it was a goal that I had been working towards since my freshman year of high school and it felt very good to have achieved it. Also, my parents sacrificed so much for me in order to allow me the opportunity to pursue golf and it felt great to be able to tell them that my college education would not cost them a penny. Also at the top of my list though is when I qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur this past summer. My goal is to play on the LPGA Tour and for me, qualifying for the Amateur, one of the most prestigious tournaments at the amateur level, helped to show me that I am on the right track to achieving my goals in golf. Plus, I had so much support from friends and family and even from people that I didn’t know personally. It was amazing experience to go to St. Louis and compete, knowing that I had so much support back home in Maine.

Some will say, forget those calcium supplements and head on down to the pub. But as with all those studies related to wine, it seems the positive elements come from something other than the alcohol.

For the beer study it was deemed that the plant hormones in the beer may well be the critical element.

Somehow we think that aspect may be overlooked by the college party crowd.

Spending a Friday night in the college lounge listening to these two would be a rather decent evening, don’t you think?

Jimmy Fallon

“Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” host and popular comedian Jimmy Fallon finally earned his communications degree from the College of St. Rose. Fallon took advantage of the life experience, portfolio option to accumulate his final 15 credits from the school.

 
In a move that had to have made his parents want to disown him at the time, Fallon left the school in the middle of his senior year to pursue his comedy career. Seventeen years after he began at St. Rose as a computer science major, he finally secured an authentic bachelor’s degree in communications.

“Finally, I convinced them that I’ve done enough communicating to get my communications degree,” Fallon is quoted as saying after providing the school a portfolio of his work. In a sign of the times, the school also awarded Fallon an honorary doctorate in humane letters.

In addition to his awards, Fallon was giving the opportunity to speak where he share the stage with John Zogby. As for his overblown ego, Fallon had this to say after receiving the degrees:

“I’m going to be totally insufferable.”

Barack Obama

In what has become a storm of controversy, President Obama will receive an honorary doctorate and deliver the commencement address at Notre Dame. The Harvard trained lawyer is certainly worthy of any honorary degrees (despite what Arizona State University has to say) but his views on abortion are raising the ire of students and supporters of the school.

One person set to be recognized by the school has declined to attend and thus refused her award due to her strong beliefs on the issue. Ironically, she too has Harvard connections.

The podium will represent an interesting option for the president who certainly has demonstrated his oratory powers over the past few years. However, his speech will be given great scrutiny, no doubt.

Dolly Parton

Famed country western singer and personality, Dolly Parton was recently awarded an honorary doctorate of humane and musical letters from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. In a true sign that she might have lacked an understanding of the setting, Parton chose to talk about her much-discussed assets that Johnny Carson was clearly enamored with.

Now known as Dr. Dolly, she had this to say to her audience:

“So when people say something about ‘Double-D,’ they will be thinking of something entirely different.”

Oprah Winfrey

And last week, a most-deserved Oprah Winfrey was presented an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Duke University. The woman who has done so much for others across the world offered a more college-commencement like 25-minute address.

“One of the best ways to enhance your own life is to enhance somebody else’s,” noted the talk show host. “Stand proudly in your own shoes while you help others stand in theirs.”

But Winfrey also took the time to acknowledge that her godson William Bumpus was a member of the graduating class.

“Will never wants people to know he knows me,” Winfrey offered. “I’m like his crazy aunt that they let out at commencements.”

The list of other honorees includes Pulitzer Prize winning author/historian David McCullough, inventor, author and entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil and sportscaster Bill Raftery.

Yet as bad as that sounds, predictions are that the number will continue to grow for the foreseeable future, perhaps reaching double figures by late spring or early summer.

The data also indicates that the impact of the economy has hit young people the hardest. According to Bob Herbert of the NY Times, those being hit the hardest and therefore, those who will subsequently have the most difficult time recovering are America’s young workers.

In his column on February 28th, Hebert noted that “nearly 2.2 million young people, ages 16 through 29, have already lost their jobs in this recession. This follows an already steep decline in employment opportunities for young workers over the past several years.”

A College Education

Nearly 2 million people have lost jobs in just three months and the layoffs have come in all arenas: blue-collar, white-collar, highly educated and not.

With 4.4 million lost jobs during the entire downturn and another 12.5 million people searching for work, no age group or industry has been spared. And yes, recent data reveals that the “jobless rate for college graduates has hit its highest point on record, just like the rate for people lacking high school diplomas.”

But those wondering about the wisdom of a college degree, particularly given the cost of a diploma in such uncertain times, it is imperative that you look further into the numbers being released.

Because, while the unemployment rate recently topped 8.1% for all Americans, the jobless rate for people with bachelor’s degrees is still barely half that figure, 4.1 percent. And as far as the high school dropout population, the current unemployment rate stands 50 percent higher for that group than the national average, a whopping 12.6 percent.

Tough Times

Article after article reveals the current downtrend as one of the worst in American history. Though we are still a long way from matching the numbers associated with the great depression, to find a situation rivaling today’s you have to go back nearly thirty years, to the early 1980s.

Make no mistake, these are exceedingly tough times and the downward economic spiral is affecting people from all walks of life, including the college-educated.

But with tough times come great lessons. And one of those fundamental lessons is that those individuals who have taken education seriously are less vulnerable during difficult economic periods.

Flickr photos courtesy of LGagnon and a.saliga.

However, anyone seeking an education should be equally concerned with the quality of course offerings. If you are not careful, greater convenience and frugality could result in a “you get what you pay for” educational program.

With online programming here to stay, it is imperative that students understand what to look for when considering such a study option. Quality web-based programs are defined by specific characteristics – students looking at online courses and degree options should look to see if the following attributes are present.

Online Education Demands a Different Approach

The process of creating an effective and engaging online learning environment is different from that of traditional education. For example, an online class constructed simply of taped 45-50 minute lectures, a list of readings, or an uploaded curriculum (followed by online tests or quizzes) shows little consideration for the student or the learning process.

Rather than merely making content available for access, online instruction should be designed to engage learners in a variety of activities. Quality online instructors create various forms of interaction ensuring that mastery of course material is a result of doing rather than simply by reading or listening.

In formal terms, online courses should do much more than make content available – these courses should create a true learning environment.

At the same time, an excellent online course will offer multiple pathways through the material depending on a student’s prior experiences and knowledge. Those with little or no prior knowledge must be provided potential additional resources to help them gain the necessary background. However, for those with the basic information, those materials should not be mandatory reading or made into busy work.

Here again, these pathways must be designed for easy delivery within the online medium. The course should engage and immerse the student in the learning experience even as it puts students in charge of their own learning.

Use of Multiple Technologies

The beauty of the web now is the number of different technologies available for professors. The best online courses take advantage of the many options available.

With blogs, wikis, instant messaging, podcasts and streaming video, information can be presented and collected in many different ways. Even chat rooms, once designed as text-only now can provide student participants audio and video signals.

Because of all the new hardware available, the best online courses will offer options for the many mobile devices available. Being able to access course materials via iPods, pdas, and smart phones through wireless hot spots can be a great help to some students but they may not be viable for others.

Again, the best online courses will incorporate multiple options for students ready to implement those techniques. However, the course will not be designed to feature bells and whistles unless those aspects enhance learning potential. In simplest terms, technology should be chosen according to how it will help meet the specific learning objectives of a course.

Great Online Courses Feature Caring and Competent Teachers

Ultimately, a quality online program is similar to that of a traditional option in that the course is taught by an excellent instructor. The attributes that are identical in both settings are teachers that are subject-competent, highly skilled and diligent.

Other general attributes include a great sense of humor and high, clearly articulated expectations. Competent teachers also are able to provide clarity when material becomes more challenging or ambiguous.

Lastly, these instructors willingly provide effective feedback to students. They are able to reinforce accomplishments through proper praise yet provide fair and constructive feedback when students fall short of expectations.

Where online teachers differ from those in the traditional setting is their ability to instruct in their respective environment. Online teachers must be masters of the technology being used and understand the different methodologies associated with instruction in an online environment.

Therefore, excellence in online education requires more than a caring educator with subject expertise. They must be adept at the various forms of technology utilized within the course and the process for making the content come alive in the online environment.

A Sense of Community Is Present

A definitive weakness of online programming is the lack of face-to-face contact with the professor and fellow classmates. An inability to interact with others can create a class that feels impersonal and where students feel alone.

In contrast, one of the most positive aspects of traditional education is the sense of community that can be created. Therefore, it is imperative that online courses work to create a sense of community within the online environment.

Without a connection to the professor or other students, participants are unable to arrive at a complete understanding of the content. Therefore online instructors must work to develop a social presence.

Whatever formats are to be used, blogs, chat rooms or email, the best online teachers understand that this sense of community will not happen by chance. To facilitate such an environment, great instructors work to include collaborative learning projects and small group activities where students are connected through the technology provided.

And as mentioned before, the instructor will utilize all forms of technology, including the use of audio and video whenever it is appropriate. Ultimately, a quality course will, at least at times, be more than just the written word.

An Excellent Web-Interface

The ability to easily access all the key material elements of a course is also critical. The course design, especially those technologies to enhance learning and community, must be easily accessible and working with minimal interruption.

The simple theory is that a great web-interface cannot make up for a poor teacher or a lackluster course. But a poor interface can ultimately ruin an excellent class.

Access to a clear study guide must be available at all times. A list of FAQs prominently posted can serve to help students get answers to common questions instantaneously.

Most importantly, the interface should be intuitive and offer multiple points of entry to relevant material whenever possible.

Summary Expectations

Online classes are very different than those delivered in the traditional classroom setting. They are taught by caring teachers who are as tech-savvy as they are content experts and therefore understand that online learning demands a different approach.

These individuals then utilize the technology available to ensure an interactive learning environment that creates a strong sense of community within the course. All the while, they understand the importance of timely and relevant feedback for students.

Most importantly the course is offered with an intuitive and high-functioning web-interface.
Online programming is definitely here to stay. Such programming is convenient and often-times less expensive than traditional classes.

However, quality should also be of utmost importance. Students looking at online courses and degree options owe it to themselves to hold these programs up against these fundamental standards.

If a school consistently offers courses that fail to meet one or more of these attributes then it is time to look to another study option.

Flickr photos courtesy of Sarah M Stewart, Dan H, mcwetboy, whurleyvision and mrplough.

Another SAT Prep Game Option
Joining Kaplan’s FutureU on the video game market is Princeton Review’s My SAT Coach. As with the Kaplan version from Aspyr Media, the Princeton version seeks to bring SAT preparation to the video game market.

The Princeton option features the gaming folks at Ubisoft. Designed to be an enjoyable way for test preparation, the game seeks to help students learn the key skills for tackling all of the different subsections of the SAT test. The game also provides feedback so students can see the overall progress they have made through game play.

The Princeton game also seeks to involve students in “a series of mini-games that will help you increase your level of judgment, confidence and time management. Learn about helpful methods and mental approaches to reduce stress and ensure you are physically and mentally prepared.”

Unfortunately, we could not find any reviews confirming the enjoyability aspect of the game. But with every piece of data indicating that practicing for the exam does in fact lead to better scores, you may want to give the game a go.

The new game from Ubisoft offers timed testing options but unlike FutureU which is also available for download to a PC or Mac computer, My SAT Coach is available only for Ninetendo DS (cost, $29.99).

A General Vocabulary Builder
Going one step better, at least in vocabulary preparation, is the new site VerbaLearn. Instead of focusing on SAT prep, this site is designed for “polishing your lexicon” and would be helpful in preparing for any of the nationally normed tests, the SAT, ACT, and/or GRE.

Most importantly, the game is free, meaning there is no reason not to give it a try.

The online site offers you the ability to customize your vocabulary list and customize MP3 options that feature the words on your list. That means that though the site is based online, you have the option to download podcasts to iTunes or any application of choice, and take them with you to review while on the subway or bus.

The site features a simple demonstration video that explains the basic workings of the site and a suggested feature called VerbaLearn2Earn to help create additional incentives for the vocabulary building process.