Review of the book by Nelli Litvak “Vocation formula. Seven rules for choosing a university. Nelli Litvak our good teenagers Who am I and why am I writing this book

There is so much information for applicants at present that it is impossible to cover and master it all. But if you look closely, it turns out that the lion's share of this information is devoted to what requirements universities impose on applicants and how these requirements can be met. Competition, passing scores, olympiads, preparatory courses, various teaching aids in all subjects - information about all this is available in any quantity. It is all dedicated to how enter university. And this, of course, is indeed a very important issue, especially in Russia, where it is not at all easy to enter many specialties.

But if you have not yet decided on the direction and specialty, then it is very important for you to first answer the question: where to go? To do this, you need information of a completely different kind: what is the content of the specialty, how is training organized, what is the teaching staff and whether there are employment prospects. It is this information that will help you choose a specialty thoughtfully, competently and thus avoid mistakes.

Are you well informed? As a self-test, here are a few randomly selected questions just to show you what I'm talking about. So.

1. Where, besides science and school, can a university graduate work in the specialty, if the specialty is "Mathematics"? Name three options.
2. The same question. Specialty - "Physics".
3. The same question. Specialty - "Biology".
4. What is the difference between the specialty "Economics" and the specialty "Management"?
5. How is the Faculty of Economics different from the Faculty of Finance?
6. Where do graduates with a degree in Psychology work?
7. What are the three most common job opportunities for law majors?
8. Choose any of the three job options in the previous question. In general terms, describe what this work consists of and what the working day of a lawyer consists of.
9. Where can one learn nanotechnology?
10. Many universities of various profiles offer marketing and public relations programs. What is the difference between the programs of this direction in foreign language and polytechnic, and in which case are there more chances for employment? Which universities offer the most prestigious and strong programs in this area?
11. How much do today's skilled engineers earn?
12. When applying for a job in a low managerial position in a large corporation, are there any advantages for a specialist with an economic education compared to a mathematician or physicist? If so, which ones?
13. Are there companies that, on the contrary, are more willing to hire specialists with technical education for managerial positions? If so, which companies, in what situations? Give examples.
14. One of the promising and important areas in modern business is personnel management (HRM - Human Resource Management). Where can you learn this? What specialty is better to start with in order to work in this area - "Psychology" or "Management"?
15. What is taught in the direction of "Logistics"? Name at least one profile subject.
16. The same question. Direction - "Tourism".
17. In the Applied Mathematics program, what is the relationship between mathematical theory and programming?
18. What additional sections does the specialty "Information Technology" include in comparison with the specialty "Applied Mathematics"?
19. Is it possible to get a bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics at the same time? If you want to do this, will they create an individual program for you to avoid duplication of subjects?
20. Where, besides science and school, can the humanities find application: philologists, historians, philosophers? Give at least one specific example (the answer "nowhere" is incorrect).
21. Architecture is an example of a specialty where students can realize both technical and artistic inclinations. Are there other professions that can be said the same? If so, which ones, in which universities?
22. What is the essence of the specialty "Sociology", and what are the prospects for employment in this specialty?
23. If you have a passion for technical experiments, where is it better to enter - a state university, a physics department or a polytechnic institute?
24. How much does a modern doctor earn in a regional hospital? In a private clinic?
25. If you don't qualify for medical school, are there other specialties that will allow you to work in healthcare in the future? If so, which ones?
26. What percentage of journalism graduates find a well-paid job in their specialty? Where, besides journalism, can they work?
27. To what extent are graduates of a construction institute in demand at the moment?
28. The same question. Directions - "Shipbuilding", "Aircraft".

Well, that's enough. You don't need to know all this. But still, it is desirable to have answers to such questions at least in those areas that you sometimes seriously think about. And if questions about these and related specialties have puzzled you, then I insist that you need to immediately start collecting information.

When choosing a specialty, information is the most important factor, regardless of your doubts and emotions.

Suppose you are madly fond of some subject, say history, and do not think of yourself outside this specialty. Everyone will tell you: it is impossible for historians to find work. But what "everyone says" is not a fact, but folklore. And by the way, if you answer: "I'll find a job, you'll see!" - This statement is also not a fact, but stubbornness. Fact - when you see statistics in the direction of "History" in several state universities: where graduates of the last five to ten years work. It's a fact that when you find out that since 2010 the Higher School of Economics has been accepting admissions to a new faculty of history, go to HSE for an open day and get an expert opinion on the prospects for history graduates. And only by collecting the facts, you can draw conclusions.

Now let's say that you are easy and like the exact sciences. At the same time, you love to draw more than anything in the world, but still not at the level of an art school. Everyone will tell you that a technical education will give you the best guarantees for the future. But this opinion, again, is very general and is not based on knowledge of the entire spectrum of areas of modern universities. Perhaps a specialty where technical and creative abilities can be combined suits you. Architecture is one example. And there are also specialties "Industrial Design" and even "Design of means of transport." Find out first in detail about all the possibilities. It is possible that a specialty that you (and your parents!) have never heard of before will turn out to be a hit to the very point for you. Or maybe you will realize that after all, the mekhmat or physics department attracts you the most, and you will leave drawing as a hobby. And no unfulfilled dreams and sleepless nights. After receiving the information, you can discuss it with everyone (parents, teachers), carefully weigh the facts and make an informed decision. And if there is no information and facts, then there is nothing to even discuss and there is nothing to base the decision on.

And finally, let's say you're not really interested in anything. In this case, the decision is often made pragmatically: how difficult it is to get into, how difficult it is to study, and what are the job prospects. I believe that in this case, you must first still try to decide on your interests, or at least understand what exactly you would not want to do. But we will talk about this a little later. Now let's say that you choose to study not out of love, but out of reason. Of course, in this case, accurate information is especially important about what exactly your future studies and work consist of and how things are with the employment and salary of graduates, and not only graduation stars, but everyone who honestly completed their diploma.

I hope I managed to convince you that the information is needed. And based on personal experience, I will take the liberty of suggesting that, most likely, you do not yet have all the necessary information.

In the following sections, we will talk about what kind of information is especially important when choosing a university and how to get it.

"Seven rules for choosing a university" fully withstands the most stringent test. First, it was written by an applicant who herself made the decisive choice of her life, preferring mathematics to philology. Secondly, it is written by a loving mother who wisely limits herself to decide for her own graduate daughter where to go to study. Thirdly, it is a book written by a mathematician convinced, like Pythagoras, that everything in the world is ruled by a number. In each of these author's incarnations, the utmost sincerity and undoubted professionalism captivates and convinces. The author knows what he is writing about, and it will be felt both by the one who enters the university, and those whose parental fate is to worry and advise. Leonid Polyakov, Professor, National Research University Higher School of Economics

What is this book about

This book is a unique guide to the world of higher education for applicants and their parents. The author, a mathematician and an enthusiastic, talented teacher, knows from the inside the system of higher education in Russia and Holland, has rich experience in working with students of various specialties from different countries. Nelli Litvak has found a clear formula for "getting into a calling" and offers seven rules that will help any high school student make an informed individual choice. How do you know which profession is right for you? What do you need to know about the university and curriculum, and how to get the most out of the years ahead of investing in yourself? The book will give applicants starting points for searching and choosing a specialty, and will tell parents how to avoid conflicts with children and support them in making one of the main decisions in life.

Nelly Litvak

Calling Formula

Seven rules for choosing a university

Who am I and why am I writing this book

Instead of a preface

I'll start by introducing myself.

I am a mathematician and an experienced university lecturer. She began teaching in Russia and has now become a professor at a Dutch university.

Did you know that a huge number of people work only to provide a livelihood? I am part of that very lucky minority who truly love their job. I like working with students. I like it when a click occurs in their head at some point, and they suddenly understand what seemed like complete gibberish just a week ago. I like to see how quickly the teenage husk falls off of them, how they begin to appreciate in an adult way what is really important: intelligence, talent, responsibility, a job well done.

I cannot define in a few words what higher education is. But I know this is exactly what happens to my students in five years of university. I consider it an honor to be allowed to participate in this process. May engineering students never in their working lives need the theory of probability that I teach. I know that my lectures and exams will not pass without a trace for them - this is also part of the process. And let my students become smarter and more successful than me. There is no greater happiness for teachers than successful students! And new students will come to the university, who will then become smarter and more successful than the previous ones.

I am a fan of higher education. And do not even try to prove to me that there is a more beautiful thing in the world!

Today's applicants are waiting for several wonderful years, which many later remember as the best years of their lives. How to get the maximum benefit and joy from this colossal opportunity?

By profession, I travel a lot, communicate with colleagues - university professors from different countries and know a lot about the higher education system in various parts of the world. But especially well, from the inside, I know the Russian and Dutch systems.

In Holland, schools and universities pay great attention to helping high school students with the choice of a university. And I really wanted to help graduates of Russian schools.

I can see from my own high school daughter how much this help is needed. What should you pay attention to when choosing a specialty? What information, besides the passing score, is especially important when choosing a university? What do you need to study at the institute, and what - to gain in practice? What are the pros and cons of liberal arts, socio-economic and technical education? Where, besides science, knowledge in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology is needed? Is it normal when a girl goes to college for a crust or for her husband? How to realize the unlimited possibilities of our time?

I have no doubt that I can help you, if not choose a specialty, then at least calm down and feel confident. But first, I’ll tell you how I chose the university myself at one time. Trust for trust.

How it was for me

I am the same excellent student who was equally interested in all subjects. Or not interested. Of all the subjects, mathematics and literature still stood out. Mehmat or filfak. Nice spread! Finally, my grandmother pushed me to the decision. She said that if I like mathematics, then there is no more suitable education: mathematics is a specialty, both fundamental and universal. Yes, I'm lucky. Grandmother is a teacher with great experience, grandfather is a professor. Their advice was worth listening to, and, looking ahead, I will say that they hit the nail on the head. I chose mathematics and have never regretted it (although I had some doubts when my younger sister entered the philological faculty).

And the Internet then, by the way, also still or almost did not exist. We were engaged in writing programs that drew three-dimensional pictures. But it's not about that. A friend had an older sister, also a rather large original. She went to study in St. Petersburg at the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of the State University. A friend enthusiastically talked about her sister and her life in St. Petersburg. My friend was planning to go there as well. Well, so am I. I was then still in love with a boy who did not pay any attention to me, and I thought - the farther from him, the better. This is how I - a serious girl, a gold medalist of a physics and mathematics school - made one of the main decisions in my life!

A friend has a sister and some kind of relatives here, but I have absolutely nowhere to go. It didn't feel right. And my mother, of course, was worried about how I would survive alone in Peterhof with a total shortage of food and a coupon system. And is it worth it when there is a good university in your hometown? My mother and I returned from Peterhof in confusion. How happy I was to have her with me!

We talked all evening: stay or go home? Finally my mother said, “I don't know. I won't feel comfortable if you're here. But it's up to you. If you want to study in St. Petersburg - please. Otherwise, you need to pick up the documents tomorrow and urgently go to Nizhny.” Mom went to bed, leaving me alone with my doubts.

The acceptance of documents at the University of Nizhny Novgorod ended in two days, which means that it was necessary to decide today, right now. I couldn't close my eyes. Finally she got up, pulled out a pen from her bag, found a piece of paper. I drew this sheet into four squares. In one column she wrote: Nizhny Novgorod. In another: Peter. Then in each column in the upper box I wrote all the pluses, and in the bottom box - all the minuses that I could think of. After that, in each box, I rated each item on a ten-point scale, closing the other three so that the ratings in different boxes do not affect each other. After that, I added up all the pros and cons in each column. Nizhny Novgorod won by one point! And I felt my soul immediately feel better. A sure sign of the right decision! I went back to bed and immediately fell asleep, and in the morning I rushed to pick up my documents and buy train tickets.

I applied to the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics of the Nizhny Novgorod State University an hour before the closing of the admissions office.

This decision naturally led to other decisions and events. I can't say that everything went smoothly. For example, in my first year I got married for great love, but in the end the marriage did not work out. I left my husband, went to Holland, raised my daughter alone. Then she married again, again for love, to her fellow mathematician. And now I teach higher mathematics in Dutch to Dutch students.

I don't know what would have happened if I had stayed in St. Petersburg. But based on common sense and life experience, I am almost sure that in some ways I would have won, and in some ways I would have lost. Perhaps I would have a different life. So what? There are many possible scenarios, but we are given only one to live. And we will never know if this option was the most successful and happy.

My life is going well in many ways. I have a loving family and a job I love, which also pays quite well. And although this is not millions of incomes, I have enough, but I never aspired to big money.

I travel all over the world: I have been to America and Australia, I know Paris and New York well. I have many interesting acquaintances and friends. I'm happy with this script in every way. So, to doubt, and even more so to think about what could be, there is no point!

Rule 1

Don't be afraid to choose

Are you familiar with these thoughts?

I want to go to law school. Or economy. What if I don't do it? I'll lose a year. Terrible.

With my diploma, you can go to Moscow. Maybe make up your mind? Or not worth it?

My parents want me to go to management. And I don't know what I want.

Maybe go somewhere easier? Get crusts to make everyone calm down?

Literature and history - melancholy. Mathematics, physics, chemistry - even worse. Here's a mod - that would be interesting. But it's impossible. And what will the parents say? Imagine my dad's reaction! Haha...

Everyone says, you are capable, go to physics and mathematics. Well, okay, I'll do it, I'll study, and then what? Becoming an Einstein? To sit in the research institute? They say: then you can do whatever you want. Well I do not know. If as a result I end up working in a bank or trading in something, then why do I need all this physics?

What do I want? Yes, I have no idea what I want. I want everyone to get away from me.

Nobody understands me. Yes, I'm an excellent student, I'll go anywhere. But nothing really interests me. And what should I choose now?

Here my mother says: "Humanitarian education is not education." And one more thing: “Why did you study at the physical school then? Technical suits you better. And it's easier to find a job." I understand, yes. But I don't want to look for X for another five years!

Don't care about everything. There is still time.

Such thoughts often torment high school students at night. And this is no coincidence, because for many the choice of a place of study is ...

Editor Polina Suvorova

Project Manager I. Seryogina

Corrector E. Chudinova

Computer layout A. Fominov

Cover designer S. Timonov

Cover photo Shutterstock photo bank

All rights reserved. No part of the electronic version of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including posting on the Internet and corporate networks, for private and public use, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

* * *

Who am I and why am I writing this book

Instead of a preface

I'll start by introducing myself.

I am a mathematician and an experienced university lecturer. She began teaching in Russia and has now become a professor at a Dutch university.

I am a fan of higher education. And do not even try to prove to me that there is a more beautiful thing in the world!

Today's applicants are waiting for several wonderful years, which many later remember as the best years of their lives. How to get the maximum benefit and joy from this colossal opportunity?

By profession, I travel a lot, communicate with fellow university professors from different countries and know a lot about the higher education system in various parts of the world. But especially well, from the inside, I know the Russian and Dutch systems.

In Holland, schools and universities pay great attention to helping high school students with the choice of a university. And I really wanted to help graduates of Russian schools.

I have no doubt that I can help you, if not choose a specialty, then at least calm down and feel confident. But first, I’ll tell you how I chose the university myself at one time. Trust for trust.

How it was for me

Okay, so math. Where, at what university? Try to enter Moscow State University or stay in your native Nizhny Novgorod, where is also a good university? Of the two options, I chose ... the third. I decided to enter St. Petersburg. Why? Because I had a very original girlfriend, with whom I was together in a physics and mathematics camp. There we became friends with the head of the computer room, to whom we came to sit at the computer once a week for the entire academic year. People didn't have computers at home then. And the Internet then, by the way, also still or almost did not exist. We were engaged in writing programs that drew three-dimensional pictures. But it's not about that. A friend had an older sister, also a rather large original. She went to study in St. Petersburg at the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of the State University. A friend enthusiastically talked about her sister and her life in St. Petersburg. My friend was planning to go there as well. Well, so am I. At that time I was still in love with a boy who did not pay any attention to me, and I thought - the farther from him, the better. This is how I - a serious girl, a gold medalist of the physics and mathematics school - made one of the main decisions in my life!

So, I came to St. Petersburg. Outside in 1989. Tell your parents this date and watch their faces contort with memories of nightly lines for chicken and sugar stamps, a kilogram per person per month. I came to St. Petersburg with my mother. She filed documents and went by train to Peterhof, where, in fact, the matmekh was located. Found a friend, looked at how her sister lives. The hostel did not frighten me, I wanted an independent student life. But somehow there was something wrong with everything. If a hostel, then why is it still in St. Petersburg, and not in Moscow? A friend has a sister and some kind of relatives here, but I have absolutely nowhere to go. It didn't feel right. And my mother, of course, was worried about how I would survive alone in Peterhof with a total shortage of food and a coupon system. And is it worth it when there is a good university in your hometown? My mother and I returned from Peterhof in confusion. How happy I was to have her with me!

I applied to the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics of the Nizhny Novgorod State University an hour before the closing of the admissions office.

My life is going well in many ways. I have a loving family and a job I love, which also pays quite well. And although this is not millions of incomes, I have enough, but I never aspired to big money.

Editor Rosa Piscotina

Project Manager I. Seryogina

Technical editor N. Lisitsyna

Correctors M. Savina

Computer layout E. Sentsova, Yu. Yusupova

Cover artist I. Yuzhanina

Litvak N.

Our good teenagers / Nelly Litvak. – M.: Alpina non-fiction, 2010.

ISBN 978-5-9614-2295-5

All rights reserved. No part of the electronic copy of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including posting on the Internet and in corporate networks, for private and public use, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Introduction

Why me?

My name is Nelly, I'm 38 years old, I'm a mathematician, I live in Holland and work at one of the Dutch universities. I have two daughters. The eldest is sixteen and the youngest is four.

One of my main achievements in life, I consider my trusting relationship with my eldest daughter. Natasha is an absolutely normal teenager, nothing like me at this age. I have always been an excellent student, an activist, a good girl with all the joys and complexes that follow from this. And this one is interested in fashion, girlfriends, modern music and all sorts of expensive electronic toys. Every month she dyes her hair, every day brings her eyes to the color of a T-shirt and flowers on her sandals. She draws tic-tac-toe on her nails, then zebra stripes, then some kind of mother-of-pearl play, which takes two or three precious hours of her youth. A cheerful girl, far from being the first student in the class, dreams of a scooter, changes boys, and so on and so on ... With her explosive character in her face, I could have a little witch in the house and live for several years under screams and slamming doors. But we have peace and silence, and for all our dissimilarity, my daughter trusts me, likes to spend time with me, gets scared when I am unhappy, and obeys when problems arise. At the same time, I am far from being an authoritarian mother, and I never even really punished her.

While writing my first notes, I realized that it does not end with solving problems. This is how the second part of the notes appeared: about why it is interesting and fun to communicate with teenagers and how you can do it.

To my great joy and amazement, the Alpina Non-Fiction publishing house responded to the offer to publish my notes about teenagers. We quickly agreed to make this book and agreed on the content, which, in addition to the first notes in two parts, included three more chapters. The third chapter is about the activities of a teenager with and without parents. The fourth is about conflicts and how to avoid them or at least reduce their number. And the fifth chapter is about upbringing and education in Holland, where the approach to these issues is very different from the Russian one and will be of interest to Russian parents. I must admit that much of what I want to talk about, I learned from my Dutch parents. And they have a lot to learn. According to the latest statistics, Dutch children are the happiest in the world, and 70% of Dutch teenagers have a good relationship with their parents. And since I thoroughly know the Dutch system - from the birth of a child to the university, then who, if not me, should tell about it!

In addition, I tried to comprehend and generalize the experience of my school friends and their parents, the experience of my current friends and their children, as well as the experience accumulated in my family. My grandmother, professor of didactics, is a teacher from God. She worked at the school for a long time and worked all sorts of miracles with teenage students (for example, skiing from Gorky to Moscow with concerts in rural schools). It is customary in our family to be friends with children, this tradition has been going on for four generations. My mother even wanted to write a book about it, but has not written it yet. So I, at least partially, will do it for her.

What You Will Find and What You Won't Find in This Book

We often don't like something about our teens. The easiest way is to start criticizing the child for everything. I will try to explain why this is useless and even very harmful, and I will offer my approach to typical teenage problems. By this I mean the typical problems of well-to-do children: things like poor schoolwork, unwillingness to communicate with parents, differences of opinion, unhealthy eating, begging for money and gifts, excessive flirting, neglect of household duties, a nightmarish mess in the room, discouraging appearance or slamming doors. I have absolutely nothing to offer advice about alcoholism, drugs, crime, leaving home, and other really serious problems. I am convinced that these problems can be prevented, but if trouble has already struck, then you need to urgently seek help from professionals.

I cannot tell you how to deal with each of your child's specific problems. This is very individual, and my only advice is to see the good in children and scold them as little as possible. But I will try to explain a certain general approach to adolescent problems, and if you like it, then you will see for yourself where and how it can be applied.

I am not a professional teenage parent. My thoughts are based on my Russian and Dutch experiences and those of my family and friends. This book is a mother's conversation with other mothers and fathers about what so often worries us about our children and our relationship with them. It seems to me that even just thinking about it, honestly and self-critically, is already very useful for solving many problems, and I hope that my book will help you with this. (As far back as chapter 3, there is a small section addressed to teenagers themselves, which talks about what makes sense to spend time on during adolescence in order to increase the chances of success and happiness in the near future.)

I'm not going to teach you how to raise the perfect child. It's impossible. And you don't need to! But I will do my best to help you build a relationship with the child you have.

I suggest you a long way: first make friends with the child, get to know him well, earn his trust, and only then achieve something from him. It is a winding long road, but I am sure that in education you cannot cut in a straight line. And there is no need to cut it off, because the process is as important as the result. Trusting communication with children, daily joy from the very fact of their existence - this is life, this is happiness.

And the last. I don't know about you, but I like teenagers. So if you expect to hear something like "We were different", then from me you will hear only "We were no better."

Thanks everyone

This book appeared very quickly and unexpectedly for me. But the process of its formation actually began a long time ago, and a lot of people participated in it.

First of all, I am grateful to my mother, who can rightly consider herself the producer of this project. She always believed in my writing ability, and it was her idea to get my theories and stories about teenage parenting down on paper.