If you're graduating college and not ready to 'adult,' UC Berkeley has a class for that.
Two Berkeley undergraduates, Jenny Zhou and Belle Lau, are teaching a new class aimed at preparing soon-to-be graduates for integration into the work-force.
Students learn basic life skills, like creating and sticking to a budget, building a resume, and getting advice on how to have healthy romantic relationships in an era of online communication.
"A lot of times, technology can distract a lot of students if they want to study, but I think the course talks a lot about time management and ways to defeat your procrastination and it's helping a lot of students," Zhou told Cheddar.
The two undergraduate students teach 30 of their peers how to be "adults-in-training."
"One of the most important concepts we teach is budgeting and financial awareness, as well as how to manage our stress as we're trying to navigate through life," Zhou said.
The class focuses on soft skills too, like interviewing and conflict resolution, which helps students "feel more prepared to enter the so-called 'real world,'" Lau said.
Students who are nervous about graduating still need to pass this class. Zhou and Lau told Cheddar they grade students based on participation, discussion responses, and a final presentation. When the class first debuted last spring, its 30 spots were quickly filled. More than 200 students filled out applications for the second iteration this semester.
Lau explained what motivated her to help start the class. "Once we enter college and we have to learn to be on our own and be independent. That's when I realized 'wow' there are a lot of things that I don't know how to do and I don't think that I'm necessarily ready yet to be on my own."
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A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
