Stacey Barchenger

Part of my job as managing editor for the Review is to check the snail mail and sort through messages in the paper’s e-mail inbox.

I sort through letters, promotions and public relations packages to find things I think student readers would be interested in.

In March, I came across something that, for seniors at least, I thought would be interesting. Sponsored by CareerBuilder.com, Apartments.com and
FreeCreditReport.com, the “What’s Your FQ?” quiz supposedly evaluates graduating students’ chance of making it in the “real” post-graduation world.

According to the press release sent to the Review, the Freedom Quotient is “one final exam for the Class of 2008 that will result in the ultimate payoff to give them a leg up in the real world.”

At first the idea sounded interesting, but 20 questions later, I closed my browser window feeling depressed.

Here are my quiz results; you judge them for yourself:

“Oh Snap! You just missed the last train on the fast track. But, you should be used to it by now. Although you always worked hard throughout college, you just stopped short from going all the way. Don’t get discouraged. While you’ll never make it to the top, your strong work ethic will secure you a fine position in middle management. No worries. Since you’ve never been No. 1, you won’t even know what you are missing.

“Start pinching every penny after putting down the security deposit on your sensible studio. Because you’ll always work for the man, you need to maintain those minimum payments on your student loan, credit cards and car payment. Good credit is all you’ve got!”

I know the purpose of this quiz is to get more business for each of the sponsoring Web sites, as this is exemplified in the list of articles following my quiz results that could “improve my Freedom Quotient,” but whatever happened to a positive and motivational outlook?

I’d like someone from Career Services to take a look at these defeatist quiz results and give me their perspective. I miss the days when counselors and professors told people they can do anything they put their mind to, or they can do anything as long as they work hard. To some, that may seem to be an overly-optimistic mindset, just another thing teachers tell students to make them work harder. But I don’t think so.

Encouragement drives me to work harder. If the quiz tells me there is no hope for achieving my goals, then what is the point of working hard?

Encouragement doesn’t sound anything like “you’ll never make it to the top” to me. As a graduating senior I have accepted that I am an adult, but at the same time, I don’t think that means I need to give up all hope of getting a great job. I’m just starting my adult life.

A biased quiz only aiming to increase business is not something I will ever recommend to students. My Freedom Quotient is rated by the site as a B, and I hate to think about what any lower grade would say.

The only press the “What’s Your FQ?” quiz is getting in this newspaper is the opposite of what it was seeking. Don’t visit the Web site; don’t take the quiz.