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Unread 23-04-2006, 23:59
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Re: The promise of college for our generation

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Leung
Let us agree that the best college for us may not necessary the most competitive schools in the country, and let that be that. Jaine, I think you have a good point, one worth standing on, and you shouldn't feel bad expressing what you really think. There must be others out there who believe the same thing (I happened to be one of them).

Getting back to the topic, let me articulate my position further.

While there are many definition for success, for example, getting through a difficult challenge, exploring the world, getting a higher degree, learning how to learn, and finding your passion, which I agree are great achievements for any college students, I think it is more important to look at the flip side of them.

College CAN be many things for many students, but it CAN also be the following things to some students I know:

College is something they want to get over as soon as possible and want nothing to do with afterward.
College is a collection of cutting classes and missing as much work as possible and scrape by with the minimal effort.
School and learning are something they hate, and homework and tests are something they hate worse.
College is something they struggle with, have no idea why they struggle with, and something they don't know how to succeed in.

And here is the worst: College is something someone told them to go to.


I do not disagree there are many cases of success in colleges across the United States. I do, however, want to point out that it seems to me there is a raising feeling of not knowing what the point of college is among the students. I do not yet have any evidence to support this observation, other than observations I made from friends in my school. That's is why I raised this question, becuase I do not know all the facts (I doubt anyone does).

Do you agree, or disagree with this? Is our generation more aware or less aware of the point of college? And is the lack of this awareness the reason why so many students are struggling through college?

Ken,

I think that you are noticing these things because you are in college and are surrounded by students who are struggling and are questioning why they are there. I believe that too many school systems do not address their students' needs when they are children. Academic and career choices should ideally be presented to students starting when they are young, and coursework should be related to real world experiences. Unfortunately for many students, this is just not the case. By high school, they are bored out of their minds and can't wait to get out. Then they are told they must get good scores on the standardized tests and get into "good" schools in order to succeed, but success is not defined for them past that point.

Success involves self-actualization as defined by Maslow (see what I learned in college so many years ago?...lol) - once your needs are met, you want more - to feel like you are important in some way, have made a difference, to feel good about yourself, enjoy a good quality of life. College can help students learn to think for themselves by studying the thoughts and ideas of others, both past and present, by listening to many points of view, and intelligently challenging ideas. Cutting class wastes money and the chance to stretch one's mental wings. Learning takes place every day in someone's life, whether they are in college or not - maybe some college students don't want to learn what they are being taught in class, but I don't think they dislike learning in general. Struggling in college is common - as I've mentioned before, a lot of students aren't prepared, either emotionally or academically, for the rigors of college life and it's frustrating and disheartening.

As for your last comment, sadly I think it is true in many cases that there are students in college who were told to attend, but the reasons for the advice were not divulged. I can tell you from my personal experiences that college is like a finishing school ... graduates have a "polish" that enriches their lives in many ways, no matter what career they ultimately pursue. A college education enables a person to more thoroughly enjoy the company of people from all backgrounds (by understanding and appreciating cultural differences and similarities), to appreciate literature, art, music, travel, to hold their own in a spirited conversation no matter what the topic, to find their particular passion and learn how to learn.

It is true that there are many, many people who have a wonderful quality of life despite never having attended college - but college students are lucky. They have the luxury of the years they spend in school to grow, change and become the people they would like to be. I remember feeling a lot like those students you describe when I started college, but by the time I graduated, I was so different - I had learned how to set goals for myself, tested my limits, and really enjoyed most of the time I spent in school. The size and prestige of the school really has little to do with a student's success, it's more about the student knowing themselves and where they belong.
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