Go to Post While we're on the topic of games... there have to be some people who'd be interested in a good round of FIRST ROBOTICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :p :yikes: :D :rolleyes: - Leav [more]
Home
Go Back   Chief Delphi > Other > College & University Education
CD-Media   CD-Spy  
portal register members calendar search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read FAQ rules

 
Reply
Thread Tools Rating: Thread Rating: 3 votes, 5.00 average. Display Modes
  #1   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 17-04-2006, 22:21
Ken Leung's Avatar Unsung FIRST Hero
Ken Leung Ken Leung is offline
Dare to Live!
FRC #0115 (Monta Vista Robotics Team)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: May 2001
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Palo Alto, California
Posts: 2,390
Ken Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond repute
Send a message via AIM to Ken Leung
The promise of college for our generation

I want to post an off topic question because I've been trouble by this question ever since I started college a while ago. I am bringing this up because a lot of my friends are struggling through this issue.

There are a lot of student in college who are there without knowing what they want to do, and what they are going to do after getting out of college. There are a lot of students who even before going to college, already have trouble figuring out what their future is. There are a lot of students who struggle in college without knowing what they are struggling for.

So, I want to post this question to you. Are we setting students of our generation on too high of a dream, promising anything and everything as long as they go to college and get a degree, without backing that promise up with something that helps students realize what path they should take, and what their dreams should be? Are we telling them to take these journeys, without giving them a clear idea of where that journey leads to?

In other words, are we promising too much, and when the students realized they have to have their own dreams and their own goals, and they fall extra hard because there's no one to catch them and show them the way?

I am asking this question in a very general way, because a lot of FIRST students go to college knowing what they want. But I don't see the same for a lot of other students (ie. students who haven't participated in FIRST).

I welcome everyone to join this conversation, whether you are a mentor, high school student, or college student... Please, by all means, go beyond my questions and share with us any thought you have about this subject.
__________________
Hardware Test Engineer supporting RE<C, Google.

1999-2001: Team 192 Gunn Robotics Team
2001-2002: Team 100, 192, 258, 419
2002-2004: Western Region Robotics Forum, Score Keeper @ Sac, Az, SVR, SC, CE, IRI, CalGames
2003-2004, 2006-2007: California Robot Games Manager
2008: MC in training @ Sac, CalGames
2009: Master of Ceremony @ Sac, CalGames
2010: GA in training @ SVR, Sac.
2010-2011: Mechanical Mentor, Team 115 MVRT
Reply With Quote
  #2   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 17-04-2006, 22:29
MrForbes's Avatar
MrForbes MrForbes is offline
Registered User
AKA: Jim
FRC #1726 (N.E.R.D.S.)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Rookie Year: 2006
Location: Sierra Vista AZ
Posts: 5,953
MrForbes has a reputation beyond reputeMrForbes has a reputation beyond reputeMrForbes has a reputation beyond reputeMrForbes has a reputation beyond reputeMrForbes has a reputation beyond reputeMrForbes has a reputation beyond reputeMrForbes has a reputation beyond reputeMrForbes has a reputation beyond reputeMrForbes has a reputation beyond reputeMrForbes has a reputation beyond reputeMrForbes has a reputation beyond repute
Re: The promise of college for our generation

It's probably been that way for at least 40 years....

Seems to me that you have to live life for a while, try out some different careers, to get a feel for what you really want. The problem is that it's so much easier to learn while you're young, but you probably won't know for sure what you want to learn until you're older.

Obvoiusly I don't have a solution for the problem !
Reply With Quote
  #3   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 17-04-2006, 22:33
Eugenia Gabrielov's Avatar
Eugenia Gabrielov Eugenia Gabrielov is offline
Counting Down to Kickoff
FRC #0461 (Westside Boiler Invasion)
Team Role: Alumni
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Rookie Year: 2004
Location: West Lafayette
Posts: 1,470
Eugenia Gabrielov has a reputation beyond reputeEugenia Gabrielov has a reputation beyond reputeEugenia Gabrielov has a reputation beyond reputeEugenia Gabrielov has a reputation beyond reputeEugenia Gabrielov has a reputation beyond reputeEugenia Gabrielov has a reputation beyond reputeEugenia Gabrielov has a reputation beyond reputeEugenia Gabrielov has a reputation beyond reputeEugenia Gabrielov has a reputation beyond reputeEugenia Gabrielov has a reputation beyond reputeEugenia Gabrielov has a reputation beyond repute
Re: The promise of college for our generation

Thanks for these words of wisdom.

I think a lot of the confusion comes from the way students handle the college search, and decide where they are going to apply. I had the fortune of having visited 5 of the 7 schools I applied to before I started the process, so I feel I was at an advantage. However, I want to quote someone who said something very wise about her own search. It deeply impacted me even after I had finished the process - let's just say that since there are people with this mindset, I think things are going to be OK:

Quote:
Originally Posted by BurningQuestion
I applied to only three schools, and was accepted into all of them: RPI, WPI, and University of Miami. All three of them gave me a considerable amount of financial aid/grants/loans, and all three have excellent engineering programs. However, I decided upon the University of Miami for the same reasons that I decided NOT to apply to the Ivy League schools and places like MIT and Caltech.

I believe that I am as bright as any of the people who choose to go to the really prestigious schools, and had it been my goal throughout high school, I could have gotten in and attended those schools. But I am not in love with academics. I am not the type of person who develops a strong passion for receiving perfect grades and test scores. I enjoy learning, but I am not very good at playing the "school game". Managing my time is difficult for me, as is staying organized (gosh darn ADD). Always having a 4.0 average is not my talent, and I never felt the desire to make it the central focus of my high school career. Of course, I always maintained good grades throughout high school (A-/B+/an occasional C), but they weren't perfect. Certainly not the kind of grades that Yale or Harvard would be looking for.

I used to feel bad about the fact that my transcript never seemed to match up with my true potential. However, I now realize that the fact that I DON'T obsess over my GPA means that I would probably HATE being in an environment where every other student was the class valedictorian. This is why I decided that schools like MIT and Princeton were not the right settings for me.

The other reason why I decided against the engineering powerhouse schools because I was interested in being a part of a small engineering program where my professors would know me by name. The University of Miami turned out to be perfect in this aspect because of the size of it's engineering program - only about 200 students in the freshman class. After speaking to many people, and making several visits, I found the atmosphere at the UM College of Engineering to be friendly, nurturing, and almost familial. Not to mention that the engineering program is one of the top 100 in the country. I loved the fact that while I would be working alongside qualified professors and bright students like myself, I would rarely find myself in a high-stress, high-competition situation. Students work TOGETHER on hands on projects, not against each other. Plus, I was enthused by the fact that there has always been 100% job placement for engineering students, and many opportunities exist for hands on undergraduate research.

So, thats my story. I am proud to be a Hurricane and I am totally enthused and excited about the coming four years. My advice: just because a college has a fancy name attached to it, doesn't mean it is the right place for you. If you are not the type of person who enjoys playing the academic "game", look for a college that will nurture you, instead of push you to be a perfect academic.

-- Jaine
Can be found in context here .
__________________
Northwestern University
McCormick School of Engineering 2010
Computer Science

Team 461 for life!
Reply With Quote
  #4   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 17-04-2006, 22:38
Not2B's Avatar
Not2B Not2B is offline
Registered User
AKA: Brian Graham
FRC #0862 (Lightning Robotics)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Rookie Year: 2002
Location: Farmington Hills, Mi
Posts: 401
Not2B has a reputation beyond reputeNot2B has a reputation beyond reputeNot2B has a reputation beyond reputeNot2B has a reputation beyond reputeNot2B has a reputation beyond reputeNot2B has a reputation beyond reputeNot2B has a reputation beyond reputeNot2B has a reputation beyond reputeNot2B has a reputation beyond reputeNot2B has a reputation beyond reputeNot2B has a reputation beyond repute
Re: The promise of college for our generation

I understand Ken's question very well, as it's something my wife has/is going through.

She was told that engineering was hard, and it was something she couldn't do because it was too hard. So.... she proved that wasn't true. She went to University of Michigan, which is not some easy school, and got a degree in Materials Science. Metals and Ceramics (not so much in the polymers.)

She graduated with a high GPA, and didn't really know what to do with that. Worked in a steel mill - hated it, and now works in advertising, which is totally unrelated to what she studied.

But she was always told if she went to college and got a good degree, she would be set for life. But she hated engineering, and had worked several entry level jobs just to make her way through advertising. Had she studied something like art history (something she would enjoy), she would have had an easier time.

Getting a degree isn't a free ride, especially if it's something you don't enjoy.

Besides, college isn't for everyone.

No idea how to fix this. Personally, I try not to push college on everyone - something I used to do. I have recognized that it's not for everyone, figuring out what someone wants to do is more important.
__________________
Brian Graham
Reply With Quote
  #5   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 17-04-2006, 22:47
rufu5's Avatar
rufu5 rufu5 is offline
20something
FRC #5010 (Tiger Dynasty)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Rookie Year: 2000
Location: Indiana
Posts: 175
rufu5 has much to be proud ofrufu5 has much to be proud ofrufu5 has much to be proud ofrufu5 has much to be proud ofrufu5 has much to be proud ofrufu5 has much to be proud ofrufu5 has much to be proud ofrufu5 has much to be proud ofrufu5 has much to be proud of
Send a message via AIM to rufu5
Re: The promise of college for our generation

I can't really comment on the idea of what happens in college or after college to students who "fall extra hard" because I am still only in high school. But as a student who has up to this point had a life totally dedicated to "getting into college" and getting a good score on all the standardized tests, its kind of surreal feeling to actually be going to college in a few months.

For all of the possible pitfalls, I think the ability to fail is a good thing. Take that how you will, but without the possibility of failure, of a true challenge, having to make something for yourself ... isn't the outcome cheapened? I don't really want "a clear idea of where that journey leads to" because that would kind of be like making a robot for FIRST with a full step-by-step instruction manual on how to make the perfect robot. We need the uncertainty that comes with the first small steps of personal independence, we need the chance to change our major, and we need the experience of not getting the first job we interview for. Because otherwise, we'll just take everything we have for-granted.

Most likely my tune will change in 5 years, after I'm out of college and more "mature," but right now so this discussion can have multiple viewpoints that is my view as a senior in high school
__________________
have no fear of perfection, you will never reach it.
-Salvador Dali
Reply With Quote
  #6   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 17-04-2006, 22:52
sanddrag sanddrag is offline
On to my 16th year in FRC
FRC #0696 (Circuit Breakers)
Team Role: Teacher
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Rookie Year: 2002
Location: Glendale, CA
Posts: 8,507
sanddrag has a reputation beyond reputesanddrag has a reputation beyond reputesanddrag has a reputation beyond reputesanddrag has a reputation beyond reputesanddrag has a reputation beyond reputesanddrag has a reputation beyond reputesanddrag has a reputation beyond reputesanddrag has a reputation beyond reputesanddrag has a reputation beyond reputesanddrag has a reputation beyond reputesanddrag has a reputation beyond repute
Re: The promise of college for our generation

The problem I take most notice of in college is the lack of quality education through innovative and creative means. Education has become boring and not very fun at all. Students sleep in class, or skip class, because they can't stand listening to a professor babble on through equations in a room with grey walls, fluorescent lights, and no windows. Professors are teaching how to calculate the way through designing the perfect screwdriver when half the students in the class haven't even held one.

This is a hands on generation. We don't like sitting in cramped little chairs with attached desks barely larger than a sheet of paper while being lectured at.

In many of my college classes, a 50% class average on a test would be considered normal. This is simply unnaceptable.

Education is failing. Nobody wants to stare at a board full of greek letters and complicated equations all day. Nobody wants to labor through a 1000 page math book solving hundreds of integrals. It isn't working. We aren't learning.

Education needs to become more applied and exciting. Right now, at least to me, it is quite boring.
__________________
Teacher/Engineer/Machinist - Team 696 Circuit Breakers, 2011 - Present
Mentor/Engineer/Machinist, Team 968 RAWC, 2007-2010
Technical Mentor, Team 696 Circuit Breakers, 2005-2007
Student Mechanical Leader and Driver, Team 696 Circuit Breakers, 2002-2004
Reply With Quote
  #7   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 17-04-2006, 23:04
Nuttyman54's Avatar
Nuttyman54 Nuttyman54 is offline
Mentor, Tactician
AKA: Evan "Numbers" Morrison
FRC #5803 (Apex Robotics) and FRC #0971 (Spartan Robotics)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Rookie Year: 2005
Location: Seattle, WA/Mountain View, CA
Posts: 2,134
Nuttyman54 has a reputation beyond reputeNuttyman54 has a reputation beyond reputeNuttyman54 has a reputation beyond reputeNuttyman54 has a reputation beyond reputeNuttyman54 has a reputation beyond reputeNuttyman54 has a reputation beyond reputeNuttyman54 has a reputation beyond reputeNuttyman54 has a reputation beyond reputeNuttyman54 has a reputation beyond reputeNuttyman54 has a reputation beyond reputeNuttyman54 has a reputation beyond repute
Send a message via AIM to Nuttyman54
Re: The promise of college for our generation

Quote:
Originally Posted by sanddrag
Education is failing. Nobody wants to stare at a board full of greek letters and complicated equations all day. Nobody want to labor through a 1000 page math book solving hundreds of integrals. It isn't working. We aren't learning.

Education needs to become more applied.
I know how that goes. I'm a senior in high school, and one of my favorite classes this year is AP Phsyics. Yes, it's a hard class, but the teacher makes it engaging with good, hands-on projects.

First we learn about air drag, center of mass and center of pressure, and then we design and build model rockets. We measure their coefficent of drag, the thrust curve of an engine and write excel programs to calculate the predicted height. Put an altimeter in the payload bay, launch and record. This is one of many projects we do. It's fun and it gives context for all the equations, as well as ensuring that we know how to apply them.

That's how school should be taught. Knowing the equations is one thing, but being able to give them context in the real world is entirely different. This is one of the reasons FIRST is so successful at inspiring students. If the education system was able to tap into that, the results could be incredible.
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #8   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 17-04-2006, 23:26
Tim Baird's Avatar
Tim Baird Tim Baird is offline
Design Ninja
FRC #0126 (Gael Force)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: May 2001
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Clinton, MA
Posts: 241
Tim Baird has a reputation beyond reputeTim Baird has a reputation beyond reputeTim Baird has a reputation beyond reputeTim Baird has a reputation beyond reputeTim Baird has a reputation beyond reputeTim Baird has a reputation beyond reputeTim Baird has a reputation beyond reputeTim Baird has a reputation beyond reputeTim Baird has a reputation beyond reputeTim Baird has a reputation beyond reputeTim Baird has a reputation beyond repute
Send a message via AIM to Tim Baird
Re: The promise of college for our generation

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Leung
Are we telling them to take these journeys, without giving them a clear idea of where that journey leads to?
Half of the fun/point of college is that you don't necessarily know where the journey will take you. Sometimes, you have to go out into the world not knowing what the outcome will be, get into some tight situations, and then learn how to come out on top. It's like a bird learning to fly, at some point it has to step out of the nest and fall, hopefully flapping it's wings correctly before it hits the ground.

Of course, I realize that college is expensive and the longer you take to figure out where you want to fit it, the more it will cost you. So, as long as you use only your freshman (and maybe some of sophomore) year to figure things out, you'll be fine.

If it's any consolation, when I graduated from HS, 5 people in the top 10 of the class went to college "undecided".
__________________
Tim Baird
FRC Alum and FRC/FLL Volunteer
Project Engineer @ Nypro

History:
Gael Force 126: 1999-2000
WPI 190: 2001-2004
Gael Force 126: 2005-2010
Event Volunteer Only: 2011-Present
Reply With Quote
  #9   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 17-04-2006, 23:40
b_mallerd b_mallerd is offline
Programmer
FRC #1346 (Trobotics)
Team Role: Programmer
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Rookie Year: 2005
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 35
b_mallerd is on a distinguished road
Send a message via MSN to b_mallerd
Re: The promise of college for our generation

I'm not going to post secondary for another year yet...but I've never had a clear plan where I wanted to go. It's more like I'm going to post secondary to realize what I want to do. I have a general direction (computing science or Environmental science) but no real occupations in mind.

The sad thing is, everyone goes to college for a job...."if you dont go to post secondary you won't have a job (well at least a decent one)". So everyone is flocking to univercity and getting a degree in anything just so they can go out to find work.

I want to go to univercity for higher learning...for deeper understanding of the material. I find classes and subject matters taught in highschool to be woefullly dissapointing and shallow. Nothing is satisfactorily understood by the time the teaher goes "time for a chapter test". I think this is the right reason to go to univercity...I may be wrong...but I won't be entering it as a means by which to find a job...it will be a means to further my understanding in fields of interest.
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #10   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 17-04-2006, 23:53
Gdeaver Gdeaver is offline
Registered User
FRC #1640
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Rookie Year: 2001
Location: West Chester, Pa.
Posts: 1,357
Gdeaver has a reputation beyond reputeGdeaver has a reputation beyond reputeGdeaver has a reputation beyond reputeGdeaver has a reputation beyond reputeGdeaver has a reputation beyond reputeGdeaver has a reputation beyond reputeGdeaver has a reputation beyond reputeGdeaver has a reputation beyond reputeGdeaver has a reputation beyond reputeGdeaver has a reputation beyond reputeGdeaver has a reputation beyond repute
Re: The promise of college for our generation

I went through this with my son who is now finishing his second semester in ME. You don't go to college to learn how to do a job - thats what technical institutes are for and most in this country suck. I told my son that you go to college to learn how to learn. In high school you're more or less spoon fed the basic subjects. You're told exactly what to read and you're lectured in class. The tests are nothing more than a chance to regurgitate the info back. In college you should be practicing the skill of research. By the time you graduate you should be able to teach your self. This is important because the one constant in your future is change. If you can't adapt and constantly re-educate you're self you won't thrive and prosper in whatever career you choose. You have 4 years of not having to deal with the real world. Find yourself, have a good time, explore your horizons, etc. and learn how to learn.
Reply With Quote
  #11   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-04-2006, 00:18
Jizvonius's Avatar
Jizvonius Jizvonius is offline
Registered User
AKA: Jevawn Roberts
FRC #1002 (CircuitRunners)
Team Role: College Student
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Rookie Year: 1997
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Posts: 46
Jizvonius is just really niceJizvonius is just really niceJizvonius is just really niceJizvonius is just really nice
Send a message via AIM to Jizvonius
Re: The promise of college for our generation

Wow Ken,

I started typing replies to your post twice. They got very long and I realized that they still wouldn't do justice to the depth of the questions you just asked or fully portray my response. I was beginning to wonder why it was so hard to get the post going. Then I realized that it was the same difficulty that I have in writing long essays and term papers. It would probably take something of that length to explore the implications of what you have posed.

That said, I will just pose more questions that came up when I tried to answer yours.


In our society what factors define success for students?

Do we encourage quantitatively measuring success? Why or why not?

How else do we measure success?(what is our 'ruler')

In portraying the success of icons, do we abstract the aspects of their journey that we find undesirable? Is knowledge of the full story important?

Are we motivated by hope or guarantees?

If both which one is the stronger motivator?

Which is the better motivator?

There are more, but I'll leave it there........for now.
__________________
Jevawn Roberts
Georgia Tech Mechanical Engineering Senior
Co-Leader - GT FIRST
gtfirst@robojackets.org

1997-2007 w00t for robots!

108-132-408-832-1002
5 teams worth of head scratching
Reply With Quote
  #12   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-04-2006, 00:43
eugenebrooks eugenebrooks is offline
Team Role: Engineer
AKA: Dr. Brooks
no team (WRRF)
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Rookie Year: 2001
Location: Livermore, CA
Posts: 601
eugenebrooks has a reputation beyond reputeeugenebrooks has a reputation beyond reputeeugenebrooks has a reputation beyond reputeeugenebrooks has a reputation beyond reputeeugenebrooks has a reputation beyond reputeeugenebrooks has a reputation beyond reputeeugenebrooks has a reputation beyond reputeeugenebrooks has a reputation beyond reputeeugenebrooks has a reputation beyond reputeeugenebrooks has a reputation beyond reputeeugenebrooks has a reputation beyond repute
Re: The promise of college for our generation

The goal of college is to get an education in a field of study that interests you. In the end, you likely have to go out and get a job so it is useful if the education serves this purpose as well, but if the education itself is not interesting to you a change of venue is in order.

One possible change of venue can be a change of major if you find that an alternative major stokes a fire in you. If your major is not doing that for you it is likely that any follow-on employment in the same field may not stoke a fire either, so a change in venue is all the more important.

If the rigors of college are something that you find unattractive enough to complain about, you should really consider an alternative. There are many career oriented "schools of specialization" that require only one or two years and that provide an attractive employment venue afterwards. There is nothing wrong with these alternatives if they are a fit for you.

I spent a great deal of time building electronic circuits as a teenager 35 years ago (many of these circuits used tubes), and went to college with a passion to become an electrical engineer. In spite of nearly straight As, I was quite bored with the general engineering curriculum and switched to Physics at the end of my first year. I learned, in college, that what I really had a passion for was understanding how physical things worked and I have stuck with it through a Phd, and ever since.

Actively hunt for your passion in college. Hunt your passion until you find a major that is so interesting that even a bad professor is not all that hard to bear. Find a topic of study that drops your jaw when you learn cool things.

For me, it was learning things like Maxwell's equations predicting the speed of light and why the sky is blue. For you, it is likely to be something different, but find your passion you can, and finding your passion is worth the effort that it takes. This is nothing new for today's generation. It has always been this way. If you can look back at your college days 30 years later, and still be thrilled at how cool the topic of study was, in spite of how hard it was, and still want to learn more about it, you are doing the right thing in college.

Seek out your passion, when you find it, it will be worth it...
Reply With Quote
  #13   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-04-2006, 01:15
Ben Lauer's Avatar
Ben Lauer Ben Lauer is offline
Seshambeh Dareh Meyod
no team
Team Role: College Student
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Rookie Year: 2003
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 355
Ben Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond repute
Re: The promise of college for our generation

Quote:
Originally Posted by sanddrag
Education is failing. Nobody wants to stare at a board full of greek letters and complicated equations all day. Nobody wants to labor through a 1000 page math book solving hundreds of integrals. It isn't working. We aren't learning.

Education needs to become more applied and exciting. Right now, at least to me, it is quite boring.
I disagree. With my education I can look at a mass spring system and see a second order linear differential equation with dampening coefficient zeta. When I look at a water tank draining, I see a second order non linear differential equation. You want to know what the greatest part is? Not that I see it, or that I know I can solve it, but that every time I see it, I KNOW it, and I KNOW what it will do. Knowledge is great, anyway we get it.

I thought high school was a waste, and I thought I didn't learn anything important stuff in freshman year of college. I am 5 weeks from the end of my sophomore year, and I am really excited for the next two year because I see the potential for what I can learn and KNOW! And those first 5 years of my secondary schooling where necessary in order to learn at the new level.

I think that applying the knowledge can happen properly until you think you know what is going to happen, and realized why you were wrong.
Reply With Quote
  #14   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-04-2006, 01:22
Ben Lauer's Avatar
Ben Lauer Ben Lauer is offline
Seshambeh Dareh Meyod
no team
Team Role: College Student
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Rookie Year: 2003
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 355
Ben Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond reputeBen Lauer has a reputation beyond repute
Re: The promise of college for our generation

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gdeaver
I told my son that you go to college to learn how to learn. In high school you're more or less spoon fed the basic subjects. You're told exactly what to read and you're lectured in class.
I have a personal example of this.
My father is a biology teacher at Ball State University. When he teaches freshman bio, he makes them do the following.
He holds up a blue card, he says, "what color is this"
- They respond, "blue"
He says, that is how you learn in high school, regurgitation of facts.
He holds up the card again and asks "why is it blue"
- They mumble something about absorption of light.
He states, that is college.
And he continues on by asking "now what do i need to do to make the color red?"

It isn't what you know, but how you know it and how you can apply the knowledge.
Reply With Quote
  #15   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-04-2006, 01:30
Jaine Perotti Jaine Perotti is offline
...misses her old team.
AKA: BurningQuestion
FRC #0716 (The Who'sCTEKS)
Team Role: Alumni
 
Join Date: May 2004
Rookie Year: 2003
Location: Melbourne, FL
Posts: 979
Jaine Perotti has a reputation beyond reputeJaine Perotti has a reputation beyond reputeJaine Perotti has a reputation beyond reputeJaine Perotti has a reputation beyond reputeJaine Perotti has a reputation beyond reputeJaine Perotti has a reputation beyond reputeJaine Perotti has a reputation beyond reputeJaine Perotti has a reputation beyond reputeJaine Perotti has a reputation beyond reputeJaine Perotti has a reputation beyond reputeJaine Perotti has a reputation beyond repute
Send a message via AIM to Jaine Perotti Send a message via MSN to Jaine Perotti Send a message via Yahoo to Jaine Perotti
Re: The promise of college for our generation

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugenia Gabrielov
Thanks for these words of wisdom.

I think a lot of the confusion comes from the way students handle the college search, and decide where they are going to apply. I had the fortune of having visited 5 of the 7 schools I applied to before I started the process, so I feel I was at an advantage. However, I want to quote someone who said something very wise about her own search. It deeply impacted me even after I had finished the process - let's just say that since there are people with this mindset, I think things are going to be OK:



Can be found in context here .
I appreciate your reference to my post Genia.

I am very tired, and I want to go to bed soon, so I think I will make a longer post regarding the subject of this thread at a later date. However, the fact that Genia brings up my post warrants a quick response in regards to it on my part.

I was talking to a good friend on line tonight, who told me that there were a few people who were offended by the post I made about my college search. They felt that I was "stereotyping", making "generalizations", and undermining the hard work that they put into making into the "elite" schools such as MIT, Caltech, etc.

I want to take this opportunity to clarify the intentions of that post, because it is relevant to this thread topic.

My intention in writing that post was not to insult anyone. My true intention was to point out that the Ivy League isn't necessarily the best place for all "bright" students. Many times, students hold the misconception that the more "competitive" the school is, the better the education they will receive there.

The above statement does NOT mean that I believe the elite schools can't offer any students a good education. There are many different types of learners, and I happen to be the kind who doesn't do well at strenuous academic work, but excels at hands-on, non-competitive work. However, there are certainly students who excel in the atmospheres that the Ivy League schools provide. It's all a matter of whether or not your work habits are compatible with the environment that is offered by the school.

In writing that post, I wanted to offer an alternative perspective to the students out there who are similar to me - those who don't do well with "academics", but love learning anyways. I wanted to explain to future college students that the highly competitive schools are not necessarily the BEST place for them to get an education. Just because a school is well known doesn't mean that it will be conducive to your work habits. In my opinion, choosing a school for it's "name" (not its characteristics), is just as bad of a choice as picking a school because "your friends are going there." There is just no guarantee that it will be the best place for you. I realized that the highly competitive schools weren't the right place for me, and I am encouraging all prospective college students to consider what the best environment truly is for them.

No matter what school a student gets into, the same amount of congratulations and respect should be given to anyone who recognizes and chooses the school most compatible with their learning style. I am just as proud of the friends of mine who got in to Dartmouth (because it was the best school for them) as the friends of mine who are opting to do to community college (because it was the best school for them), and you should too.

If you take issue with either of my posts, I am sure it is because I am not explaining it well enough. If something bothers you, please PM me, and I will do my best to clarify my statements.

-- Jaine
__________________
Florida Institute of Technology
Ocean Engineering, '12

Last edited by Jaine Perotti : 18-04-2006 at 02:06.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
True things heard at college. Billfred Chit-Chat 46 07-11-2005 15:21
College FIRSTers: What was your transitional year? Erin Rapacki General Forum 15 04-02-2005 22:38
College Students: How is your experience in FIRST? Ken Leung General Forum 30 18-03-2004 10:38
Full list of teams & competitions archiver 2001 14 24-06-2002 00:52
Promoting FIRST in college: an idea archiver 1999 1 23-06-2002 22:06


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 00:36.

The Chief Delphi Forums are sponsored by Innovation First International, Inc.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © Chief Delphi