Educational Pursuit. Part II
First of all massive thanks to everyone who comments on the last post! Good, bad, indifferent or completely hating (I see you folks! In the words of Kanye “At least you feel something!), I appreciate you guys commenting in the completely unheard of way you did. Hopefully it continues.
So not too long ago I guess it was that I sat down to write a blog post similar to this one and ended up going off on a veritable rant about my inner conflict with attending college. As I type right now I am sitting in my on-campus apartment, with two papers due at the end of week, and approximately 442-and-a-half pages of reading to finish for my classes this week alone. The work load is probably more than enough to make anyone question why they would willingly sign up for such treatment, much less pay over 20 thousand dollars a year but for the moment that isn’t my particular gripe. Also this may only extend to my personal University and maybe I’m the only one who feels this way but this is supposed to be my forum for thought no?
Straight up here is the essential problem. We can’t all be Van Wilder.
My campus. Kind of nice no? Makes you want to throw frisbee like youre the school brochure no?
I almost wish I could using a certain seven letter accentuating curse word there to strengthen the above statement but alas who knows when my grandmother who just discovered the wonders of the internet may be stopping by for a read.
I go to a University that has an enrollment of over 40,000 students. That is quite massive. Now of this utterly over-the-top number of young adults, I would say that probably 10% want to be studying at University. Ok I’ll be generous, 15%. Fluctuation here and there from year to year sure, but that is the number I’m going to stick by, 15%.
That other 85 percent, the overwhelming majority, is enrolled at school for one of three reasons.
1). It was the necessary next step after high school.
2).Their parents demanded it.
3). They want to be Van Wilder.
I cannot tell you how many times I speak to a student who has absolutely no idea of why they are at college. Now at the most basic level there is nothing immediately wrong with not knowing what you want to do at school. Hell, I don’t even have a major because I can’t decide what I want to study but there is an essential difference between myself and the vast majority, the 85%. I want to learn. I want to sit in class for two hours and walk away smarter for it. I take whatever class interests me at the time of registration with no regard to a major because I simply want to learn as much as possible.
Here is my problem with the 85% coming to school and not having a desire to be there or a purpose. An utter and complete waste of time, money, and resources. If you have no desire to sit in class, what is the worth of sitting in the back of class on simultaneously browsing TMZ on your laptop, texting your BFF, eating lunch and sleeping. All at once, yes sleeping as well-I’ve seen it. Why would you waste four years of your life to embark on an educational journey you have no desire to be a part of? Not only do you waste the time of your professor, but more importantly you waste your own time. Times you’re never going to get back from the prime of your life. Surely college is an amazing place and you can have attempt to have your Van Wilder-frat party-esq experience but the end result is so depressing. Four years wasted in classes doing something you didn’t want to do in the first place.
Princeton University. Years ago. Maybe we need to bring back the suit?
Here is my solution, don’t go to college. Go get a job, or go get a dream. Go get a bottom level job working at the mall, local Italian restaurant or mechanic shop and see how you like it. Than when you realize that you have an undying and burning passion to never work that sort of job again in your life? Woah there young man! Now you enroll in college. An educational epiphany will ignite in your head and those same classes you would have been sleeping in a year prior will transform into your every desire. You’ll sit at the front of the class and ask so many questions the kids in the back will want to fight you afterward but low and behold you have a reason for being there!
I guess this goes back to my original problem with school, the fact that it is a “necessity,” something we are required to do in order to achieve success in out society. It’s about time we threw that concept out of the window. It’s breeding a generation of college age kids (15% excluded, shouts to the students who don’t stop asking questions.) who quite literally sleep walked through 5 years and 100,000 dollars of school and are graduating with degrees they didn’t want in the first place.
So to my college age peers, let’s wake up and take some pride in what we are doing or just leave school in general. I have 100 times more respect for the local kid who leaves after high school to pursue a working career because he has no desire to go to college than for the kid who heads off to college because “Oh yeah I mean what else am I going to do?” Suffering suckatash, if I didn’t have these scholarships and jobs on campus I would not be here. But while I’m here I have a desire to learn. More importantly perhaps I’ve got a dream as well. But that’s for another day.
Stay Safe-Phil.
Well put, good luck this semester, fighting the same battle over here.
I could express how I feel about this post in so many words but as of now the only ones that seem suitable are “amen brother”.
dunno if you ever listened to loveline, but adam carolla famously ranted nonstop about how useless junior college/community college was. his reasoning being that a certain amount of the populace is just bound to end up working a menial trade (as opposed to something that requires a university-level background), so why fool yourself? feel like your post related a bit. nothing wrong with working a trade sincerely, and understanding that the expectations and stigma that come with a college education are generally maxims to spout and not necessarily considerate of individual situations. moral being, do something realistic and do it sincerely, and it will help the whole machine along.
you have to love how the majority of people who dont want to learn hate on the people who do want to learn and claim them to be bookworms nerds (the bad kind) and socially awkward . However they are the majority and deep down are miserable and like my uncle said misery loves company so they will stick together to hate the ones that are there putting their work in and making use of their time instead of partying and wasting their life
ps..my uncle should know he is the mayor of college station texas home to texas A & M
15% is pretty generous, my dude.
I definitely understand where you’re coming from man. I’m currently at smaller school in CT (I’m from Jersey). Sometimes I think why the hell am I here. I’m a music industry major so that’s even more tempting. My degree will most likely not do shit for me, when trying to find a job. I want to learn but when I’m in classes I see never helping me out, it frustrates me. My parents are always talking about the connections and life lessons you’ll learn. I haven’t made those life long connections yet, met some cool people but none really going for what I’m trying to do. Honestly as much as I think about I’ll never dropout, maybe transfer. But what I’m doing now, can’t go on for much longer. But good luck man.
i argee with to some point but most students desire a higher education to an extent that highschool didnt offer them in the field that theyre most interested. Nothings wrong with that. Not all students just want a good job in 4 years. If so they still get alot get more than they bargained for in those four years plus a job and maybe a better path to success no matter the career they choose in the future.
I agree but some students are not 100% ready for college going in. I think students slacking off is better for the students that do hard work. School especially college is a form of COMPETITION. Who has the highest grades ? Who graduates on the top of their class ? So if school is your thing and your into learning as much as you say you are that’s an excellent thing but no one is going to be as dedicated and on the same level as you are no matter what we are talking about (playing the piano, designing clothes, photography etc.). So consider it a blessing that their are people your more focus than in somethings. Imagine everyone being the same level basketball player or artist I can’t even imagine that. Some people are going to practice more than others same as learning; Some students are going to be into learning more than others.
You maintain this particular viewpoint now but I think it’ll change down the road. I myself fell into the majority that you deem are the 85% that don’t have a clue what’s going on. I cruised through school, not doing well and didn’t put very much effort in and I was satisfied with being sub-standard at the time. I’m night and day now, and perhaps I had to thank those days of mediocrity to help kick-start things.
Yet looking back, school for what it is, it’s not the only thing to take away from your post-secondary education and that piece of paper. The experiences and interactions are very much an important aspect of the overall life of a university student. Of course this is only evident its importance after the fact of the matter and not inherently clear to all cause some just don’t have the skills/understanding/balls to perform an honest self-analysis during and after they graduate. Self-analytical skills are by far one of the most important and under-valued skills a person can have. Your ability to objectively determine your place in the world without lying to yourself is the first step to success. If you know where you stand, you know where you need/want to go. I didn’t have that level of analysis back then but I think university put me on that right road to getting that way.
I didn’t go to school for blogging obviously, yet I wouldn’t go back and change anything about getting a degree from school that would go on to have little application in its most literal sense on my future outlook. The non-tangible aspects of life are just as important as the tangible parts and they come together as one. I just so happened to score an A+ on the other parts in my own opinion.
I don’t necessarily think your idea of not pursuing school after high school is a bad one, it’s simply another option.But at the end of the day, dumb, narrow-minded people stay that way. If you’re open-minded and act like a sponge for life, school or not you do stand a good change of succeeding.
-Eugene
Well put Phil,
It took a year of working after high school for me to open my eyes and figure out what I wanted to do. Now I’m in college taking music business and I couldn’t be happier.
-myke
Although I’m clearly part of 85% you describe in your post, I think you’re totally right. I’m a Third year exchange student right now I’m typing this comment in my on campus dorm room in London (Ontario, Canada) and I’am form Holland/The Nerherlands. In Holland the situation is even ‘worse’ then the 15% against the 85%, at home I’am in a class with 20 students (pretty small I know, language classes like spanish, german, english and international trade marketing and research) only 5 of those 20 students ask questions and I’m not one of them, simply cause I don’t feel like asking cause I understand the stuff I’m learning at the moment. I appreciate the fact that I government kinda finance plan and small scholarship form my school to be here, but over here it’s pretty much the same I get the stuff I’m getting teached here and don’t feel the need to ask questions.
Although I don’t feel the need to ask questions I enjoy learning, as long as the courses/subjects interest me and as long as I learn something from which I think i can use it later on in my life.
And obviously my english sucks, but heey that’s why I’m an exchange student, not to only learn from my professors in class but also learn form fellow students and random people on campus, for me it is the overall learning experience that matters not only the in class performance. But that’s my view on it.
-Sjoerd
p.s. my sincere apalogies for the grammaticaly bad writing.
Hmm my 5 students against 20 students, 25% sucks. But you get my point, in Holland you get something called study finance if you go to college and/or university, so that’s the main reason many youngsters just decide to go into college, try it and then drop out after two months.
and one edit on my first post, * grammatically xD (men I suck at english)
Good shit. I have been a supporter of the suit Idea since high school. I think that the process of getting your gear together. ironing, shining your shoes and tying a tie gets me in the frame of mind I need for advancement. I am a part of the 15%. I don’t have the best grades but I value learning above all else. I love to get into debates and arguments just to find a common ground or completely hate the person I am engaging with.(not for too long though) I am interested to know the name of your streetwear line. I am in the process of starting a lil something called “Toxic Cotton”. I just got my bachelors degree in graphic design from the art institute of philadelphia. I hated it until the morning after graduation then I started doing twice the work I did there just to satisfy my urge to feed my creativity.
Again, Good Shit.
Cotton_T
With my 3rd academic year of my Masters course in Urban Planning, at the red brick, University of Liverpool in England commencing this week, your post could not be more relative to the current situation I find myself in. I was happy to find that a dude I relate to in both music, fashion and social activities, also shares the same problem as myself within his University, even though we are different sides of the pond. The situation over here is ridiculous, I currently attend a top school in Liverpool and I see the same problems as yourself each day; and yet there are two other school’s in the city that are full of students who have even poorer grades, lower aspirations, and livers filled with even more copious amounts of alcohol and drugs from their constant partying and wreckless living. 15% is a generous figure Phil, I’d say we’re dealing with less than 10% of students in Univeristy who actually want to learn. It appears this is an international problem my friend, and I cannot see it improving any time soon.
Mac
I couldn’t agree more. Attending a university should not determine how much success a person will have in the future and people should not feel pressured to attend.
As a high school senior this post was very thought provoking. Thank you very much Phil.
This is well put…and I totally agree with you. To bad others can’t see that logic
I feel you man, kids should’nt be pressured into college, and truly there only a few jobs that actually require a degree
wait, what about the people that play sports that are on scholarship? what percantage do they fit into ?
“The Roots of Violence: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience,, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice, Politics without principles & KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT CHARACTER” — M K Gandhi
COLLEGE IS NOT THE ANSWER I SUGGEST YOU DROPOUT AND BECOME AN ENTREPENUER, YOU SEEM VERY BRIGHT BY THE WAY, IT SEEMS LIKE A JOB IS NOT FOR YOU, YOU ARE THE TYPE THAT THINKS OUTSIDE THE BOX, SO WHY GO TO A COLLEGE TO END UP IN THE BOX (CUBICLE
Extremely late on this post, but i had to put one down.
Sir Lochness I do see the intention in this post and it is indeed true for many but just like Eugene from the HB team, I think there is more at hand to consider.
I know that in my particular case I came to college with the intention of reading astrophysics, but after two semesters I figured that cosmology was something that i enjoyed reading about but not particularly do for myself. I embraced a closer passion and am now completely about pure mathematics. Although my intentions are to enter academia, there is no guarantee that i ll become a math professor but i will nonetheless pursue into learning as much about modern mathematics as i can at over $50,000/year.
And though i had not anticipated it i ve grown new passions for modern philosophy theories, music, art history and a variety of other tangents which i will most likely never use in my professional career. This is to show that even those who think that they have it or at least had it figured, sometimes do not. And physics was not a random choice i had made going to college, it was something i was passionate about through h.s. but it got dull and became something i no longer felt connected to. I got a new clue and developed a new interest in math, i made some solid connections that had very little if any ties to my primary interest and those connections will help me maintain a safe future .
My point is simply to be passionate about learning or at least open to it, even if you have no clue at first you can always figure it out later.
Hold up, I work at the mall AND go to college! Because I want to learn! And I also want money!
A bro i agree 100%. I been outta high skoo for a year now n i jus figured out wat i wanna do wit fashion n music so since i now kno wat wanna learn it makez the whole experience worth it.
i go to a Jewish school- GWU. and when i say that these kids are not looking to learn, i mean it. Everyone has a Porsche, BMW, or Lexus. the library is a called “cafe gel man”, all the girls sit outside look cute with cigarettes and strong perfume. they are all looking for rich Jewish husbands, case close… the only people who want to learn are the people in my women in global politics class, you know people who care about human rights issues… etc… well written…