Monday, October 8, 2012

To be or not to be a College Student? That is the Question

"College dorms alone teaches you respect for other people and their space. It also teaches you patience. A lot of patience," said Mary Clarke when is the question "Is college good enough?"

I think college is good enough for anyone. I have been here a little over a month and I'm learning money management just with trying to watch my flex dollars.


I asked my upper classman friend Jay did he think college was good enough and he said, "College is different than high school. That is all I can say, in general. I know people who barely passed high school, who then did great in college. Likewise, I saw people get all A's in high school, and fail out of college in 2 years. It depends on the college, and more importantly, it depends on you. In college, there is (generally) less emphasis on homework and the day-to-day happenings of class. There, you either pass the test or you do not. The professor does not care if you do your homework; he only cares if you know the material. Attendence is generally not mandatory. You are PAYING for the privilege of attending, so it is assumed you will. If you mess up, unlike high school, you cannot bring in your parents to talk to your teacher and fix your grade. You are an adult, and responsible for your own failings...and successes."


I do agree with Noam Chomsky when he says that "Public education is under attack all over the world," but I believe some people don't go into college with the right mindset so it might be a little harder for them to adjust and stay on task. Mark David Milliron said, "Although we—the educators and technologists—certainly are going to work hard to make education more enjoyable, it will still mean effort on your part. This is not edutainment; it's education."
I believe in success and college for me is just another way of being successful. A college degree can help anyone get closer to being whatever it is they want to be in the workplace. It's a little harder work than grade school and high school, but it's worth the work. And it's not just for young people that come straight out of high school.There are people who are 30+ who go back to school everyday with the same hopes as a younger person, to get an education. "74 percent of graduates from four-year colleges say that their education was “very useful in helping them grow intellectually," according to a Pew Research Survey.
 
Dr. Rich Conway said,"College may be expensive, but the only thing more expensive than getting a college education is not getting one. The income differential empowers you to make choices that enrich your life."