Have no fear, this isn’t a post about the value of a college education. Personally, I think that is a tired discussion that is talked about too often for no particular reason. This is more about why we’re not getting the most from that education.
I took four years of Spanish throughout my schooling and never really came close to ever being fluent. Ultimately, I quit taking classes simply because I fulfilled the foreign language requirements for my college and frankly, figured getting a good grade would be a heck of a lot easier taking any subject taught in English.
Basically, the fear and pressure of making as good of a grade as possible prevented me from learning the subject simply because I wanted to. Really, the same went for other classes in subjects where I really did want to learn about the topic, but, in my mind, couldn’t afford to approach it with passion because I had definitions to memorize and practice questions to answer.
Now that I’ve had my diploma in hand (or…in a tube in the corner of my bedroom) for over a year, the pressure to make grades is gone, and I’ve found myself wanting to learn things just because I want to learn them. Teaching myself HTML/CSS, trying to relearn Spanish, it’s all easier now that there’s no pressure involved.
Trust me, I’m not saying “away with grades,” as they certainly serve a purpose, but it made me wonder if others have observed something similar in their own experiences. Is there something we missed out on while
Do you find yourself having a greater appetite to learn now that you’re done with college? Why do you think that is? How can we use this to make our education system stronger?
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I find myself thinking about taking a few classes here and there in things I would never want a career in, but are my hobbies like fashion illustration and cooking. I spent so much of my time in college fulfilling the requirements of my major and minor that I had no time to take an extracurricular in something I'm interested beyond my career in PR. No, I don't regret my career choice, in fact I love PR, but I thought colleges were all about well-rounded education? Maybe if I'd been able to take an extra class in environmental studies instead of the statistics I'll never use, I'd spend less time researching for one of my green clients. My vote is for fewer “liberal arts” requirements and more flexibility to dabble in other areas beyond your major.
I totally agree, Sara, all of the requirements you're forced to meet in college really prevent you from being able to take some of the classes that you'd really like to. It would be tough to convince me that learning about Western Civilization up to the year 1500 will serve me any better than taking a graphic design course (not to mention I'll enjoy it a lot more). Maybe they just want to be able to keep their history professors employed, though
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Sara!
I don't know that my appetite has grown as much as it has evolved. I've developed a craving for new areas of study to become more well-rounded. I completely know what you mean about the academic and social pressures influencing your choice of class though. For me the time of the class was much more important than the difficulty. In no way did I want a class before 10:00am.
Are you thinking of going back to school full time?
Interesting stuff, Jake. See, I was okay with early classes, but often ran into conflicting times that kept me from being able to take them, but you're right, that's definitely something else that made it difficult.
I'd definitely like to go back to school eventually for my MBA, whether that be going full-time or part-time, we'll just have to see. You're planning on going back eventually, too, right?