2008 Woodie Awards
Can't Let Go
Fear of the 'real world' not an excuse to prolong college
Rebecca Bauman
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Opinion
Indeed, my whole life has been a spastic, thrashing reaction to the idea of being alone in the great big competitive ocean that is called "the working world."
I can see why someone might see continuing his or her college education as a kind of life preserver, something to hang on to. "Sink or swim? No, thank you. I'll just float for now."
This seems harsh. And, of course, the majority of students who change their majors or enroll in grad school do so for perfectly legitimate and laudable reasons.
Grad school can't hurt. But if one is attending grad school for the wrong reasons, I imagine the commitment, both financially and in terms of time, might not be beneficial, or perhaps even healthy.
Now, I've never been entirely certain as to whether motivation should enter into the merit of one's college career.
If I'm here because I'm desperate to teach history and he's here because Daddy said he had to be and she's here to get a husband and he's here because he likes to party ... does any of it matter, as long as we're all working toward that common, beneficial goal?
I think so. Because one's motivation is paramount to one's success.
If I'm attending college for the right reasons (not because I'm scared to leave, not because I'm putting off owning up to my responsibilities as a graduate), my goals will afford me the will power to do my best, to find happiness in my education and perhaps even the opportunity to better understand my wants and needs for the future.
But if I'm in school, year after year, simply because I've got nowhere else to go, I am arresting my development, not promoting it.
Some say that college is all about growth, about finding oneself. If that were the case, someone who's burned through five majors should be pretty much found by his or her eighth year as a senior.
However, with every year spent in school, we all have even more questions, more to think about, more to feel and know.
That's because college is only one half of the equation. Any good professor will tell you: The answers, the "knowing" are held in the application of what you learn in school, not in the never-ending anticipation of using it.
I remain supportive of folks who wish to pursue their passions and goals. But not everybody can honestly see what's driving their actions. Sometimes I can't believe we're all capable of detecting our own BS.
If only that was something they could teach you in college.
I can see why someone might see continuing his or her college education as a kind of life preserver, something to hang on to. "Sink or swim? No, thank you. I'll just float for now."
This seems harsh. And, of course, the majority of students who change their majors or enroll in grad school do so for perfectly legitimate and laudable reasons.
Grad school can't hurt. But if one is attending grad school for the wrong reasons, I imagine the commitment, both financially and in terms of time, might not be beneficial, or perhaps even healthy.
Now, I've never been entirely certain as to whether motivation should enter into the merit of one's college career.
If I'm here because I'm desperate to teach history and he's here because Daddy said he had to be and she's here to get a husband and he's here because he likes to party ... does any of it matter, as long as we're all working toward that common, beneficial goal?
I think so. Because one's motivation is paramount to one's success.
If I'm attending college for the right reasons (not because I'm scared to leave, not because I'm putting off owning up to my responsibilities as a graduate), my goals will afford me the will power to do my best, to find happiness in my education and perhaps even the opportunity to better understand my wants and needs for the future.
But if I'm in school, year after year, simply because I've got nowhere else to go, I am arresting my development, not promoting it.
Some say that college is all about growth, about finding oneself. If that were the case, someone who's burned through five majors should be pretty much found by his or her eighth year as a senior.
However, with every year spent in school, we all have even more questions, more to think about, more to feel and know.
That's because college is only one half of the equation. Any good professor will tell you: The answers, the "knowing" are held in the application of what you learn in school, not in the never-ending anticipation of using it.
I remain supportive of folks who wish to pursue their passions and goals. But not everybody can honestly see what's driving their actions. Sometimes I can't believe we're all capable of detecting our own BS.
If only that was something they could teach you in college.
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