on University
Not everyone should attend university.
There, I've said it. I'll probably get some angry people calling me "elitist!" or whatever, but for those of you who want to know why, hear me out:
I'm not saying that people who are unable to financially afford university shouldn't attend, nor if they're from a different "class" or a different colour, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Its not about such base segregations. Nor would I recommend everyone who does well at high school to attend a university - even though they may have the intellectual capacity.
I guess the word I'm looking for here is "maturity" - a certain level of maturity ought to be expected at university. I mean, come on. you live on your own (with a few exceptions,), no one is keeping track of whether you're going to class or no, and you're with the top 10% of your intellectual peers. It's not enough to simply be smart - you have to be able to cope with a much increased workload, organized enough to keep your schedule, responsible enough to pay your bills, turn in your homework, and stable enough to not crack under the pressure. it's not an easy life - but for those who can handle it, it's a very good one.
What bothers me today is not so much the age of the students coming into universities these days (though the fact that 16 year olds are coming in is a little disconcerting), but the idea that as a part-time instructor, I am expected to pander to their every "need" and act basically as a high school teacher; that is, make them feel warm and comfy and not get them worked up about marks by giving a bad one. If these students cannot handle getting a bad mark in first year (on an assignment worth a mere fraction of their mark no less), what is going to make them capable of handling a poor mark later on? Especially if they expect the rest of university to be just like high school? Is there even a point to giving marks anymore, if I'm not supposed to offend or upset anyone? How does one learn in such an environment if their work is good or not? How are these people going to function in life, where everything is either "correct" or "unacceptable"? No part marks given in life, sadly. I'm not opposed to giving help, or changing curriculum if people are genuinely struggling. But the idea of watering down a course (even an introductory course) to the point where no one is being challenged to grow, give vague marks so that people don't freak out over a single point, and the vast majority of students end up BORED out of their SKULL is a serious problem. No one is winning from that course, no matter how many students get pulled in by it.
My Advice:
If you're 16, 17 or 18: and you don't know what you want to do with your life, take off a year or two and stay at home and work, if you can - you'll need something in the way of funds to help you get through university anyway, and every bit of cash helps. Take some time to figure things out. It's okay if you don't go straight away after graduating high school - they won't exclude you just because you didn't apply in your final year of school! Oh, and don't expect a university degree to automatically equate to a job. For that, go to college -there are many wonderful programs out there which are less expensive, less time-consuming, and more job-oriented than are at university. University is about higher learning: the theory and ideas behind and comprising the many subjects you started learning about in primary school. So think about what you want and then go for it!
Parents - recognize that once your child leaves home and enters university, they are considered by the world to be an adult. It would be wise and beneficial for both you and your student to treat them as such - it helps build confidence in them as they hone and refine their abilities, prepares them for the responsibilities of an adult life, and takes a load off of you for caring for them. In addition, there are policies now at most, if not all, universities that state unless your child permits you to do so, you are not allowed to request their personal information (marks, etc.) - as they are adults. Also, respect your child's desires and passions, in spite of them not fitting with your own designs for their life - this will make things much easier as it will allow your son or daughter to be who they really are, and you will avoid estranging them from you by trying to force them to do something they don't really enjoy in order to try and please you. Finally, don't bail them out on every occasion - part of adulthood is learning to deal with adversity, and it's pretty hard to learn to deal with it if every time it comes along, someone else whisks it away and deals with it for you. You can inadvertently destroy your child by not allowing them to deal with their own problems.
There, I've said it. I'll probably get some angry people calling me "elitist!" or whatever, but for those of you who want to know why, hear me out:
I'm not saying that people who are unable to financially afford university shouldn't attend, nor if they're from a different "class" or a different colour, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Its not about such base segregations. Nor would I recommend everyone who does well at high school to attend a university - even though they may have the intellectual capacity.
I guess the word I'm looking for here is "maturity" - a certain level of maturity ought to be expected at university. I mean, come on. you live on your own (with a few exceptions,), no one is keeping track of whether you're going to class or no, and you're with the top 10% of your intellectual peers. It's not enough to simply be smart - you have to be able to cope with a much increased workload, organized enough to keep your schedule, responsible enough to pay your bills, turn in your homework, and stable enough to not crack under the pressure. it's not an easy life - but for those who can handle it, it's a very good one.
What bothers me today is not so much the age of the students coming into universities these days (though the fact that 16 year olds are coming in is a little disconcerting), but the idea that as a part-time instructor, I am expected to pander to their every "need" and act basically as a high school teacher; that is, make them feel warm and comfy and not get them worked up about marks by giving a bad one. If these students cannot handle getting a bad mark in first year (on an assignment worth a mere fraction of their mark no less), what is going to make them capable of handling a poor mark later on? Especially if they expect the rest of university to be just like high school? Is there even a point to giving marks anymore, if I'm not supposed to offend or upset anyone? How does one learn in such an environment if their work is good or not? How are these people going to function in life, where everything is either "correct" or "unacceptable"? No part marks given in life, sadly. I'm not opposed to giving help, or changing curriculum if people are genuinely struggling. But the idea of watering down a course (even an introductory course) to the point where no one is being challenged to grow, give vague marks so that people don't freak out over a single point, and the vast majority of students end up BORED out of their SKULL is a serious problem. No one is winning from that course, no matter how many students get pulled in by it.
My Advice:
If you're 16, 17 or 18: and you don't know what you want to do with your life, take off a year or two and stay at home and work, if you can - you'll need something in the way of funds to help you get through university anyway, and every bit of cash helps. Take some time to figure things out. It's okay if you don't go straight away after graduating high school - they won't exclude you just because you didn't apply in your final year of school! Oh, and don't expect a university degree to automatically equate to a job. For that, go to college -there are many wonderful programs out there which are less expensive, less time-consuming, and more job-oriented than are at university. University is about higher learning: the theory and ideas behind and comprising the many subjects you started learning about in primary school. So think about what you want and then go for it!
Parents - recognize that once your child leaves home and enters university, they are considered by the world to be an adult. It would be wise and beneficial for both you and your student to treat them as such - it helps build confidence in them as they hone and refine their abilities, prepares them for the responsibilities of an adult life, and takes a load off of you for caring for them. In addition, there are policies now at most, if not all, universities that state unless your child permits you to do so, you are not allowed to request their personal information (marks, etc.) - as they are adults. Also, respect your child's desires and passions, in spite of them not fitting with your own designs for their life - this will make things much easier as it will allow your son or daughter to be who they really are, and you will avoid estranging them from you by trying to force them to do something they don't really enjoy in order to try and please you. Finally, don't bail them out on every occasion - part of adulthood is learning to deal with adversity, and it's pretty hard to learn to deal with it if every time it comes along, someone else whisks it away and deals with it for you. You can inadvertently destroy your child by not allowing them to deal with their own problems.
posted by NinjaRaven at 12:07 PM
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