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The College Education - A Gothic Wasteland
The summer before our Freshmen year begins is filled with anxieties and aspirations. In our mind the beginning of college marks off an entirely new life for us, where the word "learning" takes on new definitions. The long awaited freedom will give us the opportunity to learn about life, make interesting friends and above all, gain an education for ourselves. The disillusionment slowly and subtly dawns upon us as freshmen year actually begins.
With the exception of a few classes, the majority of our classes are nothing more than a complete waste of time. It is not long before we find out that studying and learning have no relation to each other. Success in a class is determined purely by the amount of physical effort one is willing to put in. We soon see Darwin's Natural Selection at work where only the fittest survive. Memorization, study guides, and note copying are the only way to get by. Exams are a test of a studentŐs patience not of his or her knowledge. If we attempt to go beyond the scope of the class to learn the material in depth then we find ourselves punished by the unjust grading system. Any vision we had of understanding, appreciating and enjoying the material is shattered by the time we get our mid-terms back. Poorly written textbooks, though the price suggests otherwise, only worsen the situation.
Our grades are a tribute to our memory and not to our intellect. We reach a fork where either we can get our education outside of the class and hopefully not let the system beat us; or we can stay in the arena and continue the struggle. In other words it boils down to what is more important, my life or my grades? Here is where we get our rude awakening. If you ask Mom and Dad they will immediately answer, I want those A's rolling in or else you're out of there boy! They see grades as the only criteria for landing $100,000/year jobs. For them, achievement is measured in dollars and nothing else.
With both the real world and the academic world turned against us, we are left with no other option then to become tools and slaves. Our GPA becomes our stigma of intelligence marking off the inferior from the superior. The time begins to fly as idleness and boredom takes hold of us. We look for relief in our schoolwork since at least that is something to do. The stress and meaningless work builds up as the weeks and wasted weekends pass us by. We become addicts of popular culture. The sad part is that with time we actually enjoy our empty way of life as it is the only identity that we have.
I may sound too cynical but I have only written what I feel to be true. To conclude, education is something we should do for ourselves not for others. Descartes once said, " Truth is ridding oneself of lies." Our education here is just one of them.