Fun Stuff > CHATTER
University/College
Barmymoo:
For my part, my motivations to be here are as follows:
* Study the law (I am interested in it, but do not want to be a lawyer)
* Learn to be independent whilst still having the safety net of my college to help out if I trip up
* Get the chance to try new things (ice hockey, ballet, stage management) that simply wouldn't be available elsewhere
I suppose I am also here because it is necessary in order to get a decent job, but I'm not concerned about my career at the moment. I assume (possibly arrogantly and incorrectly) that I will have very little difficulty getting a job once I've graduated providing I do reasonably well in my degree. True, there are a lot of graduates and not many jobs, but I'm at one of the world's top unis doing one of the hardest courses so if I come through it I'll be very employable.
But to be honest I've always wanted to go to university because I've always wanted to be in an environment where interest in studying is encouraged and normal. I love that I can have a conversation with someone in the kitchen and use words like "antithesis" or "cathartic" or whatever without worrying that the person will think I'm a pompous ass. I'm not saying that there is no other place in the world where this can happen but my automatic presumption is that everyone here accepts that everyone else is smart and also everyone acknowledges that we're here to study and learn.
ackblom12:
--- Quote from: calenlass on 20 Oct 2009, 21:39 ---So is anyone doing it right? Is there anywhere we know of where people are going to uni for personal enrichment and it is actually beneficial to their lives, or maybe sometimes fun?
--- End quote ---
Not since degrees started becoming a requirement for jobs and opened up to the more common folk, who go into crippling debt and need to pay it off, has this been a luxury for most.
Not to say it isn't something that is a nice part of going to Uni when you go, but I don't think I've ever known a single person who wanted to go to Uni for just personal growth and fun. There are plenty of other things you can do for personal growth and fun that don't involve going tens of thousands of dollars into debt if that's actually something you want to do as long as you are okay with not being in the Uni environment.
Drill King:
I am at university fully expecting to get a job that is not in my field of study. I am at university studying exactly this because it is what I am passionate about, what I love, and will help me improve, however the reality is that Arts isn't a big field to get into and if I wanted University As A Career Move, I'd be doing nursing or engineering.
My original point is basically that I really dislike that university is more focused on the piece of paper/the job you get afterwards, rather than a place for academia and growth.
ackblom12:
Fair enough, I know one person.
Social Bacon:
--- Quote from: Drill King on 21 Oct 2009, 17:18 ---My original point is basically that I really dislike that university is more focused on the piece of paper/the job you get afterwards, rather than a place for academia and growth.
--- End quote ---
Bull. Sure the administration and bureaucrats focus on the paper and the bottom line, but that's not what the people are about (well, some students only focus on their career goals, but screw 'em. There's lots of students just looking to learn.) University is what you make of it, most profs love having the oppourtunity to share what they're passionate about, but you have to be the one to initiate it. A prof can't look at a lecture hall full of 200 people and be able to tell apart the students that are just there for their future job and those that are there because they're passionate. If you're the one that approaches the prof you'll find more academia and growth potential than you can possibly imagine. People need to stop bitching about the system and just dive in, take what they want from it and ignore the rest.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version