It is really easy to hop on the anti college education bandwagon. Yes, there are problems with college curriculum especially with exercise science and nutrition, but there are also a lot of excellent skills that are learned in college. I also realize that anyone can learn these skills on their own if they are willing to put in the time. With that said, I’d like to provide a few reasons for why I enjoyed college and I hope that others can do the same thing. College is an amazing opportunity that should be taken advantage of when appropriate. I spent six years in college studying Exercise Science (4 undergrad, 2 grad) and another 8 months finishing up my Master’s thesis.
Reasons for College (focusing primarily on educational rather than social).
1. You learn the research process from formulating a hypothesis, finding funding, literature review, carrying out the experiment and then writing it up. Research is not just a simple thing for most to do. There are stringent requirements to follow if you want to get your research published in a reputable journal.
2. You get the opportunity to interact with the scientific community on a daily basis. But this is only if you push the envelope. You have to go to office hours, attend extra sessions. You can learn the process that they go through to formulate their lectures.
3. You learn independant work ethic. There is no hand-holding in college. You don't show up to class, that is your problem, not the professors. Nobody has to graduate college!
4. Networking - the guy or gal sitting next to you could be a future business contact or even your boss or employee some day.
5. You learn physiological mechanisms and the underlying biology.
6. You slowly develop a library of reference texts, articles, lectures and handouts.
There are so many other reasons and I may add some as I come up with them. We already have plenty of negative posts about college education, so lets see if we can create one that brings up the positive aspects. Please add your reasons for a college education. The forum's high school and college participants deserve to hear both sides.
I couldn’t agree more. I have found that you get out of college in proportion to what you put into it. Everyone has the same resources, but some choose not to use them.
Being a teacher, I have a pretty strong view on education, butit’s a little deviant. Most of the course material in college is worthless, compared to what you spend to get it. Once you’ve learned to read, there is no limit on your growth. What Jason hits on the head is the thinking skills that you pick up. I can’t remember a single thing that I learned in college, but the analytical processes I developed from interacting with my professors I couldn’t have learned anywhere else.
Most important, and the main reason I push my students to go, is that having that degree opens doors to you that would otherwise remain closed. Just remember, once you have that fancy piece of paper and 80k in student loans, all that it really means is that you are now ready to get a real education.
I guess for most of the serfs a college degree means something but for people who aspire to greatness they usually scrap it as soon as they find their direction. College is strictly social and if you feel that you learned a lot while you are there consider what you might learn if you Pushed yourself. Ever hear of shooting for the stars? You are shooting for the little baby hill.
I’m currently a junior BIO major with hopes of dental school one day. So, with that said, PRAY FOR ME! Anyway, my top pro for college: you really learn who YOU are through adversity, challenges, relationships, responsibility, and learning what YOU believe is right and wrong. It’s one big self-discovery.
I dont have much in the way of college education but from the brief time I spent there I do miss the social scene especially the thousands of beautiful women on the campuses of most major universities :).
for me, college is offering me a chance to actually grow and improve in a lot of ways i might not have otherwise. Being a musician, college also offers me time to work at my trade without the pressure of earning a living solely through performing yet. The same can apply to any apprenticeship/internship type field. I think that while as an institution college can be pretty cheesey, if I didn’t have it, I would not have access to some of the most valuable resources I could find for my work.
yea good post. i definately realize that college isnt the be all end all, but i feel that it is optimal for me. i also love the hot girls i see everywhere…
College is THE best opportunity 99% of people will have to meet the greatest number and variety of 18-21 year old people of the opposite sex. The chance to continue dating 18-21 year olds as I was in my late 20’s was perhaps the #1 reason I even considered persuing a masters degree.
anyone can learn anything if they apply themself. When it all comes down to it, college does, really, two things for you: #1, gets you the job and job related opprotunities you’re looking for, if you have the degree. And it teaches you how to really think, rationalize, be analytical, social skills, etc. but in no way, does having a degree make you smarter than anyone without a degree. it’s all how you use it. (by the way, i barely passed high school, and didn’t go to college. i work for an engineering firm. i work with some highly intelligent, respectable engineers, and a few really dumbshit, degreed, engineers. i also work with some very highly intelligent “engineering” people who do not have a degree, or college education.) if i had to do it all over again, i’d go to college. the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. it’s all in who you are if you suceed or not, and that’s the honest truth.
I guess there is no specific question or statement that is directly related to training or nutrition. This post was in response to a thread about someone’s exercise physiology prof and the difficulty some of us face when we hear one thing in school that does not jive with what we may hear and do outside of the academic walls.
I suppose this post could have been placed in the off-topic forum, but the issues of obtaining a degree in the sciences are still related to training and nutrition more than movies, sex, music and other things discussed on the off-topic forum.
This response is slightly off what was asked for, but I’d just like to say that I think about 99% of all the people out there would benefit tremendously if they put off college for a couple of years. I knew soooo many 18-21 year-olds who basically wasted their time, whereas all of the older students (mid-to-late 20s) got much more out of the educational process.
So my advice is: DEFINITELY go to college, but work for a few years after high school before you do. It’s easier, more fun, and if you’re a guy you have a much better time dating all the younger women!
I absolutely agree, Jason. I feel that college is one of those “get-out- what-you-put-in” deals. If you expend a little extra energy, both mental and sometimes physical, you can expand your entire life in those same areas. We’ve been confronted with the dilemma of the textbook professor who refuses to let go of antiquated and disproven ideals, though Chris “Sugary Sweet” Shugart has expounded upon what makes an effective teacher. When you (or your parents) are paying for an education, it is an immediate responsibility to milk all that one can from the experience. I felt that the most important concept I aquired in my undergrad experience was time management. seems trivial, but in reality managing the day impacts on every facet of life (look at all of us who manage to fit in training sessions 3-5 days a week) Currently I am in my first semester as a Graduate student studying psychology. My intention is to one day practice Sports Psychology. The work is dense, but so am I. Wait, wait hold on, lemme think about that one…
MBE: “Gettin’ his Edumacation on. since 1998. JADABB founder, 2002.”
Wow, Jason, I didn’t know there was such an anti-college bandwagon around today. I think most parents not only want, but actually demand that their children attend college. The job market is quite limited nowadays to those without a college degree. I don’t necessarily think that a Bachelor’s Degree makes one smarter than someone who has no college, but it certainly makes one more marketable in today’s society.
I agree with Char. I waited for art school until I was 21. I only went for one term, though. Became so completely disenchanted once I realized that out of 25-students, there was only three of us who could really, really draw. So, I started doing some freelance work on the side and I do occasionally take “continual ed” courses (in art) to keep my creative screws turning.
At the University where I work, the average age of a student is 26. I personally think it's better for someone right out of high school to get a part time job, see the world - basically get some "life experience" under their belt and THEN go to college. But in no way do I disagree with Jason: college is important, and for the exact points he outlined here.
I strongly agree with char-dawg. I think if the U.S. really wanted to get ahead in education they would make it mandatory to have a certain # of years working experience prior to college or at least something along these lines.
Why go to college? Because the system says you have to. That’s the bottom line.
Yes, college is a waste of time for very intelligent people. Yes, much of it is a drinking and fucking contest. Yes, 4 years of work experience is more relevant than 4 years of college.
But the elitist fuckwads who "paid their dues" by going to college won't touch anyone unless they went to college, too. That's just how it is. It doesn't matter how smart, talented, driven, or capable you are because the system is structured to reward people who play by the rules, and that means going to college.
Take it from someone who knows - I tried to fuck the system, but got fucked. I took a couple of people with me, but I still got fucked.
Now, I must sound incredibly brilliant and enlightened by using fuck in every other sentence. I guess I just miss "that" thread about the Grow bars..
Anyway, my top pro for college: you really learn who YOU are through adversity, challenges, relationships, responsibility, and learning what YOU believe is right and wrong. It’s one big self-discovery.