Higher Education vs. The Typical Student

There I was jammed packed sitting in my fifteen by fifteen foot fraternity room with my three roommates. All with matching Ralph Lauren pony’s stitched over our hearts sporting designer jeans, debating the all too recurrent decision between work and play. I openly despise the person who decided Thursday night is college night. Did he not have class on Friday or just not care? Feeling the pressure of the frat rat’s and the careless scene that entails almost surpasses the constant demands of school. Picking academics over the bar tableau is incredibly difficult considering college attendee’s are supposed to attend college for educational purposes first and foremost. Why is it so hard? Higher education intuitions receive a lot of criticism concerning their ability to truly educate but whose fault is it really? Yes, the educational arrangement has its flaws but should not be the center of attention. Student’s heedless disposition towards knowledge undermines the core values of today’s educational system.

It starts with the all important decision, how to pick the right college, it may be a two year community college or a four year university. Most colleges offer an array of majors but some may be more intensive in the arts than politics or the sciences than film. Oklahoma State University has a prestigious veterinary branch while New York has a renowned broadcasting department, academic fortes must be considered. Financial obligations with constantly rising tuition, one of the most common topics at my dinner table, may be a concern while scholarship availability and grant money can help offset costs. I happened to guess relatively accurate on the ACT but not all students blow the subjective tests (ACT, SAT, ETC.) out of the water which may help limit the field. Weather patterns and location may rule out extreme climates. Eighty degree snow would be perfect for me but seeing that that is impossible cuts off anything North of Kansas. But are these components the only ones receiving attention? Not a chance.

West Virginia gets bonus points for coming in number one on the 2008 Princeton’s Review’s Top Party School right? A loyal fanatic may be coaxed by a great athletic department or a fantastic Greek system might entice a particular crowd. I found friends and a solid social foundation a necessity. No one wants to embark on this transitional period alone. From the other end of the spectrum, athletes who exploit college as a spring board towards the professional stage have a completely different list of credentials, academics usually residing somewhere towards the bottom. I chose Oklahoma State for a couple of reasons: their Cross Country team, their social reputation, my peers, and of course their solid academic core. Scholarly qualifications, sadly, only play a partial role in the crucial furthering of higher education.

I am a huge advocate of the Greek society as it promotes and teaches life long lessons but lets be honest, grades are not number one on everybody’s to do list. Although most houses require some type of study assembly or schedule, it isn’t always taken seriously. Rush, the process of recruitment that Greek houses exhaust, is very similar to the college method. We appeal to the parents through our Christian Values and numerous academic awards but approach the students a little different. Every house presents their best attributes as to make them look the best rounded on the outside, whether it be shows, athletics, volunteer work, friendship, anything you can think of. But every signee or future prospect wants to know who throws the best parties, who gets the prettiest girls, whose reputation they can count on the most. Again, speaking about the majority. Our best recruitment tool is the word of mouth from other girls. Shallow as it sounds the prettier the better. Once you’re inside the system, yes you reap tremendous benefits but G.P.A. is not one of them. Universities may benefit in a plethora of areas but not in the case of education. Go to your local video search engine and type in sorority girls or frat boys; let me know how many academic related subject lines you can find in between the cleavage and beer-amids. This thought process bleeds over into everyday academic life infringing on the intendment of college’s. But no fingers are directed towards us. How does higher education catch the flack or beheld responsible for Greek Life, just another example of student’s views towards colleges aren’t exactly academically sound.

The collegiate level is structured for students who are willing to learn and put forth the appropriate effort. Most incoming freshmen are between the ages of seventeen and nineteen who have been required to attend class for the last twelve years of their life. But attendance is no longer mandatory and discernment has become voluntary. Sure some teachers take attendance but classes with three hundred plus students don't realy have that option. I go because it's why I'm here not because I have to. I wake up every morning between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., get dressed and watch my roommates carelessly sleep through their classes. This is a common trend inside our frat house. No longer is there a predecessor to decipher my every step, I am now a novice creating my own. We all make mistakes but choosing to learn from them is where students differ. I have taken more than one unnecessary class that has only stolen from my bank account and extended my stay here at college. But I bet I don't make the mistake again. Through trials and tribulations, students who are dedicated to their education are going to learn, maybe some more than others but it is solely up to the us, the student body, to will ourselves towards learning.

Students who refuse to try are not going to learn, no matter how good the system. Mentors can only do so much for their apprentice’s before it is up to the students to decide how to handle it. Dean Smith, a retired basketball coach for North Carolina and among the winningest coaches in history with over 850 wins, is deemed one of the greatest of all time. But Coach Smith never hit a game winning shot, or led the league in scoring. He never out rebounded his opponents or hit free throw shots. However, he taught his players everything he knew about the game and put them in positions to win. They responded by taking his teachings and performing them on another level. The same approach applies in college. Professors and Doctors put students in a stance to better themselves, to take the information provided and run with it. I will receive back as much from higher education as I put forth into the system.Meaning the contingency to learn presents itself on a daily basis and is susceptible to anyone willing to assert themselves. Most of my professors use the rule of thumb for every one hour in class means two hours of studying out of class. While time consuming and tedious, the benefits are endless. It's not a hidden notion just one students don't desire. Quantum Physics may not be the easiest topic offered but may seem nearly impossible to the foe who does not exert any zeal. Certainly some majors are more challenging than others and some may assimilate more readily but this is concerning the majority.

The problem does not lie within the structural walls or its foundation but rests upon today’s students and their outlook on education. The majority of my peers immerse themselves in a torpid attitude cheating themselves of the full avail of higher education. Procrastination has turned into more of a competition rather than a downfall. Who can accomplish the most in the shortest amount of time? Social events surpass studying and kegs outweigh books. I live in a fraternity house amidst the constant struggle between studying or carousing. Of course I would rather stow away my academic responsibilities in replacement with social festivities but that’s not why I am here. White trash bashes and foam pits are much more appealing than Biochemistry or Molecular biology, sorry. Muddled laughter beats hours buried in a book. I did not develop this demeanor over night. It flourished young and took on a snowball effect with age. You hear about all the fun recruiting trips athletes take: the parties, the girls, the atmosphere, not once do you hear them acclaim how state of the art the library is or the cutting edge research taking place. Priorities must be set in accordance to your best necessities, not your most pleasurable ambitions. I chose to attend college not because four more years of all nighters sounded appealing but because it’s what everybody does. It’s a stepping stone in the right direction toward my end goal.

There is a fine line between distinguishing between priorities and being able to practice these distinguishes. I consider myself one of the rarities, I know what I’d rather do but I know what I need to do. Lackluster proclivities are contagious and the number one inhibitor of learning not the institute itself. We need quit pointing the finger at everybody else and take the blame for our lack of desire. The internal make up of institutions does not accommodate this type of predilection. The format of today’s educational system is designed to present the curriculum to the student. To allot the student as much practice as needed and then test the student for application. Higher education is intended to flood the student with as much information as retainable, not to provide as little information as possible. The objective of a college is to prepare and mold a student into a well rounded functioning member of society, not an apathetic, unrefined, shortcutting body of nothingness.

When education presents itself, students are inattentive and careless. No one can make them want to learn besides themselves. College is a self help program and until we grasp this concept nothing will change. I guess minimum wage and McDonald's doesn't seem so bad after all. Vo-tech and cosmetology school do not seem to be having any problems, so for all the agnostic and doubters of the world there is your riposte.