A Rough Draft of The Rough Draft.

Michael MacKelvie

Professor Jill Talbot

English/ Comp II

19 February 2008

Students vs. Education


As technology progresses and higher education institutions evolve, student’s childhoods are becoming more and more geared towards school. Parents want their children to be the first to walk, first to talk, and first to read. Children are being placed into scholastic systems earlier than ever. There is now a “pre-pre school” and at the more advance levels a plethora of preparatory schools trying to compel their students to “get ahead.” But is this really benefiting the children’s education or dampening their out look on education? 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 reowned broadcasting department, academic fortes must be considered. Financial obligations with constantly rising tuition may be a concern while scholarship availability and grant money can help offset costs. Not all students blow the subjective tests (ACT, SAT) out of the water which may help limit the field. Weather patterns and location may rule out extreme climates. But are the components the only ones recieving attention?

West Virginia gets bonus points for coming in number one on the 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. Friends and a solid social foundation is a necessity as well. No one wants to embark on this transitional period alone. From the other end of the spectrum, athletes exploit college as a spring board towards the professional stage have a completely different list of credentials, academics usually residing somewhere towards the bottom. Scholarly qualifications , sadly, only play a partial role in the crucial furthering of higher education.


Pre-k through 12th grade is structured for students who are willing to learn and put forth an effort and even more so at the collegiate level. Most incoming freshmen are between the ages of 17 and 19 who have been required to attend class for the last 12 years of their life. Attendance is no longer mandatory and discernment is voluntary. No longer is there a predecessor to decipher every step but a novice trying to create his/her own path. 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 what to do with 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 they responded by taking his teachings and performing on another level. Students will receive as much from higher education as they put into the system. Meaning the contingency to learn presents itself on a daily basis and is susceptible to anyone willing to assert themselves. Quantum Physics may not be the easiest topic offered but may seem nearly impossible to the foe who does not exert any zeal.


The problem with today’s students is 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. Students do not develop this demeanor over night. It flourishes young and takes on a snowball effect with age. Lackluster proclivities are contagious and the number one inhibitor of learning. The internal make up of institutions does not accommodate this type of predilection. 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.
(((Technology has hurt us just as much or more as it has helped us. Rather than stimulating ones mind through reading or writing we let technology do it for us. We have developed a handicap in which we use other people’s imagination or ideas as a crutch, another ingredient responsible for student’s lethargic attitudes towards learning.))) I'm not quite sure if should add this or if i do to expand cause I kind of just threw it in there.


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. But today’s teens lackadaisical attitude inhibits the systems ability to educate. Motivation plays a big role in how teenagers view public education. Students who are capable of motivating themselves thrive in this type of system. I consider myself as being able to self-motivate. An online course is a great example of people who are able to stay ahead and keep their goals in mind. There is no teacher holding our hand and the responsibility is placed completely on the student body’s shoulders. The curriculum has been laid out; we have been allotted more than enough practice and now it is up to the student on how far he/she wants too take it. Along with motivation, the art of prioritizing is as important for a student to be successful. I find myself in situations all the time when I am forced to pick between work and play. Students are who able to conquer the right mind set towards education are the ones who experience the greatest success. These are the teachers, lawyers, and doctors of today’s world; the ones who took advantage of education instead of “doing as little to get by”.


(((Weak ending, any ideas throw them my way)))

Education has no limitations and should be treated likewise. When the circumstance presents itself students perspectives are inattentive and careless. For today’s educational system to work students have to be dedicated and disciplined. Education is on the same side as the student, there should be no internal war between the two.