In Defense of College for Education’s Sake
March 11, 2010 | Lauren Van Mullem
When Analytical Skills Matter
There have been so many articles lately about ditching idealism for hard-nosed practicality in college. Even though you have every reason to focus your energy on preparing for a career, from financial to the increasing competition in your chosen field (which should be business or engineering according to the practical-minded), consider these reasons for why you should use college to expand your mind while exploring your career options.
We expect colleges to do a lot: educate us, enhance our resumes, and set us up in lucrative careers. But over the years, the “expanding minds” goal has been waning, while the direct application of studies to a career path is what students increasingly demand. But college isn’t just about preparing for a career during the day and partying at night. Really, it isn’t.
How often will you get to engage in conversations on philosophy, science, social issues and politics with a diverse group of very smart people after college? How often will you be challenged to think in depth about Roman battles, Greek rhetoric, or the structure of Faulkner’s novels? It’s unlikely that any of this will be asked of you while working in the prized private sector. However, while these subjects many not be relevant to “real life,” learning them just might make you a better citizen and a more interesting person.
Taking classes in English, philosophy and political science (to name a few), isn’t just about reading Chaucer, and listening to stories about Sophocles and Churchill. The classes we take as undergrads are meant to teach us much more: how to gather our own information, how to determine the validity of that information, and how to analyze it. In other words, these classes teach us how to think, how to argue, how to create informed points of view and how to defend our perspectives with facts and logic.
By writing essays and engaging in class discussion we learn how to better think for ourselves, and that skill affects every aspect of our lives. When you know to question information, you’ll watch the news differently; when you know how to write persuasively, you’ll fight parking tickets more effectively (not joking); and if you need to, you’ll have the tools to fight for your rights as American Citizens.
But, don’t listen to me. I am just a poor, foolish former English major. If you need an interesting conversationalist for your next dinner party, call me – I could use the free food.
