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March 09, 2005

The purpose of college

Why go to college?

For some, college is just a stage in the educational ladder after high school and before entering the working world or going to graduate school. In this view, college is primarily the place where you obtain an important credential that is the pre-requisite for securing well-paying jobs. This is not an insignificant consideration.

Others might see college as the place where you both broaden and deepen your knowledge in a range of subjects and develop higher-order skills such as critical thinking and writing and researching skills.

All these things are undoubtedly valuable and worth pursuing. But for me, I think the primary purpose of college is that it is the place where you start to lay the foundations for a personal philosophy of life.

What I mean by this is that at least in college we need to start asking ourselves the question: "Why do I get up in the morning?" For some, the answer might be "Why not? What other option is there?" For others it might just be a habit that is unquestioned. For yet others, it might be that they have particular ambitions in life that they want to achieve. For yet others, it might be because other people depend on us to do various things.

But while all these considerations undoubtedly play a part for all of us, the question that I am addressing goes somewhat beyond that and asks what we think of as our role in the universe. What is it that gives our lives meaning? What should be the basis of our relationships with our family and friends and society? What is our obligation to all those to whom we are tied together by a common humanity? What should be our relationship with nature and the environment?

All of us think about these things from time to time. But I suspect that these various areas of our lives remain somewhat separate. By 'developing a personal philosophy of life', I mean the attempt to pull together all these threads and weave a coherent tapestry where each part supports and strengthens the other.

I think that the university is a wonderful place to start doing this because it has a unique combination of circumstances that can, at least in principle, enable this difficult task to be pursued. It has libraries, it has scholars, it has courses of study that can enable one to explore deeply into areas of knowledge. It provides easy access to the wisdom of the past and to adventures towards the future. But most importantly, it has people (students and staff and faculty) of diverse backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, nationalities, gender, etc.

But I wonder if we fully take advantage of this opportunity or whether the day-to-day concerns of courses, homework, research, teaching, studying prevent us from periodically stepping back and trying to see the big picture. In fact, it looks like the search for broader goals for college education is declining alarmingly. In 1969, 71% of students said they felt it essential that college help them in "formulating the values and goals of my life." 76% also said that "learning to get along with people" was an essential goal of their college experience.

But by 1993, those percentages had dropped to 50% and 47% respectively, from the top ranked items to the bottom, being displaced by an emphasis on training and skills and knowledge in specialized fields. (Source: When Hope and Fear Collide by Arthur S. Levine and Jeannette S. Cureton, 1998, table 6.1, page 117.)

In my mind, this is an alarming trend and needs to be reversed.

One thing that events like the tsunami do, even for those not directly affected by it, is to bring us up short, to realize the fragility of life and the importance of making the most out of our time here. It reminds us that there are big questions that we need to ask and try to answer, and we cannot keep avoiding them.

This kind of thoughtful introspection mostly occurs outside formal classes, in the private discussions that we have in informal settings, in dorms, lounges, parks, offices, and coffee shops. But how often does it happen? And how can we create a university atmosphere that is conducive to making people realize the importance of having such discussions?

The meaning that we attach to life will depend on a host of individualized factors, such as our personal histories, what we value most, and what we are willing to give up. And we may never actually create a fully formed personal philosophy of life. The philosophy we do develop will most likely keep changing with time as our life experiences change us.

But the attempt to find out what our inner core is so that we act in life in ways that are consistent with it is something that I think college is perfectly suited for. I only hope that most people take advantage of it.

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Comments

Last year I kind of lost my sense of wonder at the learning opportunities provided to me by my time at a university, and didn't, therefore, take much advantage of them; this year I feel myself held away from those resources by the demands of my academic schedule and the need to complete certain courses by the time I graduate.

Another (irritating) consideration is that I will never manage to explore, in four years, all the information that's right out there for the taking. I'll never even get to some of the more fascinating electives within my major. When I consider that, it's very easy to see why people would choose to remain in academia and continue exploring insofar as they are able -- though I, ordinarily, am more inclined to get into industry and sink my teeth into something big.

Posted by Mark Wilson on March 9, 2005 01:30 PM

I can completley understand. College education is becoming a tight web off required courses. This is why I am constantly arguing for more freedom in course requirements so that student can have more choices in what they take and have more free time to have the kinds of free-ranging conversations that lead to deep thought.

But college is only the place where you begin the process, not where it ends. So you have a lifetime to do so. But college is a good place to start the habit of occasionally thinking about these things.

Posted by Mano Singham on March 9, 2005 03:31 PM

When I was in school we had very broad-based distribution requirements for the courses outside our major, so I was able to take everything from Japanese Goverment to Buddhist Story Literature, to German Woman writers. But I was also learning as much outside the classroom as I was within--whether attending a lecture on nuclear energy or pondering whether or not the Russian revolution was actually Marxist while quaffing beers with friends in the pub.

But Mano is absolutely right. This is just the beginning, and while one could be granted immortality by a vampire and still not have sufficient time to learn everything, there are and will always be many opportunities for continued learning and exploration.

If you are not at a school, you may end up living near one, so that you can continue to attend lectures by folks such as Steven Pinker or Harlan Ellison; you can read books on just about anything; and you can meet people from varied backgrounds who share information in a wide array of interests. And then of course the internet offers everything so long as one is prudent about fact-checking multiple distinct resources.

Posted by cool on March 9, 2005 05:08 PM

Colleges can foster this sort of inquiry in class as well as outside of it. That was my experience at St. John's (http://www.sjcsf.edu/asp/home.aspx) and I hear the same thing from people taking the Graduate Institute degrees that focus on Asian cultures, as well.

Posted by Robin Burk on March 13, 2005 12:44 PM

I think that the reason why the pursuits “formulating the values and goals of my life� and “learning to get along with people� have decreased in importance relative to getting "training and skills and knowledge in specialized fields" since 1969 is because secondary education in America has become less specialized since 1969, and students in post-secondary education are craving specialization. Also, I think that with the influence of family decreasing in American society (more moms have jobs now than in 1969), adolescents have plenty of time in high school to 'learn to get along with people' and 'formulate values and goals for life [somewhat independent of upbringing]'. I would be interested to see how high-school students from 1969 and today responded to this same survey. I don't think that students nowadays are less inquisitive in a broad sense, just that the American educational system now encourages a pattern of development that has been reversed since 1969.

Posted by Audrey Nemeth on April 19, 2005 12:51 PM

what we desire in college is much more than a degree,nor a job prosect,but a chance to get high education.It is an education for a civilized mind.Namely,the business of college is not only to train us, but to put us in touch with what the best human minds have thought.Through reading books, man's peculiar accomplishment,we add to our human experience and enter the words we have not the time to travel in literal time.

Posted by muse on March 1, 2006 12:19 PM

Well done, I glad there is some thought ,beside the pusuit of materialism, is there more in life beside the Mcjob and the Mcmansion.

Posted by Marc on February 17, 2007 11:44 PM

Before read this artical I did know sometings about college,though I am now a college student
I don't really act like what I know.
the live just like high school
you know the live in china high school is very
monotonous,so l may lost myself

now i know i must try to experience the wonderful life

Posted by huan on May 9, 2008 01:13 PM

Hi Mr Singham,

Thank you for sharing your insights; they are very interesting :)

By the way, do you think a college education can be unimportant? Or, is it of utmost relevance for any self-respecting teenager, for the sake of their parents and society?

Also, how would a good college education inspire self-awareness, self-fulfillment, or self-actualization, if one does not appreciate such effects upon graduation? Does that mean that conventional education system has failed us?

Ha ha, I know its a lot of questions, but I would love to hear your response.

Yours,
chocolate.maniac@gmail.com


Posted by yehui on November 26, 2008 12:05 PM

The reading assignment is beliefly discussion about college experieneces and how it change from years ago.It talks about the purpose of college and why do adults need education.Are personal histories meanful for the strive to not give upon on things that are important.The desire to have good college education.

Posted by Shatoura Clark on January 20, 2009 11:46 AM

I think all colleges should start with a course on critical thinking. I am amazed at the people in college who lack this skill.

Posted by Don Boos on February 9, 2011 11:12 AM