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Higher Education and University: Reality, Function, Purpose, Future
Higher education has been under attack and criticism for decades, with continuing pressure to move from classical institutions of learning to job training organizations.
Not only is this problematic for elite students who value the joy of learning, but it's a societal and national problem because it can create a vacuum on a national level that reduces the number of people creating new knowledge, new inventions and more.
On this page we'll look at these issues, along with guides, hints and tips for students looking at going to university about how one can get the most from the experience.
University Life: Getting The Most From The Opportunity
University can be either a process that drives student debt, or a process that builds character, a thirst for knowledge, a prepares one to handle a number of different job roles throughout one's professional career. Or both.
What someone gets from higher education is almost always a reflection of one's attitude towards it -- it's one of those things where what one gets is a direct function of what one puts in. Invest in it with energy and passion and you'll almost always "win". Look at it as job training and you may find it painful and stressful.
Online, Distance Education NOT Equivalent To Live Face-To-Face University Programs
For many good practical reasons, more people are turning to distance and elearning for their degrees, but you need to know that because the learning experience is different, so are the outcomes. It's like the difference between watching a baseball event on television, and actually playing in the event.
Why University Education: Your Path to Lifelong Freedom and Choice
You can look at a university education in many ways: a means to get a job, a quest for meaning, an opportunity to explore career paths, but my favorite way is to think of university as a means to secure your future freedom of life choices.
Graduate School: The Wonderful World of Humiliation - It's Normal
If you go to a good graduate school, it's likely you are going to feel inadequate, and out of your comfort zone. It's usually temporary, and it's an important part of being educated -- learning there will always be more knowledgeable and skilled people than yourself.
Understanding Your Professors In Graduate School
They can be an odd bunch. An eccentric bunch, and sometimes, offensive and demanding. How you view your professors and their foibles will dictate what you get out of your graduate education.