Two More Reasons Why College Isn't All It's Cracked Up To Be

Truer words are rare to read or hear. I'm such a different student today than I was back in 1983 that I find it had to believe that I'm actually the same person. That comparison is absurd, of course. I'm not the same person at all. Nineteen year-old schlubs for the most part don't have a clue. I didn't, and the vast majority of those I've known haven't either. No crime of course, but knowing who we are is the most powerful knowledge one can have.

The students who have come to college after a hitch in the military or working for a few years know why they are in college, why they are taking a particular course, and what they want out of it, in ways that kids fresh out of high school seldom do. Apart from that, quoting my wife, "Henry James wasn't writing for nineteen-year-olds." Neither were Aristotle, Milton, or Adam Smith.

The reason why I was suspended from college (academically) back in 1984 was a direct result of my age, nineteen, and my maturity level, poor. The reason why Phi Beta Kappa keeps trying to sell me pins now is also a result of my current age. Rather, it is the result of what I've seen, done, talked about, experienced, read, and been, since 1983.
I find myself sitting in class thinking about my fellow students. I want to tell them to take this seriously, that there are enough hours in the week to study and party and watch Adult Swim. Alas, those who would heed the advice don't need it, and those who do would give me that blank look that says "If it's too loud then you're too old."
An aside: my daughter said that to me the other day. She is 10.

As I always say: read it all and chase down the links for context.