Entry 3

College: A single-function device

After watching Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talk, “Bring on the Revolution,” a thought struck me that had briefly brushed my conscience before, but had never deeply penetrated my thoughts. It’s one of those moments where one feels as if they may get their hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar for even considering a possibility so heinous. My thought was this: could college be outdated? The more I reflect on my life thus far, and the more I look at the world around me, the more I become convinced that it might be so. The breadth of experiences I’ve had, versus many of my peers who went straight to college and emerged almost as naïve as they were going in, provides for me further implication that perhaps college is less than everything we were told it was intended to be. With information at one’s fingertips, it seems far more likely that attending  college and receiving a degree serve more as a statement of class, much less a statement of knowledge.

What really hit this notion home was Robinson’s referral of the theory of “Linear Education." I can remember preparing for college years before actually attending any institution; I recall tests, college tours, extracurricular activities, and even whole classes on how to apply to college and how to succeed once there. It seems as though my entire lower education was for the sole purpose of entering college, rather than for the sole purpose of developing me as a free-thinking human being.

I’m leaving this entry feeling bitter, skeptical, and disenchanted.

Monique, please watch this!!

Entry 2

Jacqueline Wells

Professor Monique Williams

English 1A

2/9/13

Navigating the Doldrums

Before, during, and after their educational careers, students stand in the shadow of the looming question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” This question evolves from an interesting pastime thought or dream, to a sudden threat necessitating immediate action and a hurried reply. It is after that hurried reply (or lack thereof) that the question then becomes “what are you going to do?” From there, the onslaught of follow-up queries begins, but they all revolve around the central issue of money. The Passion Project aligns a figure in “black shiny armor” as a sort-of mirror image of students currently finding their way through life. This figure may be analogous to a ship, moving steadily in one direction. As young people, we are expected to be just like the ship. That is to say, we are expected to traverse along a set path that has been planned, prepared for, and timed. To paraphrase Glenn Reynolds’ article, “Where Higher Education Went Wrong,” the problem is that tuition costs have been on the rise by roughly 4.7% each year, and students in The United States have collectively accumulated over one trillion dollars in student loans with no foreseeable means of repaying the debt. Therefore, colleges across the nation are seeing a significant decrease of applicants. Essentially, the path chosen or desired is becoming less and less navigable. Students of generation Y, and the future academics of generation Z, while granted limitless information, are facing a very real problem: With ever-increasing tuition and living costs, the prospect of insurmountable debt is sapping the passion from essentially every potential student. Where the student will live, how the student will pay for school, and where the student will work post-graduation have now determined  whether any one young adult will expect to go to college, or whether it would be more practical to get a more utilitarian education at a vocational school for a fraction of the price. It would seem that higher education is becoming less of a tool for success and survival, and more a luxury afforded to the more affluent of our country.

Works Cited

1)      Reynolds, Glenn H. "Where Higher Education Went Wrong." Academic Search Premier. Reason, Apr. 2013. Web. 31 Aug. 2013. <http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy1.clpccd.cc.ca.us/ehost/detail?vid=16&sid=5c6707fb-a0e4-4ea9-9825-18445bd7b449%40sessionmgr115&hid=25&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=aph&AN=85801116>.

Entry 1

Hello!

                My name is Jacqui. This is my first time on this website, and I think I like it! I designed this page as it best reflects my personality- that is to say, I try to keep my energy and my plane of thought on the more tranquil side where I can, since the rest of my life is loud and busy and full of distractions.

                Right now, the most important thing to me is getting through my education. It is essential that I keep my head above the financial tide long enough to get through college and into my career field. However, as I am supporting myself working full-time, and am a recent transplant to the Bay Area, it’s difficult at times to keep going.

Through the muck and monotony of everyday life, it’s hard to save time for things that give me a buzz and allow me to decompress. Mostly, the things that really light my fire are the things that I come face to face with on a regular basis. It sometimes discourages me that these issues aren’t more worldly and insightful, however I try to remedy that by finding some link between them.

                My current passions include breed-restrictive dog laws and discrimination, body-positive and anti-derogatory female verbiage awareness, proper restaurant tipping, and, of course, my major and eventual dream-job.

                I don’t believe that practice makes perfect, but I do believe that practice might make you better. I’ve been out of formal practice in English for almost five years, and it’s high time that I pick the pen back up. I have always carried an aptitude for writing, and for that reason I’d like to staple it to any future credential that I may receive. I believe that everyone is dealt a set of cards, and it is one’s obligation to play their aces. That is not to say that I am by any means better or more astute than the next person. After all, I am in this class and did not test out.

                Dropping out of college at nineteen was the biggest mistake I’ve made thus far. However, now at almost twenty-four, that mistake has instilled in me a sense of urgency, eagerness to learn, to succeed, and to progress. I understand now more than ever the importance of college and the limitless doors that a degree may open.

So there is a little snapshot of me. I look forward to this semester!