You may have heard the recent buzz that the first two years of college are not academically meaningful. Is it true? As a current college student, I’ve been questioning the value of my education after reading this article. And perhaps in a sense it’s true. I can’t say that Italian Food and Literature will greatly benefit my career. But I think college is about so much more than the classes we take, as interesting and educational as they may be. I think it is a time in our lives to understand ourselves better; to foster meaningful friendships and relationships, to begin a career plan, and to just have fun. It’s more than just the classes.
I hope you did, do, or will enjoy your college years. It is four years of precious time. And while I don’t think it’s the best time of our lives (I don’t like to think that life only has one perfect period), I do think it is certainly one of the best times. There are so many opportunities to take advantage of during this time that we never would have otherwise; to study abroad, to join a sorority or a fraternity, to take an interesting but random class, to try a new club sport, and to be a part of a special philanthropy. The opportunities are endless. I think it’s up to us to seize those opportunities.
So while research may say that the first two years of college are educationally useless, I beg to differ. If anything, it is in these two years that I have learned more than I ever have about myself. I have learned that I am stronger than I thought I was—it is a time of new found independence. For many of us, it is our first to live on our own, without our family, and it is a tremendous learning experience. For me, that is more important than any calculus equation.
You may have heard the recent buzz that the first two years of college are not academically meaningful. Is it true? As a current college student, I’ve been questioning the value of my education after reading this article. And perhaps in a sense it’s true. I can’t say that Italian Food and Literature will greatly benefit my career. But I think college is about so much more than the classes we take, as interesting and educational as they may be. I think it is a time in our lives to understand ourselves better; to foster meaningful friendships and relationships, to begin a career plan, and to just have fun. It’s more than just the classes.