quote about college

[pontifex]

After reading FuzzyBabyBunny's thread about his college English class, I thought I'd post this quote:

"College don't amount to much anyhow. A lot of narrow minded, musty old ideas dispensed by uninterested teachers to pupils who have come to college for athletics, because they considered it the stylish thing or to keep from going to work."

- Robert E. Howard, 1926

 

[SirChadwick]

College is a great way for others to perceive you as successful. It also gives you a great sense of who you are and how you'll fit into the world. It helped me most with managing my time.

 

[Eeezee]

Believe it or not, there are actually a lot of people who go to college to learn. That's what I'm doing. Pretty much anyone with a science or engineering degree did that as well. Most of this stuff I couldn't teach myself on my own.

 

[pontifex]

remember, this quote was from 1926.

sure, there are people who go to want to learn and better themselves but i think some of the quote still applies today.

 

[BrownTown]

I cannot speak to the role of colleges in the time that quote was spoken, but it deffinitely does not apply today.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: BrownTown
I cannot speak to the role of colleges in the time that quote was spoken, but it deffinitely does not apply today.

so people don't go to college on sports scholarships? They're there because they or someone wants them to play sports.

SirChadwick said "College is a great way for others to perceive you as successful." sounds like going because it is the "stylish thing to do" to me.

 

[Lola]

college is not for everyone.

 

[chambersc]

I'm sorry you feel this way, OP. I haven't shared your experience yet.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: pontifex
After reading FuzzyBabyBunny's thread about his college English class, I thought I'd post this quote:

"College don't amount to much anyhow. A lot of narrow minded, musty old ideas dispensed by uninterested teachers to pupils who have come to college for athletics, because they considered it the stylish thing or to keep from going to work."

- Robert E. Howard, 1926

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make with that quote.

College is for the stylish and lazy? A lot has changed since 1926.

First off, college is more accessible to more socio-economic classes. If you look at the broad range of colleges in the U.S. (from community colleges up to Ivy Leagues) and the ease of obtaining student loans, many people can go to college if they have the determination to do so. College may have been a pasttime for the privileged to avoid work in the '20s, but that's certainly not the case today.

Secondly, the job market has shifted from manufacturing to services and as a result the demand for college degrees is much higher. You can't argue that students go to college to avoid work when in many cases you need to graduate college to get work in the first place.

 

[BrownTown]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: BrownTown
I cannot speak to the role of colleges in the time that quote was spoken, but it deffinitely does not apply today.

so people don't go to college on sports scholarships? They're there because they or someone wants them to play sports.

SirChadwick said "College is a great way for others to perceive you as successful." sounds like going because it is the "stylish thing to do" to me.

No, the vast majority of people don't go to school on athletic scholarships, and the good majority also don't go simply to be "stylish". The reason college is so important is because there are so many skilled professions these days which require considerable additional learning over and above what high school teaches you. College is the place where you go to LEARN these new skills which are vital to our modern economy. Sure there are lots of people who might choose to go for other reasons, but that is certainly not the PUROPSE of collage, and IMO certainly not the norm. Also, most of my professors were NOT narrow-minded, NOR were they uniterested. I am sorry if you had a bad college experience, but that is not the norm.

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: Eeezee
Believe it or not, there are actually a lot of people who go to college to learn. That's what I'm doing. Pretty much anyone with a science or engineering degree did that as well. Most of this stuff I couldn't teach myself on my own.

I actually went to college to learn how to learn efficiently, and to learn how to teach myself. I also learned a bunch of random engineering / cs stuff along the way too. But much more important than that: Now I'm to the point where I can basically pick up a book on just about anything and teach it to myself, no problem. That is very key for the "real world".

 

[Randum]

the amount that go on atheltic scholarship is a VERY small percentage compared to those who don't.
that quote sounds as if someone is sour they didn't go to college!

 

[pontifex]

This is a quote from a famous author from the 20s, not a quote from myself.
I didn't go to college (well, not more than a semester at a CC). These are not my experiences, just some observations that I thought still sounded somewhat true based on what i read and hear.

 

[chambersc]

Originally posted by: pontifex
This is a quote from a famous author from the 20s, not a quote from myself.
I didn't go to college (well, not more than a semester at a CC). These are not my experiences, just some observations that I thought still sounded somewhat true based on what i read and hear.

I've never heard, read, nor experienced anything remotely close to what you've posted.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: chambersc

Originally posted by: pontifex
This is a quote from a famous author from the 20s, not a quote from myself.
I didn't go to college (well, not more than a semester at a CC). These are not my experiences, just some observations that I thought still sounded somewhat true based on what i read and hear.

I've never heard, read, nor experienced anything remotely close to what you've posted.

good for you