Looking at some of the Professors I’ve had, I’ve always thought it served the same purpose as the Ankh-Morpork bureau of standards and measurements. People with minds like that might do anything, so it’s important that they have something to do.
The purpose of college and university is to perpetuate a class structure based on wealth and academic achievement. As most people lack the resources, entrepreneurship or innovation to start their own business and thus create their own path to wealth and achievement, they are forced to enter into the hierarchy of the business world. Higher education creates a covenient shorthand for identifying like-minded individuals so as to determine if a person is of the appropriate “class” to take advantage of the opportunities offered by working for a particular firm or corporation.
I graduated from the University of Alaska, Anchorage with a BBA in Management in 2001, shockingly I’m actually working as a manager right now. Well actually more a department head (IT) since I only have one underling, but close enough.
I’m in the camp that believes the purpose of a university is less about teaching speficic, useful skills and more about laying a foundation for a lifetime of learning and critical thinking. In my experience there were four distinct areas I learned important lessons from while at UAA:
- From the classes directly related to my major.
- From my general ed requirements.
- From my interactions with other students on academic matters.
- From my interactsion with other students on a social level.
What I learned from 2 and 4 from the list have had the greatest impact on my personal life. The sheer diversity of knowledge and personalities I was exposed to while at UAA radically changed my perception of the world and the people in it. As a result I’m much better able to get along with people and to be happy doing things I didn’t think possible when I graduated high school. It opened my mind and made me a better person.
Interestingly, for my major, numbers 1 and 3 from the list complimented each other very well. A fact I didn’t notice until after graduation when I started applying lessons learned at my job. The specific details I learned about accounting, finance etc… are long forgotten and were never deep enough to be of any real use, but I did walk away with a good, general understanding of how capitialist firms work in the modern world economy. From my academic work with other students (i.e. group projects) I also learned how to work well with other talented, intelligent adults and to lead without being condecending. This has and will continue to be far more useful in my working life than any specifics details about double entry accounting or corporate finance.
Most importantly though I learned how to do shots, hit a bong, pack a bong, roll a joint, pick up girls, avoid hangovers and brew beer while in college. Which I think is the real purpose for attending college. The rest is just gravy 
Did you learn specific skill sets?
Yes. The skills rapidly became obsolete, though, due to changing technology.
was it a personal growing experience?
Well, yes, but the university had nothing to do with that. Living in the dorms, and later, on my own, did that.
Did you learn a profession?
No.
did you learn how to think critically, and THEN define what you wanted to be when you “grew up”?
No. At least, THEY didn’t teach me that.
*Was it an opportunity to check out a whole lot of different things until you found one you loved, or did you focus on one? Why? Did you form/define/discover your “bliss”/train for your career from the growth you experienced while in college, or did you go to college (or university) for the specific purpose of learning certain things?
Originally, I went intending to major in biology, and perhaps go into medicine. I learned that I was not willing to put up with the tremendous amount of crap that goes with that.
So, I went into journalism, having been successful in that field in high school. I learned that professional journalism is incredibly competitive, cutthroat, political, and ultimately durn near the opposite of everything they actually teach you in college. I wound up not doing that, either. In fact, I wound up quitting college and getting a job in sales, and later going into social work.
Later, I went back to finish my degree and get my teaching certificate. The main thing I learned from the second go-round is that college bears little resemblance to the real world, and that a great many college professors will tell you what the “real world” is like, without actually having any working knowledge of it.
Many of my Ed professors were like this.
Very few of my Special Ed professors were like this.
College:
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Teaches you how to deal with a bureaucracy.
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Lights the flame of knowledge, but it’s up to you to add more fuel.
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97.3% of what you read in textbooks you will never use in your life.
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You get out of it what you put in to it.
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You learn that man can indeed survive on mac and cheese alone.
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Cheap beer and loud music can be great entertainment.
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Some girls just want to have fun.
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Sign up for 6 classes and drop two with the worst teachers.
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Laundry is a necessity in life.
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You don’t necessarily have to be 21 to get into a bar.
I’m an older student, halfway to my degree.
In my opinion, college/university is about getting credit for knowledge. I’ve spent my life learning about things. I enjoy learning things on my own, doing research on various subjects on my own, and have even worked through math textbooks on my own.
Have I ever got any credit for this? Has this enabled me to get a job that would normally be out of my league? No. I still had to put “high school drop-out” on my resume. What will enable me to have a better career? Getting credit for the things I’ve learned!
I can learn for the price of a library card. I don’t need to spend $4000 a year on tuition to learn new things. Sure, I’ll admit that having profs available to ask questions of and to give me multimedia lectures makes the task a lot easier. I do gain something from the experience. Not only from the profs, but the stress of papers due and finals coming up.
But the bottom line is that I need that piece of paper saying that I earned my degree to make a practical difference in my career options. How do I get that? A lot of pieces of paper between here and there. Should the people that I know cheat on everything they possibly can manage to earn their degree, they will be as qualified as I am, even if they do not have the knowledge I earned.
It’s not about the knowledge. It’s about PROVING you have the knowledge.
Well, im still not in college until next year, but i really cant wait to start. Ive got friends that are going simply to get a degree and join the workforce. I personally, want to stay in school as long as possible. What else is there to do in life but learn? Life would seem extremely dull if it were all about studying for 4 years and going out to put to practice what you learned… I dont necessarily need college to learn, but it seems to be the easiest way to gain the most knowledge in the least amount of time. Of course, my opinion can totally chance depending on what college i end up going to, and how much i enjoy it.