09 November 2009

Things I have learned from attending college

  • Showing up to class is the easiest way to get a good grade.
  • Communism is good.
  • The appearance of thought is more important than thinking.
  • Capitalism is bad.
  • Other people may or may not be intelligent.
  • Tenure is good.
  • Professors overestimate how much effort students put in to their class.
  • Apathy is bad.
  • Professors can -and do- get pissed. The only difference is that they have a captive audience to rant to.
  • Critical thinking is good.
  • (Provided the end result is what the professor believes).
  • Forgetting about sections of America's history is bad.
  • Focusing on sections of America's history is good.

I haven't figured out if cynicism is good or not.

1 comment:

Q said...

okay, you know what's weird? nearly all of these statements could be inverted, and the result would be MY school experience so far. thus:

* Showing up to class (or not) will never be noticed by anyone, ever.
* Communism is whatever: they don't have politics, they have forms.
* The appearance of thought will never be noticed by anyone. all that matters is that you're actually thinking.
* Capitalism is whatever. (see above)
* Other people may or may not be intelligent. (the inverted version of this is the same as the original, and is true of anywhere except possibly frat parties.)
* Tenure is unimportant and possibly nonexistant. teachers show up from nowhere or drift away or get swallowed by black holes of research as they feel like it.
* Professors underestimate how much effort students put in to their class. they tell us 'read these two books for next week; these further five are optional.' and then are shocked when we all show up having read TEN books. this place makes you crazy, for real.
* A degree of apathy is essential for survival.
* Professors can -and do- get pissed. The only difference is that they have a captive audience to rant to. (this one's the same, except that if anyone's planning to get drunk they will always have a captive audience in me, teachers or not. drunkenness is fascinating.)
* Critical thinking is good. (not changing this one either.)
* (Provided the end result is interesting).
* Forgetting about sections of America's history is immaterial, because who here gives a fuck about america?
* Focusing on sections of America's history is likewise immaterial.

so far: school is fun! also, mad.