I've been thinking a lot lately about the college experience, since I've attended just about every type of institution of higher education that exists today: a community college, a state university, a German music conservatory, and finally, now a Master's Degree at a private university.
I've realized lately that "education" is not taking classes, books, grades and professors, it's the entire thing - the campus experience, making connections, understanding the world around you, hence, understanding yourself better AND having enough life skills to be able to make it out there in the crazy world.
In lieu of recent undergraduate activities at Privileged Private University, I realized my undergraduate dollar went pretty far, although some would consider my education at the CC, State U and year abroad to be "below par" by PPU standards. The activities that take place frequently at PPU were never issues I thought about as an undergraduate student. Unlike PPU a campus culture of diversity and acceptance simply exists at my alma mater State University and my "education" there carried over into the person I am today. I couldn't have had the multi-cultural experience as an undergrad at PPU because, let's face it, many of those who make up campus diversity do not have $40,000 per year to shell out for education.
So, I honor my undergraduate $30,000 (TOTAL - 6 YEARS) education - my community college, my state university and my year abroad. It was the best $30,000 my parents and I ever spent.
1 comment:
Hi Suzie,
I feel the same. My cheapie experience at SJSU is far outweighing my current post-graduate experience at a PPU. I've wondered if the whole idea of post-grad degrees tend to attract homogeneous crowds (they've narrowed it down to *this* degree at *this* school, out of all the other choices). It makes me ill sometimes, though. We were forced to take a class in diversity. Ha! At SJSU it just was--we didn't talk about it and study it like anthropologists.
People can say whatever they want about state schools, but I feel I got a great education. All my profs for my upper division classes had PhDs from big name universities, they were all excellent teachers, and *they* were actually teaching the classes, as opposed to what I hear happens for undergrads at prestigious schools, where all they get is a TA because the real prof is too busy publishing. Anyway, that's my little rant on that. Just meant to stop by and say I dig what you're saying.
~Kisa
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