Digest your education

Reflecting on the fall term, I realize that my university experience has involved considerable hours of chewing and barely any swallowing. Perhaps this is my fault. Perhaps this is life. Perhaps this can change.

I’m intrigued by Mark Twain’s statement, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Schooling doesn’t promise an education; it provides the bagel but isn’t responsible for the digestion. Indeed, I have chewed numerous varieties of bagels at Queen’s. However, while I’ve had time to think, I haven’t always had the time to reflect. There’s a distinction to be made between the two.

Thinking allows one to upgrade from a B to an A+. Reflecting demands a whole new level of insight and perception. For this reason, I have difficulty picturing John Milton writing the first stanza of Paradise Lost during a one-hour break between a religious studies lecture and a history seminar.

In September, I received comprehensive syllabi, each containing a list of readings and midterm dates. These are standard university procedures.

But are they the necessary standards for creating an environment of stimulating questions, bubbling think tanks, inquisitive minds, world-renowned scholars and the future masters of academia? Does the cultivation of the human intellect truly rely upon hours of reading, writing numerous essays, grappling with sleep deprivation and feeling nauseous after back-to-back final exams? I hope not.

Then again, brilliance often involves sacrifice. Winston Churchill, for instance, is said to have slept an average of less than four hours per day. While my own lack of sleep is certainly not as critical as that of a significant World War II leader, maybe I have a lesson to learn from him about establishing priorities. But I’m still perplexed by the modern-day university system. Although subtly stated, it appears as though quantity is gradually replacing quality. In the undergraduate world, it’s often preferred to have a general idea of the key concepts of a field of study, rather than a thorough understanding of anything in particular.

Is a 45-minute tutorial honestly enough time to fully discuss Plato’s The Republic?

And the expectations don’t end with an academic transcript. Involvement in extracurricular activities and clubs is also crucial. Athletics, volunteering and work experience are requirements to an impressive résumé. After all, experience is vital to the shaping of one’s character.

Don’t misunderstand me. I recognize that professors devote countless hours to their research and universities can’t guarantee that all students become certified genii.

But I’m still not satisfied.

Something’s missing.

While I believe that universities allow for academic freedom, there’s still a lack of imaginative space. What’s the solution?

My apologies; I have to sprint to my 9:30 a.m. lecture. Perhaps it will provide answers while I guzzle down my partly-toasted bagel slathered with already-expired cream cheese.

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