Why is going to university important?

[thehockeykid]

I want to know why did all of you decided to go to university. Growing up practically everyone said that university education was so important. When I asked them the common reply was to help you get a job. I think the best reason for university is for gaining of knowledge, which made me wonder couldn't I have learned everything in a library, through dedication, persistence, and passion.

 

After looking through the cost of financing university I want to know about other premed101 members in their rational to go to university. Weren't there other careers you could of enjoyed that didn't require undergraduate education? Other careers could be jobs that may of not have been your dream job, or dream lifestyle however you could of enjoy them.

 

In my opinion enjoying a job has a lot to do with the atmosphere and the people who you are surrounded with. I believe what determines a person's success is more about the individual then the degree which they carry.

 

I am really really hoping someone much wiser and perhaps with more life experience can convince me as to why university is so important

[seeking1]

The primary reason everyone on the premed forum went to university is because its a stipulation of getting into medical school.

 

Generally speaking though, I think the reason everyone around us everywhere wants you/us to go to university is because it gives you access to more potential resources and connections than you would have going somewhere else. Remember, a number of jobs in the modern world are actually historically recent jobs, i.e. did not exist 100-200 years ago. A number of the jobs our parents grew up with no longer exist or have had responsibilities massively shifted. To overuse a stereotype, perhaps university will help you to think "ahead of the curve".

[cnb88]

I went to university because I realized (wrongly apparently...) that in order to become a professional singer or movie star....

 

 

Seriously though, it's because everything I ever wanted to possibly do involved a university education. If I won enough money with the lottery I'd open my own hockey/figure skating training facility and coach/train athletes, but I'd still want med or something related for a good background.

[Robin Hood]

I want to know why did all of you decided to go to university. Growing up practically everyone said that university education was so important. When I asked them the common reply was to help you get a job. I think the best reason for university is for gaining of knowledge, which made me wonder couldn't I have learned everything in a library, through dedication, persistence, and passion.

 

After looking through the cost of financing university I want to know about other premed101 members in their rational to go to university. Weren't there other careers you could of enjoyed that didn't require undergraduate education? Other careers could be jobs that may of not have been your dream job, or dream lifestyle however you could of enjoy them.

 

In my opinion enjoying a job has a lot to do with the atmosphere and the people who you are surrounded with. I believe what determines a person's success is more about the individual then the degree which they carry.

 

I am really really hoping someone much wiser and perhaps with more life experience can convince me as to why university is so important

 

University opens lots of doors, like a good job, research, good education, and the raison d'etre of this forum, med school.

[xyandfc]

I find that there are some post-secondary courses that emphasize problem solving and demand more from your personal work ethic than high school courses. It's a good exercise in learning how to learn under a stressful situation. Also, courses are designed by experts in the field, so it makes learning much more efficient (provided that the course is well-designed) than searching through books in the library. Your instructor will know the important points that should be mastered while cutting out the fine details that are not as important. You can go to your professor and get questions answered in 5 minutes that would otherwise potentially take you hours of research to find.

 

I'm not vouching solely for university. I think post-secondary training in any field definitely makes you more hire-able and knowledgeable.

[aaronjw]

I find that there are some post-secondary courses that emphasize problem solving and demand more from your personal work ethic than high school courses. It's a good exercise in learning how to learn under a stressful situation. Also, courses are designed by experts in the field, so it makes learning much more efficient (provided that the course is well-designed) than searching through books in the library. Your instructor will know the important points that should be mastered while cutting out the fine details that are not as important. You can go to your professor and get questions answered in 5 minutes that would otherwise potentially take you hours of research to find.

 

I'm not vouching solely for university. I think post-secondary training in any field definitely makes you more hire-able and knowledgeable.

 

Lmao, come work for me or my fiance and we're ask you if you remember what you learned in school then tell you to forget it because you're in the real world now.

 

University does a ppor job of preparing students for the real working world. College does a much better job of it.

[drkwhy]

Nobody will take you seriously if you don't have some sort of degree. Also, the process of schooling was created for the industry so I guess that makes sense in regards to the job answer you're getting.

 

What's funny is most people that do extremely went in a course don't remember the material a few months later. One of my friends aces courses like it's nothing but come 2 weeks after the exam and he knows next to nothing that was on the exam. Most people spend time studying and learning so why put all that effort into something you don't like learning, or something you won't even retain?

 

I'm on the same boat as you. There are just so many people graduating with a bachelors degree now that it has no value anymore. Back in the day, a bachelors degree meant a hellalot. This creates a problem where to be successful, you not only need a bachelors but a masters and then going on to do your PhD. Not very efficient. Ten thousand+ kids graduating every year with a bachelors degree isn't practical.

 

Bottom line, if you're not doing something you're enjoying, then find something you will enjoy and be good at it.

 

My mother used to sit me down when I was young and say, "Listen son, I don't care what you do, as long as you do it with perfection."

[HopeToBeGreen]

University does two things for you. First, it opens doors. For many, many things you may want to do in life, a degree is simply a prerequisite. It doesn’t matter how smart, well spoken, well read or experienced you are, for many opportunities your application will just be discarded without consideration unless you meet the degree requirement. It is a ‘permission to play’ thing.

 

Second you will get a better education by going to university than you would if you just went to the library and read. University will likely push you harder than you would push yourself which results in you learning more and also helps build your confidence.

 

University will ensure you get a well rounded view of the topics you study. If you study by yourself, you’ll likely study things you find interesting in great depth while glossing over things that don’t interest you or that you find difficult. University prevents you from doing that. It will also help you find new areas that interest you and that you might want to study more deeply. For me the best example of this is exercise physiology. We covered it in one of my physiology courses and at the start I thought this was a really uninteresting topic. It thought (incorrectly) that it was going to be all about sports and jocks. Little did I realize that the changes that exercise causes in the body are amazing and fascinating. If I’d been studying by myself I’d likely have glossed over the topic and never learned how interested I am in it

[Outlaw]

I want to know why did all of you decided to go to university. Growing up practically everyone said that university education was so important. When I asked them the common reply was to help you get a job. I think the best reason for university is for gaining of knowledge, which made me wonder couldn't I have learned everything in a library, through dedication, persistence, and passion.

 

After looking through the cost of financing university I want to know about other premed101 members in their rational to go to university. Weren't there other careers you could of enjoyed that didn't require undergraduate education? Other careers could be jobs that may of not have been your dream job, or dream lifestyle however you could of enjoy them.

 

In my opinion enjoying a job has a lot to do with the atmosphere and the people who you are surrounded with. I believe what determines a person's success is more about the individual then the degree which they carry.

 

I am really really hoping someone much wiser and perhaps with more life experience can convince me as to why university is so important

 

I decided to go to university because blue collar work is too physically demanding. I have been fortunate enough to have an extensive blue collar background and the intelligence and work ethic to go far in university/a white collar career. My family has been either blue collar and/or business related in the past. I have gained knowledge in all aspects of the work industry. My father has worked physically demanding jobs pretty much his whole life and has encouraged me to go into university. If work/life was so good working those jobs, I don't believe my family members would be advising me to go into university. I also believe university will allow me to continue to grow and diversify. I am already very capable of many blue collar trades such as welding, plumbing, electrical, framing, concrete, etc... With a degree through the university system, I would consider myself a VERY well rounded individual.

 

Many people on here probably don't have much of a blue-collar background. Talking from experience, I can assure you that you do not want to be in your mid 40's hauling drywall or doing other extremely physically demanding jobs. University is an investment in yourself. In the end, you will have a piece of paper that will land you a solid job. You may never use all of the concepts and understanding of the many subjects studied in university but you will gain life experience and continue to grow, and that is priceless.

[future_doc]

Undergrad is the route to medicine, unless you are from Quebec and can get in directly from Cegep. My university studies validated my career choice asnd prepared me for an alternative career in healthcare should I have not gotten into med. It was during undergrad that I matured, developed a strong work ethic, got to know myself so much better and I consider it an essential stage of my life.

[apache]

the secret's out, i went because i thought trade school seemed unenjoyable and all my friends were doing it, i picked my major by going through the arts major and deciding which one looked coolest.

 

the question is nil in a post-modern perspective, it's dependent on the individual, their life experiences, their emotional make up, their set of beliefs, the local community around them, etc. there is no answer that can be generalizable.

 

university, as i see it, is a screening tool used by employers to see that your committed enough to the societal paradigm or constructed reality necessary to do your job. grad school in sociology means you see through the paradigm, think it's ridiculous and willing to say **** it and publish stuff people won't read with a questionable chance at getting a job.

 

read max weber's social selection theories, here's an excerpt from a marxist paper (i don't like marxism, but the paper represents his ideas well):

 

All typical struggles and modes of competition which take place on a large scale will lead, in the long run, to a selection of those who have in the higher degree, on the average, possessed the personal qualities important to success. What qualities are important depends on the conditions in which the conflict or competition takes place. ... Among the decisive conditions, it must not be forgotten, belong the systems of order, to which the behaviour of the parties is oriented, whether traditionally, as a matter of rationally disinterested loyalty, or of expediency. Each type of order influences opportunities in the process of social selection differently. (Weber, 1947; 133, 134)

 

Basically what this means is university selects for personal characteristics, personalities, qualities etc. which are desirable by the national or supra-national intelligentsia (thought leaders, planners) of each of the respective fields the university trains in. This doesn't often mean talent, getting a 3.9 in university doesn't necessarily tells me your talented, but it certainly can help me predict your behaviour insofar as it serves me in selecting the most "appropriate" (notice, not best) people for the job (dedicated, don't ask questions, do what you're told, put in masochistic like hours etc.)... this doesn't just go for medicine, in case your thinking that's what i'm insinuating, things like investment banking or working for top law firms would also be very similar.

 

Here's a link to the entire essay. It's a long read, and uses lots of technical language, but you may enjoy it nonetheless:

 

http://taodesigns.tripod.com/weber/weber47.html

 

p.s. i should add that there is more to it than this, some things you can't learn in a library, such as certain techniques in engineering... or in medicine, i.e. doing a spinal tap etc., where a mentor is necessary.

[xyandfc]

Lmao, come work for me or my fiance and we're ask you if you remember what you learned in school then tell you to forget it because you're in the real world now.

 

University does a ppor job of preparing students for the real working world. College does a much better job of it.

 

Hi aaronjw, if that was a job offer, please let me know how much the salary is!

 

Please note I did refer to "post-secondary courses", which includes college classes. I don't know what your experience is with university and I haven't gone to college myself, but I genuinely did learn how to problem solve practical issues and learn how to learn in university. This was especially true during microbiology labs when we learned about the meticulous planning that is needed to conduct an experiment, often through making mistakes.

 

I think preparation for the real working world also depends on your major and the program of the specific post-secondary institution. A student in civil engineering at Waterloo will have much more working experience in their field through mandatory work terms than an English major (no offense to English majors, I have respect for how well-read y'all are!). I've also heard that Nursing students at Vancouver Community College receive more hands-on training than students at UBC, who learn more theory.

 

The point of my first post was to outline the benefits of attending additional training after graduating from high school! There is no absolute that says university is the best option for everybody. It can be a waste of time if you feel like you're studying something you don't enjoy, but if you enter a program that's suitable for yourself, you will not be wasting time.