Over the past 3/4 of a semester at Gonzaga University, I have discovered many reasons as to why an education at the collegiate level is so important. Now these may perhaps be opinions, but if there is any opposition to what I have to say, I would like to hear it. Obviously people go to college to get a good job in four years or more, but college is also a place where independence leads to self discovery. Every college student eventually makes up their mind on a major, and they always have an opinion behind their choices. Everyone is unique, and that is why Gonzaga offers 43 different majors, so students can discover who they are, and why they feel certain ways.
College is full of homework, quizzes, and tests. In my mind though, college is just one big test. According to Melissa Kelly (a secondary education expert), one of the purposes of administering tests is to identify a student's strengths and weaknesses. Looking at the big picture of college, understanding one's own strengths and weaknesses is a major step in the path to self discovery. College tests the limits of each student, and pushes them to see how hard they are willing to work for the reward. I have learned so much about myself in college, mainly that I have more drive in me than I ever would have guessed. There are many things that I do not understand, and so the more I learn, the more I realize I do not know a lot about most subjects. It was unbeknownst to me that Aristotle said “The more you know, the more you know you don't know.” Furthermore, the more I learn, the more I want to know. I have actually made progress in teaching myself to learn new concepts. I am currently in precalculus, and math is something that I really love. I purchased a calculus book, and am now teaching myself various calculus concepts. The reason why I am doing this is so I am more prepared for the upcoming semester where I will be enrolled in a calculus course. My path to self discovery has led me to want to strive for bigger and better things, because I have learned that the more you know, the more you know. Are these opinions that I would have come up with if I haven't received over half of a semester of a college education? The answer is no, simply because I would not even be writing about this if I was not enrolled in an English composition course. Being a college student opens minds to new ideas, and entitles everyone to their own opinion.
An opinion is an answer to a question with no definitive answer. Everybody is entitled to an opinion, but sometimes opinions can be blatantly wrong. I like math because it is universal. There is only one right answer which completely throws opinions out the window. People can have opinions on how they feel about math, either they can love or hate it, but there can be no opinions to math itself. Is it fair for a teacher then to ask subjective question when each individual has their own unique opinion? It is as if I asked the entire English class the question "why?" Each person could tell me probably for hours about their opinionated answer to the question "why?" Someone could go on for days and days about the one word question when the most simple answer is "why not." That is the complication behind opinions because there is no right answer, which is kind of the purpose of opinions. It is fair for a teacher to ask a subjective, opinionated question because it is the student's job to provide enough information to convey a message and convince the teacher of their own opinion. This is how growth is assumed, and explains why self discovery comes from one's own opinions.
•Jack Beaudoin
Works Cited:
Kelly, Melissa. "The Purpose of Tests." About.com Education. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.
"A Quote by Aristotle." Goodreads. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.
College is full of homework, quizzes, and tests. In my mind though, college is just one big test. According to Melissa Kelly (a secondary education expert), one of the purposes of administering tests is to identify a student's strengths and weaknesses. Looking at the big picture of college, understanding one's own strengths and weaknesses is a major step in the path to self discovery. College tests the limits of each student, and pushes them to see how hard they are willing to work for the reward. I have learned so much about myself in college, mainly that I have more drive in me than I ever would have guessed. There are many things that I do not understand, and so the more I learn, the more I realize I do not know a lot about most subjects. It was unbeknownst to me that Aristotle said “The more you know, the more you know you don't know.” Furthermore, the more I learn, the more I want to know. I have actually made progress in teaching myself to learn new concepts. I am currently in precalculus, and math is something that I really love. I purchased a calculus book, and am now teaching myself various calculus concepts. The reason why I am doing this is so I am more prepared for the upcoming semester where I will be enrolled in a calculus course. My path to self discovery has led me to want to strive for bigger and better things, because I have learned that the more you know, the more you know. Are these opinions that I would have come up with if I haven't received over half of a semester of a college education? The answer is no, simply because I would not even be writing about this if I was not enrolled in an English composition course. Being a college student opens minds to new ideas, and entitles everyone to their own opinion.
An opinion is an answer to a question with no definitive answer. Everybody is entitled to an opinion, but sometimes opinions can be blatantly wrong. I like math because it is universal. There is only one right answer which completely throws opinions out the window. People can have opinions on how they feel about math, either they can love or hate it, but there can be no opinions to math itself. Is it fair for a teacher then to ask subjective question when each individual has their own unique opinion? It is as if I asked the entire English class the question "why?" Each person could tell me probably for hours about their opinionated answer to the question "why?" Someone could go on for days and days about the one word question when the most simple answer is "why not." That is the complication behind opinions because there is no right answer, which is kind of the purpose of opinions. It is fair for a teacher to ask a subjective, opinionated question because it is the student's job to provide enough information to convey a message and convince the teacher of their own opinion. This is how growth is assumed, and explains why self discovery comes from one's own opinions.
•Jack Beaudoin
Works Cited:
Kelly, Melissa. "The Purpose of Tests." About.com Education. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.
"A Quote by Aristotle." Goodreads. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.