Why college? Part two

Guest Post:     

"I hadn’t chosen a profession, but at least I had set a direction."

Yesterday I said the American college system was broken. It persists in present form because it serves some purposes. It gives young people who have no idea what to do with themselves time to explore, experiment, and find their way.

The traditional liberal arts four-year education is intended to create an educated person, with a curious, informed intellect able to reason well in all matters. A "university," is a place that congregates a universe of areas of study. Faculty typically requires students to take classes in multiple areas. An educated person has exposure to the wide world of people and ideas. The college's goal is broader than job training. It is life training. 

Teenagers will state an occupational interest because adults expect it. It is a more satisfactory answer than "I have no idea." College gives permission for students to look around. To change majors. This period of exploration is an expensive luxury. Its value isn't efficiency. Its value is fitness and long-term happiness.

Today's Guest Post was written by college classmate Sandford Borins, a Professor of Public Management Emeritus at the University of Toronto. His story exemplifies the value of this period of exposure to diverse, new things. In retirement he maintains a blog of his own: https://www.sandfordborins.com

Guest Post by Sandford Borins

I teach a fourth-year undergraduate seminar in strategic management.  I asked the students to spend the time reflecting on their soon-to-be-completed undergraduate experience. Specifically, I asked each of them to give a short oral answer to the following question: “Looking back on your years as an undergraduate student, what did you learn or experience that you think will be valuable in your future?”

Here are the most common answers in this year’s seminar.

The students think that an undergraduate business program with frequent assignments has taught them how to set priorities and manage their time.

Second, they feel they have learned how to work effectively in groups. One student argued that he much prefers working in groups to working solo. Another said group work helped him in the areas he was weak and allowed him to help others in the areas he was strong. Quite a few immigrated while in high school and said that group work helped them to overcome shyness.

Third, the students, especially those who were not recent immigrants, see diversity as a great strength. They recognize that there was much to learn from people whose backgrounds and experiences are greatly different from their own. 

Fourth, many students observed that they did not begin the business program intending to major in strategic management. They moved to strategic management because it fit their emerging interests better than the more high-profile fields (accounting, finance, marketing) they thought they would major in. Their generalized conclusion from this experience is that it is important to be flexible and to adapt to changing circumstances.

I began the class with my own answer to the question of what I learned as an undergraduate that proved to be valuable in subsequent years. My undergraduate education – emphasizing individual work, with fewer deadlines, and spent living in residence with a much less diverse group of students, though – was very different than theirs. The times were also different, with a stronger labor market and less concern about job-readiness.

I entered university thinking I would make a career in law and/or politics. I found out that economics and political science fascinated me more than sociology (which had been taken over by radical leftists), anthropology (due to my reluctance to do fieldwork) or law (thanks to a boring summer job). I went on to a graduate degree in Public Policy. I hadn’t chosen a profession, but at least I had set a direction.

I had considerable free time at my disposal and spent much of it watching movies at the Brattle theatre, going to plays, learning about classical music, and visiting the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. My undergraduate years shaped my cultural interests for the rest of my life, and I retain a lively interest in film, art, opera, and music.

In addition to recounting these major influences, I made the point, which those who spoke about flexibility would understand, that life has many surprises and ironies, and I mentioned three.

I was active in sports in high school, but in university chose to be an intellectual rather than a jock. At a time when jogging was becoming popular, I realized that the dichotomy between intellectual and jock was false. I became interested in cardio sports (running, swimming, cycling, cross-country) and this interest has become lifelong and fulfilling.

One of the fields I explored in university was architecture. The Bauhaus, which had strong links to Harvard, particularly fascinated me.  I realized I didn’t have the necessary artistic talent. 

Finally, I was an undergraduate in the United States during the height of the protests against the war in Vietnam, which fulfilled the full measure of the Chinese curse about living in “interesting times.” It was a period of great anxiety. My undergraduate class was publicly referred to by Harvard’s then-President as its “worst class ever.” Despite, or maybe it was because of that moniker, we developed great esprit-de-corps, with an active daily list-serve, record turnout at reunions, and many ongoing deep and fulfilling friendships. What a wonderful irony.