Conflicts between Colleges

As stated in this wonderful article from The New Yorker, there seems to be two major types of college education.

The first is the small, liberal-arts college in which students learn for the sake of learning. They develop a broad foundation in a variety of mostly humanities-based subjects, and they graduate with changed minds and changed viewpoints about the world around them and themselves.

The second is the more utilitarian college degree. I include the word 'degree' in this second description and not in the first because I want to emphasize that the learning that goes on in this second college is learning towards a product: a degree, a job, and success. Of course, I don't mean to say that the learning in this second college is less valuable or less sincere than the learning of the first college. I only mean to say that the second college is more practical, more rational.

I don't know which one is more worthwhile.

For the actual article, please follow the link below!
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/04/30/120430fa_fact_auletta

University Applications

Ask me to write a paper on Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and I'll write one, right away. It wouldn't necessarily be a good essay, but it would have some structure, and I would know how to take a theme from Tess and develop it into a thesis, which I'd then flesh out in my body paragraph before wrapping the whole work up with some sort of thought-provoking summation.

Ask me to write a paper on myself, and I'm lost.

Unfortunately, this situation is faced by countless number of youth across Canada and the world as post-secondary application deadlines approach. We haven't practised writing 400 word 'essays' on our deepest desires, so how can we possibly be expected to write effectively, eloquently, and efficiently?

On school and motivations

Are you living for the weekend, or are you living for the week?

Post-Graduate Aspirations

It's the start of a school year, and high school seniors throughout the country are spending countless hours at university fairs, booking guided campus tours, and surfing an uncountable number of university websites. Despite the wide variety of available resources in our quest to identify our post-graduate aspirations, many of us still feel overwhelmed and confused.

With application deadlines quickly approaching, there is not only the pressure to improve and maintain grades and demonstrate commitment to extracurricular passions, but the 'obligation' to discover one's interests (and potential careers) seems stronger than ever.

It is important to remember, however, that post-secondary studies and activities are not about setting one's life path in stone. Rather, post-secondary studies is just another stage in life where each individual as even more opportunities to delve into the areas in which he or she enjoys, be they traveling, sciences, thinking, music, research, medicine, entrepreneurship, volunteer work, and so much more.

The difficulty therefore lies in determining one's passions and identifying what areas and fields are enjoyable. What does one do when one would like to do it all?

Music and Philosophy

In one of my classes at my high school, we're reading Astra Taylor' "Examined Life," which is a transcript of the film version by the same name. In "Examined Life," Taylor attempts to bring philosophy closer to the people of the streets (or rather, the everyday people and their every day lives) by having walking (or driving, or boating, etc.) conversations with some of the world's leading philosophers including Peter Singer, Slavoj Zizek, Michael Hardt, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Judith Butler (with Sunaura Taylor), Martha Nussbaum, Avital Ronell, and Cornel West. So far, we have only studied in class Singer, Zizek, Hardt, Appiah, and, most recently, West.

The reason why I have decided to mention this aspect of my class is because of the interview with West, which has striking references to music. Cornel West is not only a philosopher, but a musician as well. I highly recommend that you read West's conversation with Taylor from "Examined Life." Who knows? Maybe you will also decide to read all the other fantastic conversations as well -- philosophy and music are both extremely interesting, after all.

Just some thoughts on careers

Course selection for the next school year is coming up, and to be honest, I have no idea what I am doing. Like so many others in my school and around the world, I don't have a long-term plan. I don't know what program I want to go into. I don't know what University I want to go to. I don't know what country I want to live in. I don't know what job I want to have. I can't say to myself, "This is where I will be in five years" because I don't know where I'll be and what I will be doing. I hardly no who I am now, let alone who I might become.

Still though, I can't help but remember all those times in grades 1, 2, and 3 when people would ask all us little kiddies, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" And of course, the boys would reply with police man, fire fighter, doctor, etc. and the girls would happily say ballerina, teacher, nurse, princess (WHAT?), etc. We have all these stereotypes about who we should be and who we should become, but I leave the concepts and implications of gender stereotypes to be talked about on another day.

I do remember though, that I wanted to become a pianist. And everyone laughed. It could have been because I had said pianist a little strangely (and it probably sounded something like penis at the time... speaking of which, I only just realized this a couple seconds ago, haha), but I had internalized it as laughter against my hope to become a musician. I still don't know whether I want to be a musician or not, but I do now know that it shouldn't matter what other people think. If I want to become a pianist or a cellist or a music teacher or an ethnomusicologist or a musical therapist or a physist or music-related engineer then by all means, I should not let their laughter get in the way! Because music is my life, and if I love it and make it my profession, I will be simply living and laughing and loving each and every day. Work no longer becomes tedious work. Work instead becomes play.

And that's the beauty of doing what you love. So remember, whether it's music or anything else for you, do what makes you live laugh love, and good luck with your good life.