A university is an institution of higher education. The use of the word "higher" differentiates a university from a "high" school. No one would argue the purpose of undergraduate education should be different from that of high school education. The age difference between university and high school students means their needs are different because they are at different stages of their personal growth and development. A university that fails to excite the students at the end of their freshmen year by impressing upon them the difference should realize something must have gone wrong with her policies and curriculum.
So what makes a university different from a high school?
I would try to examine it from two perspectives, the student's and the professor's. Recollection of my own experience as a young freshman was the freedom and choice available in the university campus. I was thrilled to become a university student as I was finally released from the numerous rules governing (or restricting) the behaviour of high school students. Please don't get me wrong here, I am not saying those rules in high schools are useless and should be abandoned. On the contrary they are very useful guidelines for shaping the character of teenagers in high schools and helping them to develop into disciplined and responsible young adults who understand their own rights as well as how to respect the rights of others.
By the time a nineteen year old student arrives at the university campus, he/she should be regarded as a young adult and treated with trust and respect as such. The freedom and choice available in the university provide a different path, appropriate for their age and maturity, to learn about life and realities. Everyone has to make decisions and choices from time to time. Often the older you are, the tougher the choices. A university student needs to learn not only making the right choice, but also accepting the consequences of making a wrong choice.
The university provides the most suitable environment for students to experience real life before they are thrown into the lions den when they graduate and enter into the society. It is the first time they leave home to become more independent of the influence of their parents and teachers. If an eagle knows how to let go and allows its child to learn flying on its own, why can't we? Instead of setting up all sorts of restricting rules (as in high schools) to regulate student behaviour, most universities prefer to give students a code of conduct, leaving plenty of room and freedom for the students to explore, choose and learn. A code of conduct is sufficient to inform students of the standards expected, without spelling out in details the do's and don'ts.
When I was an undergraduate student I fully enjoyed that freedom. Sometimes I made wrong decisions. I learnt a lesson each time I made a mistake, and emerged a more prudent man next time.
So what makes a university different from a high school?
I would try to examine it from two perspectives, the student's and the professor's. Recollection of my own experience as a young freshman was the freedom and choice available in the university campus. I was thrilled to become a university student as I was finally released from the numerous rules governing (or restricting) the behaviour of high school students. Please don't get me wrong here, I am not saying those rules in high schools are useless and should be abandoned. On the contrary they are very useful guidelines for shaping the character of teenagers in high schools and helping them to develop into disciplined and responsible young adults who understand their own rights as well as how to respect the rights of others.
By the time a nineteen year old student arrives at the university campus, he/she should be regarded as a young adult and treated with trust and respect as such. The freedom and choice available in the university provide a different path, appropriate for their age and maturity, to learn about life and realities. Everyone has to make decisions and choices from time to time. Often the older you are, the tougher the choices. A university student needs to learn not only making the right choice, but also accepting the consequences of making a wrong choice.
The university provides the most suitable environment for students to experience real life before they are thrown into the lions den when they graduate and enter into the society. It is the first time they leave home to become more independent of the influence of their parents and teachers. If an eagle knows how to let go and allows its child to learn flying on its own, why can't we? Instead of setting up all sorts of restricting rules (as in high schools) to regulate student behaviour, most universities prefer to give students a code of conduct, leaving plenty of room and freedom for the students to explore, choose and learn. A code of conduct is sufficient to inform students of the standards expected, without spelling out in details the do's and don'ts.
When I was an undergraduate student I fully enjoyed that freedom. Sometimes I made wrong decisions. I learnt a lesson each time I made a mistake, and emerged a more prudent man next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment