Does college make you smarter?

[kallipolis]

A guess as much as that the sun will rise tomorrow: ultimately a guess, but with quite sound GENERAL (that is, experienced by anybody) experience to back it.

If you say, so... Yahweh

 

[trawler69]

I'm probably going to be controversial here. I believe that college serves to focus whatever intelligence has been nurtured during the primary and secondary educational process. I believe that our ability to learn from when we are born is largely open to how we are brought up and educated, sure genetics plays a role but perhaps not such a large one as those who run failing educational systems might suggest.

The word "education" derives from the Latin "e ducat" to lead / bring out. Meaning it brings out our potential. So often education is likened to learning when in fact real education should be likened to understanding. I can learn that 2+2 = 4 but will be stumped by 5+9. However if I understand that 2+2=4 I will not need to learn / remember that 5+9=14. Understanding is so much more efficient, it is like a computer subroutine rather than a look up table.

Anyway I digress. Does college make you smarter? No! it makes you specialise and narrow your options, not always a bad thing. If you have a good education from a young age, you will probably not need a college education to succeed as the inquisitive bug will give you all the impetus you need to succeed. You will be naturally inquisitive and those who are inquisitive are often the smartest. Well that is my experience anyway.

Sorry to waste your time if you bothered to read the above!

 

[clumsy_passerby]

I think HS has taught me more about Life and in my particular field. But then again, my HS had a college atmosphere.
Having said that, educationally, I learn more by myself.

 

[belamy]

I always consider your version of fact, as a calculated guess, rather than a firm foundation based in reality. My consideration is based upon extensive reading of your posts. I appreciate that this is my personal opinion, and in no way presumes to pass judgement upon your immaculate character.

When making decisions that lead to an end result, that betrays the lack of intelligence, in those decisions it may well be said that ignorance is a required attribute. But I can agree that ignorance is at epidemic levels among many people.

I can also subscribe to your opinion that a college education and money, are not synonymous, with a life that adds value to that wealthy person's life.

I usually consider your opinions about me, as a calculated guess, rather than a firm foundation based in reality (fact).

 

[Ranchman]

A college education is so often better lived at the school of hard knocks, than in any thought, that college better prepares a student for life, than living life on the front line of life's daily struggles.

Education reduces ignorance, and that in itself, is a goal worth pursuing. Thus in so doing, we become smarter, but not always wiser. For knowledge without understanding is merely evidence of devotion to accumulating facts, rather than a willingness to appreciate the value of learning.

A wiser man than I, said that smartness is not evidence of lack of ignorance, rather proof that further education is a life long process.

The benefits of a college education are evident in the life of those graduates, who despite accumulating enormous material wealth, so often prove to be inadequate human beings when dealing with the day, to day routine matters of living their life.

Wisdom reveals its face in the life of the person who understands, and practises all that life sends them to grow a happy, and fulfilling life.

Graduation day for all human beings is celebrated, on our death bed, when life hands us our graduation certificate, and directs us to death's door.

Well said!!!!!!

 

[Jersey Domino]

I'm a high school dropout for a reason. It might have something to do with the herd mentality, bell curves, and homogenization.

You droped out of High School?

So basically you think that college kinda encourages the herd mentality? And kinda stops indivituality?

I'm just trying to understand you.

 

[hotatlboi]

Definitely smarter.

But it's also so much more than that. I learned plenty about myself and others during the process.

Sure, I came out of college with much more knowledge (facts) of the world than I came in, but more importantly, I learned "how" to think--how to look at the world as an engineer and learn about how things work and how to make them work. Now I have the tools (the "how" to thinK) to go out and read books, etc. to extend my own knowledge.

I completely agree with this. Maybe it changes depending on what you study but I went to an engineering school as well and this was my experience too. The most important thing I got out of college was the ability to think analytically and solve problems, and I would definitely say it has made me smarter.

 

[Jersey Domino]

I don't think it encourages overtly. It's just a mentality and mindset that academia gets into in terms of education, learning, and well, academia. This is "school" and this is how school works, and this is how you fit into the working school so we know you're learning and being educated.

And the vast majority go, "Oh, okay" and they're off and away to the graduation races.

It's academic normalization within the higher institution of learning bell curve and format. Which is just a continuation of what students went through at all stages of their academic career.

Oh so you just don't like how it done? You don't like how it's just telling people when and where and how to learn?

And it's just redundant?

 

[spencer]

I think college (done right) helps you become more efficient at learning, more efficient at juggling tasks and handling stress.

To say it doesn't give you anything would baffle me. It's like you take a job waiting tables. When you first start you're not as good as if you worked for 4 years. Are you smarter? That could be argued both ways. But did you learn how to be better at what you did. Most definately and that is probably more important than the measure of your intelligence due to years of college.

 

[islgb12]

I think college helps to build your perspective of the past, present maybe even future issues. It also helps to change the way you think critically and approach problems. I think that is a key aspect of college.

However, as someone else said, being smart isn't necessarily defined in how much you know but rather just your ability.

 

[Jersey Domino]

That's not what I said, and no.

However, if you choose to interpret it that way, by all means.

And with this quoted post, I'm not so convinced you just want to understand where I"m coming from. Given that I'm not interested in a contentious to and fro, I think we'll just leave it at that. Thanks.

Okay fine if you feel that way.

 

[thermodynamics]

I completely agree with this. Maybe it changes depending on what you study but I went to an engineering school as well and this was my experience too. The most important thing I got out of college was the ability to think analytically and solve problems, and I would definitely say it has made me smarter.

YESSSSS! That's what makes a college education so valuable. K-12 doesn't teach students "how" to think. It just gives them a bunch of facts.