You know what's retarded about college?
Financial Aid.
(and attendance policies, but more on that later..)
I am an unemployed, full-time college student, whose parents aren't exceptionally wealthy. My parents are divorced, and my mother has re-married. Did you know that, according to the state (and this varies slightly, I'm sure, depending on the state you live in), you are financially dependent on your parents until you're 25 years old. Because of this, and because I technically have 3 incomes now, including my mother's husband, coming from back home, I'm un-eligible for financial aid. I get some.. but not a lot. I pay for EVERYTHING by myself; my parents occasionally pay my gas or get me some groceries, but financially, they can't even help me that much even if they wanted to, 'cause my sister's in college too.
How is this fair?
I didn't choose for my mom to get re-married, and now that's probably the largest factor preventing me from getting financial aid.
This is so stupid. I'm sorry to be so negative today, but I just had a meeting with a financial advisor on campus and it just bothers me how hard it is to go to college these days, especially when a college degree means so much more in the real world. I mean, it's crazy expensive. If you're not in college yet - prepare yourself, 'cause while the classes and the social structure is a LOT like high school, reality and responsibility slap you in the face pretty hard once you get started.
You know what I wish?
I wish that, for an undergraduate degree, all you had to do was go to college for major specific courses, or classes that relate DIRECTLY to your major. I think general education in college is retarded. I mean c'mon, we just spent 4 years learning general education in high school, and unless you're gonna be an english, math, or science/history school teacher, why do you need to take those classes in college? I understand english and science to an extent, as basic classes - good grammar is always going to be good to know and science helps you understand the world you live in, on a BASIC level (I mean really, you learn a lot in your junior and senior years of high school that is reiterated to you in your freshman and sophomore years of college.. so what's the point in taking it twice, especially when it means you'll have to pay more tuition money? ugh..). If you're not majoring in it, I don't think it's as big of a priority.. at the college level. And especially with math, if you're not majoring in it, WHY DO YOU NEED TO TAKE IT?? And my college even requires at least 6 hours of a PE course... WHY?? This isn't high school.. geez.. History class: eh, again, unless you're majoring in it, a BASIC knowledge could be helpful, but you learn all that in high school.
And then we have attendance policies.
For lecture classes, I understand the need to be present. For studio art classes, I do not, especially when a lot of people work better in their own environment anyway. Any you know, professors are always trying to cut down on the amount of paper they use, when the ONE thing that would solve their concerns would be to post their lectures and handouts ONLINE.
I think we're all adults once we get to college, and we need to learn being responsible. I think that since we're paying to be here, we should have the right to choose whether we want to be in class on any given day. Because in MY opinion, whether you're in class or not doesn't determine how much effort you're going to put into making good grades in the class. I'm just saying..
Whew. I'm sorry. That was a nice rant, though.. haha.
On a more positive note, I've uploaded a new video!
Go check it out. :)
Leave me comments below about what YOU feel about how college should be. I'd be interested to hear some other opinions. But please.. let's not start a debate.
:) A.
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