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Written by Staff
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Monday, 05 April 2010 14:11 |
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Without a broad exposure to various academic disciplines, students cannot make informed decisions as to what their interests and possible career paths are. Greenhill gave me an incredible opportunity to experience a well-rounded education, one that has been so interwoven with my academic learning style, that it directs my success in the classes here at Brown University. However, even though a liberal and broad based curriculum is a crucial foundation in high school, a specialized education is pertinent in college and other professional studies to advance in a field or be successful in a career.
The goal of a well-rounded education is to give each student a skill set and "knowledge base" which the student can apply to future endeavors such as conducting business, educating others, or fostering strong communities and global networks. This knowledge base is gained from a specialized education such as engineering, computer science, management, medicine, fine arts, or law. Skills such as communication, effective writing style, time management, and creativity are necessary in any subject area. However, to apply the skills we learn in the "real world," we should learn these skills in a "practical context." For example: instead of taking a generic English writing seminar in college, a prospective research scientist could instead take an upper level Biology course with a focus on both reading and writing science reviews and research papers. The student would learn how other scientists write, apply skills to a relevant research topic, and be better prepared to communicate in the scientific world. A well-rounded education should not advocate generalization; it should incorporate specialization with general skills in a practical context.
The main objection to a specialized education could be that college students do not have adequate exposure to various fields, but solely taking a cocktail of classes from different fields may not be an effective way to decide a career or discipline of choice. I do not support that a specialized education should neglect other subject areas. For the field of medicine, it is not only necessary to understand science and medical biology, but also, it is important to learn about management, public policy, culture, technology, and more. The changing face of the world today calls for more specialization since there is a wide breadth of "basics" to learn in each field. The more students can be exposed to a field in depth early on, the better prepared they are to pursue their interests. Even though Brown’s Program of Liberal Medical Education (PLME) seems specialized to outsiders, it strives to keep a balance between specialization and liberal classes. As medical students, scientists, and researchers, it is necessary to take more science classes, and thus be specialized since the preparation is necessary for medical school and to remain competitive in attaining research internships and hospital-related opportunities.
As both a PLME student and Biochemistry concentrator, at least two or three of my classes each semester are either Biology or Chemistry. But my fourth and fifth classes are often "liberal humanities" classes such as Art History or Sociology. I have tailored my education so that I may receive the necessary exposure and knowledge in order to specialize in my concentration, but concurrently, I can explore other fields without excessively generalizing my education.
I have been led to believe that learning is a lifelong journey. However, learning without a plan is a journey without a map. As we are presented with new knowledge and experience, we can change the plan in order to better reflect our current goals and interests. During the discovery process, students should be exposed to various options. However, as students discovers their aptitude, there should be a shift to specialization, more focus in learning about the field in depth, and ability to choose a career in which the student can gain knowledge and contribute back to society.
Point By Prashanthi Divakar
My first three years in college, I expected to enter the radio business. Star DJ was my vision, but programming or producing would’ve been fine. I loved music, and I loved having my own show on the college station. Then I did a mini-internship at NYC’s WNEW-FM, my favorite station, and instantly grew disillusioned. So when the job-seeking time loomed, I felt lost.
Fortunately, I had a great career counselor. We talked for hours about all my experiences since middle school. Then she suggested teaching at an independent school—something I’d never considered. Initially I was skeptical, but I’ve never regretted the decision.
During high school, it’s almost impossible to know with certainty what you should do the rest of your life. You have dreams, but they’re likely to change depending on the weather. (Many alums and friends have shared stories similar to my radio tale.) Your limited life experience can’t provide the necessary perspective. Plus you’re simply trying to figure yourself out as a person. Think about your emotional swings. Adolescent angst doesn’t beget certainty. A simple reason—besides hormones—exists. During your teens, your brain seriously changes through self-pruning. You shed thousands of brain cells while developing myriad new neurological pathways. Meanwhile, the frontal cortex doesn’t fully develop in females until their late teens, in males until their early 20s. This part of the brain enables rational, wise decision-making.
Also consider this issue from a practical angle. Say you’re a senior. Your parents didn’t research baby names online. The primitive Web was born in 1993, with Yahoo and the first browser appearing in 1994. Cell phones weren’t much smaller than netbooks are now. In 1993 Bill Clinton entered office, Czechoslovakia was barely hanging together as a nation, and the first World Trade Center bombing occurred. During the past 17 years, geopolitics, economic globalization, demographics, and technology have fomented a worldwide perfect storm of upheaval. While futurists disagree on the exact changes coming, they agree the disruptions will continue accelerating in pace and scope.
This affects not just the nature of work, but careers themselves. Business expert Tom Peters says many jobs will have a 15-year time frame "if you’re lucky." The U.S. Department of Labor says graduates now entering the job force will hold 10-14 jobs by age 38, many of which don’t yet exist. Sinking and stagnant economies have maintained passé models. Those which have flourished emphasize innovation. The new world order has seen the dramatic rise not of specialists, but of the creative class. In a recent survey, 97 percent of employers say individual creativity is increasingly important, and most would hire a creative person over one technically superior. Yet 85 percent say they can’t find the desired candidates. Creativity necessitates drawing from disparate sources to innovate. Specialization too early does not foster such ability.
Greenhill’s mission encourages striving for excellence—but not in a particular, narrow sense. Instead, it emphasizes balanced development. Consider an analogy in light of our unofficial mantra, "reach for the stars." You have an assortment of blocks; the challenge: to build the tallest, most stable tower possible. You should begin with the larger blocks and construct a wide base. Working out from the center, you use progressively smaller blocks as the tower grows.
Along with a strong foundation, Greenhill provides a rich, safe environment where you can take risks. Through embracing the process, you can discover amazing qualities about yourself. But it works only if you remain wide open to all possibilities. Then you can develop fully as a human being. Plus you’ll be ready if your radio career fails to pan out.
Counterpoint By Mark Crotty
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Written by Kelly Drumm
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Monday, 14 December 2009 15:59 |
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A design on the floor of the new Upper School lobby, our school crest, characterizes Greenhill as an intersection of core principles (honor, respect, compassion) and the "three A’s" Academics, Athletics, and Arts. I’ve always felt rather skeptical about the implied message here. The crest doesn’t distinguish hierarchically between any of these values; they’re simply displayed as three equal sides of a triangle and arranged according to word length.
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Written by Joel Garza
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Wednesday, 13 May 2009 00:00 |
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I never attended a summer camp. I never enlisted the aid of a tutor. I never took an SAT practice test. My senior year of high school, I applied to only one college.
I wound up in graduate school quite by accident. I shared a phone number until I was 24 years old. I did not have an email address until I was 26.
In short, I am unlike you. Despite this distance between my experience and yours, I think you might do well to consider carefully my mild suggestion that you enjoy your summer.
Use your summer to peck around. Check out the liner notes of your favorite CD and track down other CDs that producer has made, other covers that photographer has done, other bands that drummer has played with.
Borrow a book from someone in your family, preferably a book you have no business reading – a dense philosophical treatise, an economics text, the autobiography of a celebrity you’ve never heard of, an insanely long novel. Be curious about something on your own, to your own ends, at your own pace.
If we teachers do anything worthwhile for you students, it is this – we model for you precisely how to confront something that we don’t know much about.
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Written by Erin Ginsburg
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Wednesday, 13 May 2009 00:00 |
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For the past three summers, I have gone to the Young Writers’ Camp at Duke University (or DYWC, as it is affectionately called). While spending two or three weeks of my precious vacation in class rather than on the beach may not sound appealing, the program was one of the best experiences of my life.
I first went as a terrified 13-year-old who had never flown by herself, much less spent more than two or three nights away from home. On the plane, I cried and cried, and the embarrassment and fear were almost enough to ruin everything before it had even started.
Somehow I managed to make it to the university in one piece. I soon discovered that DYWC was a place where the majority of its attendees were there because they enjoyed a singular activity.
The collective attitude was to make the most of the days we all had together.
Rather than adhere to our regular lives, we abandoned our normal selves and transcended them. As a result of this open atmosphere, I have never felt more accepted or appreciated.
Because many of the campers were away from home and living together in dorms, our different backgrounds and lifestyles merged into one and enhanced our learning experience.
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