[Magdalen] US Higher Education

[Scott Knitter]

On Mon, Jan 12, 2015 at 9:18 AM, ME Michaud <michaudme at gmail.com> wrote:
> LOL. When I saw The Paper Chase I couldn't figure out how people
> thought it was strange. Seemed like a documentary to me (except
> for the foolish and shameful love interest part).
>
> There's higher education as a business and there's higher education
> that remembers its monastic roots.
>
> Yes, I know how fortunate I was.

Yes...what was inspiring to me was the focus on doing (and doing as
well as possible) what everyone was there to do. Imagine that!

When I was dabbling in a master's program in journalism at MSU, I
sought the advice of a professor who was a parishioner. He told me
very strange things to do: seek out and meet every one of your
professors as soon as you know who they are, and find out what their
specialty is (which may or may not be what they're teaching in a given
semester). Rely on them for advice and counsel throughout the
semester; that's why office hours are published. When you get a
syllabus (get it as early as you can, as soon as you've registered),
get all the books and read them before the first session (gasp!).
Don't wait to be spoon-fed reading assignments; let the assigned
spoonfuls be a focused re-reading of what you've already taken in.
Look at lectures, books, professors, and fellow students as resources
in aid of your preparation for life, and be a generous resource to
others.

I didn't follow through with the master's (but took two good courses).
Too introverted to imagine getting through Reporting class. One has to
be able to get people to talk to you who don't want to talk to you,
and my actual preference is not to talk at all. :)


-- 
Scott R. Knitter
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA