In the short time I've been in college, there has been one omnipresent theme: most people, it seems, are just going through the motions of their classes without really engaging. At one level, it makes sense. A fairly large percentage of classes students are enrolled in may not have anything to do with their major or interests, so students, naturally, are not as inclined to engage with the material. But once this practice becomes habit, it can have dangerous implications for learning at such an important time in one's life.
I see it everywhere: in biology classes where students mindlessly prepare for exams on "chromosomes n' shit," with no interest in the material beyond using it to get a good grade on a test. Or in philosophy classes where students come to the conclusion that "Plato was obviously stoned when he wrote this." The worst part is, this is not uncommon. More and more, college is becoming less of a journey of experiential learning and more of one about getting necessary grades, degrees, or other markers of success. Knowledge itself is not adequate.
This is especially noteworthy at a time of crippling student debt. College courses can cost up to 400 dollars an hour, on average, yet many students don't even stay attentive (or conscious) throughout them. One would think that students would value their education even more now that it is becoming more of a sacrifice, but they don't. If anything, students are growing more and more hostile toward academia because of its prohibitive costs, which only encourages poor participation and lack of interests in classes.
So, what's the point here?
College students need to reclaim their college experiences, academically. Students need to recognize that their is value in even the most mundane of subjects, or that there is more to the academic world than what will ensure job stability. No college degree or academic experience can ever be a "waste" unless the students didn't engage. The only education that truly gets wasted is the one that completed by the students just going through the motions.
