I'm not understanding this "Honorary Degree". Actually, I don't even know such a thing existed until I read this LJ (Wow, I'm deprived)
I don't know if I would give Obama an honorary degree. I probably won't, even though I do like the guy, so, so much more than McCain, and I'm certain he's charming and charismatic and nice guy and all that, but I probably still won't give him a degree.
You know, this reminds me of that incident where Oprah got a degree. I think that was a couple years back.
I really think getting a degree should mean that you did something in a particular field, and that by graduating, you would be able to make good use of what you mastered during those 4 (or 3 or 5, depending on your pace. I'm graduating in 5 years b/c I just switched majors) Of course, I'm idealizing the situation. The odds of someone making good use of what was learned in college is another challenge and another story that will take place in the real world, but I digress.
You're right in the sense that a degree is just a social construct. But, remember. We're in an age where if you don't have something solid and tangible, it doesn't exist no matter what you say. (Quantitative science is partly to blame for this mentality in my opinion)
Does that make you naive because you don't think that it is a big deal?
Hm... I don't think your naivete is the issue here.
But, other people's values are equally, if not more, important as yours. You might not have given the degree a meaning like someone else has, and... majority believe that a degree has meaning. Big meaning. And... what sucks is that the majority usually rules, right or not. (And, people wonder why we have mob violence)
Do you get what I'm trying to say? Because I'm rambling, and I think I've stopped making sense 2 paragraphs ago.
Before I close, I just want to say, I also think that the value of the university, all "schools", actually, is determined by the student body in the end. We are what made the schools what they are. I've seen it in my middle school and high school, too. Students do well mostly because they themselves have high ambitions and work hard toward that goal, and the school, in turn, will be recognized for the efforts contributed by the students.
I have no doubt that you work hard, and I think it will be because of you and people like you that your school will be appreciated in the future despite what people say now. Just keep doing what you do.
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Date: 2009-04-21 02:10 am (UTC)I don't know if I would give Obama an honorary degree. I probably won't, even though I do like the guy, so, so much more than McCain, and I'm certain he's charming and charismatic and nice guy and all that, but I probably still won't give him a degree.
You know, this reminds me of that incident where Oprah got a degree. I think that was a couple years back.
I really think getting a degree should mean that you did something in a particular field, and that by graduating, you would be able to make good use of what you mastered during those 4 (or 3 or 5, depending on your pace. I'm graduating in 5 years b/c I just switched majors) Of course, I'm idealizing the situation. The odds of someone making good use of what was learned in college is another challenge and another story that will take place in the real world, but I digress.
You're right in the sense that a degree is just a social construct. But, remember. We're in an age where if you don't have something solid and tangible, it doesn't exist no matter what you say. (Quantitative science is partly to blame for this mentality in my opinion)
Does that make you naive because you don't think that it is a big deal?
Hm... I don't think your naivete is the issue here.
But, other people's values are equally, if not more, important as yours. You might not have given the degree a meaning like someone else has, and... majority believe that a degree has meaning. Big meaning. And... what sucks is that the majority usually rules, right or not. (And, people wonder why we have mob violence)
Do you get what I'm trying to say? Because I'm rambling, and I think I've stopped making sense 2 paragraphs ago.
Before I close, I just want to say, I also think that the value of the university, all "schools", actually, is determined by the student body in the end. We are what made the schools what they are. I've seen it in my middle school and high school, too. Students do well mostly because they themselves have high ambitions and work hard toward that goal, and the school, in turn, will be recognized for the efforts contributed by the students.
I have no doubt that you work hard, and I think it will be because of you and people like you that your school will be appreciated in the future despite what people say now. Just keep doing what you do.