Why do slackers go to university?

[ShawnD1]

Yesterday I stopped by the U to re-check some posted grades (forgot my PDA last time), and I bumped into a guy who was in a few of my classes. He looked down so I asked him what was wrong. He said he failed the majority of his classes, and now he was going to drop out and get a job. "I guess school just isn't for me" he said.
This guy wasn't really a friend or anything, but I associated with him from time to time. He was the guy who would always say things like "life is too short for homework" or "my parents really wanted me to go to college". He would come in monday mornings saying how crazy the weekend was, and then he would kindly ask the rest of us for some answers to problem sets. In the lab he would ask everybody questions about what we were doing because he obviously just skimmed over the lab manual so he could at least do a half-ass prelab. Simply put, he deserved to fail.

It's not like university is harder than high school. I think university is actually easier than high school.
This guy was clearly intelligent and hard working if he was able to get into university, so why didn't he do any work once he got accepted?

[GroundZero3]

some just get to school and start partying and enjoy it too much they forget why they are there in the first place.

some just dont have the maturity to be on their own just yet. they need someone around to tell them what to do

[M_Six]

Give him a few years of digging ditches and maybe he'll be ready for college again. I failed four courses in my senior year of high school. No way was I ready for more school. But after 8 years in the military and two of trying to find a job after I got out, I was ready for school again. The time between high school and college made all the difference in the world for me. I graduated from college Summa Cum Laude.

Some kids just aren't ready for college straight out of high school. The thing is, many of them never try it again once they've dropped out. They get a job and grow into it and take on other responsibilities (read: family), and they never go back. Nothing wrong with that either. Lots of folks become quite successful without college degrees, especially in the trades. Too many kids go to college because their parents pushed them into it. If the kid isn't ready, it can be a monstrous waste of time and money.

[Zitch]

Exactly. College/University life is *not* for everybody. A college diploma is not necessary for a fulfilling career. It can help, but it's not necessary or sufficient. I do know alot of people that should have went into the job field or the military straight out of high school. It's sometimes sad to see the amount of state and university money that sometimes go to the students in scholarships that are wasted in the first or second year, but that more of a symptom of high school problems.

Most of these students (like ShawnD1's classmate here, most likely) seem to get caught by this sudden increase in freedom that you get when you get out of high school. Alot of people thought I was too stiff or stressed out, but in reality, I did party and drink in college, but I didn't do it every weekend. I also played hockey every week (and usually several times a week), and refereed quite a bit to pay for that hockey habit of mine. I studied for tests at least 2-3 days in advanced, instead of only the night before. Hell, I read over the material if I had problems getting to sleep at night (And believe me, Linear Algebra and Database Design can really put you to sleep really quick... ). It's not like I studied laboriously every night, and kept track of every single grade I got. The only thing I really worried about was maintaining the requirements for my scholarships, but I was never in any danger of not meeting them.

So, in the end, don't feel sorry for these "slackers". If anything, feel sorry for the loss of their potential, but it is possible that they may decide to hunker down a bit to reach that potential.

And again, a college degree is neither necessary or sufficient for a fulfilling career. It seems that more people need to realize this.

[ShawnD1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zitch

Most of these students (like ShawnD1's classmate here, most likely) seem to get caught by this sudden increase in freedom that you get when you get out of high school.

I guess I never really thought of it like that. Honors classes in high school were a lot like university in that the teachers didn't really care at all if we took notes or did "optional" assignments. Looking back at it, I did pretty bad in grade 10 (the first year I took honors classes). Sort of scary to think I might have failed just like that guy if I hadn't taken those honors classes in high school.

[brandon184]

Consider the fact that some people have it engrained in their head by their parents from the time they hit elementary school that they're going to University - regardless of whether or not they want to.

Brandon

[Siliconjunkie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandon184

Consider the fact that some people have it engrained in their head by their parents from the time they hit elementary school that they're going to University - regardless of whether or not they want to.

Brandon

Yup, this is a bigger problem with our society. The thought that you MUST goto college. It is just silly.

[franklin1000]

Okay, I'm a slacker. My quarter credits stack 285 high and counting. This time around life's demands made me settle for an online degree in computer science. Before that it was math. And before that it was psychology. Teaching. Accounting. The knowledge keeps me coming back. The crossroads of humanity draws me like a magnet. Once there I must sample a little of everything! Then one day I get tired of sleeping three hours a day, drinking three to four pots of coffee a day, and the politics in academia. Back on the road again.
I'm a slacker for sure. The one you would find in the commons talking to a friends here and there. A road trip, party or museum tour; all found me a willing draftee. Never took notes in class. Memorized as I heard and paid someone for their notes. Tutored many subjects as I took them. I lived in the moment while keeping my eye on deadlines. Just never cared to finish at any certain time.
When I had a woman, I worked harder, with an eye on the american dream. If this ol' cowboy was alone, I drank with my proffesors and watch the sun come up with a coed. Tests, papers and projects was just part of what you had to do to get along.
Every month my student loan check gets mailed in. My jobs in the last thirty years almost tops fifty. One of those women I bought a house to convince my traveling days are over. Thank God she found Mr. Right. I kept the house. All those rooms make great workshops. This time around I chose a program without the candy store of a campus. Might finish, might not.