The Truth!

There is an old but somewhat wise saying that money cannot by everything. Last night I met a girl at a “Krispy Kreme” shop that lived by this philosophy. She was attending a prestigious all girls college here in Atlanta and was majoring in English. Not English education, just plain English with an emphasis in American literature. When she graduates, her only options will include fast food or graduate school. Hopefully after a summer of witnessing at “Frontera” she will figure out that she needs to rethink what she is doing. Her friend with her, was majoring in philosophy at the same school.

Now getting a liberal arts education is fine, broadening the mind, and learning more about the world around you is necessary for social and economic survival in today’s world. But there is some wisdom in what Matt Damon’s character said in Goodwill Hunting. He told a snobby student that the same education he was getting from his college could have been gained from late fees at the local library. He is right.

In my own honest opinion, if you want to study just English, don’t drop the 30k a year that many prestigious universities charge and attend your own local state university. For a fraction of the cost you will probably come away with many of the same experiences that you would have had at “Big Dollar U”.

Another thing that I have discovered is that you can learn so much more through your own personal study of a subject then if you took a class. In many cases teachers do not leave it up to the students to gain their own opinions or views on a subject but push their own agendas on those enrolled (I saw this so much it was crazy).

So, think for yourself and don’t be fooled into thinking that you have to pay a lot of money to become the person you want to be. If you want to study, pop on down to Barnes and Noble or your local library and go to it. If you want to write, start writing on your own about whatever you become interested in (Tom Wolf has had a great career doing this).

In the end it is up to you. If you want to spend your money go ahead, but understand that you can major in business management and still be an acculturated person.

The Truth Deal With it.