The Importance of Education Essay examples

Words: 804
Pages: 4

Ashley Saintilus
ENC1101
Prof.L.Biagi
Two Worlds
Mark Twain was once quoted as saying “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Mark Twain knew the importance of being educated and placed a high importance on never allowing his mind or body to stagnate. In today’s modern society the two forms of education most popular are a high school education and a college education. More people than ever are striving to better themselves by achieving some form of collegiate education. Going through both forms of education has shown me the many similarities and differences between both forms of structured education. The main differences I have acknowledged are structure, curriculum, and teaching methods.
First, the structures of high schools and college vary greatly. High schools are far more disciplined, scheduled, and structured. The students in some cases are treated like mindless sheep kept on a very time oriented schedule. High schools control over many decisions that are made for students seems to be more restrictive than college. Every student must go the same amount of hours every year. In my case I had to go to school from 7:20 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. every day, whether I actually need to or not. I had to spend more time in classes I probably did not need to take but had to fill up my block of time. Another aspect of high school life that is restrictive is the mandatory attendance policy. In my high school, a failure to be in class for one day would immediately constitute a detention. The schedule is the same each day and the student is expected to have excellent attendance. College is a very different story, the approach of colleges towards structure and attendance is much more relaxed. If you fall behind in a class because you have poor attendance they consider it unfortunate and expect the student to find a way to catch up on work. Faculty won’t coddle the student into coming to class. The students may have a different schedule for each day of the week and they are expected to be able to handle their day to day work accordingly. The difference between a senior in high school and a freshman in college my only be months of age but the way they are treated is comparable to that of a child to an adult.
Second, a college education is something that many people believe opens up opportunities never known to the uneducated man. While in high school the goal is to get a broad education of numerous subjects so when you reach college you can narrow down your interests, your talents, and your dreams. A college curriculum may differentiate greatly from that of a high school course load. In college my courses reflect the potential career path that I intend to pursue. In high school I took the same standard classes of English, math, history, and science. Of course some electives but the majority of the classes doesn’t focus on a career path until college. This is what makes the difference in