"To get into the top schools, students need to get straight A's or close. That means that students are not rewarded for developing a passion for a subject and following their curiosity wherever it takes them. They are rewarded if they can carefully budget their mental energies and demonstrate proficiency across all academic disciplines...Students are rewarded for having a lukewarm enthusiasm for all fields in general and none in particular. They are rewarded for mastering the method of being a good student, not for their passion for the content of any particular area of learning. They are rewarded for their ability to mindlessly defer to their professors' wishes, and never strike out on their own or follow a contradictory path."
-David Brooks
4 comments:
i think i'm one of those students ^_^...
sometimes i wish i were like this-that way i could have more options to pursue something if i completely fail in the few things that i love...but i have such a deep passion for them that i will never leave them. so...nevermind, i take back what i said.
no, i don't really know what i meant, it was late, i was tired, and feeling far too intelligent than what i really was. ha. i think i meant that i wish i had a little bit more of an interest in a lot of different things rather than a lot of interest in a few things-but not as a fail safe.
where did you find this quote?
hey that's me.
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