Education High School: My Potential Classmate - Essay Example

Education High School: My Potential Classmate The value of formal education can hardly be underestimated. The knowledge base of college and university curricula, coupled with the advanced educational methods help students achieve new levels of thinking, train their memory, facilitate accumulation of specific professional knowledge, and handle and analyze massive pieces of new information. Lack of these skills undermines the person’s ability to adjust to the conditions of modern life. However, I truly believe that the process of education is not limited to a mere pursuit and accumulation of knowledge. College and university students also find themselves involved in a broad and extremely diverse social network the influence of which is difficult to measure, but also impossible to deny. Encounters between students who have different cultural, ethnic, economic and academic experiences often play a decisive role in shaping their personalities. Perhaps it will not be an exaggeration to say that sometimes such encounters are more important for the personal growth of students than the formal aspect of education. As any student entering the campus, I have certain expectations regarding my future studies and, of course, my potential classmates. However, the latter portion of expectations is not limited to a list of specific physical or psychological preferences: I perceive my potential classmate as a collective person rather than a separate individual. Of course, this collective classmate consists of individuals with varied cultural backgrounds and academic achievements, diverse living experiences and personal qualities, but all of them are equally important elements of a unique social network that will never repeat again in the future. The potential of this collective classmate in expanding one’s views of the world and motivating personal growth is incomparably higher than that of any individual in the entire world. There are several personal qualities I would prefer to see in those whom will surround throughout my studies. These are intelligence, good work ethics, flexibility and the ability to compromise, respectful attitude toward others, coupled with a good deal of confidence and sociability. Although the list can be extended to include many other items, precisely these qualities form the top layer of my hierarchy. A classmate who possesses these traits will definitely have much to learn from both within and outside a formal classroom environment. Such classmate will always have a genuine opinion on every matter and will be eager to share it with others; he/she will be among the first to prevent nascent conflicts from developing in the long term. It has to be a person confident enough to voice his mind without being afraid of facing an opposition, but at the same time reasonable enough to acknowledge herself in the wrong when it is really so; intelligent enough to be well up in many fields, but trying hard to broaden his knowledge as much as possible. One might object that it is highly unlikely that such combination of positive qualities is met in one individual more frequently than once in twenty years. Unfortunately, my experience suggests that it is really an exceptionally rare combination when you deal with separate individuals. However, I truly believe that my collective classmate possesses virtually the whole list of positive qualities found in the world and the potential to benefit from them fully depends upon my ability to remove the superficial layer of ‘rust’ and notice them in individuals that constitute my ideal classmate. Some are able to perfectly understand other people’s perspectives, but lack confidence and sociability; some are able to offer their classmates reassurance under any circumstances, but fall short when it comes to generating ideas; some have amazing ability to work and concentrate, but have neither flexibility nor the ability to compromise; some have never been out their neighborhood, others come from various places across the globe. Learning something from each of them must be an exciting endeavor. The global trends we have been witnessing since the last two decades of 20th century make my potential collective classmate even more promising in this regard. The recent internationalization of higher education is a blessing that offers literally countless opportunities for improving communicative skills, becoming culturally competent, getting rid of the stereotypes that often distort our perception of others. International students constitute a relevant and important source of diversity on the campus where they obtain such educational opportunities they would have never had domestically. Domestic students, in their turn, obtain a unique opportunity to increase their cultural sensitiveness and improve skills necessary for effective communication with representatives of different cultures and ethnicities, which is so important in the globalized world we live these days. The value of living and learning within the community of culturally and ethnically diverse young people is huge. In fact, it represents the modern world in miniature while the years of studies spent there represent life in small: those whom managed to survive and succeed in it will pass the test for the ability to adjust to real life. This advantage is especially important for American students whom live in the society which is more culturally and ethnically diverse than any other society at any epoch. The priceless experience of intercultural interactions and communication provides students with significant advantage in the marketplace as well. Evidently, college is a place not only for learning but also a place where students construct their unique identities through a broad system of social interactions with representatives of various cultures. Understanding the experiences, cultural and social backgrounds and varied perspectives of others is the only key to making use of the advantages and bypassing disadvantages associated with the process. And this concerns any sphere of life and every field of science. I hope that the portrait of my potential collective classmate does not fall short of what I see on the campus. Read More