Why Does Education Matter?

by Barbara Jolie on July 4, 2011

For many people, especially students who are tired and “burnt out” after high school, the value of an education is not immediately apparent. Perhaps you are having your last summer vacation before hitting the books at an institution of higher education, or you are doing a summer internship after your freshman, sophomore, or junior year. And you still don’t quite understand what all the fuss is about. After all, why is it so important to know when the Ottoman Empire collapsed, or how to measure the density of a liquid? When will this come into play once we have what is more than likely going to be an office job pushing paper?

Of course, the importance of education can be explained using some vague platitudes that most intelligent young students won’t buy. “Because it’s good for you” or “because learning makes you a better person” never quite served as a good enough explanation for me. After graduating from college a few years ago, I can now identify very specific skills that I learned that will and have served me well in both my personal and professional worlds.

For one, I learned to think. I never realized that I did not really and truly possess this ability until after I went through the higher education system. In high school, you learn the basics—you learn how to complete certain tasks as accurately and efficiently as possible. However, after I left college, thanks both to the influence of professors and an environment that encouraged intellectual curiosity, I could objectively look at most arguments and situations and analyze them while being aware of others’ biases as well as my own. This is truly a treasured gift in a world in which biases create the biggest inefficiencies both in business and government.

Another life-long lesson I learned that has come in handy in my first job as well as in my social life is how to live and deal with other people who are remarkably different from you. While you may have dealt with other people before going to college, it was always in a very controlled environment. You more than likely lived with your family like I did, and your social life was more or less regulated by a strict schedule.

 In college, you will learn how to truly live with others.  And especially since college admissions are designed to select students from various socioeconomic, religious, and racial backgrounds, your roommates will expose you to drastically new experiences that you may not be familiar with. Learning to get along in such a diverse environment certainly prepared me well for the working world, in which establishing a rapport with others is absolutely vital to career success in all fields.

More than just these smaller considerations, however, we can take a step back and look at the bigger picture to understand why education is so important. As Edward Everett once said, “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.” If we are to uphold the values that we hold dear, the central principles of our civil society, then education is the most important key to maintaining such values. Why? Because institutions—whether they are businesses, governments, or ideologies bounded by religious or cultural organizations—will, if they happen to be corrupted by natural human error, try their best to fool those who don’t know any better. Education, in other words, protects us from harm, whether caused by ignorance or intentional malice.

If you still aren’t convinced about the value of an education, remember that success, whether material or otherwise, is a product of luck, talent, and applying what you’ve learned. You can’t control for the first two, so if you want to come out of this life on top, then making education a priority is a no-brainer.

This guest post is contributed by Barbara Jolie, who writes for online classes.  She welcomes your comments at her email address: barbara.jolie876@gmail.com.

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Effective Study Strategies for College Students

by Lauren Bailey on June 13, 2011

If you are currently enrolled or will experience your fist semester of college in the fall, you will learn very early that you need to study in order to achieve success in all of your courses. While you may have been able to ace exams by just skimming a few pages in your textbook in high school, college is a completely different playing field. This is because college professors expect you to retain sometimes up to 3 months worth of information just for one exam. And while professors might not constantly hound you every other day to read the assigned chapters or check for reading completion, you are responsible to do so. So this leaves the question, how does one “properly study?” Everyone has different studying styles, but if you would like to enhance your current studying habits, follow these tips below.

Don’t Cram

The first thing you need to learn that cramming is not the way to go. Do not wait till the very last minute to start learning new concepts. Instead, you should always be on top of your daily studies. This way your brain is able to retain all of the vital information little by little. Every day allot an “x” amount of time to study. Whether it be something as small as 15 minutes or as much as an hour a day for each class, studying on a daily basis will make it a breeze coming test day. Rewriting notes, reading your notes aloud, coming up with mnemonic devices, and using colorful pens and markets to highlight important information or to draw your own diagrams/graphs when appropriate can help improve the amount of information you retrain.

Careful of Diet

If for some unfortunate reason you do find yourself in a predicament where cramming or having a late night study session is the only option, do not rely on caffeinated beverages such as coffee and soda to get you through the night. Caffeine actually dehydrates you, which can make you feel drowsy. Instead, you should drinks lots and lots of water. Not only is your brain made up of 70 percent water and needs H20 to function properly and help improve retention and concentration levels, water will also make you need to urinate more often which will help keep you awake.

Cut off Online Distractions

Another easy way to get some proper studying done is to temporarily detach yourself from the online world.  While it’s understandable that you may need the computer to get some studying done, this  doesn’t mean that you need to be accessible to the distractions that the internet has to offer—such as social media networking sites, e-mail, online video games and chatting with friends via instant messaging. Logging out of everything should suffice. But if it seems too difficult to restrain yourself from checking your Facebook every 10 minutes, then you have one of two options: you can either give yourself a designated break and tell yourself, “after reading 10 pages I can check Facebook, etc” or you can just unplug the Ethernet cable or deactivate your Wi-Fi signal if you have no self control. Same goes for your phone. Unless you’re expecting an important phone call, it’s probably best to turn your cell off while studying. Even one simple text message that says “hey” can lead to an unnecessary hour long text-conversation. Take out the battery if you catch yourself checking it every other minute.

Change Locations

Lastly, where you study is just as important as how you study. With that said, it’s crucial that you refrain from studying on your bed or a comfy couch—this the fastest way to send you to snoozeland. Instead, you should always study in an upright position that is well let. If an area doesn’t exist in your home/dorm or  you cannot control yourself from turning on the TV etc, go study at the library, a quiet coffee shop or a 24-hour diner.

This guest post was contributed by Lauren Bailey, who regularly writes for best online college.  She welcomes your comments at her email address: blauren99 @gmail.com. 

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The Power of Study Groups

June 4, 2011

If you’re a college student, you should join or start a class study group. This is especially useful if you’re having a hard time understanding the material. A study group can help you get better grades and make new friends. These 6 strategies can make sure you get the most out of study group sessions. [...]

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Understanding which Majors Earn More Money on Average

May 28, 2011

There is a new report out that looks at the economic value of 171 college majors and links them to earnings. This new report entitled, “What’s it worth?  The Economic Value of College Majors” by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, states: In the United States today, there is no more certain investment than [...]

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An Example of High School Excellence: Booker T. Washington High School

May 10, 2011

The focus of the About Graduation Blog is college graduation.  However, you can’t graduate from college unless you first graduate from high school.  At Booker T. Washington high school in Memphis, Tennessee they are doing just that: graduating. I want to congratulate Booker T. Washington high school on winning the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge for 2011! Race to the Top is a [...]

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Deciding What Major is Right for You

May 9, 2011

When you think about it, four years is not a very long time to decide which field you want to focus your studies or start your career.  And really, you don’t have four years; you have more like two years, tops, to make this decision or you won’t have enough time to take the required [...]

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5 Ways to Stay Focused in College

May 1, 2011

1. Plan Ahead Be sure to take a look at your university’s course schedule for the upcoming years. If your college or university has distribution requirements, it’s a good idea to check out when these classes are offered. Make a list of the schedules for the classes that you are interested in taking and what [...]

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KIPP Releases Their College Completion Report

April 30, 2011

KIPP, Knowledge is Power, is a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public charter schools that works to prepare students in underserved communities for success in college and life. Today, 30.6 percent of all Americans age 25 to 29 have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. For students from low-income families, only 8.3 percent have [...]

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Learn How to Graduate On Time

April 14, 2011

At one point in time, earning your bachelor degree took about a good solid 4 years to achieve. But more recently, students are taking 5 sometimes even 6 years to graduate. The reasons for an “untimely” graduation are contributed to a variety of different factors, including switching majors mid-semester, only enrolling as a part-time student, [...]

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An Important Talk on State Budgets by Bill Gates

March 27, 2011

Bill Gates, founder and former CEO of Microsoft, gives a very important talk on state budgets.  We all need to understand the key issues associated with state budgets, particularly as it relates to public education.  In order to effectively respond to a challenging situation, you must first understand it.  In this video, Bill Gates helps [...]

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