March 28, 2004

• Tomorrow to Frisco. Yay for road trips!

  Hmm. Well aside from the continuous downward spiral that is my medical school applications process, nothing much has been going on lately. Finals done, still working at the ophthalmologists. I may be potentially founding with two others a care extender-like program at a different hospital, which will help my applications next year, so that would be good.

  Winner of the Week. Education:

  Despite the testing, despite the homework, despite everything that we complain about as students, there is no denying that an education is a fun and useful thing to have. I love learning, and if i could would be a professional student (although this option is looking more and more likely as more med schools respond to me). However, the sheer amount of knowledge available, the endless possibilities and untold new discoveries and inventions waiting to be made are just incredible. Education is one of the best things that the human race has conceived on its path to civilization

  Loser of the Week: Grades

  While education is fantastic, the cuthroat competition for numbers that it has since become is most assuredly not. When education first became a part of humanity, it was traits for survival, such as that plant is good to eat, or don’t poke the saber toothed kitty. Members who did not learn these lessons were very quickly removed from the educational system, often rather permanently. However, you did not see oog and ugg the caveman staying up all night trying to figure out which end of the kitty not to poke so professor grog would give them letter values that would ultimately settle their position as hunter or gatherer in society. It was simply understood.

  Later, education became a bit more formalized, and young people would apprentice to masters to learn a vocation. The hours were long, and there was little to no pay, but teachers would provide you with room, board, and office hours 24-7. Occasional guildmasters would take on more than one apprentice, and squires biff and boff would help each other, because they both would be assured jobs either way, having been taught a useful skill. Also, not being able to read, assigning letter grades to a performance would have been utterly ridiculous, as what is the real difference between a bakers A pastry or B pastry? exactly. Muffin

  Nowadays, everything students are taught is evaluated in an abstract manner. And that manner of evaulation has become more important than the information being imparted, because the higher level universities and corporations only look at the applicants numbers. And those numbers, regardless of the difficulty of courses chosen, or background of the student taking those courses, those numbers arbitrarily assigned based on a given person’s ability to memorize and regurgitate other numbers or bullshit compositions, those numbers which everyone accepts but no one questions the origins of, are what ultimately determines the future course of many a person’s life.

  Now I am not saying grades are wholey unimportant. But i don’t think they should rate as the be-all and end all of your future. There should be tests which actually assess your practical ability to do the job you wish to accomplish. Grades should be a part of it, but they should be a lesser part than say experience and background

  Or maybe I just saying this because I have low grades. But whatever It’s my xanga, and I’ll type what I want to

   

  So I took Caroline, my beautiful and talented g/f to a loyola scholars meeting thingy. This was a chance for her to meet a bunch of staff and students who were also scholars. She btw received a full ride to their law school. I can’t recall the last time I have ever been made to feel to dumb, even if unintentionally. I talked with several people, and while they thought I was also a scholar (that is to say, until they noticed I had no nametag) they were all very friendly, and informative and propagandizing. Once we reached a point in the conversation where it became apparent I was a mere fixture to Caroline, I suddenly became invisible, oftentimes right in the middle of a conversation. Two examples. One judge, post finding out my status, I asked him a question and received a look that essentially said “If you were a law scholar, you would know how stupid you just sounded, and be utterly ashamed, or at least intelligent enough to realize how ashamed you should be. But your not” What he actually said was “oh that’s interesting” and turned away to speak with Caroline. Which is good, since she is the one who needs the info, but ouch for me. Even better when we were talking with some current Loyola students, or more accurately while Caroline was talking and I was smiling and nodding, The dean came over and introduced himself to each student, subtly glancing at the nametage to congratulate him. It sounded something like this

  Dean: Hey nathan , I’m Dean Whatever, great to meet you hope to see you in august…any questions about the program
  Nathan: None sir, thanks.
  Dean: Hey Caroline, I’m Dean Whatever, a pleasure to meet you, is there anything you would like to know?
  Caroline: Um, actually most of my questions have been answered
  Dean: Great! Hope to see you in august. Hey (pause while he notes my lack of a nametag), you’re attached to Caroline?
  Me: Yes, it’s nice to —
  Dean: good for you (turns away)

  Right then. It’s a good thing I am not having any self-esteem issues.

  Some pics and details of the SF trip to come…til then

  -Josh

  “College is a fountain of knowledge, and the students are there to drink”

  • 11:09 pm
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