Too Hard

"For many students, college is a smorgasbord of easy courses chosen for their lack of academic rigor." -Jane S. Shaw

Oh how often I have taken the road of ease. Last May (2012) I took a detour from pastoring three churches to spend time in a scholarly setting (seminary) for a prescribed time (2.5 years). It had been several years since my last classwork had finished up, but one thing certainly had not changed. 

"Hey, tell me about Professor X," says the newbie to the experienced seminarian. "What's their style like? Is their class difficult? How much work is it? What are their requirements?"

Inevitably, the experienced seminarians will be sought out by the first-year students and the majority of the first-years will begin charting the course of least resistance. They avoid the professor who assigns the extra 50 pages of reading or the paper that is 15 pages and not 12. They do the minimum necessary to stay off of academic probation and receive their degree so they can go on to half-heartedly carried out ministries, stay under the radar and get paid.

I cannot speak with authority on all seminarians, all graduate students or even all undergraduate students. Certainly someone will read this and find offense in the suggestion that they aren't trying hard enough. For some, college courses of any kind are challenging regardless of whether they are taking them from the "easy" professors. Others will take issue with the thought that so many seek out the "easy" path to a degree.

My thesis is not that all students lack motivation or shrink from challenging courses. My thesis is not that some students don't struggle. My thesis is that more students need to grow up and look for more challenge in class because life is not lived in the easy lane. Furthermore, for those who are extremely gifted with minds built to study the abstract and struggle through tough issues, don't waste your mind by avoiding the tough thinking. You must exercise it for it to handle even greater topics. 

I would also suggest that no matter what you believe your mental capacity is, it can be still greater if you exercise it and push yourself outside of the realm of easy.

Read like crazy. Read everything. Look up words you don't understand. Read and re-read and read yet again as many times as it takes to catch a glimpse of what you are reading. Your mind can handle it. (Admittedly, I have wasted many years not reading and it was tough at first to start reading regularly.)

The attached article (where the quote above is taken from) advocates for colleges and universities to stop babying students and requiring more from them. I am all for that (though my actions do not always suggest that in my course selection). My last point is this: if your classes and professors and life itself isn't challenging you enough to learn, challenge yourself to learn.


Wall Street Journal article