Are you an Ivy League graduate?
What did you get out of it?
Is it worth how much you’d put into it?
Last week, I heard a provocative discussion on New York’s Public Radio (WNYC) asking – “Are Elite Colleges Bad for the Soul?”
This soul-probing question stems from a new book “Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life. ” The author is William Deresiewicz – a former Yale English professor who also wrote a controversial essay in the New Republic essay –
“Don’t Send Your Kid to the Ivy League.” The article highlights the pressure and perils of an elite educational system – one such danger as he describes it, is that the emphasis of teaching has been shifted to more practical subjects like “economics” “computer technology” and less on humanities. The result he argues, is harmful to the soul because students are not learning how to think out of the box. They’ve become like a pack of sheep conditioned for and obsessed with excelling, competing and winning. Deresiewicz argued that college should be a time for self-discovery, for students to establish their own values, define their own identity and forge their own path.
With so many China Personified network members, bloggers, supporters who either have gone to an Ivy League college or know someone who has, I thought we’d devote this week to sharing our experiences and thoughts about the Ivy League.
Let truth be told – I went to Harvard as a graduate student after I’d already spent eight years as a TV journalist in New York and Hong Kong. Compared with these two super crowded, competitive and materialistic cities, Harvard felt like a sanctuary, a shelter, a still harbor.
So in my own experience – Harvard is good for the soul.
I was able to hear my heart beat, my soul talk. I was free and busy at the same time.
I was free to choose and design my coursework under faculty guidance and supervision, free to mix and mingle with all kinds of students of all age groups, ethnic and racial backgrounds, with or without religious beliefs, with or without fame or family fortune. Everyone is eager to speak up, everyone has thick skin and not easily insulted if he or she is questioned. No one takes criticism personally – challenges and disagreements are all acceptable forms of learning and growing together.
I was also busy running around campus, auditing different classes at the Business school, Law school, Kennedy School of Government while going to as many different types of lectures by guest speakers as possible. Because of the wide-open access allowed between different schools, I felt accepted everywhere. I was like a kid in a candy store, a hungry student on a learning rampage.
I felt liberated and stimulated during my graduate days at Harvard.
I’m deeply aware that my experience may be unique but not distinct. Many graduate students there who’ve had unusual careers in difficult or exciting parts of the world before enrolling at Harvard share my feelings. However, to be honest – I have not always liked Harvard – or least – I never thought it was for me.
In fact, I didn’t choose Harvard or any Ivy League colleges when I was applying to college as an undergraduate. I already knew what my career goals were, and I wanted to get a well-rounded education from a university that would prepare me for my future in television journalism. So I applied to one school – Syracuse. My experience was fantastic – I made many great friends and received excellent professional training and guidance on carving a pathway into the media.
When it came time for me to consider graduate school – I didn’t think of Harvard initially either because I thought it was too elite, too exclusive. I also thought Harvard was mostly packed with rich or cocky people who are full of themselves while out of touch with the real world.
How wrong I was!
The truth is – I would not have applied there if not for the invaluable advice from a trusted close friend -a former professor at Harvard. He urged me to apply because he said Harvard is full of people (students, teachers, fellows) like me – strong-minded, self-motivated, intellectually curious, socially conscious, globally aware, proactive, projective, creative and reflective– as well as funny, quirky, anxious, bold, out-spoken, soft-spoken, mischievous …the whole 9 yard !
He convinced me – Harvard would be a good fit for me. Thank God I listened to him – he’s a great mentor – he knows me better than I knew myself then.
For anyone wrestling with the question – are elite colleges bad for the soul?
I think a lot depends on what you want to get out of it, and whom you want to befriend with qualities that are good for your soul.
For me – I knew early on that I needed not only good teachers and thinkers to challenge my thinking and guide my planning, but also creative opened-minded friends who are honest and caring. One way to find those people is to try to become one myself. Like fireflies in the woods, we find one another like lost souls seeking the same thing – truth, beauty and goodness. I was lucky enough to have found and met many great friends through my program (Regional Studies East Asia) at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. I’m still in touch with many students and professors who’ve become my lifelong friends and mentors. Mentoring and nurturing one another is a strong aspect of the Harvard community. Over the many years that I’d been going back for Alumni day – guess what? I finally found my soul mate last year – also a Harvard graduate!
Yes, Harvard is good for my soul.