COLUMN: Seven habits of educated students
OK, let’s start with a brutal truth. When it comes to preparing you for the future, none of us professors know what we’re doing. And admit it: you yourself don’t have a clue. This is partly because the world is changing rapidly in just about every direction, and partly because there are a million little random things that will end up hugely affecting your life. So, the Basic Truth: nobody knows.
On the other hand, there’s nothing new in all this uncertainty. People have been worrying about the unknowns in the future for as long as they’ve been thinking. And so philosophers and sages of the ages, from Seneca to Descartes, have been drawing up general rules to live by in the hope that, no matter what changes come about, you’ll be ready for them. Think of it as a general preparation for an unknown future. Or, think of it as going to college.
It’s in this spirit that I shall now bestow unto you some rules you ought to consider living by, at least while you’re in college. Who knows? Maybe some of them will even be useful afterwards.
1. Seek ye breadth. That means try to learn about a wide variety of subjects, separated by different professors, departments and colleges. It’s better to have more tools in your bag than fewer. It’s true that you may never be called upon to recite any medieval poetry, but the interpretive skills you gained in that class might become useful in all sorts of spots, like when you have to interpret Uncle Herbert’s will.
2. Focus. Meaning: spend some time each week paying close attention to one thing at the exclusion of all else. Put away the phones, computers and iPods, and observe. Go to a concert or an art show, alone, and lose yourself in the experience. What you’ll find is that the constant buzz of techno-info isn’t doing as much for you as you thought.
3. Get surprised. How do you get surprised? By putting yourself into unfamiliar classes and situations and seeing what happens. You didn’t think you’d like ancient Greek and bagpipes, did you? Surprise. Now you find you like them, and maybe even want to spend your life developing those strange interests. Note that I said your life, not necessarily your career. Then, when you’re at a barbecue and people are bragging about last weekend’s all-expense-paid trip to Miami, you will find occasion to mention that you were playing the pipes in Glasgow, and translating Pindar on the plane. Which story would you rather be telling?
4. Argue for things you don’t believe in. Yes, I mean it. What you’ll find is that a view you thought was crazy actually has something going for it, even if in the end you remain unconvinced. You’ll become much better at understanding other people, and your intelligence will become more flexible. And you’ll drive your friends nuts.
5. You know the stuff you hate? Take a class in it. Especially if it’s math. Learning doesn’t mean getting credit for what you’re good at; it means getting better at what you’re bad at. Find your weak points, and strengthen them. Learn what’s cool about the stuff you don’t like.
6. Have your head in at least three books at any given time. I mean books apart from the ones you are reading in class. And I mean books, genuine books, that you can pick up, underline, write notes in, spill mayo on, give to a friend, or throw away in disgust. Ideally, these books will not obviously have anything to do with one another. They will serve to prod you into thinking about things and making connections you wouldn’t have otherwise recognized. It doesn’t matter if you finish reading them; cast aside the ones that bore you. Always have one on hand in case you’re stuck in line or riding a bus with nothing else to do.
7. Have fun. Like I need to tell you this. But take your fun seriously. When you’re some middle-aged wage earner, do you want to find yourself saying, “I wish that when I was in college I had dyed my hair orange, worn all black, and gone to goofy parties”? Get that done now, because if you do it later, you’ll look pathetic, and maybe get arrested.
Some people say you should expect to change your career a dozen times over your life. I think that estimate is a bit inflated, but the point is sound: in all likelihood, you will not end up doing what you now think you’ll be doing. But, I say to you, if you gain these seven habits, you’ll be in good position to deal with what you don’t see coming.
Charlie Huenemann is a professor of philosophy and associate dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.