College of Conformity - Final Words

This topic inspired a whole lot more emotion than I intended - or even thought possible.  I think it even inspired, dare I say, anger.   That definitely wasn't my intent.  I was just offering up some sociological observations that were developed during two years of playing racquetball and jousting verbally with David Ashley, a full professor of sociology at the University of Wyoming. 

I was, at the time, much more enamored of America's higher education system.  Dr. Ashley enjoyed eviscerating my views - alleviating me of what he called my "stupid American naivete" (Dr. Ashley is British - and gleefully vicious in conversation).  D.A., as I called him, is one of the most brilliant people I've ever met.  He publicly predicted General Motor's bankruptcy in 2005, well before anyone else I knew even thought it was possible.  He taught me how Marx was exactly right about capitalism, and dead wrong about communism.  He also taught me how societies really work, and how higher education fits into that picture.  My post was not in any way a rant born out of recent frustrations.  It was the fruit of two years of back and forth with a man whose sociology textbook is now in its seventh edition. 

Regardless of D.A.'s influence, I have always had very fond memories of my undergraduate experience.  Absolutely every positive comment that either of my sisters made could have been written by me with equal applicability.  By any measure, my undergraduate career was wildly successful.  I earned my degree in three years, picking up roughly $30k in scholarship money along the way, and winning a whole slew of awards.  I was the poster boy for what college education should be.  I grew as a person and learned things that I never would have in any other venue.  I personally have absolutely nothing to complain about in terms of the education I received.

However, I must also point out that I was already an accomplished conformist by the time I started college.  I had just left the largest and most successful conforming institution in history - the military of the United States of America.  I have precisely zero doubt that had I not learned conformity in the military beforehand, I would have failed miserably in college.  There's no way I would have even completed my freshman year.

And I also have to be adamant that my experience, and the experience of my two sisters, is not the experience of the majority of college graduates.  There are many people who have the ideal collegiate experience (in terms of learning).  We're not the only ones by any means.  But proportionally, I'd put that percentage at no more than 10% percent - if I was feeling generous.  Based on a few years of teaching at the university level, I'd say it's probably more like 5%.  So what makes me and my sisters different?  It's not that we're all stunningly intellectual.  We're smart - yes.  But lots of college students are smart.  And I've seen several students who were much smarter than me fail out of college.  I've also seen all four of my brothers - each of whom is my equal in intelligence - quit college.  So what really enabled me and my sisters to get through when so many other smart people did not?  Like all "good students", we're all Grade-A conformists . . .

Now, about conformity.  I wrote the original post with an intentionally provocative tone.  However, I must point out that conformity is not a bad word.  Conformity is one of the most essential features of any society.  It is a curiosity of Western culture that we have arbitrarily turned conformity into a bad word.  In Eastern (communal) cultures conformity is a very good word - one of the best in fact.

To prove my own hunch on this point, today I asked one of my fellow grad students to read my original post.  She is from China, and we became friends while I (as the TA) helped her get through Structural Equation Modeling this past Spring.  She read the post and then I asked her what she thought of it.  She said that I missed a very important point.  I neglected to talk about the importance of bringing honor to one's family by going to college.  Point being, the idea of college primarily being a conforming experience didn't even register as being controversial to her.  When I asked specifically about the conformity aspect, she just said, "it's okay".  Her English isn't the best, so I didn't ask her to elaborate.  But it certainly didn't raise any hackles with her. 

In closing, does any of this make college bad?  Does its focus on conformity mean I want to see the institution reformed?  I wouldn't mind a more technical focus, but that's not a strong belief.  What I do believe strongly is that Americans place far too much emphasis on college.  I think the German model where trade schools and apprenticeships are the target for most young people is much more sensible.  But that doesn't mean college is wrong.  It just means college is a conforming institution.  If that's wrong, your own views make it so.  I personally have admired nonconformity my whole life, even though it's not for me.  So I dedicated the original post to all those who refused to conform to collegiate demands.  But as I've said before, my oldest daughter will be going to college.  She's an excellent conformist and the system will work well for her.  My other kids?  We shall see.  I certainly will discourage pounding square pegs into round holes.