^ What do you mean by 'taking university seriously'? For example, there's a whole lot of people that take their marks very seriously, but couldn't care less about what material they're covering...

Originally Posted by nerual

However, it shouldn't be the most important thing in your life. Eventually, you'll be done school, and if your entire life has revolved around it, you won't have much of a life when you're done..

I can't agree with this. It depends on the individual, their goals, and on the circumstances. There's no reason why school (by 'school', I mean 'academic work', not 'marks' - some people tend to mean 'marks' when they say 'school') shouldn't be the most important thing in a person's life, in the same way that there's no reason why it should be. 'Shouldn't' and 'should' are awfully definite.

That's in-general, of course. Of course, there may be particular situations which warrant particular actions, as always...

Originally Posted by Mahratta

I can't agree with this. It depends on the individual, their goals, and on the circumstances. There's no reason why school (by 'school', I mean 'academic work', not 'marks' - some people tend to mean 'marks' when they say 'school') shouldn't be the most important thing in a person's life, in the same way that there's no reason why it should be. 'Shouldn't' and 'should' are awfully definite.

Hm...What I was trying to say is that I don't think there should be any one thing, whether that's school or a job or sports or whatever, that is a person's whole life. Nothing lasts forever, so having your whole life revolve around one thing is somewhat unhealthy and can potentially screw you over in the future, if you lose that one thing. I think there should be more of an emphasis on being more well-rounded/having at least a couple of interests, as opposed to your whole life being about one thing. I see what you mean though--there are people who thrive by totally delving into something and having it be their only focus/purpose. I doubt it's healthy for the majority of the population, but there are people who thrive in that lifestyle. There's still the problem of what happens when you lose that purpose, though.

And if someone decides to make it their sole purpose in life to cure cancer, to the exclusion of everything else, and they succeed, I'll take it all back

Originally Posted by Mahratta

^ What do you mean by 'taking university seriously'? For example, there's a whole lot of people that take their marks very seriously, but couldn't care less about what material they're covering...

I mean they don't take learning seriously, they don't study as hard as they should or dedicate the time to learning. Rather they just take the social part of university seriously and ignore the academic part.

okay i gotta weigh in on this one here,

syed yes you have to study, but you also have to socialize and learn to deal with problems life and other PEOPLE through at you. In a few years you'll get your degree and be sitting at home going "its not fair i put in my hard work, how come WHITE people are getting jobs and im not (yes i made the conclusion your brown.. so what)" employers hire people that they like, if you've been sitting for four years in the basement of thode library, and not interacting with ppl you wont know HOW to make yourself likeable, chances are you WONT make the right contact and get your dream job, you WONT be playing golf with the guys from the office on saturday, you wont lose "it" for a lonnnnnnng time, you get the point.

That being said i do agree with you to a certain point , its up to the person how much they value their studies and how much time and effort they are willing to put forth. I know what i wan't to do, and how painfully boring and unfulfilling it would be for me to do anything else so i work hard, but I also know the importance of being a charming person capable of smooth talking people.If someone else doesn't have their priorities in order (from your perspective of course) let them pick their own poison and see where life takes them, they could be highly gifted and not have to put in the same kind of effort as you anyways. remember the smart ones aren't always the most successful, but sometimes the ones that went to all the parties and crowd surfed at concerts (just ask the people who talked about their cool dads) are.

Originally Posted by nerual

Hm...What I was trying to say is that I don't think there should be any one thing, whether that's school or a job or sports or whatever, that is a person's whole life. Nothing lasts forever, so having your whole life revolve around one thing is somewhat unhealthy and can potentially screw you over in the future, if you lose that one thing. I think there should be more of an emphasis on being more well-rounded/having at least a couple of interests, as opposed to your whole life being about one thing. I see what you mean though--there are people who thrive by totally delving into something and having it be their only focus/purpose. I doubt it's healthy for the majority of the population, but there are people who thrive in that lifestyle. There's still the problem of what happens when you lose that purpose, though.

Ah, I see what you mean - you're referring to 'school' as a means of getting a job / a university education in the conventional sense, while I'm referring to 'school' as academia as a whole. Someone can have a goal that would keep them in academia and in the 'school' environment, be it for research or teaching etc.

Originally Posted by manap3000

okay i gotta weigh in on this one here,

syed yes you have to study, but you also have to socialize and learn to deal with problems life and other PEOPLE through at you. In a few years you'll get your degree and be sitting at home going "its not fair i put in my hard work, how come WHITE people are getting jobs and im not (yes i made the conclusion your brown.. so what)" employers hire people that they like, if you've been sitting for four years in the basement of thode library, and not interacting with ppl you wont know HOW to make yourself likeable, chances are you WONT make the right contact and get your dream job, you WONT be playing golf with the guys from the office on saturday, you wont lose "it" for a lonnnnnnng time, you get the point.

That being said i do agree with you to a certain point , its up to the person how much they value their studies and how much time and effort they are willing to put forth. I know what i wan't to do, and how painfully boring and unfulfilling it would be for me to do anything else so i work hard, but I also know the importance of being a charming person capable of smooth talking people.If someone else doesn't have their priorities in order (from your perspective of course) let them pick their own poison and see where life takes them, they could be highly gifted and not have to put in the same kind of effort as you anyways. remember the smart ones aren't always the most successful, but sometimes the ones that went to all the parties and crowd surfed at concerts (just ask the people who talked about their cool dads) are.

... i aint socially awkward or sumn how u putting it. i chill with my friends and i hang out, but i know my limits and i know where to draw the line. and dont be sayn smack that imma b sitting at home while the white dudes are working..are you on your internship right now? prolly not..so js take it easy and relaxx

Originally Posted by jhan523

I mean they don't take learning seriously, they don't study as hard as they should or dedicate the time to learning. Rather they just take the social part of university seriously and ignore the academic part.

That can mean a lot of different things, though. For example, doing every practice problem in the book can be considered 'studying hard'. However, in many areas of study (particularly ones that are not directly applied), it's easy to lose sight of the concept that the course is trying to get through - so while the person who does every practice problem learns how to tackle certain problem types, they may have missed the big picture...

Originally Posted by Mahratta

That can mean a lot of different things, though. For example, doing every practice problem in the book can be considered 'studying hard'. However, in many areas of study (particularly ones that are not directly applied), it's easy to lose sight of the concept that the course is trying to get through - so while the person who does every practice problem learns how to tackle certain problem types, they may have missed the big picture...

I think I can agree with this, since I've tried it and it doesn't work too well for me.

Though education is important, it is tough to focus on it when your personal life takes control of your academic life. It's a good thing Mac offers kids those deserving another opportunity to make up for situations like this one. It's not always the case of "not studying enough" or "partying too much"

Originally Posted by ahmedsu

... i aint socially awkward or sumn how u putting it.

..so js take it easy and relaxx

coming from the guy who is emphasizing the importance of seriousness, just do us a favour and quit while your only a little behind k?