"You can never be overdressed or overeducated."
- Oscar Wilde
I have to say, I am in strict agreement with Mr. Wilde on this matter. Today, I started graduate classes at the University of Arkansas (Woo Pig Sooie), the pride of Arkansas and a well known Southern university, of which I am proud. I am older than the majority of students on campus, and I don't consider myself to be old at the ripe young age of 24, thank you very much. However, I walked on campus to a culture shock today. They are in many ways so different than me even though the seniors are just three or four years my junior. There is a social gap there. Some of the conversations I heard today made me want to laugh out loud, and not because they were meant to be funny, but because a lot of these people are clueless! I feel like it wasn't that long ago that I was an undergraduate myself. In fact, it was just a little over two years ago that I graduated, but times are changing rapidly. Back then, we wore some of our best and most favored outfits on the first day of school, as we always had since kindergarten. It was instilled in us to look our best for the first day, as it was the first impression of the year, and we took pride in that. Today, the typical and most favored attire for the undergraduate girl-woman-lady is athletic shorts and the brightest neon or most oversized t-shirt they can find (which in many cases almost completely covers their short shorts). Call me old fashioned, but I would prefer to work out, sleep, or make a dollar store appearance in my oversized t-shirts and never wear anything that short out in public. Southern belle tip: no one wants to see things riding up where they don't belong.... So, back to Mr. Wilde's "overdressed" sentiment, it's being rooted out in certain parts of society. (Not that these people aren't capable of dressing up. I'm sure they do it for all kinds of social functions.) Wake up grandma! You're not young and hip anymore! Back in my day, you waited until at least the second week of school to get comfortable enough to wear pajama pants or workout attire. (And even then I always made the effort to at LEAST put on a pair of jeans, complete with belt and appropriate shoes.) You don't have to tell me; I'm a true diamond in the rough.
I sat in my first graduate level class today. It was easy. There are only about ten graduate students in it and over fifty undergraduate students because the university upped enrollment this year and didn't hire any extra faculty. That's perfectly fine, I fully support education and everyone's right to have it and I am even okay with being in a room full of undergraduate seniors. But they're seniors. They should be able to comprehend more now than ever before in their educational careers. I had freshman level courses more difficult than this one is going to be. I'm not blaming the professor either. She's wonderful, witty, my advisor, and a hard worker. I haven't even heard her lecture yet. But I know she has had to, forgive me, dumb down the course over the years to accommodate the new generation of students who are gracing the University grounds. Bless their cotton-pickin' hearts.
Not only is the education system a bit different than what I had grown accustomed to as an undergrad, but I only thought people my age overused the phrase, "like". "Like, I came to Fayetteville, for like, a degree, that like, makes me look, like, smarter and stuff, like..." These days it goes a little something "LIKE" that. One can never be "overeducated." There is always room for improvement. For example, I can't truly remember if the period goes before or after the quotation marks in the previous sentence. My education could improve in that area.
I just want you to know that I appreciate this younger generation as much as I hold disdain for them. I worked with them at the high school level for two years and they have many fantastic qualities as they are generally more accepting of diversity and eager to dream and succeed (although not ready always to do what it takes to reach their goals.) They are a social bunch as the world has never seen before and have new and differing communication skills that can in many ways be admired. (Although it seems sometimes they would rather text each other while sitting side by side than actually have a face to face conversation.) I'm trying not to sound like a hater here, so let me just say this: there are things that university society is undergoing at present that I would change. Moving forward is important, yes, as long as it really is forward and not backward. Times are different, but some things are classic and timeless and they were good ideas to begin with. My advice to the generation behind me is to take pride in what you do, look as professional as the setting calls for (and I do believe that means NOT wearing pjs and shorty shorts to class), and expound upon your education. We're better than all multiple choice exams. Think critically! I know it can be challenging, but that's the way it's supposed to be. What can you learn if you never push yourself? I had professors who greatly challenged me as an undergraduate student and for that I will be forever grateful to them. They had never heard of a multiple choice or true/false exam. How about an all essay midterm and final and a few book quizzes = the class. Do it right or flunk. It made me better at many things that I endeavor to do, because I made it through that challenge. Similar challenges will make you better too.
You're capable young ones! You can be the best there has ever been, as can I! But we have to accept the challenge. And as a general rule for success remember, "you can NEVER be overdressed or overeducated."
