What is the point of college during COVID?
by Lena Schneck ’23, Staff Writer
John Stuart Mill labeled college an “experiment in living” where young students are able to explore and prepare for a life as free beings. This freedom manifests in all areas of life, including academics, peers, and values. To elaborate on Mill’s thought, college is a place to build one’s skills and one’s soul: the value and values of a student. However, while I agree with Mill’s perspective on higher education, I also believe that the purpose of college and higher education contains variation.
As historian Edward Gibbon said, “Every person has two educations, one which is received from others, and the other, more importantly, which is given by thyself.”
COVID-19 and more specifically, the educational environment during COVID, has made this dichotomy extremely prevalent. I have always thought of college as an environment to broaden the perspectives of students. Whether the perspective is focused on science, economics, politics, literature, or anything else is entirely up to the student, but the grounding principle of college remains the same: focused attention and specific academic interactions are supposed to cultivate thoughtful and determined students. However, what Mill and Gibbon did not account for in their academic papers was how education and its effect on students will change if human interaction and personal freedoms are severely restricted.
Thus, my academic experience due to COVID has significantly evolved and has made me question the true value of higher education. Last year I believed the primary purpose of college was to foster close interactions with my peers and professors to make me a more educated, empathetic, and approachable individual. However, because of the transition to Zoom classes, my perception of college has dramatically shifted. If I am able to acquire a similar education on my computer from virtually anywhere in the world, why am I choosing to stay on a small campus in rural New York? This is the question that I ponder almost every day. More specifically, I question the costs and benefits of an education that has significantly degraded the meaning of college as an “experiment in living.”
I struggle to justify my frustration with the inability to have a “normal” college experience while also recognizing my privilege in being able to go to a school that permits students to be on campus. Thus, as I and so many other students are beginning to feel academically, socially, and emotionally burnt out, I encourage the Hamilton community to really consider “the education that is given by thyself.” Coronavirus has prompted me to reassess my values and more specifically, the happiness I get out of academic work, extracurriculars, and human interactions. While I do struggle to focus on my work, and to find the meaning in learning about molecular orbitals (thank you gen chem), I am repeatedly amazed at the kindness and thoughtfulness of the students on this campus. Although I can take classes online and extract a similar value as I would in-person, I am unable to say the same in regards to my in-person relationships. Thus, while the value of college may be different, the values that I have chosen to focus on and cultivate — empathy, self-respect, and acceptance — have become infinitely more important.
