Fri 19 May 2006
So. After total immersion in the world of Lord Peter Whimsy, a major Life’s Disappointment has returned to bark at my heels louder than ever. (How’s THAT for a metaphor?) Several times over the years, throughout my schooling, but even more so since I was released from the University of Maryland. This Great Life Disappointment is this: I feel cheated. Cheated of an education that actually means something.
Now, I know that a fair amount of the blame lies at my own feet, for not working harder to wring more out of my time in class, and for not pushing my professors, and whatnot. But really, since I spent most of my mandatory, K- 12 school years being smarter than the teachers, I think it’s fairly understandable if I didn’t have any faith in university profs. I mean, I’m sorry that I’d already read most of the books assigned for us to read at a grindingly slow pace, but hey.
The teachers were less than helpful or sympathetic either. And really, why should I have expected them to be? They had 34 other students in the room to teach, why should they pander to just one? Especially when I wasn’t one of those who was having trouble with the material. They had needier kids to worry over. Still.
So. Back to today. I have a BA from the College of Arts and Humanities at UMCP, department of Theatre. I focussed on design rather than acting and I actually got credit for all the shop time I put in. But. I didn’t take the classes that I wish I’d taken. I didn’t really apply myself to the ones I did. (It’s tough to really stress about it when you’re getting credit for shop time.) So. I guess the short post for today would have said “I think I want to go back to school” but that’s not really the right way to put it. I don’t want to get a master’s degree. Not in theatre, at any rate, I think. Maybe. First, I want to go back and learn all the things I feel I should have learned to begin with. I think I want to go back to take another BA.
Costs are up, though. And other plans are in the works, gears grinding to dust the money and time that would be spend on such things. So, an online course of action would be a wonderful solution. Any suggestions for good undergraduate liberal arts program with a focus on literature and history?
May 19th, 2006 at 10:01 am
Let’s chat at AB next week. I definitely have some suggestions, but would like to get a bit more involved than just a comment dialogue.
Things to consider: post-baccalaureate programs aren’t often hyped, but they ARE often available. This is often the best solution for those who already have a Bachelors, and are wishing to expand upon or switch tracks. Definitely worth looking into, and I could probably put you in touch with someone if you wanted to hear about that sort of setup (a friend of mine did a post-bac year when he applied to get into an MFA program… his prior degrees were in science and medicine, and the MFA program wanted to see more literature and writing).
If you’d brought this up 6 months ago, I probably would have suggested the degree program I just finished, but in April they announced that they were selling the campus (not that you were on campus often… it’s primarily an off campus program). This all leaves me with a general sense of uneasiness about where the program is heading, and am hesitant to recommend it at the moment.
Since you have a degree already, most colleges are also fairly open to audits. All you need to do is get the permission of the professor of the class you wish to audit, and then submit some paperwork (and a check) to the school. It should be incredibly easy to do if you’re an alumna in particular.
All that said, I know exactly how you feel. I feel like I wasted vast amounts of time by not applying myself more in school. I coasted through so much. The goal isn’t really education anymore, it’s the piece of paper. If I can afford it, I’d love to get involved in a Master’s program somewhere, but frankly I’m deathly afraid that it’ll just end up being more of the same bull(despite being told by so many that it’s not the case). Or worse, that my coasting through my prior schooling will have left me too unprepared for graduate work and no one will have me in my chosen field.
Argh. So much to think about. Anyway, hope to chat with you soon.
May 24th, 2006 at 7:20 am
Or you could always study on your own; you can’t outsmart yourself. An education isn’t just what you get on paper, it’s what you retain.
That said, you could also get together a group of academic-sorts and read through a book together, or examine history. Or heck, learn a language. Up for some Latin?
May 24th, 2006 at 10:46 am
Yeah, there are loads of good options out there for increasing my scholarly street cred. I’m definitely heading to the library when I get back from Boston. You know, I actually took Latin in high school- I had just about the worst teacher ever. No, seriously- the guy who’s in charge of Latin Day at UMCP even commented on it when I mentioned my high school to him. Right now though, I’m trying to learn Japanese. It’s not so easy
June 28th, 2006 at 10:29 pm
I decided to do some catch up… so i’m a little behind the times…
While I can gripe a *lot* about certain classes I was required to take to walk away with a piece of paper with mine and the University’s name on it I’ve realized how much college isn’t the classes, education is found in the intangibles…
So many of the people in the department are good at what they do… it just doesn’t happen to be teaching… some are good at teaching, but not all and it does get frustrating.
But I’ve worked with people who have master’s degrees in theater that:
a) don’t know as much as I do
b) don’t know how to work through to a solution.
it’s a little scary. so a lot of college is what you take, and look for the intangibles - working with a fly system, and people who, while their personalities could use a bit of work, are fairly passionate, and good at what they do.
Now if only that carried over to the classroom.
But I bet if you got out and worked at some of the smaller theaters in town, it may blow your mind how useful those 4 years were… the paper may not mean much, but the number of times I’ve had to stop a load in because basic flyrail physics and safety were being ignored frightens me.
[/high horse rant]