Have you read Tom Wolfe's book about college-"IAm Charlotte Simmons" http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-Charlotte-Simmons-Novel/dp/0312424442/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241013838&sr=8-3 ? It is one of the scariest books I have ever read (scary if you have girls headed to college in the near future). I think Tom is showing how the destructive behaviors of college students can be traced to the scientific materialism that permeates education. The Catholic school you describe sounds like a good alternative to me.
Yes, I read Charlotte Simmons when it came out, and it tied pretty well with the experiences of friends who went to Ivy League or top liberal arts colleges. The details Wolfe got wrong were mostly incidentals like the kinds of music college students listen to.
Though on the flip side, none of my friends "went native" the way Charlotte did. It struck me one of that character's problems was that she didn't really have a whole lot of beliefs other than that she had to be the "best sort", whatever that was in a given situation.
Still, nearly all your friends of a totally alien moral outlook is wearing on the mind and soul after a while, even if you don't join in.
Just read your remarks over at AC. I should perhaps have prefaced my recommendation for the immature student with, "If you are determined to shell out the bucks and send the kid to college anyway..."
Independence is highly desirable, of course--for parents as well as offspring. Sending the kid into the workforce would be an independence-promoting option, IMHO!
Wait, there's a difference?
ReplyDeleteHave you read Tom Wolfe's book about college-"IAm Charlotte Simmons" http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-Charlotte-Simmons-Novel/dp/0312424442/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241013838&sr=8-3 ? It is one of the scariest books I have ever read (scary if you have girls headed to college in the near future). I think Tom is showing how the destructive behaviors of college students can be traced to the scientific materialism that permeates education. The Catholic school you describe sounds like a good alternative to me.
ReplyDeleteYes, I read Charlotte Simmons when it came out, and it tied pretty well with the experiences of friends who went to Ivy League or top liberal arts colleges. The details Wolfe got wrong were mostly incidentals like the kinds of music college students listen to.
ReplyDeleteThough on the flip side, none of my friends "went native" the way Charlotte did. It struck me one of that character's problems was that she didn't really have a whole lot of beliefs other than that she had to be the "best sort", whatever that was in a given situation.
Still, nearly all your friends of a totally alien moral outlook is wearing on the mind and soul after a while, even if you don't join in.
Just read your remarks over at AC. I should perhaps have prefaced my recommendation for the immature student with, "If you are determined to shell out the bucks and send the kid to college anyway..."
ReplyDeleteIndependence is highly desirable, of course--for parents as well as offspring. Sending the kid into the workforce would be an independence-promoting option, IMHO!