I'm reading a phenomenal book right now called Liberal Arts for the Christian Life, edited by Philip G. Ryken and Jeffrey Davis. It is a collection of twenty essays by the faculty of Wheaton College, detailing what a Christian liberal arts education is. It is designed for the undergraduate student (which I am) and so I decided to pick it up. Though I'm going a rather untraditional route to a college degree and will be graduating through a state college, I highly value and respect the Christian liberal arts education. That being said, this book is not just for undergrads at a Christian liberal arts college. In my opinion, it's for every college student. The truths and values and wisdom communicated by these twenty wise educators is timeless. Quotes from their essays are already scattered throughout my journal. This quote is definitely going in the front of my math and science textbooks:
Quoting T.S. Eliot: "No one can become really educated without having pursued some study in which he took no interest - for it is a part of education to learn to interest ourselves in subjects for which we have no aptitude."
See the wisdom here? But there is one quote especially that I believe is the theme of this book and should be the theme of every college student's education:
Students will do almost anything for a good grade, but zeal for learning is currently at a low ebb. The quality of your education is your choice to make.
Despite the fact that I am not at a brick and mortar college, the quality of my education is my choice to make. These words have often been ringing through my ears as I study, and I pray that throughout my entire college career I will continue thinking about and applying them. These are words of wisdom for every college student and, goodness, for every student! You can go through the most premier education at the most elite school out there, and still get a terrible education. You can have the best teachers and the best books and even get the best grades, and still get a terrible education. You can be valedictorian and voted "most likely to succeed" and have memorized all the facts, and still get a terrible education. The quality is "your choice to make." You will make or break your education experience by your pursuit - will your goal be accolades or actual knowledge?