The Purpose of Higher Education

Higher education is important because it aids students into finding self-awareness. Self-awareness is especially important because when people have a better understanding of themselves, they are often encouraged to build on their areas of strength, as well as identifying the areas that could use improvement. Self-awareness often leads to setting goals. Setting goals can lead to success. In other words, higher education is very beneficial and helps lead to success.

Education will positively affect most, if not all areas of your life. The purpose of higher education is to prepare students for a more successful future, to allow students to have more opportunities in life through a liberal education, and to instruct students on how to think more critically. What is self-awareness and why should I care? Self-awareness is the ability to perceive your own personality, feelings, character, strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, motivations etc. Why should you care about being self-aware?

Self-awareness is beneficial, and the words of Brett Blumenthal, a former college student and a bestselling author who has been featured in The New York Times, “It makes us better people. ” Blumenthal lists reasons why self-awareness is important, including increased empathy, admission, acceptance, tolerance level, humility, and likeability. {sheerbalance. com} These traits will not only help you gain success in education and careers, but also aid in being a better person in general. Self-awareness is more often than not taught through higher education.

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Higher education prepares students for a successful future. Ultimately, success is achieving popularity, profit, or uniqueness. In other words, being successful means that you are content with your life choices. If you are not content with your life choices, then you are usually not as happy as you could potentially be. Success is most likely featured on any motivated person’s list of goals. Preparation for a more successful future is an ideal purpose of higher education. Without that preparation, students lack the knowledge of knowing what steps to take next in their life.

Having a higher liberal education opens individuals up to more opportunities in their life. According to The Association of American Colleges and Universities, the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education, a liberal education is “an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. It provides students with broad knowledge of the wider world (e. g. cience, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study in a specific area of interest. A liberal education helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills such as communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings. ” {The Association of American Colleges and Universities, AAC&U} Some jobs even require that all considered applicants have at least an associate’s degree.

Another great purpose for higher education is obtaining a liberal education. “Those more educated now tend to be significantly less religious; those more religious tend to be significantly less educated,” says Os Guinness in Fit Bodies Fat Minds. On the contrary, the more educated tend to have broader minds, where as the more religious tend to have closed minds. It is not a matter of who has more or less education, but a matter of who has the ability to be able to think critically.

Critical thinking is mandatory in receiving an education. “Critical thinking is the ability to apply reasoning and logic to new or unfamiliar ideas, opinions, and situations. ” {wisegeek. org} In other words, critical thinking is abstract thinking. Why is that important? Critical thinking is important because it creates a higher level of analysis and concentration. When someone is critically thinking, they are more engaged and focused than someone who is not critically thinking.

Critically thinking enables broad thinking and avoids sticking to obvious explanations or reasoning. Conclusively, critical thinking is respected and looked up to by many individuals for different reasons, making learning this trait a purpose for higher education. The purpose of higher education varies for everybody. Sometimes people get a higher education for more opportunities, for the sake of self-improvement, or because they are interested in learning and excelling in a specific profession.

These three purposes are some of the most important because they do not only affect you in the classroom, but they also benefit you at home, work, or while collaborating with others. Some of the most important purposes of higher education is to prepare students for a more successful future, to allow students to have more opportunities in life through a liberal education, and to instruct students on how to think more critically. Higher education should be considered essential to all.

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