Model answer 1
Should the colleges mainly provide students with the knowledge for future career, or give access to knowledge for its own sake? For my part, it is more realistic to forces on the former rather the latter for three major reasons discussed below.
At first, it is no denying that students in colleges are aiming to find a decent job after graduation. In the market-driven economy, it is difficult for new graduates to hunt a job due to the ever increasing population and the fierce competition, Consequently, only equipped with the all-round knowledge and excellent practical skills from the colleges, which are said to be the “cradle” of bright brains, could a student find a good job. Therefore, the colleges should aim at helping graduates to find better jobs in the future.
Next, we shall never overlook the other side of the coin: Knowledge and skills to deal with personal intercourse in their life is vital, too. Students must learn how to build up healthy personality without any psychological problems. Colleges provide valuable environment for youngsters to make friends and develop interests, which are the main elements of EQ, which refers to the ability to handle personal relations and endure pressure. The second benefit to youngsters is to ensure their healthy mental and psychological development.
Finally, higher education with more quality people creates powerful nation status in the world. A society is benefited from the employment-oriented education in many other aspects, such as high-tech promotion and popularity besides higher employment rate, thus creating a nation’s stability and harmony. Very often, many students are potential successful presidents or officials in the society, colleges are their “experiment-field”.
On the whole, the aim of colleges education is mainly to train students to learn how to be a qualified employer, which benefits both individual and society as above-mentioned.
Model answer 2
Debates over the aim of higher education have been endless and distracted. Which on should be the true function: career- oriented skills impartment or just knowledge pursuit for our curiosity and self-fulfillment? Personally, I am convinced that the tertiary education should cover both two aspects, but with the priority for the later for the following elements listed.
Admittedly, first, working skill training is taken as a vital part of education because of a prevailing sense-a well-paid job means success for a college graduate. Indeed, society cares so much about “What do you do” that the question becomes most commonly accepted greeting. Some people chase up their dream academically, while others economically, neither of which does not reach via working. Furthermore, job-income provides opportunities to get rid of poverty for those from under-privileged class. Hence, working knowledge and skills training have been ever - increasingly-emphasized as cure-all-medicine for governments to stabilize society, for family’s hope, leading to a top judgment to evaluate an education constitution in many countries, e.g. in China.
Rather than resisting or criticizing the trend above, it is highly suggested that a premier center of college education should be left for young students to access to the knowledge for its own sake. In other words, universities must help young adults explore the answers for the meaning of life and satisfy the natural curiosity, but shadowed by urgent snobby needs nowadays, such as job-hunting. In fact, it is the university campus that facilitates students, open-hearted and observant, to exchange their opinion with teachers and peers, to learn how to judge wrong and right. High minds are formed, wisdoms are cultivated and zealousness for humanity built in the process. As a result, even the tiniest idea will issue afterwards to change the values of larger culture with much greater essence to a nation.
Also, to absorb knowledge for its own sake gives rise to healthier personal life for students rather than turning them into “economic unit”, or money-making machine. The curriculum covering philosophy, art or literature presents lasting beauty and strength in human civilization evolution, though they seem useless in the job-hunting. Career counselors’ advice must be kept in our mind: men who do not know how to enjoy living with family and friends would never be happy.
In all, my humble reasons about what should be focused in college education have been listed above, which, perhaps can be used as a nexus point to reassess our existing education system.
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