Prestige, Pictures and other stuff
As you can see, I have finally downloaded the pictures from my trip to the SU meeting. And I threw in some others for good measure.
There have been some intersting discussions regarding the prestige of a school and how far should an institution go to upkeep it. Like Jean and Andrea, I went to St Nicks, and I feel bad that the students these days have a hard time getting into the top JCs because of the affliation the schools have with some other secondary schools. That doesn't seem like a fair system to me, but how far should St Nicks go to try to "get in the game?" I really don't know. What I can say is this--being in one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, I think that a person should not define oneself by the status of the school he/she goes to, but rather by a standard of excellence in everything he/she does. One cannot deny that a degree from a well known school confers certain advantages, like the ease of finding a job and getting a good postdoc. However, you also have to earn these advantages, and you do so by pursuing excellence. During my time in grad school, I have met all kinds of students. Some are truly amazing, and others are unimpressive. But those who are willing to work hard and learn leave with the knowledge of how to do good science, and that is more important than the name of the institution on the diploma. And that is something that you take with you for life. The institution may get you into the door, but your success will be determined by much more than that. And I think that schools often focus on the academics and forget about character. If a school is able to turn out good upstanding citizens, then I believe it has done the most important job. Just like I believe that goodness of character is the best trait in a partner, not job security, education and looks. Looks fade, money cannot buy happiness, but goodness comes from within and will always be there.
Have finally booked my hotel to Vegas. Will be staying at Ballys for the trip. I am looking forward to it. No gambling for me, but I have a good time watching the shows and eating the buffets and getting plenty inebriated. Eric and I haven't spent a real weekend together for a while, so it will be really nice.
It's EHD's birthday today. He's 68 years old. And he's still so productive. I wish I can be like that when I am his age.
There have been some intersting discussions regarding the prestige of a school and how far should an institution go to upkeep it. Like Jean and Andrea, I went to St Nicks, and I feel bad that the students these days have a hard time getting into the top JCs because of the affliation the schools have with some other secondary schools. That doesn't seem like a fair system to me, but how far should St Nicks go to try to "get in the game?" I really don't know. What I can say is this--being in one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, I think that a person should not define oneself by the status of the school he/she goes to, but rather by a standard of excellence in everything he/she does. One cannot deny that a degree from a well known school confers certain advantages, like the ease of finding a job and getting a good postdoc. However, you also have to earn these advantages, and you do so by pursuing excellence. During my time in grad school, I have met all kinds of students. Some are truly amazing, and others are unimpressive. But those who are willing to work hard and learn leave with the knowledge of how to do good science, and that is more important than the name of the institution on the diploma. And that is something that you take with you for life. The institution may get you into the door, but your success will be determined by much more than that. And I think that schools often focus on the academics and forget about character. If a school is able to turn out good upstanding citizens, then I believe it has done the most important job. Just like I believe that goodness of character is the best trait in a partner, not job security, education and looks. Looks fade, money cannot buy happiness, but goodness comes from within and will always be there.
Have finally booked my hotel to Vegas. Will be staying at Ballys for the trip. I am looking forward to it. No gambling for me, but I have a good time watching the shows and eating the buffets and getting plenty inebriated. Eric and I haven't spent a real weekend together for a while, so it will be really nice.
It's EHD's birthday today. He's 68 years old. And he's still so productive. I wish I can be like that when I am his age.
posted by La Nuage at 9:42 PM
2 Comments:
Good for you girl. Very wise comments. Hope you have found that person who will make you happy and will find that job suitable for your temperament.
mystecurious@yahoo.com
hey you haven't updated your blog for a while!
Post a Comment
<< Home