COLUMN: Jumping Off the Balance Beam

From Jeffrey Han's "The Central Dogma," Fall '95 From Jeffrey Han's "The Central Dogma," Fall '95The closest I've ever been to greatness was over Thanksgiving break. Fourth row of the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, 7:30 on Saturday night, I was just a few feet from Mario Lemieux. Mario Lemieux, the most talented athlete of our time. This is a man so good at hockey he can utterly embarrass his peers at the highest level of the sport. A man who, after having his hand slashed and broken, returned just days later to dominate and lead his team to the Stanley Cup. A man who, after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease -- yes, that's cancer -- took a few months off for radiation therapy and still came back at the end of the season to lead the National Hockey League in scoring. And he does this all with a stick, a puck, and while skating on ice? What is the deal with balance anyways? Take Penn. Most students here are relatively intelligent. We have access to faculty and facilities that enhance our learning experience. But where is the freedom? Half of my time here at Penn has been spent drowning in red tape, trying to elude the university's attempts to mold me into what it wants me to be. The university seems to believe that it is necessary to churn out droves of well-rounded students every year that have had the prototypical "balanced" education. A prime example of this is the general requirement. After four years, I still have no idea what this is supposed to do for me. Not only is it a nuisance, it actually detracts from my education. I could be wrong, but the impression I've gotten is that someone up above actually thinks taking two mandatory history, art, sociology and science classes is going to enrich my experience at Penn. Not only is that absolute crap, it is an insult to those disciplines to imply that you can learn anything substantive from only two semesters of often unrelated coursework. Taking two history classes from the painfully limited general requirement list does not make me well read in history. I'm probably just as ignorant after as before. And a history major taking chemistry and society will not enable him to pick up and critique the latest scientific journal. So why all these required classes? All it does is create many students that have a passing knowledge about a bunch of different topics. That's terrific -- if you're planning for a career on the game show circuit. As for practical applications? don't call us, we'll call you. Diversity does not translate into excellence. If you look at the world's finest across all categories, including sports, art, and academics, you'll find a disproportionate amount of time invested in their own particular discipline. Balance can inhibit greatness. It can hold you back from what you want to achieve. I'm not saying that this is always the case. The point is that I am paying $30,000 a year for an advisor who has no idea who I am, what my abilities are, and what I want out of life to tell me what classes I have to take. Not only does this person tell me what classes to take, but how many I can handle. At 21, I think I'm fully capable of deciding that for myself. I'm surprised the university doesn't require permission to go to the bathroom or to stay awake past midnight. This system functions contrary to what higher education should be about -- the freedom to explore, learn from others, and decide what is important to me. The trust that I am here because I want to learn. If I don't, that's my problem and my money (well, actually my parents') down the drain. But don't place 1001 restrictions on me. An undergraduate school only needs to require two things. First is the ability to gather new information, sift through the bullshit, understand and analyze it. Second is the completion of advanced coursework in a declared field. Do I want to be well rounded? That's for me to decide. It's something I would highly recommend, but never mandate. So for all of you in charge out there, if we're ever lucky enough to have the next Albert Einstein on campus, let him take 20 physics classes a semester if he wants. And the next Mario Lemieux? Please don't hold him back. If he needs your help, he'll ask. Trust me.