Citation: Deresiewicz, W. "I Saw the Best Minds of My Generation
Destroyed by The Ivy League." New Republic 245.13 (n.d.): 24-29. Social
Sciences Citation Index. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
Summary: This article is about the negative attributes that
can be associated with the Ivy Leagues. The idea that one who attends the top
schools do so in order to continue on their path of wealth rather than doing so
to enrich their mind of knowledge. The article discusses how professors at Ivy
Leagues are more focused on pumping out research to give the school a better rank rather than teaching students and likewise students are more in it to do well and maintain their elite status rather than
learn.
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| William Deresiewicz |
Author: William Deresiewicz graduated from Columbia University
and then went on to teach English at Yale University from 1998-2008. This
article he has written discusses a lot of what witnessed first-hand while
teaching at Yale. After ten years as a professor he discovered that there is a
lack of intellectual passion within the students and more of a strong desire to
do well to get a high paying job to maintain their high status.
Key Terms:
“Meritocracy”—The theory that one’s
achievements and successes are determined strictly by one’s own ability and
will to work hard. Social status plays no role in defining success
“Return on Investment”—What one
gets out of something that they put effort or money into. Here its pertaining
to education and attending the Ivy Leagues. Is the return just about earning
more or is it supposed to be so much more than that?
Quotes:
“’Return on
Investment”: that’s the phrase you often hear today when people talk about
college. What no one seems to ask is what the “return” is supposed to be. Is it
just about earning more money? Is the only purpose of higher education to
enable you to get a job?” (Deresiewicz, 27).
“Students
are regarded by the institution as “customers,” people to be pandered to
instead of challenged. Professors are rewarded for research, so they want to
spend as little time on their classes as they can" (Deresiewicz, 26).
“Our system
of elite education manufactures young people who are smart and talented and
driven, yes, but also anxious, timid, and lost, with little intellectual
curiosity and a stunted sense of purpose: trapped in a bubble of privilege,
heading meekly in the same direction, great at what they’re doing but no ideas
why they’re doing it"
“What these
institutions mean by leadership is nothing more than getting to the top. Making
partner at a major law firm or becoming a chief executive, climbing the greasy
pole of whatever hierarchy you decide to attach yourself to. I don’t think it
occurs to the people in charge of elite colleges that the concept of leadership
ought to a have a higher meaning, or really, any meaning”
Value: This article is valuable to my research paper because
it is written from a former Ivy League professors view point. This is an
account of what he saw day in a day out and can be useful in helping to answer my question about an Ivy League's students definition of success. The article sheds light on the idea that there is a desire for students to be
successful in a greedy money hungry way not so much to be successful in a help
society by being knowledgeable way.
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