The University daily. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 18??-????, 1890-06-12
/ Studying for q Degree.

rather seem toWork for graduation
simply. Their object is to get the
degree. If they can get It without
hard work, good. Iftbey can get il
with very little work, better. Ifthey
can get II without any work, best Of
all. They would be willing to take it
without knowledge, without study,
if they could get it. This is proven
by the fact that some try to steal il
by cheating Too many are willing
TO drift along through the course,
without any real study Or progress,
and pick up the degree by acram-
ming the requisite things at the re-
quisite times.
Now, a degree is not to be despis-
ed. Graduation is an object worthy
of any young mans or young WON;
ans ambition. It is worth all il
costs all Of the time, money, and Ia
Dor that are consumed in realizing
it. Too many are Indifferent to it.
Too many consider that it will not
pay-are unwilling to take, the time
and do the work necessary to accom-
plish it. Many profess a contempt
for it and claim to be seeking some
thing more valuable, who are like the
ignorant, conceited cock in the fable
that kicked aside the jewel in
the dunghill because he did not know
the worth oft.
But what does a degree mean?
What does the asheepskin" repre-
sent when it is obtained? Upon the
!. answer to these questions depends
the truth Of the proposition that
degree is worth what it costs when
it has been fully earned, when it has
been worthily conferred
A college degree means--or ought
to mean something like this, five
or six years Of faithful, useful, sue
cessful mental work, and this means
Z first of all well trained mind, well
developed faculties, habits ofsystem-
attic study, command, ready, COM
plete and sustained, of all the men
tai powers; also a wide mental hori-
zon and general view of the field Of
knowledge; also the acquisition Of
much valuable, practical information
ready for application to the various
\ professions and yocations of life; in
\ short, q truly practical education.
Along with these. it will mean incl
dentally much else that cannot be
exactly expressed in the diploma or
/ reckoned up in order, but which is
no less valuable than the rest. If a
college degree means this-and no
student, no faculty, should allow it
to mean less-it is richly worth all it
costs, il cheap at almost any price,
is Invaluable.
Although every good student
works for the culture represented by
the degree, and not for the degree
simply, any one entering college will
find 1T much to his advantage to
take a course laid down for degree
and stick to that course, even if he
does not intend to finish it! He will
find that lie can employ his time
more Systematically and profitably,
and that his acquisitions will be:
harmonious and his training better
balanced, so 70 speak, than if he
takes an irregular course, though he
work equally as hard. Every col
lege that knows its business arranges
it's courses Of study fer the different
degrees with reference to this end J.
and the student is warranted in as
Stunning that a course arranged by
men Of education and experience, saf-
Ter much study and trial, is better
for him than one he can select for
himself. a good college, while pro
viding in its courses Of study for the
training and culture needed by every
student will have variety enough in
its courses, and elective subjects
enough, to adapt them to all capaei-
ties, tastes and purposes. N
Students often make mistake by.
taking an irregular course, because
they do not expect to attend college
more than a session or SOL They
fail to reap the greatest benefit for
the time being, and afterwards, find
ing that they can go on and gradu-
ate, their studies are in confusion,
time has been misspent, and harder
work, and perhaps a longer period,
is required to get the degree, and
n when it is obtained it does not rep
resent as great an amount Of culture
as would have been afforded by a
regular course.
The ideal student, according to our
notion, is the young man who, when
he goes to college, decides that he
will study for q degree, decides, with
the help of good advisers, what de-
gree he will study for, ascertains
just how many sessions it will take
him to finish the course how many
hours and weeks he will have ii the
class room, and how many on the ay-
erage Il will probably take daily to
prepare for his class room work
and then goes deliberately and sys-
tematically to work to clean up the
course faithfully and completely as
he comes to 1t, and persists till he
finishes it Such student has grit
and a level head, and will, not only