graduate students

[The Douche]

Are the majority of revlefters in their mid-20s in some sort of grad program?

[Comrade Jandar]

Why do you ask?

[The Douche]

Just curious, it seems like that is the case to me. I don't have anything against students, if i had the intellectual capacity I'd go to school.

[Art Vandelay]

Just curious, it seems like that is the case to me. I don't have anything against students, if i had the intellectual capacity I'd go to school.

Interesting you should say that cmoney since, if you had asked me, I would of classified you as somewhat of an intellectual (although you hardly need to be an intellectual to go to school). But yes I am a university student in Canada, so I guess that would qualify me as a ``grad student`` I think.

[wsg1991]

i am 20 years old university student as well

[The Douche]

Interesting you should say that cmoney since, if you had asked me, I would of classified you as somewhat of an intellectual (although you hardly need to be an intellectual to go to school). But yes I am a university student in Canada, so I guess that would qualify me as a ``grad student`` I think.

My intellectual capabilities pale in comparison to many others who I would consider to be in the same camp as me. I mean, I dropped out of high school at 16.

[Art Vandelay]

My intellectual capabilities pale in comparison to many others who I would consider to be in the same camp as me. I mean, I dropped out of high school at 16.

Some of my best friends are highschool dropouts and are ten times as intelligent than many of the people I graduated with. Schooling does not measure intelligence. I would also consider myself pale in comparison, in regards to intellectual capabilities, with many others in the same camp as me; however this is almost an example of intelligence in the Socratic sense (I am intelligent since I admit my ignorance). The more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn more.

[The Douche]

Some of my best friends are highschool dropouts and are ten times as intelligent than many of the people I graduated with. Schooling does not measure intelligence. I would also consider myself pale in comparison, in regards to intellectual capabilities, with many others in the same camp as me; however this is almost an example of intelligence in the Socratic sense (I am intelligent since I admit my ignorance). The more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn more.

The thing that bothers me about quitting school is that I didn't learn important methods, like critical reading and writing skills. And when I tried to go to community college I did terrible cause I didn't have those skills. So I can conversate well, which translates to message boards, but trying to write an article or read a new text is very difficult for me.

[Art Vandelay]

The thing that bothers me about quitting school is that I didn't learn important methods, like critical reading and writing skills. And when I tried to go to community college I did terrible cause I didn't have those skills. So I can conversate well, which translates to message boards, but trying to write an article or read a new text is very difficult for me.

Which is one of the main issues with dropping out, I am far from the one to say if you drop out then you are bound for failure or whatever the stupid pro-school platitudes are, however I would say when it comes to critical reading or writing skills the best option would be to practice. Although it may sound like another useless platitude, I think it really is the only option for someone in your situation (it is also the same advice I give to my bestfriend and bandmate who is a highschool dropout as well). Although to tell you the truth cmoney, even considering what you just said about your reading and writing comprehension, I do not think you would be one to do poorly in community college, unless of course it was in reflection of your objections to authority, let alone normal college or university.

Was it a while ago that you attempted community college, because when it comes to politics (which really is my strong suit) I would consider you more knowledgeable than myself. Not to mention I graduated highschool with people, who have now moved onto university, that I honestly think have undiagnosed learning disabilities. Perhaps its a reflection of Canadian universities, perhaps it is a reflection of the amount of obedience (as opposed to intelligence) you need to graduate highschool and move onto university.

[The Douche]

Which is one of the main issues with dropping out, I am far from the one to say if you drop out then you are bound for failure or whatever the stupid pro-school platitudes are, however I would say when it comes to critical reading or writing skills the best option would be to practice. Although it may sound like another useless platitude, I think it really is the only option for someone in your situation (it is also the same advice I give to my bestfriend and bandmate who is a highschool dropout as well). Although to tell you the truth cmoney, even considering what you just said about your reading and writing comprehension, I do not think you would be one to do poorly in community college, unless of course it was in reflection of your objections to authority, let alone normal college or university.

Was it a while ago that you attempted community college, because when it comes to politics (which really is my strong suit) I would consider you more knowledgeable than myself. Not to mention I graduated highschool with people, who have now moved onto university, that I honestly think have undiagnosed learning disabilities. Perhaps its a reflection of Canadian universities, perhaps it is a reflection of the amount of obedience (as opposed to intelligence) you need to graduate highschool and move onto university.

Certainly, my aversion to authority is a factor in my poor performance at college, but I also need remedial education, in pretty much every subject other than the social sciences. And now that I have a full time job I'd be nuts to quit it and go back to school, especially to earn a degree in history, political science, sociology, or philosophy. What I'd really like is to take some writing and philosophy classes, but its not realistic for me anymore, I'm to old, stubborn, and to far into a different life plan.

[Deicide]

Cmoney, are there no distance learning institutions in the USA? In the UK, there's an institution called the Open University, which allows you to do study from home, and for a fraction of the price of attending a ''brick'' University. An Open University degree isn't some cheap knock off either. I know someone who got into Cambridge with a BA from the Open University. If I'm not mistaken, the Open University allows international study. They also do introduction courses, which build points towards a degree (so it's not a waste doing them), to help people reach an ''undergraduate level'' of study.

[The Douche]

Cmoney, is there no such thing as distance learning in the USA? In the UK, there's an institution called the Open University, which allows you to do study from home, and for a fraction of the price of attending a ''brick'' University. An Open University degree isn't some cheap knock off either. I know someone who got into Cambridge with a BA from the Open University. If I'm not mistaken, the Open University allows international study.

I tried online classes, but I didn't have the necessary self-discipline. My girlfriend was a philosophy major for over 2 years and went to a really good high school, but she hasn't been able to help me break through.

[Deicide]

They're not really ''online'' classes. They send you text books, dvd's and audio cd's, once you finish your assignment, you email or post it to them and they mark it. They hold classroom tutorials every month (although there obviously wouldn't be any for international students). You can also contact your tutor by phone or email.

[The Douche]

I'll have to look into that, thanks.

[Art Vandelay]

I tried online classes, but I didn't have the necessary self-discipline. My girlfriend was a philosophy major for over 2 years and went to a really good high school, but she hasn't been able to help me break through.

It does require a certain amount of self-discipline to take online courses. During my 1st year of university I moved to the school I am attending and lived in residence. I became extremely depressed and suffered in school. This past year I moved back home and took online courses through correspondence and (not surprisingly) my grades have gone up. While it takes a certain amount of discipline in the sense of keeping up with your studies, I would recommend it to anyone skeptical of traditional post secondary education.

To be honest Cmoney, from what I have gathered you work at a tattoo shop, which seems like a much cooler job than I will ever have, perhaps even similar pay, with my university degree; meanwhile you have spent your time learning information which pertains to your interests and politics rather than the tedious information inherent in obtaining any post secondary education degree.

[Deicide]

Gordon Brown, the last labour party prime minister of the UK, was an Open University tutor, in politics and history (I think...), before he became a politician :laugh:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_university

Well, I double checked, you can actually study one of their courses from anywhere in the world. There may be an equivalent, or similar, U.S. institution, but I don't know about that, just guessing.

[Art Vandelay]

Gordon Brown, the last labour party prime minister of the UK, was an Open University tutor, in politics and history (I think...), before he became a politician :laugh:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_university

Well, I double checked, you can actually study one of their courses from anywhere in the world. There may be an equivalent, or similar, U.S. institution, but I don't know about that, just guessing.

Honestly thank you for posting this, as I have been considering switching schools recently without a good idea if I could find something which appealed to me; I will have to give this a good look.

[Tenka]

Certainly, my aversion to authority is a factor in my poor performance at college, but I also need remedial education, in pretty much every subject other than the social sciences. And now that I have a full time job I'd be nuts to quit it and go back to school, especially to earn a degree in history, political science, sociology, or philosophy. What I'd really like is to take some writing and philosophy classes, but its not realistic for me anymore, I'm to old, stubborn, and to far into a different life plan.

What's wrong with your writing? If you need help writing, like, essays (or articles) there are surely good resources for such floating around our free internets. I think "political science" is nonsense (is political analysis a science now? I don't think so...) and philosophy classes most people would not be the worse for doing without.
Technically I didn't graduate the 4th grade, but by then I knew the basics of reading and from there I was "homeschooled", which mostly entailed being left alone for hours upon hours every day with unsupervised access to the internet, from which I learned most things I know about writing (online dictionaries, lists of common errors to avoid, public domain fiction to enjoy...). I still suck at logic and argument and logical argument, but I don't think school or classes would have helped me there.
I think a lot can be learned about writing from reading carefully; in other words, reading comprehension is the key to everything, and you seem pretty good at it as it is.

[Deicide]

I remember reading about some dude who graduated university, the first time in his life, at like 73 or something :lol:

[The Young Pioneer]

Interesting that your impression of Revleft is that the majority are uni students, particularly grad students. I'll become a grad student in the fall but I thought I was one of very few here. :confused:


Also, I don't think you can judge intellectual level based on how much school you've had. It depends on a number of factors, and for all intents and purposes I was under the impression you're quite a bit smarter than most people here.

[The Douche]

Interesting that your impression of Revleft is that the majority are uni students, particularly grad students. I'll become a grad student in the fall but I thought I was one of very few here. :confused:


Also, I don't think you can judge intellectual level based on how much school you've had. It depends on a number of factors, and for all intents and purposes I was under the impression you're quite a bit smarter than most people here.

The majority of posters definitely are not grad students, but I think the majority of young adults on here are.


I really only meant that I would like to be better read, and be able to write (more than a few paragraphs). Like, when I sit down to read the things I want to read (tiqqun, foucalt, deluze, debord, agamben, etc) I end up being totally lost and feeling undereducated. And I feel like I need more formal education to be able to approach those authors.

[Deicide]

tiqqun, foucalt, deluze, debord, agamben

I don't think anyone finds reading these authors a walk in the park, especially Foucault and Deleuze. The best thing to do is to read an introduction to their work by another academic. Preferably by one that avoids pretentiousness. Before actually reading the main authors.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I'm in my mid-20's and am not a grad student.

I also don't understand Deleuze/Guattari or whatever, but I don't feel undereducated because of it...or at least if I am, I'm part of the 99.999% of the population who would be equally as lost reading that garbled word salad.

[o well this is ok I guess]

Interesting you should say that cmoney since, if you had asked me, I would of classified you as somewhat of an intellectual (although you hardly need to be an intellectual to go to school). But yes I am a university student in Canada, so I guess that would qualify me as a ``grad student`` I think. Grad student means you've already gotten your bachelors and are going back for a masters or PhD.


I don't think anyone finds reading these authors a walk in the park, especially Foucault and Deleuze. The best thing to do is to read an introduction to their work by another academic. Preferably by one that avoids pretentiousness. Before actually reading the main authors. It depends on your background, really. Debord wasn't so bad after Capital Vol 1 and Agamben wasn't so bad after Foucault.
Writers write like writers they like, who wrote like writers they liked, etc...

[Anarcho-Brocialist]

28, graduated from school... twice, M.S. (Engineering) M.A. (Philosophy).

[L.A.P.]

The majority of posters definitely are not grad students, but I think the majority of young adults on here are.


I really only meant that I would like to be better read, and be able to write (more than a few paragraphs). Like, when I sit down to read the things I want to read (tiqqun, foucalt, deluze, debord, agamben, etc) I end up being totally lost and feeling undereducated. And I feel like I need more formal education to be able to approach those authors.

Dude, my reading level jumped from a 5th to 12th grade after discovering Wikipedia in 6th grade. I don't know how often you read, but in all honesty, you can boost your reading level just from reading a lot of Wikipedia articles. I'm not a Wikipedia graduate, but I can definetely say that alone has taught me more things than school. And if you want to read obscure philosophy, then just get some other books of philosophy out of the way. Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Niccomachean Ethics, Rene Descartes' Mediations on First Philosophy, Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, and some Nietzsche should probably be read before Deleuze and Foucault. I could also send you some links to some university papers that make Foucault five times easier to understand.

[eric922]

Well once I graduate I'm planning on going to law school, if that counts for grad school. I want to do labor law. Though prosecuting bankers sounds fun, but I wouldn't want to prosecuting working people so I'll probably avoid that.

[roy]

im in my last year of high school and i wasn't aware there was such a thing as critical reading skills until i read this thread. oh dear.

[Jimmie Higgins]

No. Undergrad yes, but no grad school. If I had the money and the time, I wouldn't mind school - maybe not grad school, maybe undergrad with 6 different majors over a decade or so :lol:.

I'm a dedicated revolutionist and take that learning seriously, but when it comes to just abstract knowledge I like being a dilettante and just learning a little about lots of different things that I find interesting for its own sake.

[Deicide]

I didn't answer the question in this thread.. I'm a first year undergraduate student in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. I would like to do post-grad study, but that will depend on my intellectual growth within the next 4 years or so. If things don't work out, I'll probably join the fire service.

[Invader Zim]

Like, when I sit down to read the things I want to read (tiqqun, foucalt, deluze, debord, agamben, etc) I end up being totally lost and feeling undereducated. And I feel like I need more formal education to be able to approach those authors.


Nobody can read these authors, the posties have constructed their own impenetrable discourse that only they can actually understand - and it is deliberate; a form of blatant intellectual chauvinism.

The only real exception is Foucault, who is at least readable.

[NewLeft]

I'm in my mid-20's and am not a grad student.

I also don't understand Deleuze/Guattari or whatever, but I don't feel undereducated because of it...or at least if I am, I'm part of the 99.999% of the population who would be equally as lost reading that garbled word salad.
Yeah.. What the hell are they talking about half the time?

[PC LOAD LETTER]

College dropout reporting for duty

[Tim Finnegan]

I'm in my 20s, and I'd probably be a grad student by now if I hadn't fucked up my first go of things. Gimme a few years, I'll see how I do.

[Ele'ill]

I'm in my late 20's and always had a rough time with school but did very well with writing and reading courses/writing conferences/critique groups. I hardly have any college completed. Often community colleges will have free writing/reading critique groups that can help build basic lit skills that will help with more advanced reading/writing (which the ones you mentioned are, btw). I think you probably are more advanced at it than you think and it might just be a matter of filling in some gaps of things you never learned or don't understand.