Sighting the Importance of Education by Ariel

Sighting the Importance of Education by Ariel - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

Through the seemlessly never-ending 258 credit hours of my college career, I often found myself wondering, "Why in the world do I need to know about these chemical reactions to form DNA?", "Who cares what enzyme metabolizes this pharmaceutical agent?", and "Am I ever going to use this again?". To answer my last question, no, I will not remember all the details of each and every class I have taken, but nevertheless, I am educated and exposed to thoroughly researched data and facts.

The purpose of education is to not memorize every detail we are taught, but to have exposure to potential passions and expand on them. I know this from experience. During general anatomy and physiology, our 500+ student class was reeled detail after detail on every organ in the body. When it was the eyes' turn, I was in awe.

From the simple exposure of one class period, I discovered the career of optometry. Without this educational experience, I would be ignorant; ignorant to the science of vision, ignorant to disease manifestations detected through the eye, and ignorant to a profession that I am incredibly passionate about.

Education not only exposes individuals to their passions, but also aids in further advancement in that particular field. With education, the basis of current knowledge can be assessed and expanded upon. For example, many of my peers in the optometry program are choosing to further advance research on topics we were educated on. Without this education, where would their baseline be? Zero.

There are many more significant explanations covering the importance of education, all backed by proof; however, this particular aspect rings most true to my educational experience.

Thank you for your time and consideration.