The Flaws in School and How Self-Learning Solves Them by Yashar

The Flaws in School and How Self-Learning Solves Them by Yashar - November 2015 Scholarship Essay

"Education is the most powerful weapon for changing the world." (Mandela) This prevalent quote not only has a place on my wall, but also in my heart. As a child, society tells us that we need to go to school, get good grades, and score high on common assessments like the ACT and SAT. We get it: school is important, but sitting in a classroom for seven hours isn't going to get you anywhere. Outside of the classroom is where the real learning happens and this is the reason that I firmly believe self-learning is the most important aspect of our education.

Simply put, there is so much more to learning than memorizing the quadratic formula or knowing how many moons Saturn has. School, up until a certain point at least, forces students to take classes whether they like them or not. As somebody who sold a technology startup for a $54,000 evaluation this past July, the fact that Edgar Allan Poe died in 1849 is of no help to me. But, when I go home, educating myself about things like how taxes work and why most startups fail, helps me succeed. This is the aspect of the education that has allowed me to reach new heights and explore my interests.

To conclude, education is important, and school is the primary medium of delivering information to students in this age. Despite that, self-learning is the most important aspect of our education as it allows us to explore our interests and even expand on the ideas taught in schools.