What is the Purpose of College/University?
Do you ever wonder what you're doing at university and why? The purpose of your life? Maybe you ask yourself- what is the purpose of college or university. Many students in university go through this phase when things get difficult- naturally, because if it was easy, there’s no need to question it. Often, the real underlying question is- what is YOUR purpose at university? More importantly, grappling with these existential questions and not being able to answer them can make it very difficult to motivate yourself to study and finish university.
"When a person likes what he does and is motivated to do it, focusing the mind becomes effortless" (1)
Being engaged with something, or what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1) (1934-2021) called "flow", noted that "flow tends to occur when a person faces a clear set of goals that require appropriate responses.“ He noted, ”It is easy to enter flow in games such as chess, tennis, or poker, because they have goals and rules for action that make it possible for the player to act without questioning what should be done, and how." In games, there is much greater clarity of purpose as to why you’re playing - to score the most points and win the game. It is easy to be motivated to win games, because winning has an immediate consequence - such as a trophy, titles, money or respect. It is when we lose, get challenged, ask why we are doing it, and when we get demotivated, that we question our identity and ask ourselves ”Should I cease to do it?” or “Why am I doing it?“ As an example- If I am a tennis player, and I lose a significant game, am I still a tennis player? If I am a student, and I do poorly on a major exam or struggle in a course, should I cease to be a student? Existential questions, if asked and answered incorrectly, can be extremely damaging to your motivation, so tread very carefully here.
I think, therefore I am - but what am I?
Goals, as you can imagine, are key to your motivation and your identity. When you formulate or design a clear set of goals and an understanding of the relevant actions you can take, it is easier to focus. For example, when you were trying to get into a university or college, you may have had one goal: Get a grade high enough so I could get into university X, or because everyone else in school is going to university, study hard to be with my friends. But now that you're here, what are your goals and why? If they're unclear, you can end up hating your courses, doing not as well as you'd have liked, or potentially even dropping out. This is because we may 1) have unclear goals that we're working toward, or 2) an unclear understanding of the actions to take to achieve these goals.
I know what I know, and I don’t know what I don’t know
We suggest turning off your phone, and by yourself, brainstorm and write down a possible set of goals you're working towards. Don’t dismiss anything - just write all your possible ideas down and consider them as potential goals. They may not be right, they definitely don’t incorporate information that you don’t know, and they may change over time, but you will at least have a better sense of what you think you’d like to have as a goal. You should also note down beside each goal why those goals matter to you. Prioritize and order them in importance to yourself. Then next, you will need to investigate actions you can take to achieve those goals. This works whether you're in university and in your working life when you graduate.
Coming back to the context of being a student in university- it may not seem like it at times, but very broadly speaking universities teach and evaluate you on a body of knowledge which should be related to a profession or area you'd like to work in. To start you off on your brainstorming session, here are 3 goals that most university students should aim to have.
1. A future profession
Goal/What: Investigate professions or areas you'd like to work in after you graduate
Why: To identify areas where you can apply your knowledge and companies or people you'd like to work with
Sample actions: Reach out to people who work in these areas and express your interest in their careers, ask them questions you'd like to know, create a resume, look for internships. It’s okay to repeat information you know- just ask people to help confirm your understanding of the world. People’s perspectives can be illuminating.
2. Demonstrated knowledge of that profession
Goal/What: Achieve as high a grade as possible, i.e. a 3.5 GPA
Why: To demonstrate to an employer that you're intelligent, have a good understanding of the university’s body of knowledge and are willing to learn, and get good grades to compete for internships.
Sample actions: Allocate 2 hours a day to studying and assignments, do past year questions, learn how to write essays better, be able to write code, apply for internships.
3. Relationships inside and outside that profession
Goal/What: Build relationships in university/college
Why: Get to meet like-minded people, learn different perspectives, gain a broader understanding of the world, discover new friends and build real relationships.
Sample actions: Join a club with interests you share, introduce yourself to people sitting next to you in classes, add them to your socials, schedule regular meetups.
Key takeaways: There are very few people who are born with a burning desire to become a certain profession. So for most of us mortals, to prepare yourself for success, you will want to brainstorm, create and prioritize a set of goals for university, why they matter to you, and identify how to act on these goals. Revisit these regularly to remind yourself why you're doing what you're doing- and let’s get you in the flow.
(1) Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Finding Flow: The Psychology Of Engagement With Everyday Life