college from an INTP viewpoint

[Silent_Rebel]

To any INTPs who have gone through college or are in college:
What is it like in comparison to high school?
How is the atmosphere different?
Is it a better environment for INTPs than high school?

 

[Methuselah]

I found a few upper level classes to be engaging, but the rest was BS that wasted my time. I really didn't learn much in my 52 hours of "cultural foundations" except how to speak up loudly and often when people say horrendously stupid things.

The atmosphere is somewhat less restrictive, but parents these days have really been pushing for nanny colleges, and it shows.

I didn't go to high school, but I am pretty sure it has to be a better environment. It is still a holding tank, really, but it's a nicer one.

 

[Wish]

College is infinitely superior to high school. You get to meet people from (presumably) all over the world and not just whatever town/city/suburb you grew up in, which means, you will meet probably the most interesting people in your life to-date. The classes are much more interesting. There are a ton of things to do whether it's with the school or just by living near so many young adults. You will probably be living away from home for the first time and this is almost always a great thing, if not solely for the experience.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

College is just like high school.

The same system that promotes learning to pass a test rather than actually gaining a comprehension, reproducing the lecturer's/teacher's warped perception of the world in assignments and dealing with condescending wankers on a power trip who receive gratification by putting you through all sorts of hell because of their incompetence to do their job correctly! This is all for a piece of paper which only represents an ability to put up with bullshit for 4 years. Hell, if you can put up with bullshit at college, you can put up with bullshit in the corresponding workplace.

The place is also filled with pretentious, idealistic, bullshit artists that account for the majority of the student population. Bonk them over the head and they will any crap you tell them. Well, as long as you seem confident and over use emotive language.

 

[Yasmin]

This is all for a piece of paper which only represents an ability to put up with bullshit for 4 years.

You've have reflected my thoughts on education exactly. Like, exactly, exactly. As in the precise words and phrasing exactly. Wow.

 

[IndigoSensor]

I've noticed that INTP's are by far the most cynical when it comes to higher education.

 

[dreamoftheunknown]

I guess that would depend on the university and the major. I went to a very good university and majored in astrophysics, so I found the environment quite intellectually stimulating. As a matter of fact, I hated high school so much that the first few weeks of college were like a breath of fresh air to me. Of course, college has it's own kind of immaturity, but at least I was ostracized less for being a nerd than I was in high school. Well, not unless it was followed by a joke about the pot calling the kettle black. But there were a lot of non-nerds around, too, and I imagine that they dominated some majors - so it might have been different there.

 

[dreamoftheunknown]

This is all for a piece of paper which only represents an ability to put up with bullshit for 4 years.

Heh heh. Try grad school. Now, that's really something.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

Heh heh. Try grad school. Now, that's really something.

lol,

I am getting both my bachelors then getting a cadetship with an engineering firm. Screw graduate school.

 

[dreamoftheunknown]

lol,

I am getting both my bachelors then getting a cadetship with an engineering firm. Screw graduate school.

Wise decision. Heard a good one my freshman year of college -

B.S. = bullshit
M.S. = more shit
Ph.D. = piled high and deep

 

[pjoa09]

Wise decision. Heard a good one my freshman year of college -

B.S. = bullshit
M.S. = more shit
Ph.D. = piled high and deep

damn i managed to figure out B.S and M.S but Ph.D wasnt in grip.

 

[IndigoSensor]

Wise decision. Heard a good one my freshman year of college -

B.S. = bullshit
M.S. = more shit
Ph.D. = piled high and deep

Well, then I might as well start burying myself alive cause I wanna go all the way, ha!

 

[Cavallier]

I actually really enjoyed college. Yes, the papers and exams are stupid and pointless but I put up with it for the opportunity to study whatever caught my fancy. Also, it's much more likely you'll find interesting people who can string two intelligent sentences together. Plus, university often provides you with opportunities to travel the world for less then what you might pay out of pocket.

 

[bloozie]

The campus will be bigger in college than in high school.

 

[Ermine]

To any INTPs who have gone through college or are in college:
What is it like in comparison to high school?
How is the atmosphere different?
Is it a better environment for INTPs than high school?

In introduction, a lot of college can depend on where you live, what university to go to, and what your major is. Decide carefully.

1. It's different in that there are more people, more researching resources, more teachers in different areas, more freedom in choosing desired courses, and more allowance for free thinking. The exact amount of freedom really depends on the university environment and yourself. It's also more career oriented, obviously.

2. The atmosphere is different in that people are a bit more mature. From what I can tell, the social atmosphere is a bit more open and tolerant, less clique-ish. The atmosphere is also different in that it's totally possible to do everything but sleep on campus, so you could very well live in the library or wherever. It's also very different in that you will likely have roommates (a very good challenge for us INTPs). And the major system, as restricting as it may seem sometimes makes it much easier to find likeminded people, which is nice.

3. I think college is better for INTPs, hands down, even if you do have to wade through a lot of BS. As I mentioned, roommates are a very good way to stretch yourself socially/emotionally. Being forced to be with someone makes it much easier to learn. It's also great that I have a good deal of freedom in choosing the classes I want to take, whereas in high school, most people are stuck in class with you because the law requires it. And college, in any case, demands more of our intellectual faculties, which is always great. The access to better researching tools is great as well, since researching is fun, be it for a paper or just for fun.

Do it.

 

[Methuselah]

College is just like high school.

The same system that promotes learning to pass a test rather than actually gaining a comprehension, reproducing the lecturer's/teacher's warped perception of the world in assignments and dealing with condescending wankers on a power trip who receive gratification by putting you through all sorts of hell because of their incompetence to do their job correctly! This is all for a piece of paper which only represents an ability to put up with bullshit for 4 years. Hell, if you can put up with bullshit at college, you can put up with bullshit in the corresponding workplace.

The place is also filled with pretentious, idealistic, bullshit artists that account for the majority of the student population. Bonk them over the head and they will any crap you tell them. Well, as long as you seem confident and over use emotive language.

Yep, what he said.

 

[Jackooboy]

The academic environment at any university/college is probably superior to H.S. There is a difference between universities and colleges. They aren't all equal. I started out my first year at a school out in the sticks and decided that wasn't for me. After studying abroad I ended up in a large city for the next 3 years of my schooling. I liked my second school infinitely better than the first. My second school's atmosphere was much more open and challenging than my first school where everyone was stereotypically white and from the same region for the most part.

As an INTP, college will allow you to shine if you take it seriously. You can finally use your brain power and be rewarded for it. Take your T and run with it.

Don't take yourself too seriously though... Proxy makes a lot of valid points

 

[Vrecknidj]

To any INTPs who have gone through college or are in college:
What is it like in comparison to high school?
How is the atmosphere different?
Is it a better environment for INTPs than high school?

No meaningful comparison.
The atmosphere was FAR more conducive to me, for me.
Far, far better, for me.

Dave

 

[fullerene]

I liked it a lot more. Mind you, I didn't hate high school much either. Ermine's #1 and 2 were absolutely right, with the exception of at my school, you can absolutely sleep on campus if you want.


This is gonna sound kind of... "ordinary"? but... if you're like me, you're probably thinking "it doesn't matter a whole lot where I go... what's the difference anyway?" and feel like you would be equally happpy living in a closet or a hotel, so long as you were mildly comfortable and left alone sometimes. This is not at all true. Having had HS friend split up all across the country, I can tell that different schools foster different things, have different atmospheres, etc. My brother (a bit older than me) says that my university sounds like hogwarts, or occasionally willy wonka's chocolate factory, when I tell him stories of some of the strange people here. The first girl I talked to (no joke) asked what time it was, and when I told her "11:28", she paused for... it couldn't hve been more than a second and a half, and said "ah... 2^7 + 10^3." And let's not forget the girl who has to fix the air whenever someone "turns it", near her. How do you not enjoy talking to people like that?

In my opinion (if this is what you're wondering), it would have been worth playing the game and doing well in my HS classes just to have the choice of going somewhere I wanted... because a lot of schools (particularly community-college ones.... or at least the community college near my house) work just like high school, with the exception of: nobody has free periods or eats lunch together, so you have to make friends in your classes, or else have none. Personally, I never make friends in my classes... but I make them in my dorms, so that would have been miserable for me. ...not to mention the classes (which I have heard stories of) being boring/easy again.

I'm starting to ramble now. College can be awesome, though, if you visit your school during a time when you can interact with the students, and learn about the atmosphere. Plaace that above all else... ignore the tours, forget the information session, and don't worry (not completely... but they're not as important as youd think) about the academics. Although if the academics are going to be a primary concern, you can find a school where the atmosphere is such that the students care about their work, and you'll have both. Social atmosphere is key, though.

 

[jzono1]

It's perfect for an INTP.

Nobody questions you if you just do the bare minimum required to pass classes. There's no social stigma about failing and/or switching classes like they were pairs of socks.

You get time, and a situation that let you grow used to living independently, without any stress. If you feel like it, you also get to manipulate roommates into insanity.

But for the purposes of getting a career going? It's the abyss. Plenty of distractions. Formal goals for perfect grades that go way beyond the basic understanding that the INTP mindset enjoys. Plenty of opportunities where you get to pick between classes where picking what's interesting isn't the right career move.