Evergreen State College

Date: Jun 24 2014
Major: Philosophy (This Major's Salary over time)
Studying at Evergreen was one of the defining periods of my life. I came to the college from the University of Washington, burnt out on the competitive, grade-focused attitude toward education. Evergreen's focus on learning for learning's sake was refreshing. I did find, in my first year, an extremely relaxed academic environment that I took advantage of. I wasn't particularly interested in anything I had been studying and so I did little work or bent the deadlines. My next year, however, I entered the philosophy program and found myself studying with more passion than I had ever experienced. Evergreen's pedagogy is best employed in philosophy courses. We spent weeks closely reading primary texts, meeting to discuss them daily, wrote several 10-15 page papers and critiqued the work of our colleagues. The pressure to contribute to the group, to come to class prepared to discuss the ideas and to offer some reflection or original thoughts in writing was sufficient to inspire me to reestablish a concern for studying and a concern for doing well. My classmates were super intelligent, my professor was super intelligent, and so I had to be too.

The material and the other students I spent that year with were a sharp spur.

I knew many students who were doing incredible things with their Evergreen experience as well: studying science, studying math, writing plays, making music, studying economics, studying art. At Evergreen, you will encounter some of the brightest people of your generation. They are all there, like you, seeking thought without boundaries and without conformation. It was unquestionably the most intellectually, artistically invigorating environment I have ever been in.

There are the other folks there as well: the stoners, lazy asses, etc.. And they will be in your classes, and you will feel disgusted that they earn the same degree as you,but you don't have to hang out with those people (move off campus as soon as you can) and you can still get a tremendous intellectual experience despite those voices in your class.

Because Evergreen offers such an open academic experience, try other classes. If you don't like your program, take another one. If you've been drawn to Evergreen, it's very likely there are some people like you within the campus body. You may have to look a bit to find them.

I have encountered Evergreen grads all around the world and I always feel a kinship with them. There is something special about this school and, if you feel right there, your experience and the friends you make will continue to define your world vision and your heart.

I suggest checking out the campus and seeing how you feel. There is very much a sense of place there.