What is the first word that comes to mind when I say America? It could be one of many words, but I consistently hear the word freedom.

The Oxford dictionary defines freedom as the power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. According to this definition, one should be able to do, say and think what they want without political limitation or punishment, but I want to reassess this definition in context with American college campuses and against foreign counterparts.

We can dispute the fact of our choice to attend colleges these days, but regardless we are not required by law to attend a university; thus, it is our choice to attend college. The choice to attend or not emulates freedom, but colleges limit that freedom once were in. At this point we should choose how and what we want to learn. Generally speaking, were not given many choices about our education throughout the first eighteen years, so college often seems our only option.

Unfortunately, universities in the United States still want to hold your hand throughout the process. Busy work due at each lecture or weekly online assignments evidence this. It provides professors with the confidence we are doing our work, and I understand its value and purpose, but its too much control. Im not saying that weekly busy work is pointless, but Im saying it should not be necessary. It implicitly says that professors dont have confidence in their students to learn the material by themselves alongside weekly lectures.

Society wonders why students come out unprepared and without the self-discipline, time-management and prioritization skills to succeed in a workplace. Universities are supposed to be a glimpse of the real world, but if they keep holding our hand, so to speak, and controlling our studying, they prolong the life lessons.

Foreign counterparts have different traditions when it comes to university level education. First, students claim control of their education starting at a younger age. Once in a university, they are fully responsible for their own learning. Professors report which chapters will be discussed in each lecture and maybe recommend some outside academic papers alongside helpful exercises, but none of that is checked in each lecture. There might be one to two larger group assignments throughout the semester, but most of the course is graded by one or two exams. If a student is struggling with the material, he or she is in charge of meeting with the professor and asking for clarification. Students have the freedom to learn how they want. Schools place the responsibility of education on the students and let them choose if they want to learn or not.

This is real educational freedom. The material is all the same, but the method of attaining the knowledge is completely open to interpretation. This type of freedom would be overwhelming to the average American student. Give most American students three hours of class time a week per class without weekly benchmarks, and watch what they do with the rest of it. This method doesnt supply a road map to get from point A to point B, but drops you off at A and says find your way to B; thats freedom.

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Educational freedom