Maintaining Youthfulness in Academia

From EdSurge Independent:

I often think of my friend’s statement that university is a “teenage commune.” Her idea was that college is something of a strange place, where you take hundreds or thousands of students and have them live and work together 24/7. By doing so, you place them in this mentality where anything can happen.

I think this idea has merit — being an undergrad is a time in your life where embracing naivety and freedom is key. Within this loosely structured environment, spontaneity and playfulness led my friends and me into new adventures and experiences. But the teenage commune analogy works better in discussing social and extracurricular activities. My academic experience wasn’t quite like that. Being an undergraduate meant developing technical, critical, career-oriented skills, and transitioning into professional realms of maturity. But I’ve found myself wondering if it’s really possible to keep “youth” — or rather, youthfulness — at the heart of undergraduate experiences in academia.

Read the rest here.