I am writing in response to the letter to the editor in the Dec. 10 edition of the Daily entitled “Learning from the reality of college.” I would like to address Mr. Kramer’s statement “I graduated from ISU this last summer and I can safely say I know very little more than when I started.”

I have news for you, Mr. Kramer. If you truly know very little more than when you started at ISU as an undergraduate, then it is not the fault of the university and it is not the fault of the American educational system. It is YOUR fault.

In even the best educational systems, regardless of what country they are in, the degree of knowledge a student gains is directly dependent on the amount of work the student does to acquire that knowledge. Good educators communicate well with their students and foster both a desire to learn and a genuine interest in what they’re teaching, but it is ultimately up to the student to learn. You get out of the system what you put into it, as is true of most aspects of life.

If you didn’t learn anything, it is because you failed to challenge yourself to do so. If you didn’t get anything from your classwork, maybe you should have been taking harder classes. If you want an idea as to “how to make a better world,” try this one on: accept responsibility for what you get out of your education and your life in general.

If everyone would learn how to do this, I suspect the American educational system and America as a whole would gain a lot more respect from the global community.

Nancy Holcroft

Senior

Biology