College Comparisons

Harvey’s principal contention that the large university cannot provide the student with a quality, personal and individual education in the liberal arts is far from novel. As a recent graduate of UCLA I disagree with some of his views.

I did not feel isolated or insignificant, nor did I find UCLA to lack a sense of community as I passed through the campus during the past four years, even though I would hardly describe myself as wildly gregarious. I frequently ran across former classmates and professors, or colleagues from within my own major, despite the large numbers on campus. I found myself renewed and encouraged as I shared my experiences and frustrations with them and in turn learned about their own activities, both on and off campus. It is true that many of the lectures are large and may seem impersonal to the student; yet, I disagree with Harvey’s conclusions that the student must “fight” to avoid being a mere number. Although a large portion of the responsibility of becoming known rests with the student, I have found the majority of professors to be very available and open to meeting with me.

I concur with Harvey’s premise that professors are dedicated to their research, and I am grateful for this. The level of knowledge and experience they bring to their lectures cannot be matched by others who are not on the cutting edge of current theory, however dedicated to teaching they may be.

Although it would be wrong to assume that everyone at UCLA has had the same experiences and opportunities, it would be equally egregious to assume that my experience is unique on this campus. I do not wish to convey dogmatically that the large research university is the only way. Rather, I hope that my experiences will show that large universities should not be considered out of hand to be impersonal and uncaring institutions where students are excluded from the educational process by uncaring professors.

PAUL W. WERNER

Glendale