How Education Lost Its Way

By Alexis Trifon

When I first got to college, I thought back on the essays that got me here. In high school, students are asked to define themselves at the young age of 17 or 18; to explain what drives them, what they value, and what they hope to learn. We package ourselves into 650 words of perfect grammar and spelling. Now, as a college student, I’ve realized that education is as much about unlearning preconceived notions and beliefs as it is about acquiring knowledge. 

Universities tend to measure their success through numbers—rankings, research, employment—but statistics rarely capture the promise and ideal of education in its entirety: teaching students how to think, not what to think. Learning, at its best, is not about memorization or performance on an exam, but about nurturing a sense of curiosity and confidence amongst young minds. 

That ideal has become drastically harder to achieve with the use of AI. When information can be accessed and generated instantly, what is education's value today? Some schools have already started to reimagine this. Stanford and Dartmouth, for example, embody a modern approach to education through critical thinking and real-world application.

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines critical thinking as “the process of thinking about ideas or situations in order to understand them fully, identify their implications, make a judgement, and/or guide decision-making.” A process that involves “questioning, analyzing, detecting bias, and distinguishing between alternatives” to foster deeper understanding. In practice, that means the classroom becomes a space for discovery, collaboration, and dialogue.

Dartmouth also exemplifies this principle with their Experiential Learning Initiative. The program encourages students to apply what they've learned with an experience, whether that's in research, entrepreneurship, community service, or the outdoors, and to critically reflect on it. Through pairing experiential learning with the liberal arts, Dartmouth redefines how students can be successful post-grad, in their personal lives, and as citizens.

At the end of the day, individuals attend school to learn and to grow. But how often do we truly achieve that? As education becomes more digital, the challenge goes beyond implementing new technology: it lies in strengthening the qualities that make learning uniquely human. The ability to communicate ideas, recognize patterns, and show empathy will only become more important as technology advances. For me, that lesson comes alive outside of the classroom, in spaces where people gather to exchange ideas and build community. This is where learning feels most authentic and where I believe education thrives.