What do a newborn and a freshman have in common?

I heard you don’t become a real blogger until you use the very complicated concept called entropy to make a very simple point. Let this post be my initiation into bloggerhood.

Part 1: Using entropy to set up my argument

Entropy is a term first used in the field of thermodynamics and refers to the amount of chaos and order in a system.

From an entropy perspective, human life is a continuous oscillation between chaos and order.

Periods of order are predictable, comfortable, and a little boring. Trains running on time, stable office job, that kind of thing. On the other hand, periods of chaos are uncertain, stressful, but can also be fun. If you feel like you need a bit of chaos in your life, try something new. The bigger the change to your routine, the more chaos. Take going to university. Sure, not as big of a deal as leaving the comfort of your mum's belly and using your own lungs for the first time, but a big deal nevertheless.

Part 2: Developing my argument by talking about the purpose of life

Now, I believe the purpose of life is not to find happiness, but to figure out how much chaos and order you need in your life. We can call this state The Balance Zone, the goal being to try and spend a lot of time there. Living on the verge of chaos and order gives us enough familiarity and security to be able to completely lose ourselves in something new and exciting.

Part 3: Finally, my point

Transitioning from secondary education to higher education naturally throws a lot of students off. So much so that it may have a negative impact on their well-being, academic achievement, or even participation in a study programme. With universities becoming increasingly more diverse in many aspects (student body, staff, programme offer, pedagogies, modalities), I believe we should help students get to The Balance Zone as fast as possible.

Higher education institutions can help students find accommodation and also provide buddy systems, mentoring programmes, study skills courses, personal management training, as well as various tips and checklists for grocery shopping, laundry, and plant buying. Many universities in Europe already do a lot of those things, and they usually do an OK job. However, there is still one area that Higher Ed has to take stock of, and that is helping students understand the local pedagogical culture (next post).

Thanks for bearing with all the entropy gibberish.