Passing and Without Learning

         From Middle School to University testing it is seen that the students study to pass the tests given not to learn the material. It's understandable that certain classes are needed as generals, but this is not the biggest problem facing our generation in the United States of America. The biggest problem is that students, even in classes they have chosen to take, are not applying themselves or absorbing the material. Just as the interest level in a topic fuels research and long-term application and recollection, the need for interest behind a class topic is key to long-term use of the knowledge gained.
         Some of the things I learned in my Psychology 101 class two and a half years ago stay with me because I applied myself and I studied to learn. There is a difference between learning and studying. The students need to apply themselves, to try to learn and absorb the information for learning's sake not for passing the test's sake. I have experienced the difference between learning to pass and learning to learn and I much more enjoy learning to learn. This is the greatest problem in the generation, that we are not actually learning. There's no interest, we don't gain knowledge because we enjoy it, rather we do school work because we have to.