Recent Viewpoints indicate that a debate over the value and work ethic of Tufts pre-med students seems to have touched a raw nerve. Understandably, many students are passionate about their academic fields, especially when they are under attack, but all of this back and forth seems to confuse the larger issue.
Any Tufts student who works hard about a subject he or she cares deeply about is a model student. A student's hard work, dedication and desire to improve lives ought to be valued regardless of his or her field of study.
This discussion has fallen into the trap of creating a false comparison between two academic fields. In reality, each area of study requires the ability to think creatively and analytically. At the core, the mental skills required to succeed at any academic interest are essentially the same. A nimble mind and the ability to draw analytical relationships are not unique to pre-med students nor to liberal arts students. Rather, they are the defining characteristic of any smart and capable scholar.
More importantly, the ultimate end of a Tufts education - be it in international relations, drama, math or pre-med - can work to achieve different aspects of social good. A medical education can work in partnership with a liberal arts education at achieving greater change.
There is no reason for the two to be adversarial; if anything, we should do every possible thing to find ways to integrate the two. There is enough pain, suffering and intolerance in the world for every student to tackle regardless of his or her degree.
A thriving society needs talented people in all fields. No community can succeed with only doctors nor only with writers; it needs both. We hope that all involved in this debate can realize the inherent value of others in different educational fields.
Most troubling about the debate, however, is Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education Carol Baffi-Dugan's take on this issue. Her March 27 Viewpoint "We're proud of you, pre-meds" seems to have sparked the discourse. As the Director of Health Professions Advising, she is perfectly justified to take a great amount of pride in the students she advises. But because Baffi-Dugan is also responsible for advising Tufts students with last names F through K across all classes, she should be more careful in her effusive praise, which amounts to playing favorites among her advisees.
By calling her pre-med advisees the "most committed, dedicated students there are," she takes a swipe at her other students who do not choose to pursue a medical career. While she claims "not to denigrate any form of study at Tufts" she immediately does so by suggesting that students should not earn the same amount of academic credit for interests outside of pre-medical courses. In an academic community, it is counterproductive and inappropriate to suggest hierarchy among courses of study and among their students by extension.
These comments may lead some to wonder if Baffi-Dugan appreciates the dedication and passion all her students have, regardless of their majors. Those students, last names F through K, may understandably feel less comfortable seeking the advice of the dean in the future.
We would advise Baffi-Dugan to encourage all her students - pre-meds and others - to aspire to professions that demand of them "the most intellectual ability, the most commitment, [and] the most responsibility" - and those are in medicine and elsewhere. Ultimately, there are many ways to contribute meaningfully to society.
As this debate continues, we also hope students do not pit some against others simply because of the academic interests they pursue. The purpose of a Tufts education is to create leaders in a global community. Doctors, teachers, writers, lawyers and artists have the potential to work together to make a better world. In fact, future Tufts professionals can do just that when they put this needless squabble behind them.
