Einstein on exams and freedom of study

Albert Einstein explains how the Swiss Polytechnic almost killed his interest in science. He defends freedom of study; attacks exams and rote learning; praises collaboration, skipping lectures, last-minute studying; and nearly admits cheating as a valid coping strategy. Reads even better in the original, but here's the English translation. Useful to compare with Richard Feynman's humorous description of Brazilian higher education in "Surely you are joking."

"In this field [physics], however, I soon learned to scent out that which was able to lead to fundamentals and to turn aside from everything else, from the multitude of things which clutter up the mind and divert it from the essential. The hitch in this was, of course, the fact that one had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect [upon me] that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year. In justice I must add, moreover, that in Switzerland we had to suffer far less under such coercion, which smothers every truly scientific impulse, than is the case in many another locality. There were altogether only two examinations; aside from that, one could do just about as one pleased. This was especially the case if one had a friend, as did I, who attended the lectures regularly and who worked over their content conscientiously. This gave one freedom in the choice of pursuits until a few months before the examination, a freedom which I enjoyed to a great extent and have gladly taken into the bargain the bad conscience connected with it as by far the lesser evil. It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wreck and ruin without fail. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty."

Thus spake our teacher. From "Autobiographical notes," in Albert Einstein, Philosopher Scientist, PA Schilpp, editor.