Is Applejack Educated?

[Twinhead B 482]

Hello everypony! Due to the recent number of Applejack episodes, I figured a discussion about Applejack is order. Not a discussion about whether she is best pony, or if she's getting too much screentime, but rather a discussion regarding her education, or lack thereof.

 

APPLEJACK IS EDUCATED ARGUMENT:

 

Applejack claims to have been "the last in her class" to receive her cutie mark in Call of the Cutie, much like Big Macintosh and Granny Smith. However, in Family Appreciation Day, Granny Smith tells the story of how the Apple family helped found Ponyville. In this flashback, Granny Smith is shown to already have her cutie mark, despite living with her family away from civilization. So, naturally this means one of these facts cannot be true. Applejack is also able to read and write; skills typically taught in school. Applejack also has a good understanding of business skills (thanks PonyEcho, I forgot about that!)

 

APPLEJACK IS NOT EDUCATED ARGUMENT:

 

 

 

Applejack has also found relatively simple mathematics to be confusing (Applebuck Season). Applejack is never shown attending school, and has never mentioned it other than in Call of the Cutie (It is also unclear if what Applejack says is factual, as Family Appreciation Day causes a continuity error). Despite living in Ponyville all their lives (and going to school together according to Applejack), Applejack and Rarity do not seem to know each other in the pilot episode. (Friendship is Magic, Part 1 & 2)

 

 

So, here is my question to everypony here:

 

What do YOU think? Do you think Applejack is educated? Do you think she is not educated? Why?

 

Remember: No flaming, no insults, no trolling. Also this is a silly discussion. No need to get too serious!

Edited January 14, 2013 by Twinhead B

[100 beasts kaidou 321]

I think she is edcuted but dint remember everything she learned, To be honest She might skipped a few classes to help her family a couple of times. Also Pilot episode Can have a few errors like all of them going to school together might not been decieded until later on.

[PonyEcho 1,610]

she is educated and likely went to school much like Applebloom

also keep in mind she has a good understanding of business and may just not like mathematics, and the french part doesn't rely count because its Equestria and not earth.

 

last part

there is only is only one thing i can find to disprove it and that is that there is no mention of her and Rarity being in the same class in school.

those two are the only ones who likely went to Ponyvilles school as Twilight lived in canterlot, Fluttershy and Rainbowdash lived in cloudsdale. and Pinkie pie is the most likely to be un-schooled due to her amish like background 

Edited January 14, 2013 by PonyEcho

[The Stranger 812]

To be honest this is a bit of a silly thread here. If you're going to ask if Applejack is educated you might as well ask if anyone from the mane six is educated. We don't know how old Applejack or anyone from the mane six is. For all we know they've probably finished school by now.

 

We have no way of knowing if Applejack or anyone from the mane six is educated or not. Their isn't enough of anything to build solid theories or speculation on. Twilight's the only one who has shown that she's been to school. 

 

Also if Applebloom is currently going to school Applejack probably did the same thing when she was a filly. My guess is Applejack is educated

Edited January 14, 2013 by Twisted-Bone

[Twinhead B 482]

To be honest this is a bit of a silly thread here. If you're going to ask if Applejack is educated you might as well ask if anyone from the mane six is educated. We don't know how old Applejack or anyone from the mane six is. For all we know they've probably finished school by now.

 

We have no way of knowing if Applejack or anyone from the mane six is educated or not. Their isn't even anything to build theories or speculation on. Twilight's the only one who has shown that she's been to school. 

 

Well, of course it's a silly thread! After all we're discussing whether or not an orange talking cartoon pony went to school or not.

 

However, Twilight isn't the only one shown to have been schooled. Rarity's segment of The Cutie Mark Chronicles shows her making the costumes for the school play. In the same episode, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were both shown to have gone to "Flying Academy", so we can assume that is Cloudsdale's equivalent of school. Pinkie Pie and Applejack are the only ones that have not been shown going to school, but Pinkie Pie never mentions it like Applejack does.

 

Also, it's a discussion. If you notice, I have "facts" that support both sides of the argument. I'd like to know what other people think, because the show does not explicitly say one way or the other.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,833]

To be honest I think she might have a basic education, but nothing more than that. Or she did it the old fashioned way and learned from her parents, in which case she wouldn't know the things they didn't know.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,694]

Twisted is right; there's really no way of knowing. I think Applejack would have received some formal education as a filly in Manehattan, but I doubt she was very interested or paid much attention. She learned all the most important things back on the Acres and it was no wonder that she returned. So I'd say AJ is only partially educated. But, to her credit, she certainly isn't dumb.

[Jadefire 2,796]

In my headcanon, Fancy is the name of the language, it being the national language of Fance. (Used to be known as Prance until it was taken over by a dynasty of finches).

 

Anyway, there are plenty of educated people in the US and out who don't like math very much, and southerners being uneducated is a bit of stereotype. Applejack was born in Ponyville, so I think it's reasonable to assume that both her and Big Macintosh probably attended the local school house. (Whether or not Ponyville has a high school is anyone's guess). Granny Smith, on the other hand, seemed to belong to a family of nomads, so I assume she was either homeschooled or attended multiple schools as her family moved around.

[Shanks 10,811]

Just because they are close in age dosen't mean they are all the same age so it is possible that Rarity and Applejack could have gone to the same school but just not at the same time. Or it is also possible that Applejack may have gone to public school and Rarity might have just gone to private school, she does seem the most likely out of the Mane 6 to have that kind of experience. Applejack said that she was confused by "fancy mathematics" which I think means higher level math like algebra which confuses me as well and this is coming from someone who was on the honor roll, took some honors and AP classes and graduated high school with a 3.8 GPA.

 

Yes I think Applejack is educated maybe not as educated as Twilight Sparkle but she has at the very least would be the Equestrian equivalent of a high school education.

[jackleapp81 456]

Good question! Since her job is to work on her family farm, she never needed a college degree for that, so there is a chance that she skipped out on school for a good portion of her life. There's also the question of whether or not the Apple family was wealthy enough to provide for her educational needs. Is public school in Equestria free? If so, then she must have attended school at least for a little bit.

 

Ultimately though, unless the writers delve deeper into her life as a filly in later episodes, we may never know how much education Applejack really has under her belt.

Edited January 14, 2013 by jackleapp81

[The Stranger 812]

Good question! Since her job is to work on her family farm, she never needed a college degree for that, so there is a chance that she skipped out on school for a good portion of her life. There's also the question of whether or not the Apple family was wealthy enough to provide for her educational needs. Is public school in Equestria free? If so, then she must have attended school at least for a little bit.

 

Ultimately though, unless the writers delve deeper into her life as a filly in later episodes, we may never know how much education Applejack really has under her belt.

 

I never thought of any of that. You seem very logical. So yeah, Applejack is most likely educated but I doubt if colleges exist in Equestria that she ever went to one. She probably spent the biggest part of her life working the family farm. The other half was probably her education.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Twisted-Bone

[Syrchalis 40]

I think she is educated but not directly intelligent because of that. She probably has very well developed social skills and attended school like everypony else - but was never good at math. You don't need to be good at math to have a sense for business. If you would compare the Mane 6, they seem all to have very different levels of intelligence and logical ways of thinking, but all except for Twilight seem to have the same education.

Actually Twilight just read a lot of book on her own.

[Jessper 735]

Her whole life is centered around growing, harvesting and processing apples, with occasional caring for farm animals. She comes from a family that does similar thing for generations. I don't think she is educated nor does she need to be. I'd say it's your run of the mill elementary education if anything. Read, write, simple math.

I would argue her busyness skills too. It's not very amazing.

 

On the other hand, Twilight aside (a that is magic education, not education per se), there doesn't seem to be much of education around Equestria, or at least it's not mentioned. Apart from everyone being able to read and write.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Jessper

[SongBrony 419]

She is educated to a certain extent. The business aspect could just be from the fact that she has grown up around it her whole life. I don't think she has a high school education mainly because she would have been needed to help on the farm (since at around that age she would be physically fit enough and big enough to work on the some of the larger projects around the farm.) Besides, fillies usually get their cutie marks at around, what grade, like 2nd, 3rd, 4th? (I'm probably wrong on that, but it's a general estimation.)

[Megas 27,064]

I've always considered French as "the fancy language" myself, so that's something we both share.

 

As far as normal education goes, I'd say pretty average, but presents herself in a slightly below manner, if that makes any sense

[CrystalRose 636]

Well she definitely went to school, it's been mentioned in the show.

 

How well she did, we don't know, but she has a lot of common sense and a head for business so I reckon she did alright. A reason people might think she's uneducated is because she is so down to earth and grounded, she doesn't have any airs or graces because she doesn't need them, not because she's stupid.

[Z Star 189]

To me, it seems that ponies in Ponyville attend what we would call elementary school and probably go on to learn middle school level information. And then, it seems, when a pony has been granted his/her cutie mark, they go on to fulfill their passion. No use in furthering education if you already know what you want to excel at in your life, right? It seems as if the Mane 6 are all young adults, like around my age (19 or so) and that once you have found what you are talented at, naturally, you should pursue that talent! Applejack had a talent that followed the apple orchard. Rarity loved fashion and became a designer. Fluttershy is the guardian of nature, like maybe a town scout of sorts. Pinkie Pie works at the Cake's store and spreads happiness by making sweet things for people. Rainbow Dash takes care of the weather with her weather team. Twilight might be the only exception, because she is a "Student" of Princess Celestia's. So.... I think it's all about aptitude, not education. Sorry for rambling on!

[Party Cannon 874]

It comes down to what you define as "educated." Some say K - 8 is educated, others say a High School Diploma, others say 4 year college degree, and even others say PHD!

 

Being "educated" is in the eye of the beholder. It is ultimately compared to you qualifications for the average paying job of where you live. Another thing to take into account is that this generation's basic education was past generations' "higher education." Plus, it varies from nation to nation, whether it is agriculturally centered or manufacturing centered, etc.

 

In Equestria, I think they are by human standards a great mix of present day and the turn of the century, in terms of technology and culture, with a dash of classic "faerie tale." Applejack and her family fall more in the turn of the century aspect in my opinion. Therefore, I think that Applejack by that standard is educated, which could be somewhere between grade 8 through 12. It would really be unnecessary for her to receive more education that would have little to no relevance to her employment.

 

Either way, she has done real good for herself!

[Moon Rat 4,772]

In all honesty, I say Applejack is educated enough to know how to make a living on her own, which I say is definitely a must when it comes to what she does. She also has really good speaking skills and knows how to carry herself in an argument (I believe) which is also a must when it comes to the line of work she does

 

She's also a pretty good cook/baker from what I have seen

[Delzepp 2,939]

well, I'm not exactly sure, all the above mentioned arguments seem pretty valid, but if I were to guess (and I can XD), I would say that she is indeed educated, based on one thing and one thing only: her story from Chronicles;

 

allow me to explain: when she was little, she lived a certain amount of time in Manehattan, but we're never told how much time exactly; she said that she was the last in her class to get her cutie mark, yet, she begins her story telling Applebloom "I was just a little filly, even littler than y'all"; under normal circumstances, this meant that she got her cutie mark at an even earlier age than Applebloom, but here's what I believe happened:

 

she was "even littler than y'all" the day she left for Manehattan; we get a glimpse of her arrival, then all of a sudden, she's visibly changed, more sophisticated, and using a different vocabulary, and has manners that would even make Rarity jealous XDD

 

however, from the time she arrived until the time of the fancy dinner, maybe more time passed by, maybe a year, maybe two, you cannot possibly learn to be sophisticated overnight and you definitely cannot fake it (see My Fair Lady); therefore, using this logic, it's fair to assume that she went to school in Manehattan, as when she arrived, her aunt says "we'll have you acting like a true Manhattanite in no time"; maybe this is what she meant, sending her to school then and there;

 

using this logic, it also makes sense that Rarity and Applejack didn't know each other from school, as Applejack never attended school in Ponyville; by the time she decided to come home, she was already older than Applebloom (probably) and she decided to live on the farm rather than continue school; therefore, in that respect, yes, she did receive proper schooling in Manehattan

 

my opinion anyway

[Firelord Derpy 310]

There is a difference between education and intelligence. 

AppleJack probably had some basic schooling, learned the basics. But other then that she probably learned everything else on the job and from parents/grandparents. Things which she didn't need like advanced math and chemistry or anything like that she probably disregarded or wasn't taught. After all when would she need to know Pi to twenty digits or the Theorem of Magical prowess. If she finds a hole in her knowledge that she needs to fill she probably learns it as she goes.

The ability to learn quickly and adapt is a very powerful skill.

 

As for speaking in Fancy. Well that could just be confusion and a tired mind after being woken in the middle of the night. Maybe there are several languages that are similar and used by the "Fancy ponies." and since AJ can't tell them apart she just calls it fancy. 

 

Another thought is that she may have gotten minor amounts of business tutoring from other notable Ponyville figures.

Filthy Rich has ties to the Apple Family even if his daughter is a jerk to them. Since a large part of his business deals with the Apple Family farm he might have helped instruct a Young AppleJack and could possibly run some accounting for them. 

Just a thought.

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

I honestly think she may be the second most educated pony, except she was home schooled, so she knows how to get out of situations, and she's better at rational thinking.  Theory.

[Zygen 6,065]

Well I don't see a good reason why shes not to be honest. I mean yeah shes not a nerd like Twilight , but she still has some smarts, I'm sure she wasn't the sharpest smartest student in class, but she has a basic education atleast.

 

Honestly you could ask if any of the mane 6 where educated, even if they're all not really smart like twilight they all know a pretty good amount enough to get by and probably based basic ponyvile education(Who knows the education level of Equestria anyways.)

 

I think a better question to ask is Pinkie Pie educated? She is so insane and just seems to do really um, sometimes dumb things, and say some not very well educated sounding things. However I'm sure she still got an education.... Somehow... I bet Pinkie's teacher had a really hard time teacher her though .

[Jammo 986]

She's not very book smart, but she is unsurpassed when it comes to wisdom and earthly experience.

If you want to know a manticore from a chimera, Applejack would have no idea. You need very grounded rational advise about day to day relations, Applejack would be your girl.

 

Intelligence and wisdom are very different. Some of the brainiest people can be the most clueless when it comes to common sense. Vice versa as well. Applejack is wisdom over raw IQ points.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

Applejack is a farm girl. I see her as having received a comprehensive agricultural education. She does mention to Rainbow Dash how there's nothing wrong with relaxing with a book, so she does do some recreational reading. I'm going to extrapolate a bit from her comment about Big Macintosh and his fancy mathematics and say she may suffer from Dyscalculia (Like I do) That's not a joke. Simple math can throw me into a total panic if I don't have a calculator handy. I totally understand her frustration with Big Macintosh for confusing her with numbers.