Cornell University Entrance Exam (1891)

Cornell Alumnus Magazine ^ | 1891 | Cornell University

[NRx]

See the linked site, pages 15-17.

[NRx]

It seems to me that the state of education in this country is largely a product of the egalitarian idiocy that has become predominant in the post World War II era. People wonder why a college education is not worth what a high school education was a half century ago. Standards have fallen so dramatically that it is shocking. In those days if you didn't know the material you were not passed from one grade to the next, and you were not graduated from high school. Of course back then it was not presumed that everyone had a “right” to go to college, or that everyone should. As a general rule, dolts and the otherwise functionally illiterate were not admitted to college.

This may also go hand in hand with the disparagement of honest labor that while not requiring a college education, is not for novices or the unskilled. Once upon a time, being a plumber, electrician, carpenter etc would have been regarded as an honorable and good paying job worthy of some respect. For the record, they still pay pretty well, often better than jobs requiring a four year degree. But today, too many college students seem to look down their nose at that kind of work as being only for those who couldn't cut it. When in fact only a very small percentage of those with supposedly advanced degrees could pass the entrance exam linked above.

The real problem with egalitarianism is that it rarely seems to involve pulling one group of people, or standards, up. It always seems to involve pulling people and standards down.

[nickcarraway]

People say they never knew tobacco is bad for one’s health, but even in 1891 it was known.

[kidd]

I graduated from the Engineering College of Cornell University in 1983.

The math questions are not that difficult.

I haven’t got a clue about the language questions. But that’s why I’m an engineer.

I’d do well on the history questions (except the constitution of Sparta)

[vladimir998]

later

[Billthedrill]

Wait, not one Diversity question? Not one social justice question?

The test is racist.

[onedoug]

And George Bush caught hell for using the term, Grecian.

[Steely Tom]

The math questions are not that difficult.

Math got a lot harder after Louis Farrakhan introduced Million-Man Math.

[Varsity Flight]

Executive Action signed today for a “Student Bill of Rights”

GET READY for the next bailout. All those student “loans.”
Another “bank” body mortgagers bailout coming.

Guess whose backs this will be placed on as usual.

[Kenny Bunk]

The test is:
Culturally Biased
Patriarchal
Eurocentric
Hegemonic
Gender-Normative
Colonial
Racist

How many points will I be given to prevent any loss of self-esteem?

[manc]

I’m back in school and trust me I was surprised.
They get multiple choice, lowest scores thrown out, extra credit, and redo’s if they feel they did bad.

I was totally stunned but what got me most was if half the class gets a question wrong then the question is thrown out.

I kid you not.

For a little quiz we had a spelling test and there were kids right out of high school who got words wrong like lawyer, marshal as in US Marshal and totally.

[Albion Wilde]

Very interesting post. Thanks, and welcome to the wonderful world of posting on FR.

[JimRed]

I was totally stunned but what got me most was if half the class gets a question wrong then the question is thrown out.

Easier for the tenured (unionized, IOW) profs to throw out the question than to smoke out why half the class got it wrong and correct the teaching problem.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Cornell University Entrance Exam (2015)

If Kayeeesha has three organic turnips, and Imitaz has two organic turnips, how racist, bigoted, homophobic and gender-oppressed is the United States, how does that oppress Muslims by threatening the integrity of the climate, and how do you feel about it?

For Extra Credit: Explain why it is all George W. Bush’s fault.

[Snickering Hound]

[manc]

Don’t get me wrong I would have flunked this test, but I thought I’m not that school smart. Now after being next to these kids I felt like I was a Yale grad and how some of them failed the class was beyond me.
Some of them sat there with their laptops on Facebook instead of taking notes.

it was a shock to me after being out of school for nearly 3 decades.

[knarf]

"education" (intentional lower case) is the word used to describe programming

Just today it occured to me ....

The modus operandi is; it is easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission

I'm a school board director, and one of the ladies approached me Sunday night and asked mer to pray for her Mom because she was going to a school board meeting tomorrow (Monday) to complain about a film that had been shown in school that described homosexual activity

She was afraid her Mom might lose her job in the cafeteria, but she felt strongly about complaining

And as I said before ... it occured to me .... schools are not stupid, same as politicians ... they know what they are doing, and the decision to show a film or teach a lesson or introduce a book or activity is at the pleasure of the enemy of America

If a parent protests ... Ok ... they'll deal with it ... but the imagery of a homo sexual act (f'rinstance) has already been injected into the mind of a child .... and that's good enough for them ... for the moment.

I'm a pain in the ass to my school because I articulate these concerns ... which so far has produced 18 children not coming back next year but will be cyber schooled

[manc]

LOL Just showed my 13 year old daughter and the first thing she said was “there is no multiple choice”.

[latina4dubya]

as a homeschooler who has taken the classical approach, my sons would do well...

[stephenjohnbanker]

LOL!!

[Gay State Conservative]

I got the Volga River...and several parts of the question about the eye.That’s because I spend lots of time in my Opthalmologist’s office and he has a huge chart of the eye on the wall detailing all the parts.Didn’t go any further but I sincerely doubt I would have done well if I had.