The BA of today is the high school diploma of yesteryear...
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Oftentimes not even that. My wife’s public high school required a lot more reading, and academic work in general, than many colleges do now. I can say that because I’ve taught at the college level and was shocked by the lack of basic skills that the students exhibited.
The Education Industrial Complex is milking that desire for all it's worth... (and it's worth a lot of cash). They'll take kids in who can't read or write but who qualify for student loans... lots of big fat studen6t loans. Then they stick the kids in remedial classes knowing 90% of them will be unable to keep a (real) college level job if they ever do graduate.
You've taught at the college level - you understand what's going on...