Posted on 06/13/2018 4:55:49 AM PDT by C19fan
When I paid my last college-tuition bill, I grimaced as thousands of dollars disappeared from my bank account. Like many students, I tell myself that my education will pay off in the long run — but I might not actually be getting my money’s worth.
In his book Academically Adrift, sociologist Richard Arum of New York University reports that 45 percent of undergraduate students show little advancement in their ability to think critically, reason, or write well after their first two years of college — basically, half of students learn almost nothing in three essential areas. As a current student, I think I know why our higher-education system is failing.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Because all liberal arts programs these days exist for is job security for faculty and staff. The kids are there as cash cows and indoctrination fodder.
My son recently graduated with a BS degree in Forestry. Right after graduation he obtained his CDL, my gosh is he popular now with the timber companies!
Part of this article says that 45% of students say they don’t enjoy reading serious books and only read what they have to.
In my opinion, college is for people who enjoy reading serious books. If that’s not your thing, fine — be a plumber, electrician, machinist, whatever. You’ll almost certainly have a better life doing stuff in the real world rather than living in a cubicle.
This country needs job training programs. It does NOT need a lot of college students. Most people in college today should not be in college today. They don’t want to be there. They don’t want to learn anything. They think they know it all already.
College, as it is set up today, is more of a problem than it is a solution. We need a lot less higher education.
I am 53 and earning my BS in IT. I climbed up the IT ranks via a combination of experience and industry certifications. I finally reached the point were HR said that I had to have a degree before I could receive any further promotions.
So I am currently doing a full time plus job and attending college full time. I am only able to do this because I can use my extensive experience in the classroom. For example, I already have received one of the highest certifications in networking so the college network course was a no-brainer. In fact, once the instructor found out my certification, he asked me to explain many of the more complex details.
That, along with the fact that I am in a STEM major, is likely to distort my perception of college. However, looking at the other programs out there, it does seem that there has been a drop in the level of rigor required to pass any of the “studies” programs. I did my AA in General Studies to get that portion of the degree out of the way quickly. Graduated with a 4.0 and it was fairly easy. Not at all difficult like I was expecting.
Now that I am coming to the end of my program, I am thinking that maybe a Masters might not be as difficult as I was making it out to be.
There are three things at work here.
First, there is some odd belief that everyone needs to go to college to achieve success. It would be logical except you end with a debt deal, and you might not be out of college debt until age 45.
Second, colleges shifted in the 1960s and became more of a storefront. You want any degree....they offer it. So people have started to choose worthless degrees, and are shocked when they don’t pay off.
Third, Where’s the real payoff for degrees?
I sat five years ago in the Huntsville Airport...10 PM, trying to rent a car. One lady left and she was working my paperwork....while we had a conversation. She was a recent college grad...four year degree, and had been hired as the ‘chief’ of the car rental shop at the airport. I sat there...knowing in the 1980s that this was typically an older guy...with no degree. The problem is...she couldn’t find regular work that would equate to the degree. So she took this job and just hoped something would come up in the next year or two.
I’ve met a lot of folks like that. They have a worthless degree, and making in the $25k range per year.
If you are going to be any of these things, you'd better be able to read and comprehend.
And be able to read prints.
I doubt many "college kids" these days would be able to survive in any of these career fields.
The statistics in that article on class attendance were striking.
I was an awful student all the way from 1st grade to High School. I couldn’t learn. But I never skipped a single day of school or class, ever. I was too afraid of what my parents would do to me if I did.
When I went to college, I never skipped a class there either, but for a different reason. I did well in college and got good grades, but...I never felt smart enough to be able to skip even a single class. I always felt I was hanging on to good grades so marginally, that missing even a single class would drop me into mediocre-bad grade levels.
I was astonished to read those statistics, if accurate, in the article. Maybe kids now are so much smarter than I ever was, but...I couldn’t do that and even pass.
I think you have to go to one of the more selective ones to get anything out of it. The schools that will take anyone who is warm and breathing have to pass most of those students. If the class is crowded you also have to deal with grading. If you have an adjunct they will be making very little money and unless they stand a chance of getting a promotion they will have few prospects.
Professors with overcrowded classes and adjuncts generally will want to simplify grading as much as possible, so tests will have a limited number of “correct” answers and group projects (grade socialism) will abound.
If you have a nonselective college, group projects will be used to get students who have difficulties with the material across the finish line to a decent grade.
Some professors will have a sort of baseline level you have to get past and will include the real learning as an extra for those so motivated. Some professors will do exactly the same thing but will put the fear of God into you to make you push as hard as you can. You will despair, you will feel as though you will be grateful for a “C” and then you will find you have received an “A.”
A Masters is everything you just learned all over again faster.
and a research paper.
I took a college course that significantly impacted my college studies - speed reading. It is amazing how much that lightened my college work load. Perhaps colleges should require 100 level classes in speed reading, research methods, MS Word and typing.
Because they know it all already. Sophomore has it roots in greek sophos = wise and moros = fool/dull. So, these learned fools know just enough to be arguers and just enough to be dangerous.
Kinda the mid point of forming...storming...norming.
Arrogant oblivious assurance of self worth (esteem) shoveled throughout public schooling for decades keeps students from realizing what is important.
sad state of affairs and unlike any other “...these kids these days...” period. Here, we are in it for nothing less than the spirit of ‘76,’ the American experiment, INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY.....and these doltish sophomores have so little idea....
KYPD
If companies actually valued self-learning and apprenticeships, lots of serious people wouldn’t need to waste time in a university to do a lot of STEM jobs. These places force people to waste money and go into debt, and then they pay them peanuts.
Colleges were not designed for 99% of the majors they host, including the non-frivolous ones.
And the vast majority of STEM majors are there primarily for vocational training — that could be handled online and/or at community colleges.
They don't read serious books? :-)
How about...if you don't want to get into six figures of debt to have a load of worthless, unmarketable crap shoved down your throat, learn a trade. :-)
You’ve definitely got a point on the trades thing, though. My plumber makes more than most of the 4 year grads I know, and more than a lot of the non-STEM PhDs.
I finally reached the point were HR said that I had to have a degree before I could receive any further promotions.
My wife has worked in IT for 20+ years with a similar back ground. She got the same message from HR: you need a 4 year degree for promotion. At 60 she decided she did not need the trouble and observed someone promoted over her with a degree in: Physical Education! This saying we have met the enemy and they are us is appropriate.
“Dangerous People Are Teaching Your Kids” - Jordan Peterson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LquIQisaZFU&t=2s&list=FLLR0KZJRLxO4vVbc4-lAyjw&index=3
Story for that: Doctor calls a plumber to fix a leaking faucet. Plumber completes the task in 15 minutes and provides the doc with a $150 bill. Doctor gasps and says gee, I get slightly more than that for a thirty minute physical. Plumber says, that is about right as that is what I used to charge when I was a doctor.
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