NOT Everyone is Suited for College

1. 83

   gmwilliamsposted 9 years ago

   
   There should be more stringent standards in high school for college and/or university admission.  Too many students attending colleges and/or universities in the United States are clearly unqualified to attend such institutions.  A noted educator was emphatic in his premise that only students in the extreme upper percentile in their respective high school are suited to attend college or university.  Every child is NOT college material.  However, the American premise is that EVERYONE should attend college or university.  Well, because of the influx of mediocre students attending colleges and/or universities, courses have been dumbed down and the value of a college degree has decreased, making it equal to a high school education.  If only the most qualified students (A & B students) attended college and/or university, college courses would not have to be dumbed down and a college degree would be valuable again. College should not be the goal of every child. It is time for parents and educators to face that reality.  College should be designated for highly intelligent, even prodigious students, not mediocre ones.  What are YOUR thoughts on this?

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   1. 65

      Clair Leitneyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I do agree college classes shouldn't be dumbed down but I do think we shouldn't decide whether or not a little or not a little dumb students should be denied the right for education. As long as the courses are up to the standard and the professors won't take bribes from such students and sooner or later they will realize they aren't cut out for a college. But if they don't admit it, they will just keep on wasting their parents money on parties and academic research paper writing services. Anyways I don't see much harm from such students unless you speak to them and this conversation will dumb your down.

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2. 77

   psycheskinnerposted 9 years ago

   The United States has very diverse universities (some former polytechnics) with very diverse programs. So a lot of run-of-the-mill academic students can find appropriate tertiary training.
   
   Another interesting thing as that some top liberal arts universities have de-emphasized grades as a selection criteria because they did not work well as predictors of successful graduation.
   
   But we do need to put the brakes on just warehousing so many kids into 4 year degrees on pointless subjects.  It loads them up with debt without making them more employable. Kids at that age have unrealistic expectations, they need good guidance on what kind of tertiary education or what other options (e.g. apprenticeship, entry level employment) will be best for them. A smart kid getting into a promote-from-within company may be far better off doing that instead of a degree.

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   1. 83

      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Exactly, so many young people major in subjects that have absolutely no tangible socioeconomic outcome.  Anyone who elect to major in liberal arts, the humanities, the arts, and/or soft sciences had better get a doctorate in the subject or have some type of prodigious talent so h/she won't have to work a Mcjob after graduation.   It is totally amazing how many young people cluelessly major in subjects without doing the necessary research as to its economic feasibility.   My advice before selecting a major, do some research as if there are jobs in that area and look at the payscale.   Liberal arts, humanities, arts, and soft sciences aren't very lucrative career areas. 
      
      Also too many unqualified young people are in college.  If a high school student is a C student, it is best that h/she chooses another form of advanced education instead of college. Better yet, h/she should get a job after high school.  It is an utter waste of time for a C student to attend college as college is beyond the average intellectual capacity of the C student.  The reason why college education is analogous to what a high school education was decades ago is because of the massive influx of mediocre, subpar student in colleges and universities.  The only students who should attend college and university are A and B students.  The premise that everyone should go to college is utterly baseless if not illogical.

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3. 72

   Aime Fposted 9 years ago

   Not sure how things work there, but at Canadian universities if your GPA falls to a C you're put on academic probation and if you don't improve it the following semester you're suspended and have to take a bunch of classes elsewhere and get a B average to be re-admitted. So they do have academic standards here. I've never known anyone who has been suspended, so I guess it works to encourage people to do well, but it certainly doesn't wean many people out of the programs.
   
   Here you can start at colleges with basically no admittance requirements but colleges don't offer 4 year degrees. It's usually meant as sort of a ladder to go to university, and you need to have pretty good grades from college to get into university.
   
   I have no problem with the schools saying "you need to keep a good average to stay here," it makes sense, people who aren't serious about their education will fall out pretty quickly.
   
   I find that the "quick" degrees from smaller schools are much more common around here, I'm one of the only people I know outside of school who actually has a Bachelors Degree. Not everyone is suited to four years of lectures, sit-down tests and tutorials, no. But there are so many courses and programs offered at so many different schools that I think most people could find something at a post-secondary institution that suited them.

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4. 77

   psycheskinnerposted 9 years ago

   In the US you can get a degree at any level from just paying for a fake one to Ivy League.  But a lot of people think their expensive strip mall degree is worth more than it is (they often have little or no worth but charge thousands of dollars).  In between there are some solid community college degrees that people know only prove basic competence in an applied field. And over all the top of this is some pretty bad grade inflation.
   
   It is important for people operating in a wide open free market to make sure they are getting the right degree for their goals before they sign up for those humungous student loans.

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   1. 69

      brakel2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      @ GW  My kids were C average and got into college, are doing well, and have good paying jobs. It took them a while to mature and apply themselves. Everything depends on the individual, and no blanket statement about C average kids should apply, in my opinion.Colin Powell was C average in high school from what I hear..

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5. 77

   psycheskinnerposted 9 years ago

   Part of it is the narrowing of other options.  All the techs wanted to be universities and most are doing it badly, when what we actually need are good techs doing solid hands-on technical and trade training.  The number of apprenticeships out there has dropped enormously as companies and solo tradesmen decided they couldn't "afford" to support them--but now they find they can't get any trained people to hire--funny that.

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6. 62

   janesixposted 9 years ago

   Trade schools could start at age 15 or 16, for those who know they aren't interested in going to college, and want decent job training. Like job corps.

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