College is too easy... (a thoughtful op ed)

Higher education: College is too easy for its own good - latimes.com

I really like how the author points out that more and more colleges are focusing on the wrong things, research, patents, making alumni associations happy, and less and less on the importance of the business of educating the students. I think in this regard the author is 100% dead on.

 

This article is spot-on.

 

I agree. People are getting in who shouldn't. People are graduating who shouldn't.

 

I don't agree. When one enters collegiate study the conceptual thought is to construct a rigorous academic course load and adapt it over time. I was so happy to enter college and pick the classes I wanted to take. I think people go for what is easy, they play it safe, they don’t take chances and they don’t challenge themselves. Or they enter a program they have no interest in just because they believe the money is there. Imagine if Albert Einstein decided to forgo science so that he can run hot dog stands all over New York City.

It was mentioned that respondents to the article had an average GPA of 3.16. Wow thats great but they are not learning anything? I think a consideration is that if a student is getting aces in all their classes perhaps they need a much more rigorous course load.

Last year there was an article about an NYU grad that had majored in Women's Studies and was saddled down with $100K in student loans that she will never be able to repay. Well NYU is known for a lot of things and if you give most rational and practical people 100K and 4 years I think they can figure out what programs NYU is strong in. NYU was never at fault. You can find incredibly challenging classes there to take and still find time to take Women's studies courses.

A student's expectation to how their education serves them is a personal responsibility. Many individuals expecting bailouts and the ones confused as to why their 50K+ Medieval Studies degree is not landing them hedge fund trading positions. The article really fails to address the many facets of why students are not able to find employment and the blame is placed solely on schools.

 

While I agree with the general premise of your argument this example does not serve you well. Einstein did quite poorly in school. Barely passed. He took a job as a patent clerk and wrote his first earth moving paper during his lunch breaks.

 

Sauron, I see your point, a lot of this has to do with how colleges have allowed more and more students to design their own programs. This could be in part because the actual demand for higher education is greater than it has ever been before and the breadth of studies demanded are broader yet more specialized than ever before. I think it’s sad that the Liberal Arts have gone from studying classics and fundamentals of higher education to what many consider a “McDegree”. That unless you study business, law, medicine or computer science you are wasting your time and money.

Anyhow I also disagree (respectfully) with Hokiephile. I think everyone should have the opportunity to enroll in college (as I am very pro-open enrollment) but I do agree with Hokiephile that there are many degree holders running around lacking in fundamental skills that should be imbued upon any graduate regardless of their major and school (such as an ability to read and write clearly or perform basic research).

I’ll give one example of where I think the author’s points can be more clearly illustrated and that is in business school rankings and programmatic accreditation. Agencies such as the IACBE or ACBSP which are student centric and outcomes based however are viewed at least in academia and some business and journalistic circles as second rate compared to the research based, faculty centric AACSB accreditation. I think the importance should be placed upon what the outgoing students can prove they’ve learned vs. how many published journal’s a given school’s professors have produced, but this is only a symptom of the overarching problem, which is largely cultural in academia as a whole. Hey, it’s tough not to be narcissistic:saevilw: .

 

One should read the new (newish) biography of Einstein before being too sure that he was a poor student.

 

To my mind three things stand out being a non-degree holder from a traditional program.

One, the student compared to say the 1960's are not given as much expected work in classes and if that is the case its not shocking graduates are not learning what would have been expected decades ago.

Two, schools are competing for students most would not go to a basic school with great academics but no sports or appealing buildings so its partially economics they spend money and offer these to get students to attend one school over another.

Three, the old view you get a degree and you get more money and have a assured future is still there if not true. Its noted if a student was not a good candidate for college or university study five decades ago why are they in now. Demand for the degree since its the "new" High School diploma to some degree. At least that is the perception I get from people. And if your not an ideal student would you take a tough program in science or a soft major and something not as challenging in the humanities?

Overall I do feel the school matters I KNOW Bryn Mawr is a tough school I have a neice attending there, great tippers to this lowly Busker also BTW. But at a basketball game she left the game to take a test the academics came first. I even lectured at the performing arts department as a real life example of one of the oldest areas of performing the women there were brilliant. Saint Petersburg College falls in the middle it seems a good school but focused on career based degrees and seem to be good at advising students. Then you have the lower end schools that may be decent state colleges but are not good at advising students or have the reputation for academics with connections a school like Bryn Mawr has.

I for one could never cut it out in college above the odd class.

 

I think you better summarized the problem with higher ed. The job market also continues to demand more specialized educations such as what you had mentioned. I actually think that a Liberal Arts education can be very flexible and applicable as a baseline for graduate study but due to the demands of modern life, student are interested in finishing school and joining the workforce.