My mom and I were just talking about this. It doesn't make sense that everyone is told that they need to go to college. Because now everyone does it there is nothing special about going to college. Instead now it's just that you have to or no one will want to hire you. People will say, "You didn't go to college? Why?" It's assumed that there is some kind of problem with you if you decide not to go to college. It's not worth anything special, unless you go to some place like Harvard, or earn special honors. Now it's just the standard. It's almost just like an extension of high school, but with a little more freedom. And if you don't do it, your looked at as something like a high school drop-out.
I came across this article, and just wanted to share.
A college education is often hailed as the ticket to the good life. But in Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America's Schools Back to Reality, Charles Murray says too many people go to college. In 1994, he co-wrote The Bell Curve, arguing that intelligence is a better predictor of success than socioeconomic status or parents' education. He talks with USA TODAY.
Q: You say some students just do not belong in college. Are there potential misconceptions you want to clear up?
A: It's not that they're too dumb, but whether (a bachelor's degree) is right for all. Almost all young people need some training after high school, but pursuing a bachelor's is a clumsy, ineffectual way to get the training they need.
A: It's not that they're too dumb, but whether (a bachelor's degree) is right for all. Almost all young people need some training after high school, but pursuing a bachelor's is a clumsy, ineffectual way to get the training they need.
Q: You say the value of the bachelor's degree has eroded.
A: The B.A. is supposed to stand for a classic liberal education. That means having to read and understand some really tough texts. Well, there are lots of kids who are never going to be able to read Aristotle's Ethics and understand it. … You have colleges watering down courses, inflating grades, pretending kids are doing college-level work when they're not. By making a degree something everyone is supposed to want, we punish people who do not get one.
A: The B.A. is supposed to stand for a classic liberal education. That means having to read and understand some really tough texts. Well, there are lots of kids who are never going to be able to read Aristotle's Ethics and understand it. … You have colleges watering down courses, inflating grades, pretending kids are doing college-level work when they're not. By making a degree something everyone is supposed to want, we punish people who do not get one.
Q: There's so much focus now on improving retention and graduation rates. Are those efforts a waste of time?
A: Colleges are filled with kids who have no business being there. It's destructive to kids who can't handle it and flunk out. It helps no one to pretend that everyone can get a college degree if they try hard enough.
A: Colleges are filled with kids who have no business being there. It's destructive to kids who can't handle it and flunk out. It helps no one to pretend that everyone can get a college degree if they try hard enough.
Q: Who gets to decide who should pursue a bachelor's?
A: I'm not saying we're going to measure the top 10% and let (only) them into college. I am in favor of honest counseling of high school students, of counselors saying, "If you want to give it a shot, go for it. (But) I think you're going to have a rocky road." I'm enthusiastically in favor of training and education after high school for everyone. I'm just saying the way we go about it is crazy. There are a bunch of options.
A: I'm not saying we're going to measure the top 10% and let (only) them into college. I am in favor of honest counseling of high school students, of counselors saying, "If you want to give it a shot, go for it. (But) I think you're going to have a rocky road." I'm enthusiastically in favor of training and education after high school for everyone. I'm just saying the way we go about it is crazy. There are a bunch of options.
Q: Would you advise someone today not to go for a four-year degree?
A: The B.A., which has become a requirement to get a job interview, often has absolutely nothing to do with what the job requires. (But) the reality in today's world is that having the B.A. makes the difference. We have to change the reality.
A: The B.A., which has become a requirement to get a job interview, often has absolutely nothing to do with what the job requires. (But) the reality in today's world is that having the B.A. makes the difference. We have to change the reality.
Q: How did people react when you first broached these ideas?
A: Almost all (the responses) were positive. Professors and teachers were saying, "Thank God someone is finally saying this." A student said, "I knew I had to (go to college), but it wasn't right for me, and I wish it didn't stand there as this great promised land that sucked us in." Those reactions seem to indicate that people are open, ready and eager to think about alternatives.
A: Almost all (the responses) were positive. Professors and teachers were saying, "Thank God someone is finally saying this." A student said, "I knew I had to (go to college), but it wasn't right for me, and I wish it didn't stand there as this great promised land that sucked us in." Those reactions seem to indicate that people are open, ready and eager to think about alternatives.
1 comment:
Wow. Very interesting. I understand what he is saying, and it does make sense. Love you.
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