“College is definitely the right choice for you.” “If you go to college, you 'll earn more money in the long-run!” “You need to have some extra circular activities or you 'll never make it into a good college.” These are just some of the comments made all throughout high school, urging students to attend college or risk dooming their future. However, what people fail to mention are the numerous other opportunities students have after after high school is complete, some of which may even be more effective than attending college. Furthermore, the people pushing students towards attending college rarely mention its downsides. These include high tuition prices, potential failure to teach students higher level thinking skills, and slipping graduation
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For example, a 2010 survey of more than 700 colleges published by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni found that “about 4 percent [of colleges] require students to take a basic economics class. A little more than a quarter of the public institutions….require a single broad survey course in American history or government. And only 61% of colleges and universities require students to take a college-level mathematics class” (42). With these statistics, it is no wonder that students are exiting college with little real-life skills and a handful of courses that do not have anything to do with their future careers. What colleges need to start doing is urging their students to take classes that can help them contribute to the technological era that is the 21st century. These classes could include basic coding, accounting 101, and statistics. A second example of colleges lacking on their duties to fully educate students can be found in a 2006 study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. In this study, it was discovered that “50% of college seniors failed a test that required them to do such basic tasks as interpret a table about exercise and blood pressure, understand the arguments of newspaper editorials, or compare credit card offers” (33). If the main purpose of college: to build upon a students knowledge and critical thinking skills,
For example, a 2010 survey of more than 700 colleges published by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni found that “about 4 percent [of colleges] require students to take a basic economics class. A little more than a quarter of the public institutions….require a single broad survey course in American history or government. And only 61% of colleges and universities require students to take a college-level mathematics class” (42). With these statistics, it is no wonder that students are exiting college with little real-life skills and a handful of courses that do not have anything to do with their future careers. What colleges need to start doing is urging their students to take classes that can help them contribute to the technological era that is the 21st century. These classes could include basic coding, accounting 101, and statistics. A second example of colleges lacking on their duties to fully educate students can be found in a 2006 study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. In this study, it was discovered that “50% of college seniors failed a test that required them to do such basic tasks as interpret a table about exercise and blood pressure, understand the arguments of newspaper editorials, or compare credit card offers” (33). If the main purpose of college: to build upon a students knowledge and critical thinking skills,