Submitted by Jasmine (not verified) on April 17, 2008 - 07:29.
That is the question. Let me preface my comments by saying that I am not anti-anything except anti-stupid, but part of the problem that today's college freshmen are facing is the lack of responsibility taught to them in their home. Parents aren't entirely at fault though. The society that we all live in is driven by money and judges who will get the best-paying jobs by factual qualifications – your degrees, experience on paper, etc. Thus you must be willing to spend money (college loans) to make money (paycheck to pay back those loans). Less than 100 years ago people used to be satisfied to save money then go to school.
Thus today's typical high schooler has so many commitments outside of home responsibilities so that their grades and "extra curricular activities" will be good enough for college scholarships. We now have an entire generation that has not had to work very hard to get what society tells them they deserve, by default of being born, so they take it for granted and have no idea how to survive the stress of college away from home.
I am a huge advocate of college education (and post-college if so desired), but the children of today are being taught at every turn that a degree is all that matters. My recommendation is to take at least a year off in between high school and college and learn how to live in the real world. Many freshman-level classes already are a repeat of what you learned in high school.
Flury's comment of "They are thrown on the college track as early as elementary school" is dead on. Because children are given such high academic standards, social and life skills are thrown out the window. If parents don't reclaim their children's lives right now I fear for how the world will be managed when I am ready for retirement.
To be well adjusted or to have straight A’s?
Submitted by Jasmine (not verified) on April 17, 2008 - 07:29.
That is the question. Let me preface my comments by saying that I am not anti-anything except anti-stupid, but part of the problem that today's college freshmen are facing is the lack of responsibility taught to them in their home. Parents aren't entirely at fault though. The society that we all live in is driven by money and judges who will get the best-paying jobs by factual qualifications – your degrees, experience on paper, etc. Thus you must be willing to spend money (college loans) to make money (paycheck to pay back those loans). Less than 100 years ago people used to be satisfied to save money then go to school.
Thus today's typical high schooler has so many commitments outside of home responsibilities so that their grades and "extra curricular activities" will be good enough for college scholarships. We now have an entire generation that has not had to work very hard to get what society tells them they deserve, by default of being born, so they take it for granted and have no idea how to survive the stress of college away from home.
I am a huge advocate of college education (and post-college if so desired), but the children of today are being taught at every turn that a degree is all that matters. My recommendation is to take at least a year off in between high school and college and learn how to live in the real world. Many freshman-level classes already are a repeat of what you learned in high school.
Flury's comment of "They are thrown on the college track as early as elementary school" is dead on. Because children are given such high academic standards, social and life skills are thrown out the window. If parents don't reclaim their children's lives right now I fear for how the world will be managed when I am ready for retirement.