Having
attended college (many colleges), having watched my wife go through college,
and having two kids in college, err….paying for two kids to go to college, I
feel more than adequately qualified to speak on this topic. We get our college
bound kids ready for college with 13 years of school prior to high school
graduation and then send them off to college to select the education that will
drive their future. This is where the insanity begins.
Once they arrive
they have to complete the basic “Core” curriculum. For those who may not know,
the core curriculum is made up of the same core classes these kids took in high
school consisting of Math, English, Science, and other various classes. This is
the problem I have with a typical college degree program. Why is it that a
student majoring in English needs to take biology or geology? Likewise, why is
it a student majoring in Geology needs to take British literature? Similarly,
why does a student majoring in kinesiology need to take a class in philosophy or
theatre?
Why? Well there
seems to be a couple of reasons. One of them is to make a well-rounded student
which is complete bunk as I never ever seen a high school coach whip their athletes
into a no real frenzy by quoting Shakespeare of by philosophizing like Socrates.
My personal favorite reason is the most overused line of all, “that’s the way
it’s always been done.” But none of these are the real reason.
The real
reason is that many people each year get degrees in English, Math, Theatre, Philosophy,
Foreign Language, Humanities, PE, and other subjects for which that only real
use for these degrees is in the realm of education. Therefore the only way to continue
to secure these people jobs and to provide for a future generation of folks
getting these degrees is to make them required torture for those looking for a
degree in say engineering, medical fields, or electronics.
Now I’m not
saying we should ignore those in the fields that make up the core curriculum. And
I do believe that all college students should have to pass a qualifying course
in basic English, basic math, and basic science; however, if a student passes a
qualifying class then they shouldn’t have to sit through three or four more
years of English, or math, or science, or philosophy. This would save students
(and their parents) money and allow for two other alternatives.
The first
alternative is that students could graduate earlier and then be allowed to take
an internship to complete the degree. This would not only get the student the
education he will actually need but it will provide them with real world
experience before they are launched into the work force.
The second
alternative would be for students to remain in school for the same amount of
time they currently do, but they would have the opportunity to take more
classes that pertain to their major. This would allow the students to be better
educated in the job skills they are actually at college to learn.
Either way
the students will be better educated in the major they are in school to pursue.
Unfortunately we have a collegiate culture that is more about continuing the
same traditional methods we have always used and not about what is actually better
for the consumer, a consumer who is directly the student in this case and
indirectly the work force in which they will be going out into after their time
in academia is over.
It’s amazing
that we have been able to streamline and improve most everything in our lives,
but when it comes to a good college education somehow we have managed to leave that
process back in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, the decisions over this sort of
qualifying process are made by the very same people who benifet from the system
being stuck where it is.
Maybe I need
to create a college? Anybody got some land, money, buildings, books, teachers,
and mascot they can spare?
I need to
look at my degree plan!
Bill
