How in the world does the Russian Federation have more college graduates than the United States? (best, place)

[brubaker]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/0...3.html#s117378

Wow, what happened?

[mrkool]

Simple... demographics in the USA have changed dramatically. Some groups attend/complete college more than others...

[djmilf]

Originally Posted by mrkool

Simple... demographics in the USA have changed dramatically. Some groups attend/complete college more than others...

I don't think that it's due to recent demographic changes. The original report used as the basis of the story (http://completionagenda.collegeboard...eport_2010.pdf) counted for various nations those people between the ages of 25 and 64 who had earned at least an associate's degree.

The five nations above the United States are:

1st place - 54.0% - Russian Federation
2nd place - 48.3% - Canada
3rd place - 43.6% - Israel
4th place - 41.0% - Japan
5th place - 41.0% - New Zeeland

The United States comes in at 6th place with 40.3% of its population holding at least an associate's degree.

I find it interesting to note that the other G7 nations come in at the following places:

15th place - 31.8% - United Kingdom
26th place - 26.8% - France
29th place - 22.7% - Germany
39th place - 13.6% - Italy

For the population between ages 25 to 34 holding at least an associate's degree, the top five nations are:

1st place - 55.8% - Canada
2nd place - 55.5% - Korea
3rd place - 55.5% - Russian Federation
4th place - 53.7% - Japan
5th place - 47.3% - New Zeeland

In this grouping, the United States is in 12th place with 40.4%. While the United States maintains its percentage level of college educated people, other nations are increasing theirs.

I personnally find the study to be slightly skewed - in my opinion including associate degrees cheapens the numbers somewhat. I also personally believe there to be a substantial difference between a degree in engineering and a degree in art history - while both are equal academically, one degree I consider to be a wealth producer while the other I consider to be a wealth consumer.

[Investor.j7]

Russia you're the best......

[Tiger Beer]

Russians have always seemed very well-educated, very intelligent.

Sadly, when I meet my American counterparts, I've always noticed a strong anti-education sentiment. From the general public anyways. College graduates will be gung-ho about having an education, but going through High School, the ambitions of most Americans have always struck me as being incredibly low.

One of the things the U.S. does having going for it, is the fact that so many people emigrate there who bring their education values with them.

[stan4]

Our 40% is worth less than those European counterparts... they actually have standards for letting people in.

I swear, some American schools...you drive by the campus and they just throw the diploma into your car window.

[Almeida93]

In Soviet Russia colleges study you

[Ruth4Truth]

University study in Russia is free to higher-achieving students. Russia has always put a priority on educating its Native people, too. Meanwhile, in the US college tuition has skyrocketed, putting a Uni education out of reach for some. There may be a higher drop-out rate in the US, too, due to economic hardship among other factors.

Russia also has nationwide standards for primary and secondary school, which the US doesn't, really. In some states there's a very high HS dropout rate, and those schools prepare students poorly for college anyway. In Russia, teachers are trained rigorously, while in the US, many Education degree programs are very lightweight.

[erasure]

Originally Posted by brubaker

Countries With The MOST College Graduates (PHOTOS)

Wow, what happened?

My guess would be that Russia lowered Soviet standards of "high education" ( what was considered to be "high education,") following the US example, and that's how it has got all of a sudden so many "college-educated" people.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Almeida93

In Soviet Russia colleges study you

Fortunately, Soviet Russia is history.