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I don't remember any of my classes to have had any political content at all. I don't even know the political affiliation of the professors. It was never an issue that was discussed in class.
Yet another approach is to take the Advanced Placement (AP) exam, while still in high school. It is not necessary to be enrolled in an AP class, to be admitted to the AP exam. Score a "5", or in some cases even a "4", and college-credit is likely forthcoming. For engineering-majors, this has been an excellent way to obviate having to pay college tuition for English, Government, History, etc. (and for that matter, Chemistry, Physics or Calculus).
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Actually, many colleges restrict AP credit nowadays.
In September 2016, Weinstein assessed policies of the top 153 universities and colleges, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. His study found 86 percent of them restrict AP credit in some way.
Three-quarters of colleges limited which AP subject areas they accept for credit, for example, while 38 percent capped the number of AP credits they award per student. Some will only accept a score of 4, or only accept a 5, Weinstein said.
I don't think college is a waste of time for some people, but since the US no longer has systems of public vocational training, where do the others go?
I haven't read all 16 pages of comments, but I'll say this:
I'm not pushing college on my kids. I'm letting them decide. We have saved a modest amount of money for each of them should they decide to pursue a degree - the money we've saved will cover 2 years at an in-state public school of their choice, or 1 year at an in-state private university. After that, it's on them to cover costs via scholarships, loans and working their way through. They know that certain careers may require a 4-year degree (or more in the case of law or medicine, for example). But there are others that only required a 2-year degree or a training certificate.
I'm encouraging them to think about what they TRULY want to do once they reach adulthood, and then plan accordingly. If one wants to be an engineer, then go to that 4-year university. Absolutely. But if you want to be an electrician, then become an apprentice and consider going to our local technical college where we can pay in-county tuition (which is even cheaper than regular old in-state tuition) for a couple years and learn what you need to know there.
If you DON'T aspire to do anything that requires a degree or certification of some kind, then don't waste your time/money on it until you reach a point in your career where having one may help you progress further in your career. At that point, your company may help pay for it.
I'll admit I went to a 4-year private university (on a mix of parents' money, loans, scholarships and having a job) and I was a Liberal Arts major because I couldn't find anything specific that I wanted to study. In the end, I graduated and became a word processor because the ONE thing I became really good at in college and my summer internships was computers and typing. My career grew from there until my current position as a Project Manager. The ONLY time ANYone asked me about my degree was when I was being promoted to Project Manager, which required a Bachelor's. Up until then, I'd have probably been fine career-wise without a degree.
Not everyone is meant for college. Not everyone needs college either.
Yet another approach is to take the Advanced Placement (AP) exam, while still in high school. It is not necessary to be enrolled in an AP class, to be admitted to the AP exam. Score a "5", or in some cases even a "4", and college-credit is likely forthcoming. For engineering-majors, this has been an excellent way to obviate having to pay college tuition for English, Government, History, etc. (and for that matter, Chemistry, Physics or Calculus).
Completely outdated. APs are falling by the wayside. Our sister school, the top pre-engineering school in the country, is no longer emphasizing AP classes for their students, in large part due to the fact that most of the good programs will not take AP credit for classes vital to the major. For example: no physics AP credits for physics or engineering majors and so on.
My main issues with colleges is that they have been largely taken over by Marxists, faculty and administrators, who do as much or more indoctrination as they do teaching. Many of the kids come out of this poisonous environment as these "snowflakes" you tend to see everywhere, mouthing the garbage they were taught by their esteemed professors. This indoctrination into a "progressive" worldview will stick to them for a long time, maybe all their lives. I know some hippies from the 60's who still haven't grown up.
Another problem, the US kids from public schools are so "dumbed-down" they need to take many remedial classes just to bring themselves up to college level writing and thinking. This adds to the costs of their college.
I encourage college students to take useful sources like sciences, mathematics, or Business Administration, but instead so many opt to study liberal pseudo-sciences such a psychology, sociology etc., that won't do much for them besides making them neurotic and unemployed.
I hope President Trump has time to turn some attention to the disgraceful state of public education. The Marxist/Communists have pretty much ruined the system.
For any young person trying to prepare for college, let me advise that you study hard while in high school, take the hard classes not the easy ones, and consider joining the military and going to college paid for by Uncle Sam. After college, you have to serve for 6 years to "pay back" the government for its investment in your education. This is called Officers Candidate School.
Good luck to all, and God Bless the United States.
Years of worthless degrees that cost a bundle, and leave graduates without jobs.
Super liberal tenured professors extinguishing students hopes of jobs and paying off loans
Poor education in high school leaving students nowhere ready for college
Today, there are more vocational jobs in the country
Example. I retired as a pharmacist. I have a 5 year BS degree, Today, you need a pre-pharmacy degree just to get into a 7-8 year Pharm D (Dr of Pharmacy)degree. Many hospitals then require a one year residency,some two.
In my last position, as a clinical pharmacist with a major mail order pharmacy, in a department with over forty pharmacists with Phrm D and residencies, we all made the same pay. I worked with incredible people who had master's degrees before pharmacy school AND 3-400K in student loans.
Fast forward 3 years to today. The same company, the same job, now pays 20K a year less than when I was hired
I was at a meeting at the college of pharmacy last week where the Dean of Student affairs said that, Nationally, 20% plus of graduating pharmacists do not have jobs. And ove 20% of the students getting jobs are getting residencies that pay half of the growing national salary average.
Why? Because the colleges got greedy pushing students to spend more time, and money, for degrees. That, coupled with an overabundance in colleges of pharmacy. (Ohio alone has 3-4 more CoPs than 10 years ago because it was seen as a profit center for the universities) and decrease of available jobs due to too many bodies looking for jobs.
Completely outdated. APs are falling by the wayside. Our sister school, the top pre-engineering school in the country, is no longer emphasizing AP classes for their students, in large part due to the fact that most of the good programs will not take AP credit for classes vital to the major. For example: no physics AP credits for physics or engineering majors and so on.
Admittedly, it’s been a long time since I went through the system, and my recollections could be outdated. But it was always the case, that for premier colleges, only a score of “4” or “5” was accepted (and sometimes only a “5”).
In my personal experience, there were cases where the AP exam was not accepted, but students could petition to take the university’s own exam for the subject class. That’s what happened to me, with freshman English. The university would not take my AP score, but let me take the in-house exam. This consisted of reading a selection of literature the week before the exam, and then writing an essay (under the watchful eye of a proctor) in response to a slate of questions given to us once the exam-period started. For another class – a math class – there was no AP offering at all. The solution was to appear on campus in the summer before freshman year, taking the final exam together with engineering co-op students, who were on co-op term during the previous spring, and who took a full-load of classes during that summer.
Completely outdated. APs are falling by the wayside. Our sister school, the top pre-engineering school in the country, is no longer emphasizing AP classes for their students, in large part due to the fact that most of the good programs will not take AP credit for classes vital to the major. For example: no physics AP credits for physics or engineering majors and so on.
Pretty true. My daughter's college limited both the numbers and programs you could use AP for. Didn't count toward her major but did at least fill a couple of general electives and gen ed requirements. That way at least she had a lighter load some semesters.
Joining the military doesn't work out so well for the majority. In peacetime it is fine, but if you wind up in combat most wind up with PTSD and life long mental and physical health issues. As far as Marxist indoctrination in liberal arts colleges, it can't possibly compare to the capitalist indoctrination that fuels the media and commerce. In fact colleges are just another money making capitalist institution, like medicine, charities, the criminal justice system, etc. What you call Marxist and Hippie is more like What Would Jesus Do. Kindness, compassion, generosity, empathy. My progressive indoctrination started in Catholic school in the first grade. It only made sense and stuck with me a lifetime because it embraces the golden rule (do unto to others as you would have them do unto you) as opposed to the greed and hypocricy pushed by those who make money and power their main goal in life and call it success when they get it. I contributed to SS for 45 years and collected at 62. I've never been unemployed or neurotic (weird and/or a bit crazy maybe). Taking the hard classes in high school is a good idea. But if you can thrive in that environment, it's a no brainer to enroll in a CC or public college, live at home and work and borrow your way through in 4 years. Postponing that to serve in the military won't make it any easier.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rod5591
My main issues with colleges is that they have been largely taken over by Marxists, faculty and administrators, who do as much or more indoctrination as they do teaching. Many of the kids come out of this poisonous environment as these "snowflakes" you tend to see everywhere, mouthing the garbage they were taught by their esteemed professors. This indoctrination into a "progressive" worldview will stick to them for a long time, maybe all their lives. I know some hippies from the 60's who still haven't grown up.
Another problem, the US kids from public schools are so "dumbed-down" they need to take many remedial classes just to bring themselves up to college level writing and thinking. This adds to the costs of their college.
I encourage college students to take useful sources like sciences, mathematics, or Business Administration, but instead so many opt to study liberal pseudo-sciences such a psychology, sociology etc., that won't do much for them besides making them neurotic and unemployed.
I hope President Trump has time to turn some attention to the disgraceful state of public education. The Marxist/Communists have pretty much ruined the system.
For any young person trying to prepare for college, let me advise that you study hard while in high school, take the hard classes not the easy ones, and consider joining the military and going to college paid for by Uncle Sam. After college, you have to serve for 6 years to "pay back" the government for its investment in your education. This is called Officers Candidate School.
Good luck to all, and God Bless the United States.
Last edited by bobspez; 10-26-2017 at 01:13 PM..
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