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Why College Is a Poor Choice for a Lot of People

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Re: Why College Is a Poor Choice for a Lot of People

#11
Try listing Kahn Academy or free open online classes/certificates on a resume.

The only reason I went to college was so I could be taken seriously and offered a job in my career. Before graduating I had 0 calls backs, after I started listing a completed degree I had many many call backs.

College may be a poor choice for some, but if you dont want to get stuck waiting tables or making coffee then its a sure bet with the right major.

Re: Why College Is a Poor Choice for a Lot of People

#12
post #8

The assumption that college is a four year commitment is absurd. AP classes mean you can get credit in high school, or the CLEP test allows adults to quickly get credit for classes. Community Colleges allow you to transfer credits. You can take extra classes, often at no extra cost. It's only 4 years if you go in taking the absolute minimum amount of full-time credits to get the degree.

The reality is that most people take more than 4 years to graduate, especially at lower tier colleges.

Re: Why College Is a Poor Choice for a Lot of People

#13
post #8

The assumption that college is a four year commitment is absurd. AP classes mean you can get credit in high school, or the CLEP test allows adults to quickly get credit for classes. Community Colleges allow you to transfer credits. You can take extra classes, often at no extra cost. It's only 4 years if you go in taking the absolute minimum amount of full-time credits to get the degree.

Very true. I took all the AP classes I could in high school (incuding some independent study) and was able to get a year knocked off of college easily. I probably could have gone to school in less, but a) my college capped my AP credits to 30 and b) I only took 15-16 credit hours most semesters.

Re: Why College Is a Poor Choice for a Lot of People

#14
"this old-style, formal education that we find in college and graduate programs will become an increasingly niche endeavor reserved for the few for whom it makes sense for one reason or another."

Some academics have gotten this & are trying to change the system; Jose Bowen from Goucher College comes to mind -- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/education/edlife/a-convers...

Re: Why College Is a Poor Choice for a Lot of People

#16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shouldn't the previous decade of schooling before college taught you how to make education decisions?

No. The problem domain is more complicated than can be understood and modeled by an 18-year old.

I agree with this. Granted this is anecdotal evidence, but I recently graduated from college with a degree in computer science. In high school, I had no classes on computer science. I wouldn't even know where to start nor would I be able to model myself an educational framework to understand computer science as well as college taught me. Now even though high school taught me the framework required to learn a new skill, I just feel that my total unfamiliarity and lack of peers or educators would have made the task especially daunting.

Re: Why College Is a Poor Choice for a Lot of People

#17
post #12
post #8

The assumption that college is a four year commitment is absurd. AP classes mean you can get credit in high school, or the CLEP test allows adults to quickly get credit for classes. Community Colleges allow you to transfer credits. You can take extra classes, often at no extra cost. It's only 4 years if you go in taking the absolute minimum amount of full-time credits to get the degree.

The reality is that most people take more than 4 years to graduate, especially at lower tier colleges.

Yeah, but the lower tier colleges are unlikely to attract the sort of student this article talks about. the people who have trouble completing their degree in time generally either fail classes or were underprepared for college. They are not the subject of this article.

College is a poor proposition for students at the lower tier colleges as well, but for different reasons.

Re: Why College Is a Poor Choice for a Lot of People

#18
post #8

The assumption that college is a four year commitment is absurd. AP classes mean you can get credit in high school, or the CLEP test allows adults to quickly get credit for classes. Community Colleges allow you to transfer credits. You can take extra classes, often at no extra cost. It's only 4 years if you go in taking the absolute minimum amount of full-time credits to get the degree.

It's also bad to assume you will actually completely your degree. Lots of people won't hack it, and they'll end up with more debt and a few skipped years of being in the workforce.

Re: Why College Is a Poor Choice for a Lot of People

#19
post #11

Try listing Kahn Academy or free open online classes/certificates on a resume. The only reason I went to college was so I could be taken seriously and offered a job in my career. Before graduating I had 0 calls backs, after I started listing a completed degree I had many many call backs. College may be a poor choice for some, but if you dont want to get stuck waiting tables or making coffee then its a sure bet with t…

May I ask what you majored in?

Re: Why College Is a Poor Choice for a Lot of People

#20

> “There’s no reason not to…” is not a positive argument for anything. It not be a positive argument, but it does set a floor for considering alternatives. Whatever you do end up choosing to do with your post-high school years, if it's not college, has to beat what college offers you. There's a lot to consider. Are you good at motivating yourself to do stuff? Can you think usefully at a high level? Can you chart your…

Shouldn't the previous decade of schooling before college taught you how to make education decisions?

Most 'decisions' are made for you at that stage. College is the first time where real choices with lasting impact are made (imo, and for most people).
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