Reddit reviews Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses
We found 5 Reddit comments about Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
>it's also a learning/growing experience
Unfortunately this shibboleth has become a major selling point for higher education since the influx of Baby Boomers in the 1960s.
It reminds me of what Greenspan called "Irrational Exuberance" in regard to the 90s stock market and tech bubble.
Other non-qualitative measures like "teaches critical thinking" are also trotted out as justifications for the traditional BA degree.
While Academically Adrift showed that humanities majors do gain more from college than your average Business major (something like 1/3 of all bachelor's degrees conferred), I have to wonder, "At what cost?"
From what I've read, there are a few major steps we could take toward improving the current system, in giving measurable results:
My grandparents—in their rural farm town—took Latin and Calculus. Graduating high school back then was likely of the same rigor as fluff degrees from many state universities today (speaking as someone with a History degree). Not more than 10% of the population graduated from college before 1965.
Aside from being a social signal, that the individual with the BA likely has a bit of drive, some intelligence, and obedience to authority, they're not even a good indices of basic writing or mathematical skills anymore. There is no shortage of humanities majors, like myself, with piss poor mathematical skills; the same goes for STEM graduates who write like high school students.
This also puts colleges' feet to the fire to actually teach and achieve results.
IQ and personality tests were widely used before Griggs v. Duke Power Co. and told employers more than your average college degree does today.
These steps would make the playing-field more equal, and eliminate the need to squander 4+ years during what is likely the most valuable decade of one's life. It also doesn't cost $40,000+.
Aside from all that, the most consequential action that would be taken is the elimination of government-backed student loans. Colleges have no reason to contain costs, as young people will go anyway, soaking up the marketing and lore the institutions rely upon—the dangling carrot being access to jobs that are "socially respectable" and act as signaling devices.
Here's their book on Amazon if you want to analyze the study further.
Alright some advice I can give you is to avoid CCS (Community College Sickness); that is where you work while going to Community College. You might walk in to a job that pays you half way decent but they will expect you to work a lot of hours. I made the mistake of thinking I could take 5 classes and work 40+ hours a week. Professors don’t care if you are working or not they will still give you assignments. One example of this I had to deal with is my professor assigned us a book to read and gave us a week to read it. I have literally no time to read it. I remember waking up with my face in the book. Even still, it’ll suck up all your free time to do things outside of classes, visiting people, exploring, and it’ll kill your motivation when you get home. After all you just worked a double shift on Saturday you just want to relax for it bit.
Socializing is hard, most people at community college are just looking to go to class and get the hell out of there. You may make some friends in class but the problem is many live in towns outside of yours. You might have to drive 10, 20 or even 30 minutes away to hang out with them. And girls, forget about it. You may meet a couple but if you are at home (I know this was the case where I was at) they don’t want to go back to your place and hang with your mother and brother mere feet away. As much as you say you won’t want the dorm life you’ll regret the experience, I know I sure did. When friends would come home they would regale me with stories of the fun things they did from drinking, parties, events the school hosted and trips to do things outside of the campus.
The boredom is another thing. My town had nothing going on for young adults. It’s Friday night you have time off from work and school, but fuck man there is nothing to do anywhere close by. You might end out hanging out with from friends one weekend, and the next and the next. It’s fucking boring especially if the people you hang out with don’t like the same shit you do. Now about the classes, you are going to be dealing with some immature asshole. Unfortunately these people aren’t the college student type; they don’t give a shit about education. They are just here because it’s the only thing they have going for them. All the scumbags in high school you know, and I’m not talking about asshole jokes or preppy kids, I’m talking about the low of the low will end up there if they don’t have anything else going on for them.
The upside is if you show an interest in something a professor will notice and encourage you to pursue it. Not every professor will do this, but the good ones will. These people are your best friends and will help you try and move on. Also the 30+ year olds are the best people to get to know. They have more of a sense about what the world is they aren’t going to sugar coat anything for you. I’ve learned a lot of important lessons for these guys; they ranged from police officers who worked in some of the roughest areas in my state, chefs getting a business degree, elementary school bus drivers and people who are looking for a new career after their first didn’t pan out. These people are you best fucking friends; let me say that again BEST FUCKING FRIENDS. They are serious about their education and if you are serious about it also they will help you in the classes they are in.
The most important advice I can give to you is get your associates, while it’s not as big as a safe net as a bachelors it’s still better then college credits and a high school diploma. If you still don’t know what to do after you get your AS I would suggest moving to a young city, Austin comes to mind. The most important thing you can do even if you hate people is being around people your own age who are driven in what they want to do.
Also Rate your Professor is your friend, correction, your GOD!
Edited for spelling and grammar, ended up adding more.
I also suggest you read these two books. It helped me a fair amount.
http://www.amazon.com/DIY-Edupunks-Edupreneurs-Transformation-Education/dp/1603582347
http://www.amazon.com/Academically-Adrift-Limited-Learning-Campuses/dp/0226028569/ref=pd_sim_b_4
You know, I actually agree, it should be more about than just that...but the reality is we are having a great deal of college graduates in certain majors (in the liberal arts/humanities mostly) who not only have poor employment prospects, but evidence from Academically Adrift and many other sources suggesting colleges are failing to teach critical thinking skills like they once did. https://www.amazon.com/Academically-Adrift-Limited-Learning-Campuses/dp/0226028569
You've really said nothing of value here.
Both parties, especially Democrats—are responsible for declining state support, which is the largest factor in skyrocketing rising tuition. Additionally, states have had their own budget crises, especially after the 2008 market drop and housing bust—and the parties have only responded by exacerbating the problem in supporting unchecked government-backed student loans.
State governments are weighed down by Medicare funding (even more, thanks to the ACA), the increasing expenditures "needed" for declining K-12 schools year after year, and mounting pension crises at the county- and state-level.
Thus, states have no money to fund the largest demographic bubble since the Baby Boomers in Millennials, and the federal government has bridged the funding gap with student loans.
Students graduate into an economy with little value for their degrees, especially when many of them learn little, according to researchers in Academically Adrift.
I certainly think I would have better served by trade school than my 4-year humanities degree.
All I did was line the pockets of liberal college professors and a wealthy university, for knowledge I could have obtained with less propaganda from the local library, as it's clearly had little value to employers.
It took me three years to pay back student loans—money which would have been better off burned in a fireplace my senior year of high school.
The 4-year college degree is so anachronistic that it's almost comical. Until intelligence testing for employment, certificates, and exit-exams become a thing—where knowledge is verified and means something—we'll see college continue as a proxy IQ test and indoctrination center for the political left.