College-Ready?
What does it mean to be "ready" for college?
What is the package of skills and core knowledge that makes your average 18-year old equipped to handle higher education? How many of those are talents, abilities and information that teenagers typically acquire--via practice and application--in their high school classes? Does maturity play a part in making someone ready for college?
Recently there's been a spate of articles on how unsuspecting students are wasting their money by a) going to the wrong college and b) pursuing the wrong major. Why are these colleges and disciplines "wrong?" Because the return on investment, based on reported annual income of graduates of these programs, is less (sometimes a lot less) than the earnings of graduates of other, presumably better, institutions and fields of study.
Debunking these so-called studies is akin to plugging a King salmon in a tiny barrel. Cedar Reiner has done so, deftly and comprehensively, here and here. Besides, anyone who ever pursued a degree in, say, theology or philosophy, out of a deep-seated desire to experience rich, personally meaningful learning could easily explain why ROI isn't always (or even usually) measured in annual salary.
There are plenty of important, life-changing career directions-- teaching --where the big bucks are neither expected nor an issue, over the long term. And thank goodness for that. Thank goodness for all those in social-helper careers who got post-secondary degrees or vocational training, then took up the important work of making life comfortable, safe and rewarding for others, rather than playing College-Ready? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:
