Half a century ago, college was where bright kids went to learn and meet other bright kids, thus creating networks and meeting husbands and wives. Now college is high school redux, with anyone qualified to be there (Asians, white guys and some of the white women) having to walk on eggshells around everyone who isn't.
The only reason I survived undergrad a decade ago was because I associated with the Marines doing college work to do OCS, foreign exchange students (mostly Aussies and Afrikaners) and older students.
I know someone who still struggles with socializing because the schools he went to punished and shamed students who even so much as talked in the hallways so much, they'd even punish the whole class for the actions of a few.
Basically, school made him more shy and introverted, and he's still trying to undo those effects decades later.
Just based on a lifetime of observations (I'm in my 40s) I'd say that's the case. Writing skills, basic math skills, reading comprehension, it's all gone downhill noticeably.
A person who graduated from high school in the 90s is probably on par with a person who has a master's degree in 2023.
Half a century ago, college was where bright kids went to learn and meet other bright kids, thus creating networks and meeting husbands and wives. Now college is high school redux, with anyone qualified to be there (Asians, white guys and some of the white women) having to walk on eggshells around everyone who isn't.
The only reason I survived undergrad a decade ago was because I associated with the Marines doing college work to do OCS, foreign exchange students (mostly Aussies and Afrikaners) and older students.
I know someone who still struggles with socializing because the schools he went to punished and shamed students who even so much as talked in the hallways so much, they'd even punish the whole class for the actions of a few.
Basically, school made him more shy and introverted, and he's still trying to undo those effects decades later.
Possibly. I've never looked into it from that point of view. I have just been inside the belly of the beast for a quarter century now.
And the financial barrier isn't that high. A slice of avocado toast could get a college loan today.
Just based on a lifetime of observations (I'm in my 40s) I'd say that's the case. Writing skills, basic math skills, reading comprehension, it's all gone downhill noticeably.
A person who graduated from high school in the 90s is probably on par with a person who has a master's degree in 2023.