Interest Surges in Top Colleges, While Struggling Ones Scrape for Applicants

[vicimus]

Interest Surges in Top Colleges, While Struggling Ones Scrape for Applicants (Published 2021)

Waiving standardized test requirements during the pandemic brought more hopefuls to the Ivy League and large state schools, while less-selective colleges face an alarming drop.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Tatonka]

Do your research on what your kid will actually be taught.

 

[clarity]

Do your research on what your kid will actually be taught.

It's scary. We sit through some of these zoom presentations and so much time is wasted on pronouns alone, and you just think, what are we getting her into?

 

[diamond14]

"and you just think, what are we getting her into?"

Unfortunately, for many professions, college (and a "good" one at that) is a required check block for career initiation and advancement. Therefore, many of us choke down the nonsense that the ivory tower dispenses so our children can have the career they aspire to. And its not just the "good" colleges that indoctrinate their charges (see Evergreen St). So often it starts even earlier. See the recent articles by Bari Weiss (city journal) or Caitlyn Flanagan (the atlantic) on the agitprop pushed in elite prep schools.

 

[_MIA_]

"and you just think, what are we getting her into?"

Unfortunately, for many professions, college (and a "good" one at that) is a required check block for career initiation and advancement. Therefore, many of us choke down the nonsense that the ivory tower dispenses so our children can have the career they aspire to. And its not just the "good" colleges that indoctrinate their charges (see Evergreen St). So often it starts even earlier. See the recent articles by Bari Weiss (city journal) or Caitlyn Flanagan (the atlantic) on the agitprop pushed in elite prep schools.

Do a better job of “indoctrinating” them with your superior views for the first 19 years of their lives and you shouldn’t have any issues. Personally the only thing I try to “indoctrinate “ my students in is (currently) continuum mechanics, finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics..

 

[Tatonka]

Do a better job of “indoctrinating” them with your superior views for the first 19 years of their lives and you shouldn’t have any issues. Personally the only thing I try to “indoctrinate “ my students in is (currently) continuum mechanics, finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics..

Pattar, condescension doesn't become you (in this case). ;-) It sounds a bit like you take some issue with the description of what occurs at some of these schools and the culture that can be fostered by the "ivory tower" elites. No doubt there are some excellent professors available in various curriculums but do you disagree that there are also less than exceptional profs who use the position to further push their beliefs (and I'm not simply talking about exposing students to alternative ideas or concepts)? When more attention and celebration surrounds the hiring of a new Diversity & Inclusivity Officer and/or Transgender Kink author in the English department than is given to a solid, experienced Chem, Bio or Econ professor it does cause one to wonder what the current priorities of the institution really are. The causes taken up by the Social Activists on campus can also be an interesting indicator of what the students feel comfortable with. As all of this relates to softball and athletics in college it is really tough to assess whether the support of the student athletes is real or just lip service. Often it seems a new Dean or college Prez will arrive saying one thing while the actions cause a different result (witnessing this personally). Raising a child to be solid in their own skin with an ability to choose for themselves and apply critical thinking skills as they face the world is not what I'd call indoctrination (but then I'm not a college prof) but rather what I'd say is raising the kid to have a good shot in this world. I hope I'm right?

 

[_MIA_]

Raising a child to be solid in their own skin with an ability to choose for themselves and apply critical thinking skills

There are people who suck at their jobs in every profession...99 percent of professors are just interested in teaching the material they are supposed to, mentoring students and doing their research.

The main problem with academia is there are too many administrators all of whom make too much money.

If parents do what you say above then there shouldn’t be any issues.

 

[Westwind]

Every generation thinks that the world is coming to an end “because of what is being taught” to their kids in college.

It will be fine. Our kids are smart and the pendulum swings.

 

[Tatonka]

I have to say and admittedly this is a sweeping generalization, that the kids who have grown up playing team sports and have been exposed to various coaches and styles will likely have a bit of a leg up and hopefully a more well developed base and sense of self that should allow them to handle these scenarios better.

 

[Westwind]

@Tatonka

I took a similar line out of my above post. You are 100% right about that.