Colleges turning away even top students

[SMHW]

Let’s face it. Not everyone is going to college for the same reason.

If your ultimate goal is to go into national politics then going to an Ivy League school is useful because what you learn may not be nearly as important as who you network with.

If you plan to go into a technical field then the academics might be more important than prestige.

I found it amusing to learn that most of the math students at my university had transferred from community colleges. This was partly because math was one of the few departments that was not impacted. But it turned out that the transfer students were generally better prepared than those who had attended the university as freshmen and sophomores.

The first year math courses at this university were geared towards engineering students who didn’t need to understand the whys for the material. They just needed to know how to use it. Math majors needed to understand the underlying concepts and this was just not emphasized at this university.

 

[slackernerd]

I started at a prestigious four year research school and hated my freshman year, couldn’t change majors, etc. At the end of my freshman year, I transferred to a 2-year, then to a different 4-year. I got to study the field I wanted and saved about $20,000. If I could go back, I would have started at community college.

Extra bonuses: I’m on track to graduate in 4 years while many people I know from both 4 year colleges who started as freshmen are expecting to take 5-6 years. I also had an easier time getting into required classes.

As for Nobel prize winning professors, lower division students rarely benefit even if they do get them for their classes. They will generally share them with 500 other students while section TAs do the actual teaching. Additionally, prestige in one’s field does not always guarantee the ability to teach lower division classes effectively. Many such professors teaching lower division classes in particular, or undergraduate classes in general, seemed to resent being stuck with such a task.

 

[Island_Oak]

given that you could easily subsidize a second household on what it costs to educate a child through college, has the Church recognized this as sufficiently grave reason to space births?

 

[nucatholic]

Ivy League schools are excellent centers of learning. So are the big state schools and the other big private schools. I have many friends who attend community colleges and they are excellent bargains for the purpose they serve. However, I would never trade my experience at a large state school for anything. Community colleges are not nearly as diverse. There is not a lot of room for academic discussion and debate at smaller schools. From the experiences of my friends, I’ve concluded that most community colleges are not too keen on a liberal education. Most have specialized departments that do not encourage communication so as to present a unified outlook on the education process. This is also a problem in the larger schools, but at least professors and educators realize the problem and are trying to remedy it.

 

[turboEDvo]

siamesecat:

Actually I’d say it’s the opposite. Kids who have way too many activities with no leadership positions and not straight A’s bust ill great grades arent getting in. The president of the book club with an over 100 average probably would. Idk though.

The whole package doesn’t mean that you should spread yourself so thin that you can’t be good at anything. Pick a few activities and run with them. As for kids with anything less than straight A’s not getting in, I got B’s in a few classes in high school (the rest of my GPA made up for it though). I ran cross country, I was in Boy Scouts. I enjoyed myself. I go to Olin College (currently ranked #4 hardest school to get into in the country if I remember). Any college worth getting into is not just looking at grades. Yeah, I got rejected from MIT but I would have gone somewhere “worse” first because MIT is for bookworms and I know plenty of people there who will have trouble finding a job because they don’t have enough social skill to remember to wear their pants in the morning. Schools are looking for the whole package because grades are no longer representative (necessarily) of the value of a student.

However, like I said, too many activities also doesn’t look good either, so enjoy yourself, study, and let happen what happens.

Eamon

 

[Fashina86]

Island Oak:

given that you could easily subsidize a second household on what it costs to educate a child through college, has the Church recognized this as sufficiently grave reason to space births?

hehehe! That is why He invented community colleges… and jobs for which children much work to earn money with which to pay for college… and then the scholarships and FAFSA to help pay so parents don’t have to pay all of it too!

Laura

 

[wabrams]

If anybody wants a real eye opener as to what employers look for, go to a college job fair. Unless it’s the enigineering dept’s fair, a majority of the employers at the rest of them would rather have a c+ or b student who worked all through out a regular college than take the A+, in every orginization, ivy leaguers.

 

[RockAndHoops]

Usually that’s because a lot of the A+/in everything students are great with book smarts, but their social skills and street smarts are lacking. Not all, but a good deal.

As an example, we had a prospective professor (nearly fresh out of his PhD program) come to our university and have a lunch interview with all of us (grad students). When we asked what he liked to do for fun outside of school his response, verbatim, was “Actually, I’m really a boring person.” Next!

The key is not to get all the answers right, but to also be able to present your solutions to others. Usually you don’t need straight A’s to make the cut, but you almost certainly will need solid communication skills.

If you have the total package, though, you are almost golden.

 

[Fashina86]

RockAndHoops:

Usually that’s because a lot of the A+/in everything students are great with book smarts, but their social skills and street smarts are lacking. Not all, but a good deal.

As an example, we had a prospective professor (nearly fresh out of his PhD program) come to our university and have a lunch interview with all of us (grad students). When we asked what he liked to do for fun outside of school his response, verbatim, was “Actually, I’m really a boring person.” Next!

The key is not to get all the answers right, but to also be able to present your solutions to others. Usually you don’t need straight A’s to make the cut, but you almost certainly will need solid communication skills.

If you have the total package, though, you are almost golden.

Thanks for the insight… I will keep this in mind for my college career!

Laura

 

[JMJ_Theresa]

Island Oak:

given that you could easily subsidize a second household on what it costs to educate a child through college, has the Church recognized this as sufficiently grave reason to space births?

Actually, you get a break in financial aid if you have multiple kids in college at the same time!

Also, you can’t presume that your child will attend college. Or, that you won’t have some kind of windfall. Or, even that your child will live to attend College. So no, in my opinion not a sufficient reason. sorry.

Personally, I’m hoping for Jesus to return any day now!!