Patrick Allitt makes it clear that college education in England is very different from an American education now. Anyone could have guessed that. I understand his point that students should specialize because it makes them much more aware of their field and they get a more in depth understanding of it; but, just has he made clear before, education has changed. A college education used to be rare, now it is a commodity. Basically every high school graduate goes to some type of college these days. There is not really a need to specialize in an undergraduate degree. The current undergrad degree is the equivalent to the old high school degree. Now, students will get a masters to be ahead of the curve and to get a good job. A masters degree is the place where students should specialize in the field of their choice. Then, they will be old enough to decide what they want to do with their life and will have had enough prior education to have a well rounded knowledge of different topics as well.
I don't think it is a fair generalization that every undergrad college student should not specialize. Maybe the fact that you believe that shows our failing public school's education. Most kids don't take learning seriously until college because their public schools failed them, but not with a grade; with their education. I do not believe that tacking on more years of school after high school or college is the answer. Some students should be ready to pursue a career after high school. How can we achieve this? Through focusing on grade school level education. Studies show that less than one third of U.S. fourth graders are proficient in reading, mathematics, science, and American History. Why are we pouring money into our college education system when students are already falling behind 8+ years earlier? http://education-portal.com/articles/Top_5_Reasons_Why_Public_Schools_Are_Failing_Our_Children.html
ReplyDeleteWhile I would have to agree that anyone could have guessed that college would be different in England than in America, I have to debate with you on the issue of college being a commodity and about specialized undergrads. In the link below, the Bureau of Labor Statistics state that in 2008, 68.6% percent of high schoolers were enrolled in one college or another. While more people are going to college than ever before, it still isn't at the point where it is a commodity. Over a quarter of high school students don't go to college. This doesn't even mention the number of students that drop out of both high school and college. As far as your statement about college students getting masters degrees in order to get a good job, I would have to agree completely. Many students go to college simply to have a better chance in today's job market. I would have to disagree about students specializing only once they are trying to get their masters degree. I have known for awhile what I wanted to persue at college, and while I understand that many people don't know what they are persuing and should be given a broad spectrum of classes to take, I would much rather prefer to dive into what I know is going to help me with my future job career. I believe both options should be offered to students, to both dive head first into what they know they want to persue and to have the opportunity to explore different fields they may be interested in.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.nr0.htm
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree that getting a master's degree is very helpful in getting a good job. Even more than that, having a Master's increases salaries when you do get a job. In one article, "A Higher Degree the Key to Higher Pay?" I found a graph of the average salary that you could expect with different degrees. High school grad, 26K; some college, 31K;BA/BS, 41K; Master's, 53K. It wasn't always this way though. The expectations have risen. In generations before us, graduating high school was good. Then it was common to graduate college. Now it's common for people to have higher degrees. Soon enough, everyone's going to be getting a Ph.D.
ReplyDeleteHere's the link to the graph: http://www.salary.com/learning/layouthtmls/leal_display_nocat_Ser285_Par409.html