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June 10, 2005
Everyone gets an A for effort
It seems that grade inflation is an epidemic in universities these days. If I had known that when I did my undergrad, I would have put a lot more pressure on these profs. Of course, I should have actually done work and gone to class. But that's not the point. Students and parents have such a sense of entitlement to high grades that if Timmy doesn't get his A, then the teacher is an asshole, even if Timmy misses three assignments and shows up late to his tests.
Some believe that higher fees keep irresponsible, unintelligent or otherwise third-rate students out of the higher institution when all they do is keep poor students away. As it is, because people pay through the nose for education (whose value has steadily decreased over the last 30 years) they figure that they should damn well get what they pay for. It's no longer about getting the most out of your education, it's about getting the most out of a product, and raising hell if it doesn't work.
The people that should be raising hell about product are the students after they graduate. You know one of those Big Lies they tell you about going to school? They didn't tell you that it isn't about being successful in your chosen field; it's about being trained to be a highly-educated and well-trained cog in the machine. It's about bullshit. Science graduates are the new assembly-line workers.
But I am, of course, not saying anything new. I probably shouldn't blame the students or the parents. They're just trying to get a leg up on the rest of the masses by getting into master's programs that supposedly make job prospects start to look interesting. I should blame the employers who insist that a person fresh out of school that has never been inside an office except for those two interviews is a better candidate for something than a person who has done the job for five years but never received the title. As it is, you could lie about ever having gone to university and almost no one will check you out. On the flip side, it can be a good way for the inexperienced to get experience.
Oh, those poor students, having to actually work for grades. It's not like this is preparing them for real life; it's pretty much about who you know, not how good you are, isn't it?
Posted by JonasParker at June 10, 2005 8:00 PM
Comments
You mean I could actually LIE about having a university education?! Hot damn!
I'm one of those college dropouts, who's owned two businesses, worked for years to perfect his craft and get get a career oriented job for the life of him. Why? Because I don't have a degree.
I didn't avoid getting one because of lack of commitment. The truth is, poverty was my excuse. So, it burns me when I see students who half-ass their way through school and complain about not getting good grades and it burns me even more to see those who graduate and still don't know jack about their chosen field.
What burns me most? I was always taught that two wrongs don't make a right. Then why are so many people with half-assed degrees getting jobs over me?
meh. sucks to be me.
Posted by: Paolo at June 13, 2005 11:09 AM
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