(The opening sentence of this post must be read with a sigh)
I don’t know, how far can you take a collection of anecdotes? But has it really come to this? If you are, and you are if you are a parent, stressing over college, consider this excerpt and read the rest of the article:
Is any of this important to parents who would risk a debtors’ prison to secure their child a spot in an elite college? Probably not. Some parents pay as much as $40,000 to “counselors” who tell them how to devise a formula for getting into a top school.
The college a child enters has become considerably more important than who teaches what. It’s also about who you meet, the connections you make and whom you can impress in the job interview four years later. Even conservative parents are willing to put aside their political convictions to wedge a child into the “right” school. Besides, life is long, and deep learning can come later. Maybe. But not reading the great books is a great loss, because students can’t learn the habits of reflection inspired and taught by such books.
Why are we convinced that something as intellectually, spiritually, politically, and morally harmful as the American university is worth such extreme measures? Do we really believe that the only valid job is one you went to college for? Do employers really believe that the “skills” learned at college will help with their employee’s work?
Of course, if colleges educated kids it would help. But do we believe that is generally happening? Where is the evidence?
Know what you want. Know your calling. Then seek the resources needed for that calling. Don’t lay down your soul so you can gain the world, especially when most colleges won’t even help with that.
Related articles
- Colleges Part 2: Reasons not to tell your family ANYTHING about the admissions process (staplesandglue.wordpress.com)
- How Do Colleges Make Their Decisions? :The Role of Your High School Counselor (education.com)
- How Do Colleges Make Their Decisions? : The Parents’ Role (education.com)
