Thecaseforcollegehasbeenacceptedwithoutquestionformorethanageneration. Allhighschoolgraduatesoughttogo, saysconventionalwisdomandstatisticalevidence, becausecollegewillhelpthemearnmoremoney, becomebetterpeople, andlearntobemoreresponsiblecitizensthanthosewhodontgo.
Butcollegehasneverbeenabletoworkitsmagicforeveryone. Andnowthatclosetohalfourhighschoolgraduatesareattending, thosewhodontfitthepatternarebecomingmorenumerous, andmoreobvious. Collegegraduatesaresellingshoesanddrivingtaxis; collegestudentsinterferewitheachothersexperimentsandwritefalselettersofrecommendationintheintensecompetitionforadmissiontograduateschool. Otherfindnostimulationintheirstudies, anddropoutoftenencouragedbycollegeadministrators.
Someobserverssaythefaultiswiththeyoungpeoplethemselvestheyarespoiledandtheyareexpectingtoomuch. Butthatisacondemnationofthestudentsasawhole, anddoesntexplainallcampusunhappiness. Othersblamethestateoftheworld, andtheyarepartlyright. Wehavebeentoldthatyoungpeoplehavetogotocollegebecauseoureconomycantabsorbanarmyofuntrainedeighteen-year-olds. Butdisappointedgraduatesarelearningthatitcannolongerabsorbanarmyoftrainedtwenty-two-year-olds, either.
Someadventuresomeeducatorsandwatchershaveopenlybeguntosuggestthatcollegemaynotbethebest, theproper, theonlyplaceforeveryyoungpersonafterthecompletionofhighschool. Wemayhavebeenlookingatallthosesurveysandstatisticsupsidedown, itseems, andthroughtherosyglowofourownrememberedcollegeexperiences. Perhapscollegedoesntmakepeopleintelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, orquicktolearnthingsmayitisjusttheotherwayaround, andintelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, quick-learningpeoplearemerelytheoneswhohavebeenattractedtocollegeinthefirstplace. Andperhapsallthosesuccessfulcollegegraduateswouldhavebeensuccessfulwhethertheyhadgonetocollegeornot. Thisisheresytothoseofuswhohavebeenbroughtuptobelievethatifalittleschoolingisgood, morehastobemuchbetter. Butcontraryevidenceisbeginningtomountup.
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