College: Where Learning And Education Might Mean Two Different Things
Every now and then I read very depressing news. For instance, I found out yesterday that UPN and the WB are going to merge into the CW Network sometime this year. Save for the casts of “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Girlfriends”, quite a few more black actors/actresses are going to be unemployed. And despite the shows sucking, they were still black shows on air. Sometimes the news involves world catastrophes, other times it involves civil rights or humanitarian efforts that seem to align with Langston Hughes famous poem, “A Dream Deferred.”
And then…there’s shit like this:
Study: College students lack literacy for complex tasks
*You don’t actually have to click to that link since I’ll be pulling out highlights of the article since any of you college students/graduates out there might not know how to click on the link*
“More than half of students at four-year colleges — and at least 75 percent at two-year colleges — lack the literacy to handle complex, real-life tasks such as understanding credit card offers, a study found.”
[***DISCLAIMER: What will follow will be very insensitive comments about college students/graduates (of which I'm a member...I'm also a member of the Safeway Select Grocery Store Discount Club). You've been informed and bewared. ***]
In the immortal words of Florence Evan’s signifying the point where Good Times went to total shit or more popularly known as the moment when Flo and family found out James died of a contract dispute, I mean, an accident in Mississippi (or somewhere down South)…
…damn, damn, damn.
What in the hell are people learning in college?
The worst and most disturbing part of the whole article is that it doesn’t surprise me. I can’t tell you how many actual college graduates I know who don’t seem equipped to handle the simple tasks in life. And for the college students who don’t understand that last statement, let me simplify it.
College students isn’t all smart.
[***DISCLAIMER# 2: I'm aware that many people who come here are indeed college students or college graduates. If you have trouble reading or analyzing anything on this site, it's okay, apparently you aren't alone. However, I'm a saddened by this news and I hope to never work for or near you in life. You will make me dumber. Go count something. ***]
“The literacy study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the first to target the skills of graduating students, finds that students fail to lock in key skills — no matter their field of study….
The results cut across three types of literacy: analyzing news stories and other prose, understanding documents and having math skills needed for checkbooks or restaurant tips.
Without “proficient” skills, or those needed to perform more complex tasks, students fall behind. They cannot interpret a table about exercise and blood pressure, understand the arguments of newspaper editorials, compare credit card offers with different interest rates and annual fees or summarize results of a survey about parental involvement in school.”
Let us analyze this a little bit. I’ve often looked at credit card applications, and quite frankly it can be very confusing. Sometimes I think its intentionally confusing. However, after actually reading an application I have an understanding of the different options, penalties, etc. You see, the key component is reading.
You know what, let’s cut the smart shit, this is a gotdamn shame. Let’s get to what this really means, mmkay?
“Most students at community colleges and four-year schools showed intermediate skills. That means they can do moderately challenging tasks, such as identifying a location on a map.”
I went to college…two of them in fact, and one of the things I learned while in college is to become more analytical. I’ve had plenty of conversations with my friends where I concluded that I didn’t learn so much in college, but moreso expanded on what I already knew (in the simplest forms) and acquired an ability to understand HOW to learn. Of course, that shit goes completely out of the window when I include my calculus classes or that lovely Mechanics (Physics) class I took the summer before my Freshman year where I cranked out a big D+ AND took the entire final by flipping a quarter to determine my responses.
When I dropped my quarter between some seats, I turned my test in. The quarter said I was done.
In my defense, the laughs of my peers killed some of the nervous tension in the air. I took one for the team. Ironically, I think I might have done as well if not better than more than half the class.
But I digress.
The fact that identifying a location on a map is considered an intermediate skill is troubling enough by itself, but the notion that college graduates are mostly adept at completing such a low intuition task, and potentially not further than that speaks volumes about education in this country.
Hell, I’m amazed college graduates can even read…and we know for a fact that some can’t. I guess this makes that whole idea of a dumb jock a little less funny, doesn’t it?
Dumb asses=universal, all inclusive term.
I don’t know if this was comedically placed or not, but this little paragraph damn near slayed me:
“There was brighter news.
Overall, the average literacy of college students is significantly higher than that of adults across the nation. Study leaders said that was encouraging but not surprising, given that the spectrum of adults includes those with much less education.”
The cliche, “no shit” comes to mind.
So we have to find silver linings in the fact that college students are able to READ better than most adults in a nation that has created policies to kick up the literacy level of EVERYBODY, not just children because it would seem that people can’t seem to…read. Even R. Kelly is admittedly a functional illiterate.
Functional illiteracy is like the new “passing”. Folks get by on other people’s assumption that they can read when in truth, even college students aren’t adept at anything past reading words on a page. Dammit, I used a college word again. Let me try to rewrite that sentence…
College students see words.
“The survey examined college students nearing the end of their degree programs.
The students did the worst on matters involving math, according to the study.
Almost 20 percent of students pursuing four-year degrees had only basic quantitative skills. For example, the students could not estimate if their car had enough gas to get to the service station. About 30 percent of two-year students had only basic math skills.”
Understandbly, math was the Achille’s heel for most people since generally, people suck ass at math. However, the fact that as many 20 percent of students may not be able to estimate if they had enough gas to get to the station is troubling, ESPECIALLY given that cars come with little lights nowadays that say, “Dumbass, go to the gas station.” I’m one of the people who will test my car to see how far I can go while the light is lit and the car is on E. However, I’m fully aware of what I’m doing…and further, doing it intentionally, knowing that my car might run out of gas on me.
Apparently, my thinking is not shared by a sizable percentage of college students. This is again…a damn shame. This didn’t say “able to calculate using the quadratic formula.” No, it says basic math skills which I can only assume means using fractions and moving a decimal a few places. For the college graduates out there, a fraction is the two numbers that have a line between them.
I’m aware that this study was done with a sample of nearly 2,000 when the population of graduating students at large probably numbers in the hundreds of thousands (I could be very optimistic in that assumption), however, there is some truth in these numbers. I’m often surprised when I come across college graduates who seem to be intuitively challenged and apparently I’m wrong for that.
I apologize.
You can’t read (or count or determine a tip for a waiter or determine a pun in a sentence or are able to analyze a sentence or point out a predicate or, well you get the picture). And it’s okay…
…apparently it’s the American way.
I’ve made many distinctions in my day, call me an elitist, feel free (it’s been done before), about people who seem to know shit versus people who are smart. And believe you me, there is a difference. This study just furthers that idea since I assume that to make it thru 4 years you have to at least know something…that does not mean however, that you are smart. It also lends validation to the common saying…
…some of the dumbest people we all know, are indeed, in college.
I have to admit, I am no bueno when it comes to math. However, I think people should just push themselves (more)in general. What I mean is I am an avid reader (and im not talking about XXL or the Source). I read ALOT (on my own, not cuz i have to) and I think that helps with analytical skills and cognition in general. I have friends that despise reading and believe me it shows.
And i cant say college was all that bad. There were classes that I questioned the significance of but later on in life, the reason became clear. But should the higer ed system be revamped, yes i think it should and soon.
True indeed! True indeed! Big difference between those who just know shit and those that are smart. I think most of the time it comes down to people having the DESIRE to be smart versus just getting by. For example, reading when it’s NOT merely required for a certain class or activity is different from ONLY reading when you HAVE to (basically, to get by). If you WANT to become smarter, you’ll do what it takes to do it. A lot of college grads just do what they gotta do to get their degree..and maybe…a job.
This is no surprise. I mean, college taught me how to hustle the system, get by and network with people. It doesn’t teach you financial planning and everyday situations.
College never equaled smart to me. It’s job training. But most people in the world are dumb (let’s face it), there is only a small percentage of actual smart people. The rest of us are average (hence the meaning of the word average). So don’t let media make you think you are dumber than what you are…most newspapers are written on a 3rd grade level anyway…
See… what pissed me off about that article, and yes, my dumb-yet-college-educated-ass read it… was that…they say that last paragraph was a “bright spot.” Ummm… no. As a matter of fact, it makes this article even sadder, if you say, and I’ll make it plain for all the college grads… “College students are way dumber than they should be at that level of education, but hey, look on the bright side, the non-college grads are even stupider!!!” Umm… yeah, somehow that didn’t console me.
I can’t WAIT till X comments on this, LOL.
You know, my parents had me doing math at a very young age. They believed that school was only to reinforce what THEY taught me. MY dad was a math genius, I didn’t get that gene, though..so it kicked my ass and he kept a tutor on retainer.
Nowadays, some parents rely on the school system for every frickin thing, and want to show their entire ass if the kid’s grades are not what they wanted, when some of them don’t even know what their children’s daily work entailed. GTFOH.
This comment is brought to you by an HBCU college graduate. *smile*
dang, she already did! *waving @ X*
Donna put the words in my mouth….the letters in my comment box.
I think that the most valuable things I got out of college were all of those things above, and the opportunity to have four years of completely self-centered personal growth which is just about the most precious thing anyone could ever have ever.
To demonstrate how dumb I am, I recently found out (five years from senior year) that I am NOT a college graduate. During those four years of self-centered professional growth, I did not pay my tuition in full, thus was not handed a diploma at the graduation ceremony, but was told it would be mailed once tuition was paid. It was never mailed. I never looked into it. Now I know why it was never mailed.
And I am taking chemistry at a local community college so that I can get a diploma.
1. The quality of teaching at this community college, and I assume at many others, is so very, very, very poor that the results of the study do not surprise me at all.
2. The students at this community college (approx. 20 minutes outside of Detroit) are very clearly bogged down by many other daily-grind-of-life issues that sharpening their mathematical and analytical reasoning skills are rightfully ranked #9823498724 of things to worry about.
3. I am here as a prodcut of my husband’s job relocation and am thusly unemployed and have nothing to do all day but send my resume to people and study for chemistry. I am horrified by my complete inability to perform very very simple mathematical equations. I fully understand what needs to be done to do the chemistry, but I absolutely cannot do it. I had to buy myself the math-related-chemistry book equivalent of “math for dummies” and am currently re-teaching myself how to calculate how many kilograms are in a gram. I look at a number that includes some kind of exponent and it is like the circuits in my brain go on overload and shut down. It is pathetic. And as I’d always suspected, and this article suggests, I’m far from alone.
Which begs the question…if we’re all dumb, then who cares if no one is smart?
lol Sarah Chemistry was my worst subject (besides math) even though i do enjoy knowing what some formulas mean. Those equations are suicide, maybe try applying for a teaching position. Theres always a need for science teachers!
btw Im a community grad too…ha!
@Diva ur 102% right. Some parents do rely on the schools too much. Teachers have become, parents, counselors, sisters and brothers and its not fair. Education starts @ home. I had those letter, number and color charts above my daughters crib. Should could speak as well as any adult by the time she was 3.
I’m double educated and too lazy to read the article. I can say, having gone to many group dinner where college educated folks couldn’t figure out their portion of the bill, college educated can be dumb as rocks. It’s deceptive because people assume college = smart. Not. So. Much.
Be Dumb–It’s the American Way…And Why the Terrorists Hate Us
LMAO… well hell… our Commander in Chief went to Yale. I rest my case. Game over bitches. Why we’ll never rise as a country in a nutshell. LOL
college is the new high school.
I totally can’t relate to any of this nonsense. What is going on in the world today?????
you can always count on learning four things in college:
time management, prioritizing, how to be functionally hungover, and how to have sex. anything else is a basically a crapshoot…until grad school at least
You know what is a shame…that college really is the new high school.
I live in Washington, DC…the most educated city in the nation. Without at least a Master’s Degree you just feel kind of obsolete…hell most of the well paying non-menial jobs around my area don’t require, but prefer post-bac degrees.
My dad used to say that if you have a college degree you got your foot in the door. Yeah…of McDonald’s.
And if what’s in this article is true, it would seem that McDonald’s would be the place where some of these college grads could best use the knowledge they actually gained.
“And if what’s in this article is true, it would seem that McDonald’s would be the place where some of these college grads could best use the knowledge they actually gained.”
^^ sheeeeiiitttt. if this article is true, the last place I want these dummies is McDonalds. if they say it’s a 1/4 pound of beef, then dammit I want my 1/4 pound of beef!
The take home point for me is that Derek Zoolander needs to hurry the hell up with his school!!!!
Get that model to scale!!!!