2008 Woodie Awards
LEFT TURN ONLY: But can you balance a checkbook?
Garon Anders
Issue date: 1/24/06 Section: Opinions
Are students prepared for the real world?
A recent study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that more than half of college students at four year universities lack basic skills to complete real-life tasks. The study targeted literacy and tested students on their ability to differentiate between credit card offers, determine if their cars had enough gas to get to the gas station (set up as a simple algebra problem), balance checkbooks, summarize newspaper and current events articles, and interpret tables on exercise and blood pressure.
Now in my last semester at UNCG, I look back and wonder what I have learned that is truly applicable to the complexity of real-life daily challenges; what I have retained and what I have forgotten. As it turns out, the school has not taught me much. If anything, I have learned a number of lessons about jumping through bureaucratic red tape and ass kissing, and I have learned to thrive on real-time feedback from professors. It is true that our world is full of red tape - simple tasks like renewing your driver's license and filing your income taxes can often become nightmares because of a small oversight or missing form. Having been raised as a generation that thrives on constant feedback from professors, parents, coaches, music instructors, and other "authority" figures has made us ill-prepared to endure jobs where our bosses might take weeks to provide approval or condemnation on a completed project. The question becomes, "Does UNCG's curriculum prepare students for the work-a-day world beyond their bachelors degree?" Sadly, I have to argue that no, the school does not prepare us for the complexities (and subtleties) of the real world.
I think the problem rests with the structure of the school's general education requirements. As we spend our last couple of years studying within our majors, the reading, testing, writing, and labs become a formidable challenge. However, our first years are often, dare I say it, wasted on such classes as "Contemporary Topics in Math" and "Earth Science." While it is interesting to learn exactly what happens to a storm cloud as it passes over a mountain, most of us will not need this information in life thanks to the weatherman. Like most survey courses, "Contemporary Topics in Math" covers a broad range of topics in a short period of time. Lesson that are quickly learned and even more quickly forgotten.
Another requirement for many of our degrees is to master a certain level of proficiency with a chosen foreign language. Although I love my German courses and my German professors, I wonder how necessary this requirement is for the average student. I would venture to say that this is by far one of the most easily forgotten courses in college. In this case, the "use it or lose it" rule applies. I love German and I want to strive to continue to use it beyond my years at UNCG. It could turn out that the claptrap of daily life prohibits me from continuing my foreign language practice. Many of us take these courses merely to fill a requirement and most of us begin at the 101 level. At the current rate of tuition for an in state student, the four 3-hour courses required to reach the 204 level costs $1,241.67. Add in the costs of books for these courses and you have easily spent $1,500.00 or more. How many of us ten years from now will have only retained the ability to say, "Hello, my name is…" and "How are you doing…" in the language we chose to study?
The architects of our degrees should consider alternatives, taking into account the world in which we are going to live and work. I know that many of you have had experiences with professors who cannot see beyond academia. They have mastered the teaching of theories but lack the ability to help you apply those theories to real-world situations.
There are redeeming attributes to the general education requirements. They force us to take courses that we may not have otherwise considered. Maybe learning about that storm cloud in Geography 103 will inspire you to want to become a meteorologist. My required courses in German have given me a deep love of German culture, film, art, and history. The goal of a liberal arts education is to expand minds. However, this expansion should not come at the cost of a student's ability to fill out an HMO form or complete his income tax return.
You can email Garon at uncgaron@gmail.com.
A recent study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that more than half of college students at four year universities lack basic skills to complete real-life tasks. The study targeted literacy and tested students on their ability to differentiate between credit card offers, determine if their cars had enough gas to get to the gas station (set up as a simple algebra problem), balance checkbooks, summarize newspaper and current events articles, and interpret tables on exercise and blood pressure.
Now in my last semester at UNCG, I look back and wonder what I have learned that is truly applicable to the complexity of real-life daily challenges; what I have retained and what I have forgotten. As it turns out, the school has not taught me much. If anything, I have learned a number of lessons about jumping through bureaucratic red tape and ass kissing, and I have learned to thrive on real-time feedback from professors. It is true that our world is full of red tape - simple tasks like renewing your driver's license and filing your income taxes can often become nightmares because of a small oversight or missing form. Having been raised as a generation that thrives on constant feedback from professors, parents, coaches, music instructors, and other "authority" figures has made us ill-prepared to endure jobs where our bosses might take weeks to provide approval or condemnation on a completed project. The question becomes, "Does UNCG's curriculum prepare students for the work-a-day world beyond their bachelors degree?" Sadly, I have to argue that no, the school does not prepare us for the complexities (and subtleties) of the real world.
I think the problem rests with the structure of the school's general education requirements. As we spend our last couple of years studying within our majors, the reading, testing, writing, and labs become a formidable challenge. However, our first years are often, dare I say it, wasted on such classes as "Contemporary Topics in Math" and "Earth Science." While it is interesting to learn exactly what happens to a storm cloud as it passes over a mountain, most of us will not need this information in life thanks to the weatherman. Like most survey courses, "Contemporary Topics in Math" covers a broad range of topics in a short period of time. Lesson that are quickly learned and even more quickly forgotten.
Another requirement for many of our degrees is to master a certain level of proficiency with a chosen foreign language. Although I love my German courses and my German professors, I wonder how necessary this requirement is for the average student. I would venture to say that this is by far one of the most easily forgotten courses in college. In this case, the "use it or lose it" rule applies. I love German and I want to strive to continue to use it beyond my years at UNCG. It could turn out that the claptrap of daily life prohibits me from continuing my foreign language practice. Many of us take these courses merely to fill a requirement and most of us begin at the 101 level. At the current rate of tuition for an in state student, the four 3-hour courses required to reach the 204 level costs $1,241.67. Add in the costs of books for these courses and you have easily spent $1,500.00 or more. How many of us ten years from now will have only retained the ability to say, "Hello, my name is…" and "How are you doing…" in the language we chose to study?
The architects of our degrees should consider alternatives, taking into account the world in which we are going to live and work. I know that many of you have had experiences with professors who cannot see beyond academia. They have mastered the teaching of theories but lack the ability to help you apply those theories to real-world situations.
There are redeeming attributes to the general education requirements. They force us to take courses that we may not have otherwise considered. Maybe learning about that storm cloud in Geography 103 will inspire you to want to become a meteorologist. My required courses in German have given me a deep love of German culture, film, art, and history. The goal of a liberal arts education is to expand minds. However, this expansion should not come at the cost of a student's ability to fill out an HMO form or complete his income tax return.
You can email Garon at uncgaron@gmail.com.
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