Better Preparation Is Needed For Success

Higher education in America is facing many challenges, i.e., low retention, low graduation rates and less funding. Postsecondary institutions are scrambling to remain a competitive entity within society. In order to do so, students must remain in school (Talbert, 2012). The Office of the White House states (2014), educational attainment is critical to our county’s economic success. In essence, the work force is creating more jobs requiring more education and a higher level of skill than was previously achieved. Individuals with only a high school diploma will not make into the middle class sector because of

The American College Testing (ACT), 2010 concluded that a large number of high school students and high school graduates do not possess the knowledge and skills for college level work or career training. With the creation and implementation of common core standards, states and school districts have a clear set of student expectations to target

Colleges are struggling to adapt to society’s changing requirements for adults entering the work force. John Fawell laments this change and states that humans intrinsically desire to learn more for the purpose of knowing more. However, the focus has shifted away from this and has become more career-oriented. This shift is not well supported in the current college system. The education system is aware of this change and some have modified their programs, but they are too narrow and a broad college education is lost. Even though it has become almost mandatory in society, a college degree does not prepare students for a real-world work environment and is not necessary for most occupations. Many, such as lawyers or doctors, do require further education and a system that instructs them while also training the majority of the workforce would be an improvement.

Eric Hoover, in “What Colleges Want in an Applicant (Everything)” explains that the college admissions process is very problematic. Many feel the process isn’t fair, focusing too much on testing, financial concerns, alumni status, and other factors that don’t show the type of person each student really is. In fact, several universities, such as Olin’s College of Engineering, have attempted to improve the problem, but for some it seems nearly impossible, or perhaps unnecessary. The hope is to make changes in higher, Ivy League colleges in order to disperse changes beyond.

The truth concerning the predictive abilities of the SAT and ACT is clear; there are simply superior methods to evaluate potential college success. College admissions need to rely more heavily on factors such as High School GPA and SAT Subject and AP Tests, as these pieces of data contain a higher level of predictive power than SAT and ACT scores. Through the comparison of subject-specific tests and GPA to broad standardized tests, it is evident that the principles of our education system must be reinvented.

When people are applying for college there is often a misperception; That the applicants think all colleges are looking for is perfection, outstanding grades, and perfect attendance. But in reality colleges are often looking for ones imperfections; the things they are not good at, the subjects they are not strong in, and the not very good

Nearly half of Penn State freshman that may be seen on the first day, will not be there through the first semester. 46 percent of college freshmen drop out of college their first year (Higgins). Why are nearly half of all students dropping out, when in order to be accepted they had to meet ‘college readiness benchmarks’? One of the most well-known benchmarks is the SAT. In fact, 1.7 million students took the SAT in 2015, which is higher from the previous year of 1.67 million (Adams).  These numbers are very large due to the fact that most colleges and universities require students to send their scores as part of the application process. Although most require SAT scores to be admitted, SAT scores are unnecessary

The challenge that many students face is choosing an occupation that may not hire by the time of graduation.

The College Board and ACT nonprofit organizations, known for developing and administering the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) assessment respectively, represents higher education’s widely accepted college readiness determinant for prospective students. These examinations empirically measure a student’s grasp of reading, writing, and mathematics – subjects taught every day in high school classrooms. As a result, they typically constitute a significant proportion of the total entrance requirements for prospective students to relevant institutions of higher learning and denote a serious endeavor unto itself. Students commonly take one or both of these examinations during their junior or senior year of high school as dictated by an institution’s administrative guidelines, although most colleges now allow either test as part of their proprietary admission formulas. And since it turns out there exists subtle differences in the tests themselves, students should review research concluding certain individuals may be better candidates for maximizing performance on one examination versus another.

One of the key components in higher education enrollment management in a public, four-year university is the admissions process. With encouragement from many sources such as friends, family, and college marketing materials, high school juniors and seniors apply and enroll in college by the thousands each year (McDonough, 1994). College choice is greater now than twenty years ago, but finding the right fit for each potential student is harder due to increased college entrance standards and intense competition between institutions. Applicants now are more likely to apply to many more institutions than previous generations, yet still only attend

Are students receiving all that they need from college when they are being pushed to cram more so that they can graduate on time? A problem that may arise from the points stated earlier is the point that some people may not need college to be successful. In Murray’s example presented

To succeed in life, people think they need to have jobs. For good reason too, for people must have jobs to afford the necessary items like car payments, food, rent or a mortgage, etc. Unfortunately, college students do not usually learn the skills that they should know to succeed in the workforce. Some students may think that a degree will automatically obtain them a job, however, in some situations it simply serves as a minimum requirement. Even though some colleges have applicable majors that help, many colleges still have antiquated teaching techniques. I would like to present some things that colleges should improve on, and some that colleges should start doing.

High school students across the United States stand by their mailboxes, waiting anxiously for the envelope containing the score that will seal their academic fate. College admission hinges on how well students perform in standardized testing. However, standardized testing has long-standing problems of bias, inaccuracy, coachability, and misuse. Because of these flaws, the college admission process places too much value on standardized test scores, such as the ACT and SAT, and are therefore insufficient predictors of a student’s potential and future success.

What you make of your college experience, and how hard you work following graduation is the endgame. Moreover, Bruni’s theme of be yourself, try hard, and do not stress, in combination with his previously stated arguments, provides the reader with an, although cliché, insightful outlook on the college admissions process. The frequent use of expert testimonials, statistics from accredited sources, such as The New York Times and Forbes, and examples of well-known not-Ivy-League-educated people, like New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie who attended the University of Delaware, are also helpful in understanding Bruni’s central themes. In addition, the arguments within the book all well supported and valid in structure. Notwithstanding, Bruni was not extremely successful in providing an antithesis to his arguments and then countering them. Bruni could have achieved this goal by taking opposing viewpoints from various sources and poking holes in their theories. Some holes in Bruni’s arguments are: colleges, at their roots, are not created equally regardless of what said colleges offer you, there are constants within great college applications, and an Ivy is and Ivy and that carries weight in the job market. Generally, Bruni has a factual writing style, which can be a bit dry at times, but is acceptable when considering the book’s topic. This book should not be given to those looking to get into the top universities, as it will make them even more anxious and fearful of their chances of admittance. Instead, give this well-prepared conglomerate of literature and facts, which is sure to become the center of the college admissions argument, to those who may have not gotten into their dream colleges, so as to encourage them to work hard in the college they are

Today, many students are settling for jobs immediately out of high school instead of furthering their education in college. Students should consider how necessary college actually is for their lives in the future. It provides one with a significant amount of opportunities, a greater knowledge about their career plan, and a better sense of responsibility.