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CAT Tracks for December 2, 2014
IT'S A MATTER OF DEGREES... |
...specifically, how long it takes to get one, if one, in fact, gets one.
From the New York Times
Most College Students Don’t Earn a Degree in 4 Years, Study Finds
CAT Tracks Editor's Note:
In the spirit of the coming season...
Ho Ho Hum!
Hell, it took this "high achiever", this National Merit Scholar Winner five years to graduate from college. Throw in some summers and you can call it six.
Guess whose fault that was...
...the university, the professors, the lack of guidance counselors?
No!
The culprit stares back at me every damn time I look in a mirror. (Geez, who is that old fart?)
It was my fault, I made poor choices...
...playing cards all hours of the night (not gambling since I couldn't afford that), sometimes into the morning hours, sometimes "sleeping in" and cutting class.
That poor choice also led me to changing majors...
...playing cards and skipping class played havoc with my pursuit of "The Calculus", ending my hopes of a mathematics major. One thing about math, ya gotta do the homework and study on a regular basis. Cramming the night before a math test doesn't work.
Being smarter than the average cat, I could score B's through occasional attendance and giving up card playing the night before a test.
College guidance counselors?
I didn't know they even had such a thing...
...until I went to the registrar to drop my math classes. I was informed that I should see a guidance counselor first...who just happened to be in that day. I informed the counselor of my difficulties in math (omitting the self-inflicted reasons), my need to drop the classes and switch majors the next semester (actually quarter since SIU was on that system back in the day.) The counselor pointed out that move on my part would reduce me from a full-time student to a part-time student. The counselor recommended against that move, noting that I was currently receiving a wartime (Vietnam) draft deferment as a full-time college student...and just what would my draft board's reaction be to that change of status.
My response...
...not a problem!
Yes, I was young and dumb.
(Couple of months later would find me traveling by car/train/bus to St. Louis for my military physical and classification as 1A (not nearly as good as a 1 or an A makes it sound! In short, I was now a prime candidate to travel to exotic places.)
In the meantime, I had resumed my full-time student status with a major in social studies. This appeased the draft board and I was reclassified 2S (at least I think that's what the student deferment classification was.)
BTW:
The college guidance counselor also advised me to pursue a major in social studies (history, government, economics, sociology, geography) instead of just Government which had been my request, correctly stating that since I was going into education, the additional subjects would increase my employability, especially in small school districts that would not have the luxury of hiring just a Government teacher.
That, indeed, proved true and I am thankful for that sage advice (although I mentally fussed and cussed every time I walked into my other-than-Government/Economics classes...in particular what my fellow social studies colleague dubbed WFH! (World Effing History!)
But, whose fault was all of that? Yep, the man in the mirror! Pay back is indeed a dog! MEOW!!!
Okay, okay, somebody stop an old man on his trip down memory lane!
Bottom line...
College is voluntary (and not for everyone.)
You can't make people go...
...and once they are there, you can't make them stay, and you can't make them graduate in four years (or two years for community colleges.)
It's a free country (country, not college!)
So, you wanna talk about the cost of a college education...
...Now, that's a worthy cause for concern.
Okay, it's 4:30 a.m., it's time for another nap so that I can get up with the rest of y'all!
I like to look out my window and see the yellow bus go by...
Have a "Happy Saturday!"
POSTSCRIPT:
There was a silver lining to the article...
...only a passing mention of college students needing "remediation classes".
In most articles, the discussion of delayed college graduation rates would have devolved into a castigation of all of those public school "bad teachers (supported and defended by their evil unions.) If y'all would teach those poor eager-to-learn children sumthin' instead of boring them to distraction and collecting a pay check, why everyone would go to college, graduate on time, and live happily ever after.
BTW:
Don't forget, this is the year!
2014
This is the magical year that former President George W. Bush decreed that all God's children would be proficient in language arts and math.
Get cracking!