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Monday, April 10, 2006
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The Pretty Truth About the Best And Brightest It’s always good to be skeptical of these studies, but one shows that only 34% of “high-achieving students” cared about the commercial ranking of the universities to which they applied. More precisely, “High-achieving students say that broadening their intellectual capabilities is more important in college than preparing for a career, and that the quality of specific academic programs influence[s] their college choice more than an institution's overall reputation.” Which is a promising trend, suggesting not only that smart students realize college is about intellectuality rather than careerism, but also that smart students don’t feel compelled, lemming-like, to rush to the most famous or high-prestige or expensive college that takes them, but rather are properly focused upon the actual value of various programs at various schools. Serious students seem to realize, in other words, that admission to, say, Brown University, while an exciting outcome, may not be the best thing for their education. |