With the college application season now underway, it’s worthwhile taking a closer look at what researchers call the “aspirations-attainment gap” (“College Is the Goal. Will These Three Teenagers Get There?” The New York Times, Oct. 26). It refers to the difference between students wanting to get a degree (aspiration) and actually receiving it (attainment).
The gap is largely the result of wildly overselling the importance of a bachelor’s degree. The reality is that not all students are college material, even though they have been repeatedly told that they are if they possess “grit.” I fail to understand how grit alone is enough to overcome deficits in academic ability. It takes a certain IQ to be able to do college-level work - or at least it used to until standards were lowered.
I maintain that young people are being fed a false message: No college degree means certain failure in life. But there are many unemployed or underemployed college graduates. Conversely, there are many high school graduates who learned a trade through vocational classes in high school or through community college who are making a steady living. (I’m not talking now about the satisfaction and pleasure that is given short shrift in the debate.)
It’s time to tell high school students the truth about a bachelor’s degree. Yes, it can enhance chances of landing a job in certain fields immediately after graduation, but a certificate can be even better in other fields. It all depends on one’s interests and aptitude.