Why Americans are increasingly dubious about going to college

[Peter1469]

The article wonders why so many people are not going to college these days. It mentions that many don't believe college offers benefits worth the cost. I would add, especially if your college is more concerned with you being Woke than being educated.

If you are interested in a trade, or if you have the entrepreneurial spirit, a 4 year degree may well be a waste of your time and money. If you aren't one of those, you probably should suck it up and get the degree- in something that is worthwhile.

Why Americans are increasingly dubious about going to college

Even as freshmen nervously arrive on campus for the fall semester, policymakers are grappling with what they say has become an “alarming” decline in the number of high school graduates willing to invest the time and money it takes to go to college.



A little-understood backlash against higher education is driving an unprecedented decline in enrollment that experts now warn is likely to diminish people’s quality of life and the nation’s economic competitiveness, especially in places where the slide is most severe.


“With the exception of wartime, the United States has never been through a period of declining educational attainment like this,” said Michael Hicks, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University’s Miller College of Business.


There are 4 million fewer students in college now than there were 10 years ago, a falloff many observers blame on Covid-19, a dip in the number of Americans under 18 and a strong labor market that is sucking young people straight into the workforce.


But while the pandemic certainly made things worse, the downturn took hold well before it started. Demographics alone cannot explain the scale of this drop. And statistics belie the argument that recent high school graduates are getting jobs instead of going to college: Workforce participation for 16- to 24-year-olds is lower than it was before Covid hit, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, reports.


Focus groups and public opinion surveys point to other, less easily solved reasons for the sharp downward trend. These include widespread and fast-growing skepticism about the value of a degree, impatience with the time it takes to get one, and costs that have finally exceeded many people’s ability or willingness to pay.


There has been a significant and steady drop nationwide in the proportion of high school graduates enrolling in college in the fall after they finish school — from a high of 70% in 2016 to 63% in 2020, the most recent year for which the figure is available, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

[FindersKeepers]

In a way, this is a good thing. Too many kids fresh out of high school go to college thinking it's mandatory and then they come out with tens of thousands in student loans and can't find jobs in their major.

I think we need more trade schools and that we should offer more apprenticeships. And, I think colleges should quit requiring prerequisites that have nothing to do with the student's major.

I would like to see business courses offered in high school that encourage young students to get out there and become entrepreneurs.

College is vital for some careers -- medicine, the sciences, law -- but too many kids come out with junk degrees.

[Torus34]

The emphasis on the 'value' of a college education in recent years has centered on the money to be earned in various post-grad occupations. This sort of thinking transforms our colleges and universities into high level trade schools in the minds of many.

Lost in the hustle to tout this or that profession's average income is the life-long benefit a good school can provide in opening the doors to a rich intellectual life. I received a classical education along with an undergraduate degree in the sciences. Though I later went on to take many post-grad courses in several disciplines, what has remained with me as guides throughout a long life are some of the things I learned from my liberal arts professors. [Ed.: Ever note there are no conservative arts, dude?]

"The proper study of mankind is man." Alexander Pope. (1688-1744.)

Regards, stay safe 'n well.

[Peter1469]

In a way, this is a good thing. Too many kids fresh out of high school go to college thinking it's mandatory and then they come out with tens of thousands in student loans and can't find jobs in their major.

I think we need more trade schools and that we should offer more apprenticeships. And, I think colleges should quit requiring prerequisites that have nothing to do with the student's major.

I would like to see business courses offered in high school that encourage young students to get out there and become entrepreneurs.

College is vital for some careers -- medicine, the sciences, law -- but too many kids come out with junk degrees.

Yes, higher education needs to be revamped. STEM and certain college prep work for advanced degrees (e.g., JD) require college degrees. But a great deal of white collar work requires no 4 year degree, that has as you say, course work unrelated to the purpose the student is there for.

There could be tailored certifications in certain skills to replace the traditional 4 year degree. And there is no reason that these can't be done virtually. While virtual learning is a failure K-12, for higher education there is nothing wrong with it- people that want to be there will participate and not slack off.

[Peter1469]

The emphasis on the 'value' of a college education in recent years has centered on the money to be earned in various post-grad occupations. This sort of thinking transforms our colleges and universities into high level trade schools in the minds of many.

Lost in the hustle to tout this or that profession's average income is the life-long benefit a good school can provide in opening the doors to a rich intellectual life. I received a classical education along with an undergraduate degree in the sciences. Though I later went on to take many post-grad courses in several disciplines, what has remained with me as guides throughout a long life are some of the things I learned from my liberal arts professors. [Ed.: Ever note there are no conservative arts, dude?]

"The proper study of mankind is man." Alexander Pope. (1688-1744.)

Regards, stay safe 'n well.

If you are going to spend $100K to get a degree, don't you think you should also be able to get a job with that degree so you can pay it off?

Your post seems to be a political ad against school loan forgiveness.

[testsubjectalpha]

forgiving student debt is a moral hazard. it teaches irresponsible behaviour. if a student borrower, who borrowed of their own free will cannot pay it back, then let them declare bankruptcy so it leaves a stain on their bad behaviour.

[DGUtley]

forgiving student debt is a moral hazard. it teaches irresponsible behaviour. if a student borrower, who borrowed of their own free will cannot pay it back, then let them declare bankruptcy so it leaves a stain on their bad behaviour.

I have a tendency to agree.

[DGUtley]

If you are going to spend $100K to get a degree, don't you think you should also be able to get a job with that degree so you can pay it off? Your post seems to be a political ad against school loan forgiveness.

Don’t you think that you should pick a major that makes you employable?

[Peter1469]

forgiving student debt is a moral hazard. it teaches irresponsible behaviour. if a student borrower, who borrowed of their own free will cannot pay it back, then let them declare bankruptcy so it leaves a stain on their bad behaviour.

It also favors people who are generally not poor.

I do agree student loans should be dischargeable in bankruptcy. That would go a long way to getting worthless degrees out of university.

[Peter1469]

Don’t you think that you should pick a major that makes you employable?

Of course. Unless you are already well off or retired and getting a degree for personal reasons.