I pause in the midst of my work to reflect on how aware working in educational publishing has made me of just how monumentally stupid college students are. I'm in the middle of coordinating a peer-review of a textbook being written for students studying retailing. In response to asking if a particular chapter is suitable for his students, an instructor replies, "my students struggle with a chapter over 25 pages."
Jesus.
This is by no means meant as a blanket statement, and certainly doesn't apply in all cases, but wow, college is filled to the brim with 'tards. Worse still, the system seems set up to support this.
As an example, take
irresistiblyred's sister. This is a girl I've met several times, and can accurately estimate to be on the same intellectual level as a toadstool. When last I saw something she wrote (this is just last year), she had trouble constructing a sentence, never mind a paragraph or (God forbid) an essay. Currently, she's pulling 80s and 90s in college. She's being hailed as the second coming. I find it difficult to believe that a girl who is probably borderline literate deserves grades like these.
As a second example, take Dumptruck, a guy at work and recent college graduate. Okay, for a horny jock, he's not a bad guy, but really... as dumb as the day is long. Yet he received award after award in college, or so I'm told. And women site this as evidence as to his apparent intellect. Astounding.
How hard is it to get into college these days? Honestly, I haven't a clue. I mean, yeah, I knew the odd dimwit in university, but most of these geniuses couldn't survive through first year. It'd be rustication, academic probation, or the road. Yet, in college, not only do they survive -- they're rewarded!
Unless you work in educational publishing or education itself, you're probably not aware of how big a range there is in your possible education, depending on where you go to school. There are all levels of introductory books, from the future MENSA candidates, right down to the semi-literate knuckle-walkers. An intro course in psychology or marketing or pretty much anything else can be taken at a HUGE range of levels. (And to be fair, some colleges use very high-level books and some universities relatively low-level books.) Just because someone has a diploma, it should not be thereby assumed that they are "educated."
Worse still, as the quote from the reviewer that started all this points out, the instructors and schools are perpetuating the system! They're actually asking for lower-level material because their kids aren't smart enough for difficult material! In my view, if they aren't bright enough to deal with difficult material, they shouldn't be getting into college in the first place!
Frankly, when Grade 13 was ended in Ontario, and we suddenly had twice as many graduates in the same year, the government shouldn't have used the SuperBuild programme to increase enrollment in colleges across the country. They should have used the opportunity to raise the bar for entry.
Yes, I hear you saying, "but you can't get anywhere without a college diploma or university degree". That's because everyone and his retarded brother already has one!! If it was more difficult to get a diploma or degree, and there were fewer people running around with them, employers wouldn't require one except in for jobs at higher than entry level.
Anyway, that's my little missive. The world is stupid. Thank you for your attention; I'll be here all week. Please remember to tip your waitress, and try the chili!