Is too much pressure put on teenagers to enter higher education? [ENDS 19/08/2010]

I think there is. Back in the last year of college, university was a massive focus and someone like me who had decided not to go still had to fill in many of the forms, attend many bias presentations, research into different universities and consider multiple courses and learn a ton about it. I was unsure about university and still didn't really know what to do with my life, so I played it safe and took a gap year, but they made me feel like it was a wrong decision. I kind of feel a requirement to go, like it's what I am suppost to do. Given my desired path of employment it is probably what I should do but all of this pressure just makes me even more uncertain. Guess I better decide this year otherwise it'll be too late, but I really wish college took a level headed approach and showed us both sides of the story instead of trying to push everyone in the same direction.

Yes. This means the average intelligence of a student gets lower and lower because not just the top students are attending. Therefore they have to create mickey mouse degrees which devalues real degrees.

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Originally Posted by N!ck

Yes. This means the average intelligence of a student gets lower and lower because not just the top students are attending. Therefore they have to create mickey mouse degrees which devalues real degrees.

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Totally disagree, considering they keep on raising the qualifications needed to get into university each year, I find it hard to believe that the degrees are not of a high value.

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Originally Posted by [Jay]

Totally disagree, considering they keep on raising the qualifications needed to get into university each year, I find it hard to believe that the degrees are not of a high value.

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Most are not. A degree in Equestrian Studies is a pretty low value degree that doesn't need to exist. Learning about horse riding and horses is better done in practice than in a book :P If you want a real degree, get one a veterinarian degree that actually has a use :P Film Studies could be considered low value too, seeing as it doesn't really have a use. If you want to review films, then become a journalist or get a degree in journalism. Loads of degrees are half-baked around solid, high-value degrees.

Merged by Cosmic (Forum Super Moderator) due to forum lag.

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Originally Posted by GommeInc

Most are not. A degree in Equestrian Studies is a pretty low value degree that doesn't need to exist. Learning about horse riding and horses is better done in practice than in a book :P If you want a real degree, get one a veterinarian degree that actually has a use :P Film Studies could be considered low value too, seeing as it doesn't really have a use. If you want to review films, then become a journalist or get a degree in journalism. Loads of degrees are half-baked around solid, high-value degrees.

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I was refereeing to the students entering the degrees and not the degrees given, I do agree with you on that point but I still think that the students entering university are more intelligent as they are getting good grades.

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Originally Posted by [Jay]

Totally disagree, considering they keep on raising the qualifications needed to get into university each year, I find it hard to believe that the degrees are not of a high value.

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So you're telling me the nation on average is more intelligent now than it was 10 years ago?

It should be marginally higher, but no where near the percentage increase seen by exam results.

The thing with degrees is that a first in one degree is equal to a first in any other degree and a 2-1 is equal to any other 2-1.

Are you telling me that someone with a first in some mickey mouse degree from a naff university is equal to someone with a degree in a respected subject from a decent university?

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Originally Posted by Cosmic

Is too much pressure put on teenagers to enter higher education?
Ends 19/08/2010

Personally, I feel that my college was very forceful with getting us to apply to university. Was this right? Do you think that schools and colleges should take a step back and give the students more freedom? This being said, how much input should parents have in making these important decisions?

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I agree with you on that, i just finished college and they did everything and tried every tactic on me, it got to the stage where it made me fall out of college because they were putting way too much pressure on me.. Im not going to name what college i went to but i have to say it was a waste of 3 years of my life that i wish i didn't lose. I believe they put pressure because they want the best for you, but they also want their college to be top of the list. They tried to bribe me with student of the month and i turned it down. Some colleges just want to win what ever competition they are in for. I was studying engineering and on my second year (final) i decided that it wasn't what i wanted simply because i only enjoyed the coding on the first year. So eventually near the end of the second year (after trying to complete it but just giving up) i felt guilty as if it were my fault that i didn't finish that year and got my grades.. but for some reason they gave me the same grades i got on the first year (i think i didn't compare them) but i got alright grades, good enough to get into uni, and i didn't do much work.. I guess i should have just picked a better college, but i have to agree with you. Even my secondary school did the same thing.. Thats london for you -.-

PS: Just to add to this, i think we've all witnessed the bullcrap that happens when ofsted come around.. They make everything 100% perfect just to look good, then as soon as ofsted turn their back BAM! Its back to the same old routine. That just shows one thing, they only care about their reputation.

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Originally Posted by N!ck

So you're telling me the nation on average is more intelligent now than it was 10 years ago?

It should be marginally higher, but no where near the percentage increase seen by exam results.

The thing with degrees is that a first in one degree is equal to a first in any other degree and a 2-1 is equal to any other 2-1.

Are you telling me that someone with a first in some mickey mouse degree from a naff university is equal to someone with a degree in a respected subject from a decent university?

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Originally Posted by [Jay]

I was refereeing to the students entering the degrees and not the degrees given, I do agree with you on that point but I still think that the students entering university are more intelligent as they are getting good grades.

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Again I am not referring to the degrees at unis but the students entering the degrees, For example students entering respectable degrees need higher grades now then before, meaning that the statistics show the students to be more intelligent now days then back then.

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Originally Posted by [Jay]

Again I am not referring to the degrees at unis but the students entering the degrees, For example students entering respectable degrees need higher grades now then before, meaning that the statistics show the students to be more intelligent now days then back then.

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Let's say the average exam mark was 60% 10 years ago and is 70% today. That's an increase of 17% in exam marks.

Are you telling me that today's average 18 year old is 17% more intelligent than the average 18 year old 10 years ago? No. Exam marks may have increased by 20% or whatever, but intelligence will only be 2% or something.

These are just random numbers BTW.

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Originally Posted by N!ck

Let's say the average exam mark was 60% 10 years ago and is 70% today. That's an increase of 17% in exam marks.

Are you telling me that today's average 18 year old is 17% more intelligent than the average 18 year old 10 years ago? No. Exam marks may have increased by 20% or whatever, but intelligence will only be 2% or something.

These are just random numbers BTW.

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Not only random but they'd be specific to the region in which you reside however I totally agree with the point you're trying to make.

I have often wondered how the standards of how much you learn through organized education have changed from our parent's generation to our generation. I believe appropriate amounts of pressure put upon students is acceptable as it's tailoring us to respond better to the higher pressure situations we're likely to experience later down the road in life.