I read an article today in the College Journal, a sub-section of the Wall Street Journal, discussing the fact that many college students are graduating but are not ready for some of the daily activities that lay before them in real life.
We’re not talking about stuff they learned in their majors or other concentrations, but stuff that are considered maybe “street smarts” or maybe even common sense, although I’d make the guess that “common sense” isn’t too common anymore.
Here’s a list of some of the activities that students aren’t prepared to face:
- math skills related to personal finance like balancing a checkook, calculating tips, or comparing competing credit card offers
- interpreting a table related to exercise and blood pressure
- understanding arguments made in editorial op-ed pieces
- summarizing the results of various surveys and polls
- identifying locations on a map
As you can see, we’re not talking about the Nobel peace prize, gas-combustion engines and the theory behind our economy. Yet these are things you’d think would just be known in the world today. Two comments in the article I really liked were:
“But do they do well enough for a highly educated population? For a knowledge-based economy? The answer is no,” said Joni Finney, vice president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, an independent and nonpartisan group.
“This sends a message that we should be monitoring this as a nation, and we don’t do it,” Mr. Finney said.
What do you think? I know there’s still stuff I wish I knew more about that I wasn’t “taught” in 16 years of education. Stuff like comparing medical plans, retirement, wills, etc. Do you feel you were a little shorted on your education? Is it schools that aren’t doing enough, or is this another example of an area where there’s more responsibility to be had in families and at home for teaching our kids about what to expect in the real world?
Source: Many U.S. College Grads May Lack Complex Skills in Wall Street Journal College Journal