Disturbing comments about college

[disneysteve]

if you have an english degree, what can you do other than teach english?

Have you seen Avenue Q?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK6ksA0QyE4

[Mr Nice Guy]

Interesting thread.

As a current student, I am battling this whole debate right now. You always hear people say, "Do what you love" but in real life (and on this forum) most people take a practical sense to choosing a major.

I love history so much, but my parents were like "F that" as a suitable major choice.

I also am into money and enjoyed my introductory accounting classes so I am an accounting major. I am almost done with my degree and I am finding out that i don't think I really want to be an auditor (which is what my school essentially trains all their undergrad students to be.) Thank God ACT is very versatile and I can get a finance position with it (which I find interesting aka I go home and read about it on my own accord), but other majors aren't so lucky.

I feel that even if you are a communications major, you can get your dream communications job, if you are an extraordinary person and rise above your class. Same for theater or drama. Its just most people aren't extraordinary, so much like with accounting, find a degree that can play in many different fields.

[greenskeeper]

most athletic scholars choose business as it's pretty much a round-a-bout major that is fairly easy for them.

College isn't what it used to be as about 1/3 to 1/2 of all students end up in a field not related to their major.

[dunnrobert700]

It sounds like it really means "They aren't going to college, it just looks that way". I could even characterize the second posters success story as "they were an athlete that then decided to go to college.

Personally I think student athletics is a problem and has nothing to do with education or the classic idea of "well rounded focus on body and mind". It has become about Alumni donations. Period. In the big money sports like football at any big school you cannot get an education and be on the team. I have seen this first hand. Serious college athletes are not students in any meaningful use of the word.

Maybe track etc. is different and scholarships are handy...but it still isn't really part of an education.

By the way I am all for team sports. Kids and young adults learn to compete, as a team, engage in controlled use of aggression, push themselves physically, exert willpower for a goal. I just don't think it is good the way we do it in US colleges (again, it's a business using student athletes to maximize Alumni donations). Athletic leagues shouldn't have anything to do with colleges.

[moneybags]

I just don't think it is good the way we do it in US colleges (again, it's a business using student athletes to maximize Alumni donations). Athletic leagues shouldn't have anything to do with colleges.

The focus on athletics from the colleges is ridiculous. In Texas, there is only one college/university where the president of the school is paid more than the head football coach. At U of Alabama, the first students that get to register for classes are the football players; the honor students are second in line. It's a bit of a skewed priority for institutes that are suppose to be for education.

[~bs]

The focus on athletics from the colleges is ridiculous. In Texas, there is only one college/university where the president of the school is paid more than the head football coach. At U of Alabama, the first students that get to register for classes are the football players; the honor students are second in line. It's a bit of a skewed priority for institutes that are suppose to be for education.

Big sports, especially football are money generators for the schools. having honor students doesn't generate direct money for the school. Also, boosters and alumni donations contribute a lot of money for the schools. As with many other areas in life, money talks, honor students walk.

[moneybags]

Big sports, especially football are money generators for the schools. having honor students doesn't generate direct money for the school. Also, boosters and alumni donations contribute a lot of money for the schools. As with many other areas in life, money talks, honor students walk.

I understand the reasoning, I just don't like it. This article states that only 22 (division I) college football programs made money in 2009-2012, so football is not a money generator for most.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/06/22_college_football_programs_m.html

I wouldn't count the honor students out when it comes to donations. The top 6 schools with the largest financial endowments cater to honor students (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Columbia).

[bones72]

Finally!

As a huge fan of high school athletics, a little league coach and administrator of an All-Star football(american) game, someone else has noticed a frightening trend. That is parents pushing their kids to sports whether it be basketball, football, baseball or here in Kansas, wrestling, and spending piles of money on little kids. They then believe that little Johny or Suzie will surely get that athletic scholarship. Bad math people, truly bad math. As far as the majors stand, mine is in history, and I run a car dealership. Its not useful, but I would have done it anyway, as history and studying it is my bag. High school football is what I love to watch as a hobby. Very few high school boys(I have seen thousands of games) have any chance at playing at the next level. Many play, I think, because they love it and don't want to hang up their cleats yet. The experience of football at college, where money and scholarships enter is often disheartening. One kid, just one of the hundreds I coached (as 1-5) graders has ever gotten a full-ride, and he turned down Harvard (academic scholarship) because it was too far away from home. I have one in college(academic sholarship) and another on the way with even more academic money. I could have gone athletic, but wanted to study girls and beer more!

[~bs]

^

I can agree with this. I have many friends with kinds in the 5-10 age range, and many of them are pushing their kids into sports in the hopes that they will enter college under a scholarship, then go on to make the big money as a professional. In reality, the chances of that happening is like hitting the lottery.

Say 1000 kids are playing football, of that, maybe 100 make it to the highschool team, 10 to college football, 1 to the pros.

There is value to sports and athletics in general, but today's society has it all blown way out of proportion.

I understand the reasoning, I just don't like it. This article states that only 22 (division I) college football programs made money in 2009-2012, so football is not a money generator for most.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2...rograms_m.html

I wouldn't count the honor students out when it comes to donations. The top 6 schools with the largest financial endowments cater to honor students (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Columbia).

Hah, there's some truth to what you're saying. But the calculation of losses to the athletic programs likely doesn't include donations. Also, large sports like football subsidizes other smaller programs operating at a loss, such as track or tennis.

Letting athletes register first probably doesn't hurt much by itelf, just gives the impression that athletics is important than education. But in a college that may not be known for top notch education (not harvard or any of the rest), athletics plays a key roll in attracting new students.

[moneybags]

One kid, just one of the hundreds I coached (as 1-5) graders has ever gotten a full-ride, and he turned down Harvard (academic scholarship) because it was too far away from home.

Harvard does not give academic or athletic scholarships, but they do have generous financial aid.

[syracusa]

I'm not quite sure where this fits or if it is even a financial discussion but thought I'd share anyway.

I'm a family doctor so I interact with a lot of people in the course of my day. I've been in the same practice for 13 years so I've seen many children grow up along the way. A couple of times recently, I had the occasion to speak to a parent who mentioned that their son or daughter was in college now. My typical question is, "What are they studying?" meaning what's their major? Twice in the past couple of weeks, I got an answer that I found disturbing.

1. He's going for track.
2. She's going for basketball.

Really? I can certainly understand if the child plays a sport. Even better if they are attending on a scholarship (I don't know if these particular kids are or not). But they must still have a major. They still have to attend classes and hopefully earn a degree so that they can have a job when they get out. Nobody is going to hire them for "track" or "basketball". I wonder if either the parents or the children understand this.

I wonder how many kids go to college for sports with no direction academically, and what happens to them when they graduate?

This is, indeed, disturbing and I agree with you 100%.
I had always believed that the entire world of education in the US (from K to college) revolves way more around sports than it should. From parents getting kids in 100% extra curriculars (usually sports) that take away time from rigorous academics to people going to college for sports or for majoring in "dance"...the whole thing is completely foreign to me - as well as scary.

[bones72]

Correct, but he was sought after by Harvard because of his academic record, and his parents were told that cost would be "minimal". He chose a public school, which did give him "full-ride" on his athletic skills, and also because he could then continue with medical school.

[Doublejm1]

I think you answered your own question. Anyone going to college can enroll as an english major. Not everyone can make the football team. Parents are proud of both, but which are they most likely to brag about? Is a 4 year lib arts degree really going to seem impresive to anyone other than someone that only has a hs diploma

I agree. Seems like universities are churning out way too many English majors these days and not enough graduates in specializing in engineering and other hard sciences.

[Doublejm1]

Interesting thread.

I love history so much, but my parents were like "F that" as a suitable major choice.

I can relate! History has always been one of my passions, but it seems there isn't much demand for it out there.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I've a lot of friends who went to school on a sports scholarship and used it as a way to go to college. Of course I never considered the price tag associated with getting them to be that good until now. Maybe it's better off being put into a college account.