[Magdalen] US Higher Education

[ME Michaud]

We had very few examinations in college (with the memorable
exception of comps). All written stuff. And because our classes
usually had eight to twelve students, class participation counted
for half your grade. And I mean participation, not attendance.
Not a good system for introverts, I suppose.

I learned to talk. I learned to write. I learned to think a bit.
I learned to handle criticism.
Pretty good preparation for modern working life.

One unspoken problem in American education (IMO) is the
lack of preparedness among the students. As an example,
someone close to me went to a crappy university on an
athletic scholarship. Perhaps he'd watched Animal House
once too often. In any case, his college experience included
lots of drinking and little study. At age thirty, he sells cars
for a living and seems quietly desperate about his future.
Was his college tuition wasted? I think so. Would he have been
happier, had a more hopeful future and certainly more autonomy
in the trades? I certainly think so.
-M

On Sun, Jan 11, 2015 at 11:20 AM, Roger Stokes
> <roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com <javascript:;>> wrote:
> > Is this really the case - turn up and you get the credits with minimal
> > testing?
>
>