George Mason University students: not quite up to snuff?
Arnold Kling expresses frustration that his students are not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier:
My recollection from my career in government and business is that written communication skills still matter. Out of over 100 students in my class at George Mason, no more than a handful could function in any capacity in a job that required writing a memorandum. Over half of the students are utterly incompetent when it comes to grammar and syntax. They have no ability to communicate complex ideas. Yet I do not fail these students. I feel that I must reserve my F's for the students who do not turn in papers at all.(Via Half Sigma; be sure to read the enlightening comments there.)
I fear that many of the students who pass will go on to earn Wizard-of-Oz diplomas, which signify nothing. Students will claim to be educated, but employers will know otherwise. The phenomenon of the Wizard-of-Oz diploma has discredited the college degree.
This jibes with what I've seen. Though it's been a long time since I've been in college, I do see new grads in the workplace, and they're, in general, a pathetic bunch. Memo writing is the least of it, though of course spelling and grammar mistakes abound, not to mention the fact that some of them make no sense.
One can see why so many George Mason professors have blogs: their minds are going to waste in the classroom.
Update: I somewhat regret the strong judgment, not entirely my own of course, of GMU students. Never having met any, I merely pass on what Professor Kling wrote. So if any GMU students are reading this: study harder! And I've changed the heading to this post to reflect my newfound sensibilities.
posted by Dennis Mangan @ 6:42 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I have seen a similar problem here at work.
I wonder if I'm the last generation that actually had to write by hand drafts of my reports for school, use a typewriter and have my trusty Webster dictionary next to it to physically look up words without the help of an automated spell checker. I still often "punish" myself by looking up a word via a dictionary in order to better see and understand the proper spelling, diction and context of the word(s) I'm trying to communicate.
Regards,
Dave
But it was under an older generation, surely, that American English degenerated from a terse, lucid tongue to wordy latinate drivel?
I'll tell you how old I am: when I was in college, my papers weren't even required to be typed, and in fact I never even learned how.
I wasn't aware that American English had become "wordy, latinate drivel"; I figured it was just drivel.
You must be quite young because you write "F's" for a simple plural with no genitive meaning (the way they write now "the 60's" and so on).
Mariana
Mariana: No, I'm not "quite young", the "F's" is not mine, but in the block quote of Professor Kling, and using an apostrophe to make a plural in that context is an accepted practice.
Dennis,
Your blog is interesting and does bring up valid points. However, I must disagree with the argument that this entire article deals with George Mason University, or its entire student body.
The real story here is not George Mason University, but rather, the affects of a forced governmental education policy, as well as an aging thought process which no longer offers REAL solutions. For example, there is certainly a math and science shortage, but as we throw this down the throats of the electorate, we throw the opportunity to provide solutions for solving America's literacy problems.
Surely, you can agree that George Mason is not for dummies. And for the quote:
"One can see why so many George Mason professors have blogs: their minds are going to waste in the classroom," I think you are wrong. How many other blogs have you found that are run by GMU Professors? After a quick audit (and yes, I do have credentials, having worked at a large PR Firm and provided the same kind of service to Fortune 500 clients), I have only found a handful of other blogs. Frankly, I believe your assumption is unclaimed, and therefore your opinion.
To make things "worse," I am a PROUD student of George Mason University. I plan to graduate with a Bachelor's of Arts in Integrative Studies, with a focus in Advertising. I do not speak for my school as a whole, but I can say that you should be very careful of your words. MASON is a rising institution with a short history, but plenty of noteworthy accomplishments.
We'll (the students) be the first to admit we're no Harvard or Yale, but watch out. In 20 years, you'll be surprised by the the achievements GMU will make in such a short existence.
For all the other naysayers, please look at George Mason University's website before pounding away at me with your obvious bias and ignorance.
For more information on George Mason University, please visit: www.gmu.edu
Best Regards,
Matthew T. Smith
Candidate
Bachelor's of Arts-Integrative Studies
New Century College
George Mason University
P.S.-I realized I have not backed my claims either, but I have included a link which provides you the facts about George Mason University. I encourage you to view them sometime, and if you're ever in town, I'd love to show you what makes us different from the rest.
Matthew: Thanks for your comment. As I noted in an update, I regret the use of such strong language, and I believe that you're correct in that GMU has no problems in that area specific to itself. The problems of education are very real, and the small sample of college grads I've seen don't give me a lot of confidence. In my view, far too many people go to college than can properly take advantage of it.
As for GMU professors' blogs, I know of at least three, all by economics professors.
Please accept my apologies for maligning your university. I should have chosen my words more carefully.
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