Three-year degree
Click on the title of the post to read a story and view a video about changing the way Americans are educated in college. Share your thoughts about a three-year degree program and the push for a master's degree. You must respond by Wednesday, Nov. 4.
posted by Neal Haldane @ 5:19 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
This radical course or study is a very interesting idea. I do personally believe that if executed correctly this three year degree would be able to work quite effectively. I'm not sure however how this would be accepted by students and professors. College has became more of a time to learn to live and figure out what you want to become. I'm not sure how this would handle the numerous changes of major that are commonplace in the current academic society in America. I think that a certain number of students would be thrilled and be able to do this very effectively, however I don't see the entire academic community morphing which would be necessary for such an experiment.
I think the idea of having a three year degree would work for students who know exactly what they want to be. I would like to have a three year degree because I want college to be over as soon as possible in order to move on with my life. The article mentioned taking out all elective classes in college which I think is a good idea because if it does nothing to benefit students then why spend the money on them? I do feel that my senior year was a waste of time and by having the three year degree, students would have to do more work their senior year to get them to that degree.
I think a three year degree is a good idea, but that might just be because I would love to pay less for college and I want to get out sooner. In the article it says that people would have know what they want to be, well that should be easy for most people because in high school they make you do something to find your career every year. It just seems like a good idea to me.
I do believe that this 3 year is possible but probably has more downs than most people think. I doubt that there are any room for errors. what if someone wants to change there major or minor, whatever the case may be. This also brings up elective classes and social life. Electives are what keeps people interested in school. It can open their eyes to new and interesting ideas and ways of life. Many people have a hard time balancing social life with school life. A 3 year degree means more work in less time. I do not believe it is an entirely bad idea, it is good in some aspects, such as saving money and getting done early. Overall I think this goal is achievable, only if properly executed and proper planning.
I like the idea of the four year college as opposed to that of the three year college. This is for a few reasons but one of the big reasons at this point is because I am used to the four year system and am comfortable with it. I do think it would be beneficial to limit the amount of money spent on college. I also think it is very helpful to students who are behind in their classes to be offered a course that will help them get up to speed. However, by eliminating all class that are not related to a particular major, we would be doing away with the idea of a liberal arts education. A liberal arts education is designed to train people to think and problem solve. These abilities can be used throughout every area of life, not just in a certain career; it can also be used when someone loses the job he/she went to school for and must find someway to support himself/herself and his/her family. By doing away with these "extra" classes, we would be doing away with this part of our education that will really get us through life. So, even though there are advantages to having a more concentrated, three-year education, I still favor the four year college.
I believe that this action may help the average college student very much, but as Robert Zemsky said it will need to start in the lower education levels. without high schools turning into college prep schools the plan will surely fail. This plan may take more than 10 years to move into action. with this the whole american education system will need to be rethought. It is a great idea but will take the whole countries co-operation in order for it to work.
I don't know how I would feel about a three year college degree... although it would be great to be done a year earlier I feel like the work load would be that much more intense.The classes would be very rushed and it wouldn't leave much time for really understanding and learning. A three year program could be something really good for certain people but not for me, I feel with taking more time you get a better understanding for what the job requires and if its what you really want to do for the rest of your life.
I really don't know how I feel about it. I guess it could work, and it's always good to save money. So long as nothing drastic changes, I think it should be fine. I doon't know how I feel about the lack of electives though. It's like all business all the time. I know we go to college to prepair for our careers, but sometimes its nice to be able to have space to take a class just for the heck of it, or because it's interesting. Also, there are some students who come to college and still don't know what they want for the future. It doesn't seem like this would really give them the chance to figure that out. I guess we wouldn't know, except to try it out and see how it goes. Overall, right now I think I'm leaning toward the 'bad idea' side.
The three year degree program is not a new program. Other countries already follow it, example Lebanon. However it has some disadvantages. Senior year of high school would be extremely thorough and rigorous, same with the three college years. Students wouldn’t have time to work or do any extra curriculum activities, because they’d barely have time to finish their homework. University in the States is considered easier than other countries and maybe it’s because of their four year program. My father went to college in Europe and he said that the three year program he was in was intense. I say, why the rush?! It’s not like we have anything better to do other than learn. Besides it’s been proven in psychology that when you put more time into learning something, it stays in your mind longer. So why have three concentrated and intense years that will leave you with nothing after graduation, when you can easily do the same program in four years and actually remember what you learned.
I also agree with what Craig said, it’s not an easy plan and you need the whole educational system to co-operate together to fulfill it.
I think in that case they’d remove the electives from high school, so that the students can concentrate more on the basic classes and what they want to do in the future, but they’d keep the electives in College.
Although the thought of getting of college in three years is very tempting, I just don't think that I would appreciate/like it very much. I like the four year system and I don't think I would be able to handle the accelerated workload that would be required of a three year degree. I can see it working for some people, but I don't think it would be fair to bind everyone to a new standard. I like taking electives because I am always finding new interests and exploring the hobbies and interests I already have. I guess a bonus would be to save the money. So I guess I am undecided as to what would be better. It is an interesting thought.
I don't really like the idea of a three year college. Just like in high school, I believe in college there is a hidden curriculum. College is a major mile in peoples lives, and shorting it would I believe hurt more people than help. Sure the cost of college would be lowered, seeing if colleges wouldnt just raise the price of tuition because its now three instead of four, I mean college is a business like anything else and would be losing lots of money. Money which could then go to making the college and learning experience better. Also I believe that students need to more about advance technology as well as old technology, and taking away 30 credit hours hurts how much people will really learn.
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