The average college student today
a year ago
- #education
- #societal issues
- #student performance
- Gen X professor with over 30 years of experience observes declining academic standards among students.
- Students at an average US regional public university are described as functionally illiterate, unable to comprehend serious adult novels.
- Writing skills are at an 8th-grade level, with poor spelling, grammar, and reliance on clichés or AI-generated content.
- Math proficiency has declined, with pre-calculus now considered advanced and statistics courses being watered down.
- Chronic absenteeism and lack of engagement are rampant, with students treating classes as optional and frequently disappearing mid-semester.
- Students struggle to focus for 50-minute classes, often leaving to use their phones, and expect faculty to do their work for them.
- Phone addiction is pervasive, affecting even voluntary activities like gym workouts.
- The professor attributes these issues to societal problems, not just educational system failures, including addiction to technology and lack of discipline.
- Grade inflation and parental pressure in K-12 education have rendered grades meaningless, exacerbating the problem.
- The intellectual regression is seen as politically frightening, with implications for democracy and public discourse.