As practitioners in the US higher education community, the author has always believed that the status and movement of higher education is an important entry point for observing and studying American society; the crisis of US higher education is a window to track changes in American society.
Under the Chinese education system, non -vocational secondary education, the default admission to university as the purpose of teaching, can not take the test again; vocational high school also begins to connect with university education.In contrast, the American education system is more diverse, changeable, and constantly being examined by society.
The test required by the undergraduate undergraduate in the United States is generally SAT and ACT, but the two tests can be selected by the students, and there are many test opportunities in a year.With the awards, the contents of the admission are very diverse, and there are no shortage of equilibrium policies based on social and political considerations.The latest trend is that more and more universities have begun to cancel the compulsory requirements of the two tests above. Applicants can choose to submit scores or choose not to submit scores.
Because the SAT and ACT exams pay attention to the fine understanding of English, some questions even require students to achieve the general English modification ability of text editing, and also pay attention to examining solid mathematics and scientific knowledge.It is indeed an academic student who studies mediocre students in general public high schools.However, the cancellation of the exam has caused the number of applicants to increase, because it can bypass the headache and exams, and on the other hand, it also leads to those who defend the academic level of the university and worry about the reduction of students' academic standards.
There is a small gap between the salary of technical and college students
At the same time, because the general public high school in the United States does not take the "university" as the sole goal, it will continue to guide students who do not yearn for college education in the four years of high school to choose vocational training.High school students can choose some practical technical courses in high school, and under the school arrangement, visit local vocational and technical schools that can be registered after graduating from high school to prepare to study computer maintenance, carpentry, electricians, secrets and other skills in this school.This training is obviously suitable for students who are not good at doing questions and exams and prefer to do it.
The salary of American technical workers and the average salary of undergraduate graduates in university are not very different. In receiving four years of college education, they must pay increasingly tuition fees.In 2021, the annual annual income of the family was only $ 71,000 (about S $ 94,000), but the total cost of many private universities in private universities was close to or even more than these.Take considerable pressure.This has led Americans to constantly cause questions about "it is not worth the value of universities".
Of course, this question is in accordance with economic rationality.If university education means long -term academic preparation for admission, and continuously paying high tuition and living expenses in four years, accommodation and catering services of American universities are a profitable means for the commercialization of schools.For repayment of tuition loans, parents do have the right to reflect on all of this cost investment, and it is not worth it.
However, after all, higher education has a side that surpasses general consumption behavior.College diplomas, especially famous school diplomas, can enhance a person's position in society and enhance the competitiveness of the long -term sense.The four -year experience of college has allowed many students to expand their horizons, learn cutting -edge knowledge and theory, contact multiple culture, participate in community activities, have the opportunity to exchange visits to other countries, can conduct in -depth research on this subject, learn about university classmates, join the huge huge college classmates, join the huge hugeAlumni groups have a consciousness of guiding and changing society.
After this kind of education, compared with ordinary hydropower workers, even if the income is not much, the trajectory and horizons are really different, but it is difficult to measure this part of the experience.Value is not worth it, depending on personal potential, value orientation, and life positioning.
An important part of shaping the democratic system
Higher education practitioners in the United States are very clear about the value of higher education in improving the social level and cognitive level of Americans.In the setting of university's self -goal, it is generally emphasized that university education is an important part of modern citizens under the shape of a democratic system.Here, Americans insist on equality in principle, and only set the lower age limit for the voting rights of citizens, but at the same time, Americans also seem to think that the real high -quality and stable and sustainable democracy should still be rooted in the fullness of sufficient rooting in full.Information sources, analytical ability, and people who deeply critical thinking.
The author believes that the two levels of the two levels are not contrary to it. In fact, they have answered many Chinese friends and Chinese people who are concerned about the United States. They are questioning whether the United States who pays attention to "equality" is pursuing "eliteism".The author hopes to try to make a brief answer: the general election system in the United States, and everyone, regardless of the degree of academic qualifications, has the right to express the right to personal opinions, ensuringPower, as well as political participation, or the lower limit of a modern democratic society.
However, the high -quality operation of this system, as well as the continuous innovation, amendment, and re -establishing direction of society, economy, and technology, it must rely on a minority elite.They are like the front of the train that drives the society, and it is their standard that represents the upper limit that a country can reach.In this sense, education and politics in the United States must be quite "elite" in fact.
However, the two trends of elite and anti -intellectualism in the United States have also been fighting.Whether in actual life or social media, I have encountered Americans who have questioned the lack of actual value of university education.After the crown disease epidemic, the overall trend of society seems to be the thoughts of suspecting the value of higher education.
According to the survey, in 2013, 53%of American interviewees were optimistic about university education, and the ratio of a negative point of view was 40%. By 2017, the ratio of this view was rising to 47%.In the context of the impact of the epidemic and changes in ideas, the number of registered people in American universities has fallen by 15%in the past 10 years.Under pressure, he continues to defend himself in the value of higher education.In the language that Chinese people are familiar with, it is "reading useless theory".
In Pennsylvania, which is living in the author, the decrease in population aging and the number of adolescents of appropriate age has become another incentive for the reduction of colleges and universities.In this process, another subtle change of gender ratio has appeared.The current statistics are almost pointing to a reality, that is, the number of girls in college is more than boys, and more and more boys have lost their patience about the academic and researching university education.
Maintaining the cost of the university's administrative system is too high
From the perspective of the author as a direct practitioner of higher education, but also the perspective of non -American natives, the cost of using American universities to maintain the administrative system and the high cost of comprehensive services for students is an important reason for raising tuition fees.In fact, American universities also have the tension between teaching and administration similar to Chinese universities; due to the commercial operation of American universities, the administrative team is similar to bureaucratic company management and enjoys high privileges and high salary.For layoffs, management only cuts first -line teaching staff and grass -roots secretaries, and does not cut itself, unless the entire school bankruptcy is bankrupt.
Therefore, in American universities, it is not uncommon for professors and doctoral strikes to be a doctorate in teaching.However, in the eyes of consumers, in addition to complaining about tuition, accommodation, and catering, generally, there are not many complaints about the professor, but the dissatisfaction with the administrative level is quite common.
Under the impact of the US higher education crisis, colleges and universities have to respond to the actual needs of society, and continue to reform in discipline settings and departmental mergers. Between different universities, there are also cases of consolidation due to insufficient number of people.It is expected that with the application of the general artificial intelligence, American universities will also go through a series of changes to comprehensively higher education around the four -year system "The debate that is not worth "will continue.
