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Students Know Less After 4 College Years

Submitted by Dan Adair, Sep 19, 2007 16:50

Speaking as a college senior at a school comparable to those attended by the surveyed students, I started the test expecting to do well, but was shocked to not even know the answer to the first question. But then I realized that it doesn't really matter that I didn't know Jamestown, Virginia was first settled between 1601 and 1700 (I guessed 1501-1600). Unless he has more than a passing interest in US History or is majoring in a related field of study, can you really say that that information is relevant in the life and future of a college senior? If a student is going to be an electrical engineer, for example, does he really need to know that FDR's government programs, most (or even all) of which did nothing to end the great depression, were called the New Deal, rather than the Square Deal or the Great Society?

While I think that some questions on the test should be required knowledge (such as #33, the official powers of congress), others (like #31, which requires a basic familiarity with the writings of Edmund Burke, Adam Smith, Alexis de Tocqueville, Max Weber, and John Locke) can hardly be considered required knowledge for all college graduates. While some may look at a 60% average as abysmal, I found it perfectly acceptable, given that only about half of the questions contain information I consider vital in the life of a college student.

If you think every graduating senior should be familiar with the works of those 5 authors, know what Keynesian economists think about the recession phase of a business cycle, or know that it was in fact Marbury v. Madison that established the power of judicial review (without, ironically, excercising it in that case), then that's simply a difference between your values and mine, and is certainly not an issue that will be solved here.

Oh, and before you roast me alive in reply, note that I scored 54/60.
Dan

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
Speaking as a college Professor who has worked in the real world, as well as the academic world, it is... [MORE]	Dr. Bob	Dec 12, 2007 19:33
I'm 48 years old and scored 51/60 on the exam. These were all fairly basic questions, that anyone who considers... [MORE]	Lars	Nov 20, 2007 01:26
The reason Freshmen do better than Seniors on this exam is that it is fresher on their minds. They learn... [MORE]	Loretta	Oct 11, 2007 14:54
There is a book out there called The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America which everyone should read. The lady that... [MORE]	mary pitrone	Oct 1, 2007 13:41
Institutions of higher learning are actually devoted to propaganda, not education. (What else can you expect in a world in... [MORE]	Carl	Sep 21, 2007 11:49
My "curriculum vitae": Grandson of Serbian immigrant iron miner, plumber's son, Marine jet pilot, degrees in engineering and veterinary medicine from... [MORE]	R.M.Zobenica	Sep 20, 2007 16:52
I would suggest that the title of the article is misleading. Students surely know more, but about different things, and... [MORE]	tim	Sep 20, 2007 13:50
Too many of us dottering college graduates later mindlessly give money to our alma maters. But the social studies departments... [MORE]	Richard Rider	Sep 20, 2007 10:17
Politicians worth their salt don't want an educated electorate or - God forbid! - a cultured one. If they had... [MORE]	Max Vladimir	Sep 20, 2007 08:05
I graduated with honors from a top-25 school with a double major in history and political science (both departments are... [MORE]	JB	Sep 19, 2007 19:41
Yes, I scored 100%. My degree is in history but it's from 1984, and at that, from the Regents' External... [MORE]	Kevin R.C. 'Hognose' O'Brien	Sep 20, 2007 14:55
Might it have something to do with the constantly reinforced message that everything outside your major is irrelevant? The academic... [MORE]	Peter V	Sep 19, 2007 17:18
As a scientist, I'm not convinced that this was a valid predictor of intelligence. To indirectly suggest that these students... [MORE]	Terry Hansen	Sep 19, 2007 17:09
Speaking as a college senior at a school comparable to those attended by the surveyed students, I started the test...	Dan Adair	Sep 19, 2007 16:50
I just took this test and got 57/60 (95%), so I feel good about myself. However, I don't feel as... [MORE]	AMM	Sep 19, 2007 15:36
It should be noted that some of the questions were beyond the scope of most Intro to US History courses,... [MORE]	Heather	Sep 22, 2007 21:36
The replies offered by the faculty were worse than the scores. They demonstrated that "professors" are in the PC opinion... [MORE]	OCULUS	Sep 19, 2007 14:48
I went to the University of Florida for free and scored a 52 out of 60. Don't waste tens of... [MORE]	Partho Roy	Sep 19, 2007 13:43
As a retired teacher of 30 years (elementary) and the wife of a retired Army NCO, I am saddened at... [MORE]	Judy Rudolph	Sep 19, 2007 12:12
I took the quiz very quickly and received an 86%. What are these kids being taught? How to apply condoms?... [MORE]	Brian Schafer	Sep 19, 2007 11:54
These examinations simiply didn't ask the "Right" questions! This is NOT the students' fault. Isn't that the common kind of... [MORE]	Chic Mom	Oct 5, 2007 11:33
...if even prestigious Harvard scores a D+. Me, I missed 6 out of 60, though the correct answers were at... [MORE]	Scott Baker	Sep 19, 2007 11:10
Nice title, I am a recent graduate and this article gets me fired up. I didn't go to college to... [MORE]	Ryan Nesbitt	Sep 19, 2007 16:03
Unfortunately, this is not limited to non-core subjects. I have a sophomore at a prestigious technically oriented college and she... [MORE]	Susan	Sep 19, 2007 11:04
Sad ... but are you really surprised? The deadwood edition of The Sun lists the first 20 questions and says... [MORE]	Bill	Sep 19, 2007 08:47
Harvard and Princeton admissions are selecting a tiny fraction of the allegedly most elite high school students. If these kids... [MORE]	E.	Sep 19, 2007 08:09
I am not at all surprised at the results. I presume that the curriculum planners at these institutions were former... [MORE]	Lou Voren	Sep 19, 2007 00:24
I will never forget watching an 9 year old girl on a New York Television station NY 1, hugging a... [MORE]	Dorothy Wachsstock	Sep 19, 2007 07:40
As an alum of one of these esteemed institions, my guess is that the test discovered more about lack of... [MORE]	Bob Lefton	Sep 19, 2007 12:19
On the basis of the price tag of a university education versus the benefits it provides, higher education is a... [MORE]	R. Johnson	Oct 30, 2007 12:00

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