Through every ranking that the Princeton Review, U.S. News and other sources decide on, it is disappointing that the driving factor behind what makes a great school is now dependent upon student loan debt after graduation and earning potential of graduates.

What ever happened to picking a school because of its academic standards, rich history or diversity?

A recent article published in Time magazine on Sept. 26, “What Colleges Will Teach in 2025,” explored the gap between “knowledge and know-how,” and the “crisis of effectiveness” colleges are now facing.

According to the article, leaders in education have highlighted two solutions to this crisis as a way to analyze the development of college students and the role universities play in student growth as they head into the workplace: develop “a university ratings system…one that could include the earning power of an institution’s graduates as a factor,” or implement a test for graduates to complete upon leaving college.

Millennials have been so wrapped up in what our future earning potential and job offers will be, that we have lost sight of the simple reason why colleges and universities were established — for people to learn and grow.

Unfortunately, employers and institutions have only helped to reinforce the belief that students are taught to the test, by developing yet another way to assess the general knowledge of college students.

In the August Wall Street Journal article “Are You Ready for the Post-College SAT?” it was found that a test has been created called the Collegiate Learning Assessment, or CLA+.

The Wall Street Journal described this test as a way of being able to “cut through grade-point averages and judge students’ real value to employers.” Time Magazine also described the CLA+ as “an attempt to measure learning by asking critical-thinking questions.” Schools such as the University of Texas system and St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y. already plan to implement this test.

If the CLA+ is anything like the SAT, ACT and other standardized tests, fuel will only be added to the fire that continues to burn the public’s perceived value of a college degree.

Imagine coming into college knowing that your future capability to be hired and earning potential were dependent upon the results of one general test. The unnecessary amount of stress the CLA+ could place on students would make this assessment yet another burden to study for and survive.
Isn’t finding a job hard enough as it is?

Millennials can no longer accept the ideology in America of teaching-to-the-test. We fed into those beliefs for long enough, especially through the arduous amount of work we put into preparing for a high score on the SAT.

The value of higher education has not diminished. If anything, it is more critical now than ever to have at least a bachelor’s degree. Unlike a decade ago, simply having a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree does not set one apart from the competition.

As students of Syracuse University, we have been provided with a unique opportunity to go against the current attitudes toward higher education, and bridge the gap between “knowledge and know-how.”

Higher education does not have to be a war of what the best and most financially rewarding major is. It is not solely about passing tests and being a walking book of facts.

It is about quickly scribbling notes in a loose-leaf notebook to keep up with a favorite professor’s fast-paced lecture, finding our passions in tucked-away classrooms and ultimately engaging with the world around us.

Nina Rodgers is a sophomore sociology major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at nmrodger@syr.edu.

Published on October 1, 2013 at 1:24 am