In The Educational Dilemma in Saudi Arabia, Talal M. Alhammad, a college junior studying at Harvard University, compares the American educational system with the system in place in his native Saudi Arabia. Mr. Alhammad notes that where the Saudi system emphasizes conformity, and “ineffective memorization,” our American system emphasizes critical thinking. He is particularly impressed by the emphasis, within the American model, on deep immersion into a subject area and the requirement that students think about the material from a variety of perspectives, even when that means their opinion may be at odds with that of a professor.
Mr. Alhammad’s essay gives us the opportunity to see our own system through the eyes of someone outside our culture. While it is clear that there are many things about the American system of education that need to be improved and/or repaired, it is important to remember that we also do a lot of things right. Our tradition of what Mr. Alhammad calls “the liberal education environment” teaches students to think critically about the world around them and gives them the tools to analyze information independently. Those are two skills whose value cannot be overstated in the increasingly complex world in which our children will be living as they make their own journeys into adulthood.
A number of colleges, some obscure such as The College of St. Rose in Albany,NY , and others very well known, such as the University of Minnesota, are now sending out direct mail packages offering “no fee” college applications. Not only are the applications without a fee, they are also nearly completely filled out with the potential applicant’s name and other relevant information. Therefore students who are interested in applying need to do little more than sign their name and mail the applications in. Colleges employing this strategy have seen a significant rise in applications.
Why are colleges doing this? And why now? Well, given the current state of the U.S. economy, many colleges are having difficulty getting enough students to apply. In addition, there is increased competition for ranking in the many college guides, including the US News and World Report’s Annual College Rankings. Colleges that have significant increases in the number of applicants can improve their rankings in these publications.
Is this a good thing for students? That is a subject of debate. The direct mail firms that colleges hire to do these types of marketing campaigns stress that this is a way for them to help make students aware of the existence of certain colleges they might not otherwise know about. In addition, colleges report that this type of marketing campaign has helped them to increase diversity on campus across a number of dimensions, such as geography, gender, and ethnicity. However some critics argue that this may make it too easy for students to apply to college, thereby reducing the amount of time a student actually spends comparing colleges. Ultimately this could lead to a student applying to a college because it is easy, rather than looking for the best fit.
Time will tell if this is a trend that will last beyond the current economic slump. In the meantime, happy college hunting!
