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Many other factors

Reader comment on item: American Students Get Dumber at College

Submitted by Ben (United States), Nov 2, 2006 at 20:24

Studies such as this are as problematic and full of holes as many conspiracy theories: those who analyze the data are not seeing the whole picture, and even if they are, they are not experiencing what students are actually going through. To come to concrete conclusions based solely on analysis is to be an armchair anthropologist, to not understand the culture, mindset, and surroundings these students are placed in.

College is a very stressful place. Different students deal with this in different ways. As a Freshman, I finished my work and partied to release the stress in a place where I was free, for the first time, to do what I pleased. And I ended the year with very good grades.

But this form of release catches up to you, and eventually it shows in your grades. I have always been a very witty, curious individual who can get a B on a test without studying much, yet my grades fell because I would place higher priority on certain classes, while neglecting the others.

As a third year international relations major, my experience and understanding separates me quite substantially from the Freshmen. Yet ask me a five-W question about Otto von Bismarck, and I couldn't tell you as much as I could have three years ago. But ask a Freshman, who is studying this at this very moment, and they would probably be able to answer the question without a problem.

But ask me to analyze a current event and what I would recommend, and my answer would most likely be more in depth with more analysis than the Freshman.

Maybe its the questions, and not the answers, that should be assessed.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (10) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Rhodes College NOT conservative [33 words]Ruth McClainNov 24, 2006 17:0967213
On the Comment about Rhodes College [77 words]T. S.Jun 10, 2011 13:2867213
Rhodes College is not conservative [51 words]ramcclainJun 10, 2011 18:1967213
Many other factors [282 words]BenNov 2, 2006 20:2465140
Ben [64 words]MichaelNov 24, 2006 19:3965140
The problem with the universities came when they greedily reached forth their hands and took... [124 words]Rick HouseOct 30, 2006 15:4464819
50 Years of Public Education [315 words]D WilliamsOct 24, 2006 21:1864408
sadly correct.. [200 words]donvanOct 26, 2006 17:0464408
yup... [49 words]WolfgangDec 8, 2006 14:4664408
Negative Leaning [42 words]Ben SamuelOct 9, 2006 12:5459383

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