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Uptown College vs State U.
Its all about what you learn, not where you learn it
George Pillari
November 14, 2023
There are other reasons the prevailing approach to gaining college admission is problematic. Many parents believe if their child gets into a good school, the child’s life is set. So, there is a feverish determination to “help” the child to get in. (See the Rick Singer example in a separate post.).
Despite all the parental helicoptering, private tutors, and college coaches, average standardized test scores (the ACT and SAT) have barely budged over the last several decades. Imagine the chatter at the local grocery store:
TigerMom: I’m so relieved JuniorGirl got into Uptown College as an English major. Uptown is one of the most prestigious liberal arts schools in the country. I feel a giant weight lifted from my shoulders.
RationalMom: Really? I thought JuniorGirl was the one applying.
TigerMom: Well, you know how it is, I had to pretty much write all of her essays and do half the application for her. She is just so busy with the baking club and that independent research project she is doing on the history of the Wheel of Fortune television show.
RationalMom: Oh. Why is she doing that stuff?
TigerMom: These are the things that got her in. Now that she’s in, her life is set!
Since there is so much focus on “getting in,” many miss the forest for the trees. Let’s ask the following question:
Which is more valuable to the student and her career after college: A liberal arts degree from a highly selective school (of which there are about two dozen in the U.S.) or a STEM degree from the state university? (STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math.)
A couple of stats from a survey performed by Unbound, an educational consulting firm. (“Yes” answers are the percentages.)
Are you satisfied with your current salary?
Liberal Arts 54% STEM 77%
Did your degree prepare you for your job?
Liberal Arts 59%. STEM 82%
There are more data out there describing the chasm between technical and non-technical majors and make no mistake, the world does need non-technical majors graduating into the work force. But as society has become dependent on the Internet and the free flow of information, technical majors are getting the jobs that pay more and offer higher job satisfaction. Revenge of the nerds.
What does this mean for the TigerMom exhorting and cajoling her child to get into a “top school?” The numbers say there is a strong probability of disappointment. A liberal arts degree from a highly selective school is theoretically better than one from a less selective school, but what is going on out there is the software engineer from Anywhere U. is happier and making more money than the humanities major from Harvard.
Look around your own circle of family and friends and do an honest evaluation. This is not a hard and fast rule, but an emerging trend that is taking hold and one that should be factored into the college-decision process.
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