Today's college freshmen hitting books harder, study says

[seabeyond]

This year's college freshmen are more studious than their counterparts of the past few years, says an annual survey released today on their high school academic habits. More of them took notes in class, did homework and took more demanding coursework as high school seniors, and fewer said they drank alcohol, partied or showed up late for class.

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Some of the year-to-year changes are slight, the study says. But when coupled with continued worries about college costs and employment prospects, the overall portrait of today's traditional first-year student may reflect "the increased complexity of going to college during a recession," says John Pryor, director of UCLA's Cooperative Institutional Research Program, which has conducted the study each year since 1966. "What we're seeing, perhaps, is a little more (seriousness about) what you're called to do in college."

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In each of the past three years, increasing numbers of entering students have said getting "a better job" was their top reason for going to college. A desire "to learn more about things that interest me," the second-most-cited reason, held the top spot for the first half of the past decade.
The survey also corroborated federal research showing declines in alcohol use among high school students. It also saw a drop, to 65.3%, in the proportion who said they spent at least some time partying each week as high school seniors, down from 69.7% in 2009. Respondents also were less likely to say they came to class late or were frequently bored in class than in recent years.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2012-01-26/college-freshmen/52795436/1?loc=interstitialskip

[exboyfil]

1. How hard college is now is a question of great interest to me

My oldest daughter is looking at going into engineering (I started my engineering degree in 1981). I feel she is very capable of doing well (far better than me). She is far more prepared even as a sophomore than I was as a senior in High School. Her math course (Honors Algebra II/Trig) is equivalent to my senior level math course, and I started the Calculus sequence as a freshman in college (Purdue).

We are leaning towards having her take Precalculus this summer, and starting her Calculus I/II sequence next year (when she is a Junior). She will be about a year younger than I was when I started. If the Calculus sequence is equivalent, I don't think she will have an issue getting a high B to an A based upon my past experience. If it is much harder, then I am not as certain.

[seabeyond]

2. i agree with you, seeing what my son is taking, and same interests and concerns.

i am so tired of schools being bashed when i compare what my kids are doing to what i did.

good for your daughter. hooyah, going into math. my boys on the other hand struggle so but excel in the other courses. what a hoot and a destruction of the stereotypes.

but yes, i was real happy to read this. read it to both boys, just now.

[exboyfil]

3. My opinion is that the talent pool is deeper especially

when you consider the technical subjects like Math and Science. Teachers on the other hand are still a mixed bag with many good ones, some fair ones, and some truly disasters.

My High School Chemistry teacher is far better than my daughter's teacher. My Physics teacher was awful, and it was one of the worst courses I ever had (in fairness to her it was her first year of teaching, and she was an engineer with no training). My Biology teacher (a football coach first) was not very good. My daughter's Biology teacher was pretty good. My 10th grade grammar teacher was awful and the class was even worst - it was enlightening after going through Honors English from 7th-9th grade in California to see how truly awful the education for the masses was in Mississippi in the late 1970s. My U.S. History teacher was far better than my daughters this year (but she had a good one for 9th grade). Her math instruction has been far superior to mine with some of her best teachers being in math.

My Honors English (11th-12th grade) class was a specific exception in with some truly remarkable individuals, and it had the best High School teacher which I ever had. Many of my classmates have gone on to successful law practices. My old debate partner is a millionaire publisher/investment banker. My daughter has a pretty good English class as well. She hates her teacher like I hated mine, and both teachers can be petty in some areas (like trivial points in the readings). They do give wonderful feedback in writing which is the most important skill for an English teacher.