College Preparedness

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People choose to go to college for a myriad of reasons. Some attend college because of the expectations of their parents or society. Others go to college because of the increased earning potential that a college education can provide. Still others decide to go to college to expand their knowledge in an area of particular interest. William Cory, a 19th Century English schoolmaster said, “You go to school not for knowledge so much as for arts and habits.” The arts and habits that Cory proposes that students are pursuing are certainly things that a student might learn in college. However, I don’t think that many people enter college with a goal of achieving the “mental courage and mental soberness” that Cory proposes. Colleges, on the other hand, have a goal to see students complete a degree. In order to see as many successful students as possible, universities must find ways to predict a person’s ability to handle the rigors of a college education. There are a few ways that colleges determine readiness for admittance, but one of the main ways is a students’ performance on the SAT’s. The SAT is easy to administer to many students at a time to see where they stand academically, but it may not necessarily the best way to determine readiness for some students.

In order to obtain a college degree, a student must take courses in a wide variety of subjects to fulfill general education requirements. According to the Rio Hondo graduation requirements, “Central to an associate degree, coursework is designed to introduce students to the variety of means through which people comprehend the modern world. . . Most importantly, General Education should lead to better self-understanding.” (Rio Hondo Catalog, 43) This echoes Corey’s as...

... middle of paper ...

... is just one path on the road of life. I believe that no matter which path in life we choose, we will gain self-knowledge and learn the arts and habits that are most important.

Works Cited

“Degree & Certificate Programs.” Rio Hondo College Catalog. Vol. XLVI (2011-2012).

Page 43. Web. 2-10-12

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). “Nontraditional Undergraduates.” Findings from the Condition of Education. 2002. Page 1. Web. 2-10-12

Mary L Gavin, MD, Anne M. Meduri, MD, and D'Arcy Lyness, PhD. “Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders.” kidshealth.org. 2-20-12

Reg Weaver. “NCLB’s Excessive Reliance on Testing is Unrealistic, Arbitrary, and Frequently Unfair.” Elements of Argument. Ninth Edition. Page 616. Print.

Dalia Wheatt. “SAT/ACT Scores and College Admission: How Much is Your Score Really Worth?” www.collegeview.com 2-21-12

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