Wayne State gets a new president

[justanotherboy]

It's not a shot at WSU. WSU choses to accept almost anyone who applies, just like Cooley does for law. That is what makes WSU attractive to students who cannot get into schools such as Michigan or USC or Notre Dame. You know you can get a quality education at a reasonable price.

However, for hiring managers, the prestige of your school is an indicator of underlying intelligence. Schools that have a higher bar for admissions have a smarter student body. That is just a given fact. If Wayne State wants acceptance outside of metro Detroit, it must increase the admission standards and the quality of students that attend there.

[Hermod]

It's not the admission requirements that make the degree, it's the academic requirements. It's hard to graduate from Wayne State. They give everybody a chance to, but only about a third of students actually graduate.

Used to be that way at most colleges even with admissions standards. Weed em out and only the fittest survive.

[DetroitPlanner]

That means when you go to a school like UM, U of Chicago, you are in a classroom with the best and the brightest. When you go to Wayne State, the person who is working with you on a group project still can't pass Math 101 and is taking a remidial class.

When Wayne State is a top 100 university in the US World and News Reports - come talk to me.

When you get out of remedial english, we will listen. The fact is that most schools are not open to those who may have financial issues. Sure I could have recieved better grades in High School, but I was more concerned about earning a few bucks so I could attend High School and buy some food.

Everyone has a different situation. There is no way for you to walk in everyones shoes. You have no right to dismiss or degrade people simply due to making a choice to go to a school where one does not have to encumber tens of thousands in student loans in order to graduate.

[Detroitnerd]

That means when you go to a school like UM, U of Chicago, you are in a classroom with the best and the brightest. When you go to Wayne State, the person who is working with you on a group project still can't pass Math 101 and is taking a remidial class.

When Wayne State is a top 100 university in the US World and News Reports - come talk to me.

Bad troll, no goat.

[Detroitej72]

If Wayne State wants acceptance outside of metro Detroit, it must increase the admission standards and the quality of students that attend there.

Tell that to the students from foreign countries that make up a substantial amount of the student population.

[DetroitPole]

While justanotherboy is horribly mislead, and likely lacks a real education [[one of those people who says they learned from 'real world experience' as if we all don't live in the real world), there is some truth to his arguement. Wayne State University could be a far, far better school if they increased their standards in a multitude of ways. It has excellent faculty and is a stellar research university and far better than the rest of the however many redundant state universities Michigan has. Except of course, U of M and MSU, who, as he correctly said, both have a positive reputation outside of Michigan.

I say this as a Wayne State alumni. I got an outstanding education but because of my own hard work and some excellent professors - and often despite Wayne State's administration.

I'm not sure why people take such pride in having an affinity for tradespeople over intellectuals. Sure, when you need your toilet fixed a plumber is great, but there is a place for all fields of studies and work. It may be more enjoyable for most people to have a beer with a plumber than a History PhD for some people [[actually if you were to give them a chance and actually talk to them they are usually normal, nice people like the rest of us), I don't believe we should all be automatons, drones, or slaves without education outside our occupations. I don't believe French History is something that civilization as a whole should abandon even though it is a niche market, and something that one doesn't encounter on a daily basis. So we still need those people.

As an anecdote, coincidentally I had a French History professor who opened up many doors to me in my life and gave me educational opportunities in college that otherwise would not be afforded to a working class person. They do things besides sit in the archives. Unfortunately all occupations can't all sport that charming, rugged, Joe-Six-Pack image that Americans love so much.

By the way, it isn't 1995 anymore. "Learn a trade from the community college" doesn't work as a lucrative, flawless career path free from debt like it used to. Actually go talk to an electrician without seniority and see how easy it is for them to find a job. A young man today is much better off becoming a nurse than a plumber, which requires nearly as much education as a PhD in French History, coincidentally.

And one can't really argue with the fact that the professor on Gilligan's Island really was the most useful one of the bunch.

[maxx]

I dunno. I have more respect for a skilled tradesman than I do for a PhD in French Medieval History. And the skilled tradesman doesn't have an outstanding $125,000 student loan to worry about.

Take your shots.

The Ph.d is more likely to have a wider range of skills, better reading and writing skills. The tradesman is more likely to be replaced by a machine and to need more extensive retraining.

[1KielsonDrive]

I dunno. I have more respect for a skilled tradesman than I do for a PhD in French Medieval History. And the skilled tradesman doesn't have an outstanding $125,000 student loan to worry about.

Take your shots.

I agree with your basic point. Thanks.

[1KielsonDrive]

It's not a shot at WSU. WSU choses to accept almost anyone who applies, just like Cooley does for law. That is what makes WSU attractive to students who cannot get into schools such as Michigan or USC or Notre Dame. You know you can get a quality education at a reasonable price.

However, for hiring managers, the prestige of your school is an indicator of underlying intelligence. Schools that have a higher bar for admissions have a smarter student body. That is just a given fact. If Wayne State wants acceptance outside of metro Detroit, it must increase the admission standards and the quality of students that attend there.

There's a big difference between intelligence and smarts.

[Hypestyles]

... I want to see what the new president's policy is on retaining entry-level students, and graduation rates, especially from african-american and latino ranks..

[English]

While justanotherboy is horribly mislead, and likely lacks a real education [[one of those people who says they learned from 'real world experience' as if we all don't live in the real world), there is some truth to his arguement. Wayne State University could be a far, far better school if they increased their standards in a multitude of ways. It has excellent faculty and is a stellar research university and far better than the rest of the however many redundant state universities Michigan has. Except of course, U of M and MSU, who, as he correctly said, both have a positive reputation outside of Michigan.

I say this as a Wayne State alumni. I got an outstanding education but because of my own hard work and some excellent professors - and often despite Wayne State's administration.

I'm not sure why people take such pride in having an affinity for tradespeople over intellectuals. Sure, when you need your toilet fixed a plumber is great, but there is a place for all fields of studies and work. It may be more enjoyable for most people to have a beer with a plumber than a History PhD for some people [[actually if you were to give them a chance and actually talk to them they are usually normal, nice people like the rest of us), I don't believe we should all be automatons, drones, or slaves without education outside our occupations. I don't believe French History is something that civilization as a whole should abandon even though it is a niche market, and something that one doesn't encounter on a daily basis. So we still need those people.

As an anecdote, coincidentally I had a French History professor who opened up many doors to me in my life and gave me educational opportunities in college that otherwise would not be afforded to a working class person. They do things besides sit in the archives. Unfortunately all occupations can't all sport that charming, rugged, Joe-Six-Pack image that Americans love so much.

By the way, it isn't 1995 anymore. "Learn a trade from the community college" doesn't work as a lucrative, flawless career path free from debt like it used to. Actually go talk to an electrician without seniority and see how easy it is for them to find a job. A young man today is much better off becoming a nurse than a plumber, which requires nearly as much education as a PhD in French History, coincidentally.

And one can't really argue with the fact that the professor on Gilligan's Island really was the most useful one of the bunch.

Great post, especially the bolded. Thanks also for the nice words about professors!