<p>blame New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and National Public Radio</p>
<p>NO. Blame people who treat media reports as some indisputable truth and think no further. </p>
<p>Fear sells. Fear lines the pockets of the people behind these reports. I send my kids to college to become more learned, to face a higher level of intellectual challenges, to compete among a like-qualified group of kids, to learn that hurdles must be faced and…you win some and you lose some (call that resiliance.) Those who hone their analytical and reasoning skills, get internships during college, learn a higher level of research are far better off after graduation than those who live for Friday and Saturday nights.</p>
<p>Pulled down the standards for everyone? Hmmm, I would love to see many STEM majors trying to pull off a Classics major, or many other non STEM majors for that matter. </p>
<p>Does it matter that my daughter is at a LAC, a humanities major, but is also applying to med school? I can assure you what she has learned from her non STEM classes are bigger assets for her future than the premed classes.</p>
<p>About the superiority of STEM majors - it’s not necessarily so. The job I now have resulted solely from the other half of my undergrad double major: my degree in English.</p>
<p>Med school is a very good choice. This specific ethnicity I keep mentioning? They like med school a lot.</p>
<p>By pulling down the standards, this is what I meant. In Business School, the economics professor spent half his time teaching Calculus to the LA majors. He was quite open that he also teaches Economics to the Engineering School, and there he can actually teach some Economics, as the Engineering students already know basic math like Calculus.</p>
<p>I had D1 when H was a third-year in grad school. Had D2 when he was doing a post-doc. We lived well below the poverty line, but we knew it was temporary. We had faith (and good role models who paved the way for us) that things would work out in the end, and they have. I am glad that we did not use the excuse of needing financial security to avoid his advanced degrees, as we had our kids young. We are now 50 and 51 years old, and have put our kids through college with no loans, have our cars and house paid off, and have contributed nicely toward retirement. And we hold no expectations over our kids for what they chose to do with the gift of a college education. At their ages now, what they do with their lives is their choice.</p>
<p>And GA2012MOM - I’ll assume you’re not talking about me (the Chemistry/English double major)! I know, I know, I’m an exception…</p>
<p>Please, let’s not this deteriorate into another one of those which-field-is-more-difficult thread. (Although: it’s going to deteriorate rapidly anyway…)</p>
<p>Teriwtt, It is one thing to be pursuing a degree knowing full well that it will lead to an lucrative career. It is quite another thing wiping floors at Starbucks thinking about going back to Grad School in your 40s. Apples and oranges. What if your husband’s graduate and post graduate degree was in, say, Philosophy? Do you think you would be in the same place then?</p>
<p>Yes, I know IP. However you might see some changes in the upcoming years for med school admissions, as they are swinging back towards social and leadership skills being very important. A high GPA and MCAT will not be enough.</p>
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<p>No, not talking about you scout 59, and yes, we all knew this thread would deteriorate rapidly soon after the OP.</p>
<p>I am not surprised, GAMOM, as the percentage of that certain minority was growing too fast, and needed to be checked. It was up to 30-40% in the top Medical schools from what I heard. Some sort of subjective, non-auditable criteria was needed to stop the trend.</p>
<p>Were you satisfied with my explanation of how LA graduates pull down standards for everyone?</p>
<p>Med school leads to a very rough job and financial prospects are not as guaranteed as in earlier days. Period. I majored in humanities and wound up high level in a highly technical field. Why? How? Uh, because I was smart, had the quick learning skills, had shown I had tested myself, know (omg) how to write complex documents, had negotiating skills and was a crack problem solver. I suffered the same later job woes so many have and turned to a completely different sector- based on these skills. </p>
<p>That’s what I want for my kids- not superficial sucess, but life skills that transcend one job title or narrow field. </p>
<p>But, really, watch out for a thread argument that keeps going and going.</p>
<p>I’m not saying these kids are wiping floors at Starbucks, waiting for 40. While I didn’t wipe any of Starbuck’s floors, it took me to my early 40s for things to fall into place, allowing me to return to school. For my kids, that might happen next year, or next decade. They are bright kids and won’t be scrubbing floors at Starbucks. The one who just graduated might be waiting tables or bartending until she figures out how and where she can best support herself, but so what?</p>
<p>As for my husband, he is a very intelligent guy. He networks with more people than I know most people do and has his pulse on his industry. If his degree had been in philosophy, he somehow would have managed to work his way up a corporate ladder, just as he has. He doesn’t sit around waiting for things to come to him. But he was also the type who worked 16-hour days as a grad student and post-doc. Once out, he regularly worked 12-hour days to prove himself, and he has moved up. Those who aren’t working 12-hour days are not moving up as quickly as he is. Those who are working 8-9 hour days are not lasting very long. If you take that same drive and ambition and apply it to whatever your interests are, what else can you ask of yourself?</p>