Why is Caltech's graduation rate so low?

mathboy98
Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:00:12 +0000

^^ Right, I was aware I was just being complete in my list of things a school like Caltech should have. They already do everything they reasonably can in today’s day and age using the standard means of assessment.

I’m pointing out that an important flaw is that AP and similar coursework is simply taught the wrong way, and the SAT IIs are conducted as multiple choice tests – there simply isn’t an incentive for high schools to try to teach “real math and science” though a select few do it anyway. These students and any others who make the effort to educate themselves about what the real stuff is like don’t experience a shock in college (I certainly didn’t – it was just as hard as I thought, no more and no less). I have long been a believer that sending a realistic message of what serious math/science work is like would solve lots of misconceptions students have when entering college. A sample of college level maths, physics and chemistry is not something all of the masses should be able to undergo in high school. They’re simply not qualified, but get deluded into thinking they were…given almost everyone remotely serious takes the classes.

I would hope Caltech uses all means they can to screen for which students realistically have a clue what they’re getting into. In fact, it is best to approach students with skepticism, and figure out what they’ve actually learned somehow.