# Resolved: The American people should significantly decrease the number of people attending colleges.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-american-people-should-significantly-decrease-the-number-of-people-attending-colleges/514653>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [October 21, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-american-people-should-significantly-decrease-the-number-of-people-attending-colleges/514653 "2009-10-21T18:55:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 9

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**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-american-people-should-significantly-decrease-the-number-of-people-attending-colleges/514653/161 "2010-01-10T19:33:10Z")

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Here’s a very recent RYS post that is both sad and frightening:

[http://rateyourstudents.blogspot.com/2010/01/in-lab-with-lucy.html](http://rateyourstudents.blogspot.com/2010/01/in-lab-with-lucy.html)

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**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-american-people-should-significantly-decrease-the-number-of-people-attending-colleges/514653/162 "2010-01-10T19:51:36Z")

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And here’s [a recent article](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/education/edlife/03careerism-t.html?ref=edlife&pagewanted=all) from the NY Times on what current college applicants are looking for.

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**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-american-people-should-significantly-decrease-the-number-of-people-attending-colleges/514653/163 "2010-01-10T19:52:40Z")

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> [@vivalostwages](#):
>
> Today’s post from RYS fits into this thread:
> 
> [http://rateyourstudents.blogspot.com/2009/11/dick-from-doylestown-on-what-has.html](http://rateyourstudents.blogspot.com/2009/11/dick-from-doylestown-on-what-has.html)
> 
> Having taught for enough years to witness much of what he writes about, I have to agree.

It has always been thus. “Wahhh, kids today.” Old story.

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**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-american-people-should-significantly-decrease-the-number-of-people-attending-colleges/514653/164 "2010-01-10T20:52:19Z")

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> [@RickJay](#):
>
> It has always been thus. “Wahhh, kids today.” Old story.

It was Will Rogers, was it not, who taught, “The schools ain’t what they used to be and never was.”

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**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-american-people-should-significantly-decrease-the-number-of-people-attending-colleges/514653/165 "2010-01-11T00:54:28Z")

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Still, I see a dramatic difference between the college students today and the ones I was teaching 15-20 years ago. Many of the recent ones (the younger set) are more frequently unable to deal with challenge, criticism, or adversity; want to negotiate everything; view themselves as consumers and customers; want that degree quickly but hate working towards it; treat the classroom as if it were their own dining room or entertainment center, etc.

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