Every academic institution has its over achievers and underachievers. While some students spent endless sleepless nights to earn high remarks, others skate-by. At the end of a semester, whether you made an A+ or effortlessly received a C-, do you know what students equally receive for passing a class? Credits.
Thus, helping coin the expression, “C’s get degrees.”
Because of this, I am inclined to believe the priorities of many colleges are to seek a profit rather than being an institution devoted to providing its residents not only with information that will better equip them in their field, but to also inspire them to seek knowledge beyond the classroom. Instead, we are being prepped to become modern day indentured servants for larger corporations.
Think of the word credits as it stands alone. You know what credit is? Co-signing. In regards to colleges, essentially, it’s someone with no face validating your worth. This unknown person whom you have no relation to is saying that you’re okay or trustworthy by their standards. It seems fair and serves as a constructive way to have students complete courses. And finally, upon earning enough credits, you receive the largest one: your degree.
And then you take this degree to a potential employer in hopes to receive they’re approval.
This process is equivalent to a friend introducing you to a group of people you may want to hang with. Your friend may say to the group of people, “He’s good. He’s with me (or she).”
That’s all credit really is and it’s as simple as that situation. No-one in the group needs to know how long you two have been friends, not even what makes you such a great friend, if you even are one. The answers to these questions are learned over time after you’ve been given the pass.
But in order to graduate, colleges have set standards before us demanding we acquire “x” amount of credits and a certain amount in specific sections.
This is where the problem lies. Do each of us really need “x” amount of credits in order to say we’ve learned “enough” of a subject or to prove we are capable of understanding an in depth amount of information? In addition, this amount varies from person to person.
Is the standard set before us to broad to fit everyone or should exceptions be made?
As students, we should have the right to petition for our degree. Why? Because we’re forced to sit through classes pertaining to nothing of our interest or, a repeat of reoccurring material we’ve learned somewhere throughout grade school -some of these classes being before our pre-requisite. Also, despite stipulations set before us, many students graduate with over 120 credits or suffice an adequate amount of knowledge and fulfilled their majors requirements before reaching 120 credits. And all for what? Credits.
So, which would you prefer, to be scammed out of your time and money or receive your just earned degree when due?
