Did you review the curriculum for DC's major?

[Anonymous]

I encouraged (required) my kid to look at the class offerings in his major of interests for every college he applied to. In some cases, I took a look myself just to see what there was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have any idea about the academic rigor of your DC's program of study, and do you even care if it's rigorous and makes them a stronger thinker?

My nephew is "killing it" according to BIL at his run of the mill state school. BIL brags about how the kid is getting As. I took a look at the list of courses he's taking and he has shown me the syllabus for a class that relates to my field. I can't believe how little this college expects of its students. They basically just collect tuition for four years, stamp their diploma, and send them out into the world without bothering to make them learn how to write or think critically. I'm sure the kids who major in job oriented things like nursing or structural engineering have to actually learn something, but my nephew is not being served well by his college IMHO.

I remember reading something about a study showing that most college kids didn't increase their intellectual skills much from freshman to senior year. I thought this had to be a poorly done study, but now I can see how this is possible.

There are 4,000 colleges out there.

Only about 250 of them are worth going to.

Regardless of what DCUM likes to think...this is the absolute truth.

Even the Less High School Stress postings that someone always links agrees.

Yep.

You said run of the mill state school so I assume not state flagship? Those schools definitely serve a need but serving the need of intellectuals is probably not one of them.

I also get annoyed by braggarts and would totally have critically looked at the syllabus he handed me and questioned it too.

[Anonymous]

You are a nasty busybody.

I did look at some course offerings for my kids as they were trying to decide between schools. We'd talk through them as part of their decision-making process.

You should be happy your nephew is "killing it," and I hope your kids do, too. But your post is nasty.

[Anonymous]

OP every family needs at least one adult. Don’t let the crazies here at DCUM get you down. Reviewing course catalogs should be part of every kid’s decision process. Syllabus review, if available, should also be part of the process.

Most people simply do not grasp the difference in quality of education offered in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP every family needs at least one adult. Don’t let the crazies here at DCUM get you down. Reviewing course catalogs should be part of every kid’s decision process. Syllabus review, if available, should also be part of the process.

Most people simply do not grasp the difference in quality of education offered in the US.

100% correct. I agree with the above post.

I have read hundreds of college curriculum offerings and requirements. Incredible resource to learn about majors and schools. Huge difference in quality & quantity of offerings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP every family needs at least one adult. Don’t let the crazies here at DCUM get you down. Reviewing course catalogs should be part of every kid’s decision process. Syllabus review, if available, should also be part of the process.

Most people simply do not grasp the difference in quality of education offered in the US.

💯 agree

[Anonymous]

Sort of. I review the coursework my kids are required to do to fulfill the general college requirements when they start college and their majors when they are ready to declare. I ask them got tell me what classes they are taking each semester snd keep an eye on whether they are making progress towards getting the classes done such that they will to graduate on time (ie, in 4 years). Sometime junior year, I ask them to share a copy of their degreeworks form and tell me how the plan to get the remaining classes done over the last three semesters.

So yes— I have some idea what classes are required and what they have left to do before they can graduate. And here’s my rationale: we will get them both through college with no loans. But it’s meant a lot of sacrifice on our part. We cannot afford for them to go over 4 years, and after we worked so hard to keep them from having to take out student loans, I don’t want them to end you with loans to fund a other semester because someone didn’t realize they were missing a specific class or requirement. Especially if they could have taken a summer community college class before senior year and met the requirement.

I feel like it’s a good balance for our family. And our kids have never pushed back. But, they went in knowing we were serious about 4 years. They aren’t surprised we’re are making sure they are on that track. And I’d describe us as informed. But we do not micromanage.

I do sometimes share general wisdom from when I was in college, largely about balancing workload (ie, three of these classes require you to read novels. Are you up for doing that much reading of the same type of thing?).

Where choices exist, I do not make suggestions about which one take. I have never seen one of their syllabi. But, they both study interesting things. So I try to do some reading in an area of one of their classes so because it’s a way in to connecting with them. I can say— big volcano eruption in Iceland. How will that impact Xxxx? Or, is your European police class discussing xxx? What do you think about it? They respond and are proud to have info I don’t. And interesting conversations happen.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I guess I wasn't clear. I'm asking if, during the school selection phase, you looked at what the school was offering for your DC's area of study. For example, if your DC wants to study management, did you bother to look at what classes are required for that major to make sure it's not a joke major at this school, and that it will actually require them to learn some skills? I never mentioned anything about helping an enrolled college student select their courses. But the parent who posted about monitoring progress toward meeting all degree requirements made a good case for why one should.

Nephew does not attend the flagship public and is out of state.

With my nephew, my concern is that he's in a major that is considered a super easy one at his school (based on Reddit comments it's what most recruited athletes choose), and the school itself is not known for being an intellectual or academic powerhouse. He isn't in a major that involves accreditation or where students are being prepared for external certificates, so there is no third party making sure that the major is not a joke. IOW, nobody is looking out for whether this major is going to help him accomplish his goals.

I don't say anything to him or his parents about this, so I'm not getting into anybody else's business.

I wrote the OP because I'm curious how common it is for parents to not care about the quality of the college education they're going to pay $200K+ for. Are parents really fine with their kids not learning much in the classroom so long as they graduate? Do parents realize that this is something they could and/or should do? Today is the day kids have to make decisions about where they'll attend, so I wonder if families bothered to look at this sort of thing as part of that decision process.

[Anonymous]

"You should be happy your nephew is "killing it," and I hope your kids do, too. But your post is nasty."

Seriously? You'd be fine with your kid getting all As in high school when you see that they never have to read an entire novel or write a cogent report on it? You're fine with them getting an A in Algebra even if they don't understand it well enough to be able to handle the next math class? I wouldn't pay for a private K-12 school that didn't teach my kid, and I'd try to transfer them to another public school if I saw that happening, nor would most parents. Why do you think it should be different in college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few years ago, my wife was the head of program that hired 60-70 college grads each year. She would tell me stories about parents reaching out to her about hiring decisions related to their kids. The level of intrusiveness was shockng. However, I see this stuff on this board and it doesn't shock me.

I swore this was exaggerated until I experienced it. I was a hiring manager at the time. I had a father reach out to me about employment options for his daughter, who was moving with her newlywed husband, for a position with us. He was concerned about her finding meaningful work. I was so mortified for our new hire until I informed him and he shrugged it off. Not surprisingly, he was a poor fit for the organization and completely lacking in self-awareness.

[Anonymous]

Majority of college students change their majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sort of. I review the coursework my kids are required to do to fulfill the general college requirements when they start college and their majors when they are ready to declare. I ask them got tell me what classes they are taking each semester snd keep an eye on whether they are making progress towards getting the classes done such that they will to graduate on time (ie, in 4 years). Sometime junior year, I ask them to share a copy of their degreeworks form and tell me how the plan to get the remaining classes done over the last three semesters.

So yes— I have some idea what classes are required and what they have left to do before they can graduate. And here’s my rationale: we will get them both through college with no loans. But it’s meant a lot of sacrifice on our part. We cannot afford for them to go over 4 years, and after we worked so hard to keep them from having to take out student loans, I don’t want them to end you with loans to fund a other semester because someone didn’t realize they were missing a specific class or requirement. Especially if they could have taken a summer community college class before senior year and met the requirement.

I feel like it’s a good balance for our family. And our kids have never pushed back. But, they went in knowing we were serious about 4 years. They aren’t surprised we’re are making sure they are on that track. And I’d describe us as informed. But we do not micromanage.

I do sometimes share general wisdom from when I was in college, largely about balancing workload (ie, three of these classes require you to read novels. Are you up for doing that much reading of the same type of thing?).

Where choices exist, I do not make suggestions about which one take. I have never seen one of their syllabi. But, they both study interesting things. So I try to do some reading in an area of one of their classes so because it’s a way in to connecting with them. I can say— big volcano eruption in Iceland. How will that impact Xxxx? Or, is your European police class discussing xxx? What do you think about it? They respond and are proud to have info I don’t. And interesting conversations happen.

This is my concern too…graduating within 4 years. I’m not overbearing (in my opinion), but I do ask if he’s met with his advisor to review course selection and to make sure all requirements are being taken , plus the required electives. Then I like to know what classes he’s registered for just so I know he’s on track. I’ve told him you have to be a step ahead of the advisors sometimes; an extra semester (or even a course during the summer) is pricey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I guess I wasn't clear. I'm asking if, during the school selection phase, you looked at what the school was offering for your DC's area of study. For example, if your DC wants to study management, did you bother to look at what classes are required for that major to make sure it's not a joke major at this school, and that it will actually require them to learn some skills? I never mentioned anything about helping an enrolled college student select their courses. But the parent who posted about monitoring progress toward meeting all degree requirements made a good case for why one should.

Nephew does not attend the flagship public and is out of state.

With my nephew, my concern is that he's in a major that is considered a super easy one at his school (based on Reddit comments it's what most recruited athletes choose), and the school itself is not known for being an intellectual or academic powerhouse. He isn't in a major that involves accreditation or where students are being prepared for external certificates, so there is no third party making sure that the major is not a joke. IOW, nobody is looking out for whether this major is going to help him accomplish his goals.

I don't say anything to him or his parents about this, so I'm not getting into anybody else's business.

I wrote the OP because I'm curious how common it is for parents to not care about the quality of the college education they're going to pay $200K+ for. Are parents really fine with their kids not learning much in the classroom so long as they graduate? Do parents realize that this is something they could and/or should do? Today is the day kids have to make decisions about where they'll attend, so I wonder if families bothered to look at this sort of thing as part of that decision process.

Actually , in hindsight, I wish I had looked at the courses needed each semester for my kid’s major. Not the syllabus, but just the titles of the classes needed and in what sequence. It worked out in the end; my kid chose accounting and it was pretty streamlined.

[Anonymous]

I took a look at the curriculum and compared it to curricula of the top two colleges in the same major. It's too early for the kid nut I made them aware that some of the required classes at Stanford for example are electives at the admitted school. It is just good to know the knowledge you will be competing against for jobs. Take that stochastic modeling class at your state school and be competitive against your Ivy plus colleagues.

[Anonymous]

I couldn't handle all these posts attacking people, but I will agree with the person who said every family needs (at least) one adult.

If your student is planning to major in engineering of some kind, or even business at a small group of colleges, there are definitely GPA requirements before declaring the major and tracking GPA requirements in other cases.

It would be incredibly foolish not to to be aware of this before signing onto a college. Just for one example, Univ of Wisconsin has "progression" requirements including a 3.2 GPA to declare for mechanical engineering across a handful of rigorous math and science courses. If you do not have the grades, they may offer an extra semester, but otherwise you are SOL.

Other colleges just say C (or even C-) or higher and you get to keep going in your major (like direct admit).

If you do not at least check for this (or have your student do so), then I actually consider that negligence. Not life-threatening, but an unforced error type of negligence.