You could see OP being one of "those" parents who calls the dean to argue about a grade. No, OP, I don't look at the curriculum for my kid. I do make sure that the colleges they apply to are accredited and have decent reputations, and not necessarily T50. I went to a T150, and I make six figures. Have been doing so for like 20 years. |
your "kid" is now an adult. If you don't trust that your kid knows whether they are learning something or not, maybe don't trust your kid with living away from you either. If your adult kid asks you for advice, that's one thing, but for you to review the curriculum and course catalog and tell your kid what to do is another. That's pathetic. Did you not look into the college before they applied or accepted, and whether they have a good reputation in that field? My kid tells me what they want to study and they decide with their advisor what classes they are going to take. We talk about what classes would be good, but it's my kid who leads that discussions, not the parents. |
The college advisor knows the school and academics there better than you do. If you are in a similar career, and your kid wants your advice, then sure. But, are you forcing it on them? Are you calling the school? |
Yes, we both compared the curriculum at his two top choices (separately), and my son went with the one he preferred, and I concurred. Done. |
Curriculum for my son’s organic chemistry class:
Introduction to organic chemistry; structure of organic molecules, reactions of the principal functional groups, and basic theory. Emphasis on prediction of reaction products and rates using reaction mechanisms as a unifying principle. Sounds pretty basic, right? Organic chemistry is a wash-out class for pre-med majors, and my DS is killin’ it! |
"It strikes me as odd that a parent who is going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to send their kid to school wouldn't examine these things and provide some guidance."
+1 My husband and I are definitely asking questions and making sure DC is thinking about these things (rigor of curriculum and marketability of major). I don't think the former is on the radar for the average 18 year old, since they have had no college experience yet, and it is important. |
Thank you!! |
I'm a professor and have served as a program director, department chair, and on several curriculum committees. I also have a first-year student in college (not mine).
Parents, do NOT do this. If you are worried about your child maximizing their college experience, encourage them to speak to their professors, the department chair, their academic advisors, and older students in their major. When they have the opportunity to choose electives, they should aim for a balance of fulfilling requirements for their intended major and also should take a class outside of their major from a professor who has a reputation for being an excellent teacher (use word of mouth for this, NOT ratemyprofessor). As a parent, you really likely have little understanding of why the major is structured the way it is. There are factors that you likely have not considered (such as availability of certain faculty, accreditation concerns, budgeting issues, class sizes, etc.) that affect curriculum. As for hiring or graduate school, in many cases a student's recommendation from professors, internships, and GPA are important. For many jobs, content is learned on site, not in a classroom. Employers are looking for trainability and skills that can't be taught easily at work, like the ability to write well. |
OK, yes. That's different. I'm a PP who doesn't review course schedule with my kid to be intrusive and check on them, but they share their courses with us. My younger DC is interested in a major that is not offered at most colleges. So, yes, I looked at which schools have the major and what classes are required because I don't know some of those schools. And it's not like I went to a high flying top school. I went to a T150 but majored in something that I knew that school was good for. |
Of course I would help an adult with making big life decisions. My college age kid. My spouse. My parent. My sibling.
Making solo decisions on important things is so stupid. |
I will help if they ask. Otherwise no. Sometimes people can/prefer to make decisions on their own. Thats not stupid. |
I feel like you've posted before about your nephew in the run of the mill state school. I think you need to let this weird obsession go. Not everyone needs "rigor", and if he is a kinesiology major (assuming that's what you meant by an athlete's major) he will likely be in high demand when he graduates.
No I did not review course catalogs for my college kids. One did run his proposed course registration by us, the other did not. They are both very successful working adults. |
That's why OP looked at the actually syllabus |
Assuming you have a motivated child, it makes more sense to compare the ceilings rather than the floors. |
Hillsdale has a level of access to conservative/republican politics that no university can claim to have for liberal/democratic politics. For a future republican, it's a top place to network with like-minded individuals. |