Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just love this story. Why not have signing days for other things besides athletes or top colleges?
How about a top dancer, pianist, chef,or someone going to a tech school etc...
How about signing days after two years at local community colleges going off to wonderful schools who will have the same degree as people who paid 4 years for it?
I know this is DCUM, land of the 4yr college or bust, but I wish the tides would start changing. Technical high schools and technical and specialized career schools are a must.
https://www.today.com/parents/signing-day-heralds-teens-going-jobs-not-college-t127184
I'm a big fan of technical education and I guess this is a fine idea as far as it goes, although to be honest, I'm a little wary of my taxpayer dollars being used to market private industries that are doing the hiring (at least with athletes, the signing days are with educational institutions).
I do want to correct your comment about community colleges, though. The notion that it's 1) easy or 2) common to go to community college and then transfer to a 4-year college and graduate with only 2 years of expensive tuition is a myth.
See:
https://nscresearchcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/SignatureReport12.pdf
Highlights:
* The completion rate for college is considerably higher for those who start at a 4-year institution than those who start at a 2-year community college (62.4% and 3.9.3%, respectively).
* Just sixteen percent of students who started at community colleges in 2010 completed a degree at a four-year institution within six years.
So, let's not romanticize the CC-to-university pathway. It's definitely a viable option, but the reality is most CCs are substandard and the ease of this transfer is oversold.