Politicians are obsessed with making college free for all students (“Does Free College Work? Kalamazoo Offers Some Answers,” The Wall Street Journal, Jun. 29). I understand the intent behind the movement, but in reality it is going to backfire.
The hard truth is that not everyone is college material. It takes a certain IQ to handle college-level work, or at least what used to be college-level work. Yes, grit can make a difference in overcoming intellectual deficits, but it is not enough. Moreover, so many young people have no idea about what is involved in earning a four-year degree. In high school they were passed from grade to grade without much effort on their part. They think that college will be like high school in that respect.
I do not understand why we persist in the myth that a bleak future awaits those without a college degree. What about learning a trade by attending a community college and doing an apprenticeship? What’s wrong with enrolling in a vocational program? Historians are going to look back at this era and wonder why we deluded ourselves.
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