Week 10 Blog Post: Anuj Patel, Section A03

Anuj Patel

ASA 002, Section A03, Mondays 7:10-8:00om

ID: 998882783

Week 10: The Future of Higher Education

                In the article, “The Time To Fight Is Now: When Asian American Women in Academia Go Rogue, by Associate Professor Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde at UC Davis and Associate Professor Wei Ming Dariotis at San Francisco State University, professor Valverde and professor Dariotis mention the importance of keeping the college system the way it is and also emphasize the importance of professors needing the opportunity to get tenured and to improve their position within society (Valverde and Dariotis 1-2). Valverde and Dariotis say that the way universities run is currently a problem, and it is not the student’s fault that they sometimes underperform or that it may be difficult to get a job in their related field after they graduate.(Valverde and Dariotis 2). I would agree with what Valverde and Dariotis have to say here because if universities do not do what they are supposed to do, how can students possibly succeed at the same rate as if they did do what they are supposed to do? In effect, if colleges do not live up to their standards, students should not be accountable. For example, in California many low end state colleges have a low 4-year graduation rate. (Reese 2016). For example, at California State University Los Angeles (CSU Los Angeles), there is only a 6% on time, 4 year graduation rate. (Reese 2016). This low rate occurs because of many factors which are not the student’s fault. (Reese 2016). These include poor high school preparation as well as the fact that often times colleges do not offer certain classes required in student’s majors every quarter, semester, or even every year, which means that students have to stay longer at college to complete their degree requirements. (Reese 2016). This is unfortunate, because when students have to stay longer in college, they are losing out on potential salaries from their jobs as well as the cost of an extra year of tuition. (Reese 2016). Therefore, universities should aim to improve their 4-year and 6-year graduation rates, to increase their reputation. (Reese 2016). However, if the university itself does not make the changes, students will not be able to succeed as many low income students do not have the necessary resources to overcome their difficulties. (Reese 2016). This relates to the future of our higher education because if resources are limited for certain groups after college graduation, even a college degree could be useless in the future. (Valverde and Dariotis, 1-39).

Question: Should the transition from college to graduate school be given the same consideration and importance as the transition from high school to college now as competition is becoming tougher and tougher over time?

(Bidwell 2014).

Works Cited:

Bidwell, Allie. "Most College Students Don't Graduate on Time." Too Much Freedom Hurts College               Graduation Rates. 2017 US News and World Report, 01 Dec. 2014. Web.                                             <https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/12/01/report-too-much-freedom-hurts              -college-graduation-rates>.

Preese@sacbee.com, Phillip Reese -. "Which California colleges tend to graduate students in four                    years?" Sacbee. N.p., 10 Feb. 2016. Web. <http://www.sacbee.com/site-                                                services/databases/article2575149.html>.

Valverde, C., & Dariotis, W. (2017). "The Time to Fight is Now": When Asian American Women In                Academia Go Rogue. Retrieved June 3, 2017.