Too Many Students Going to College? The Conversation Continues

Last month The Chronicle Review featured the views of nine scholars on the question of whether too many students were going to college. Their opinions drew a heavy response from readers—the article was one of the most viewed on The Chronicle’s Web site for the entire year and elicited dozens of comments. The forum also prompted coverage by other news outlets and discussions on blogs.

On The Choice, a blog of The New York Times, more than 125 readers weighed in, with many saying college too often is assumed to be the best choice for students. George Leef, director of research at the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, praised the debate for asking the right questions, while the Association of American Colleges and Universities titled its blog post on the subject “Asking the Wrong Questions, Debating the Wrong Issues.” The association’s Debra Humphreys asked, “Instead of debating whether too many kids are going to college, shouldn’t we instead focus on (1) getting more of them college-ready and (2) getting more of these low-income students on an educational track that will provide them with the kind of liberal education needed for success?”

The question was also debated on Scott Jagow’s Scratch Pad blog on American Public Media’s Marketplace radio program, and by parents and students on the College Confidential Web site. Two of the scholars in the forum later appeared on a Talk of the Nation show, on NPR, devoted to the subject. Meanwhile, at the University of St. Thomas, in Minnesota, a reporter for the campus’s student-run online news service, Ben Katzner, asked some students about their own views.