1.) His choice is a tad rhetorical in the sense that he breaks down the issues of college and how as a society we view it. We necessarily don’t need it, but for some reason it is frowned upon if we have a different idea or path. It’s rhetorical, because he asks the question of college and then proceeds to answer it with his own view on the situation.
2.) It opens a big hole in out academic situation, by giving the liberal arts as a landing point for students who don’t really know where they want to yet. Undecided isn’t really undecided anymore, we are exposing more people to the liberal arts. This in turn limits the “I don’t know” factor. They will find what they will want to do within the 4 year process. Scheuer talks about how we need to teach high school the liberal arts before college, that way it makes things easier on college students. In the article the SAT is mentioned and they say that, “…10 percent if American 18-year-olds would achieve if they all took the SAT, at an age where 30 percent of 18-year-olds go to college (Schuere 238).” So really there isn’t a clear answer on who is really ready for college, due to the many variables and reasonings that Scheurer gives in the article.
3.) Schuere uses this information to justify his reasonings, by supporting the fact of being ready for college in the highschool background. In other words he cites the SAT, like Patrick Sullivan does as a way to say that high school should’ve prepared you for the college reading level and if they didn’t you are a huge step behind.
4.) The ability ladder is a tool to show where we excel in all abilities, except for academics. This could mean; sports, art, music, or hobbies for example. Even cooking makes it on the list! It does support the claim that we are succeed in to learn the ropes of college, because even the highest percentiles in his findings lacked the responses to each course assigned. Basically the “smart kids” get burnt out and my not show their true potentially, because of the high demand of a college education…
5.) I don’t agree with his assumption, because I think even though liberal arts careers are becoming more popular, you don’t see that many out there. I find that many of my friends have a pretty solid idea of what they want to do in college and yes, I am aware that this could change on dime. However they still have a head start. When I attend a four year (which I am), I expect ot the learn things that will help me explore my career and fully submerse me into it, not to bore me with stuff that I really don’t need like phycology. I do think is assumption is a little too far, given that he doesn’t have that much information to support his claim.
