It's that time of year when kids are anxiously waiting to hear if they were accepted to their top-choice colleges. Lately, I have been wracking my brain to try to understand the purpose of the college application process. It, like many other aspects of our education system, seems outdated and completely ridiculous in this day & age when self-taught programmers are making 6-digit incomes.
What other situations exist where a person must apply & be accepted before they are allowed to spend $100K on something? At first, I could not think of any other examples, then I realized country clubs (including the new wave of luxury exclusive gyms) are examples. So, college applications are very similar to country club applications -- apply, get approved, pay big bucks.
In this day and age when many classes are available online, why keep anyone out of a college through an application process?
Speaking from experience, I can say that the 4-year-college application process is incredibly -- and I believe unnecessarily -- complicated & stressful, for prospective students & anyone trying to help them (parents, counselors, friends, etc.) I think it is time to stop the madness & slow down the merry-go-round.
That is why I wonder, "What is the purpose of the high-stakes college application process??" Are colleges trying to "weed out" those who will likely not graduate? The current 6-year completion rate is 62.8%. source Does that statistic demonstrate the application process is "working?" (Honest question!)