A Global Education

As a continuation of our discussion last week, this week we delved further into international education systems. I've already written about how I feel about my American education (re: An American Education) with respect to residential life, but this week, I think I'll comment on the academic side of things: tracking, narrow scope, and government influence.

One of the most stark contrasts between the American primary/secondary school education and those abroad seems to be tracking at an early age. That is, in the tween years when most U.S. students are primarliy concerned with choosing Team Edward or Team Jacob (google "Twilight"), tweens around the world are choosing career paths. Let me clarify. They may not choose specific careers (i.e., heart surgeon, chemical engineer, sociologist), but they choose a broad path (i.e., math, science, humanities). This choice at the ripe age of 12-14 potentially impacts what university you attend, your major and eventually, your career path. In contrast, in the U.S. we have a very broad education up through the 2nd year of college where you finally choose your major and thus path.

My major concern is narrowing education so much. I am an advocate for general education courses and taking requirements outside of your major. In fact, I'd go so far to say that I'd love to see a requirement to do a minor in some other college well outside the scope of your major. For instance, as an engineering major, I would have to also minor in classics, literature, business, etc. I think that having a broad education allows us to explore many different facets of learning. If I just wanted to learn a skill set, I would be better off getting a two-year associates degree or going to a vocational school. The idea of higher education shouldn't just be about developing career professionals... what about developing life long learners? What happens if we have a job market full of engineers who cannot write or writers who cannot manage finances? How do we expect to be the future developers, thinkers, creators, and innovators if we only look at a small niche of the bigger picture?

Yet, on the other hand, is it worth it for parents and students alike to go into massive debt, take out tens if not hundreds of thousands in loans, max out credit cards and start life in a deep financial hole for the U.S. residential college experience? Furthermore, globally, these international systems seem to have better outcomes (i.e., higher test scores, better primary/secondary education). Is this just a problem with assessment? Why is it, then, that so many people seek out an American education? I'm not sure which is a better system, or if one is even better. They are just different.