As the semester continued, I slipped further into despair. How could it be that graduate students delivered such appallingly poor papers and presentations? They’d gotten undergraduate degrees; why couldn’t they write in sentences? Why were they devoid of originality, analytical ability, intellectual curiosity? Why were they accosting me with hostile e-mails when I pointed out unsubstantiated generalizations, hyperbolic assumptions, ungrounded polemics, sourcing omissions, and possible plagiarism?
The sad thing is, I’m not alone. Every college teacher I know is bemoaning the same kind of thing. Whether it’s rude behavior, lack of intellectual rigor, or both, we are all struggling with the same frightening decline in student performance and academic standards at institutions of higher learning. A sense of entitlement now pervades the academy, excellence be damned.
What does this say about “lower Ed”?
I certainly hope there’s another side of the story but don’t color me particularly hopeful. We’re talking Graduate School here, it’s supposed to be hard. Isn’t it? I believe this is worth repeating…
A sense of entitlement now pervades the academy, excellence be damned.
Our society reaps what it sows. Unfortunately, the sense of entitlement is much a much larger problem than just education.
