<p>If college was only about future earnings, then I would agree, Trade School would be a great option.</p>
<p>Otherwise, you cannot begin to compare the intellectual stimuli between a Trade School and a college or university. </p>
<p>Personally, I would never counsel any student--not even the thickest one--to give up an opportunity to experience some of the heady intellectual expansion that takes place on a college campus. </p>
<p>Go to trade school after you've read a bit of Dosteyevsky. Life is long. There is plenty of time for work and money. Take four years to expand your mind so that you have something to talk about as you slog out the hours on the jobsite, year after year.</p>
<p>Well, I certainly wouldn't want a thick student installing my furnace or changing my brakepads. I suspect many of those thick students head to the lowest tier colleges, where not much intellectual expansion is happening, and then aren't qualified for much of anything if they do graduate. They're not reading Shakespeare; they're making paper mache models of the Globe Theater and earning 3 Lit credits.</p>
<p>I bet most every poster on CC values the college experience. But I still contend it's not for everyone.</p>
<p>There is even more time after HD to read whatever you like--about 60 years so saying it HAS to be done in four years within brick walls is silly.<br>
BTW my auto mechanic has a chemistry degree from a top LAC. I don't know about his reading habits but he is a great mechanic and enjoys the work.</p>
<p>I agree with stickershock. College is not for everyone. Most people can't afford the luxury of sending their "thick" child to college just for the experience if they know his chances of success are low because he's just not that interested in academia. If a student's strengths lie in a more trade oriented area and that is what he wants to do, then he should go for it.<br>
There is a great need for people with 2 year technical degrees. They keep our lights on at night amongst other things.
Not fair to imply that those who don't go to college will not have anything to contribute to intelligent conversations.</p>
<p>Interseting that you bring up Europe, dke. This is purely anecdotal, but my brother-in-law is from Germany & he says that Europe is very rigid in their tracking of students. Once you take a step off the academic trail, it is difficult to get back on. BIL was one of those smart, mechanically inclined kids who chose to study as a mechanic. Older brother became a neurosurgeon, so they were placed on very differenct tracks. Once he did machine-shop/mechanic work for a while, he realized that engineering was his true calling. He had to study in the US to achieve his goal, eventually earning a masters degree as a Fulbright. The US seems so flexible in our education system, with choices that include community colleges, trade schools, adult ed, elite colleges.... A great range that can meet anyone's needs. </p>
<p>More importantly, you can completely re-invent yourself here. I know nurses who became doctors, cops who became lawyers, community college grads who became high-ranking executives. I hope CC kids who are crushed by their dream school rejection are able to see the range of opportunity available to them.</p>
<p>"Take four years to expand your mind so that you have something to talk about as you slog out the hours on the jobsite, year after year."</p>
<p>cheers, I really don't think most tradesmen are slogging out the hours. They are constantly being stimulated by new challenges, new puzzles, new problems to solve that require new approaches. I don't think you can compare the work of a skilled tradesman to an unskilled laborer who does, indeed, need to keep his mind occupied with something other than the ditch he is digging or the trash he is hauling.</p>
<p>My husband is a bio-med engineer who relaxes on weekends by working on cars. He loves to connect with two local auto techs in the neighborhood. All three have an innate understanding of physics and an absolute love of cars, engines, and all things mechanical. They're not discussing Russian Lit, but they certainly are being intellectually stimulated as they enjoy a cold beer together.</p>
<p>I agree that European-style tracking is too rigid and comes too early (I'm a product of this tracking myself). At the same time, I also believe that US k-12 education places too much emphasis on "core" academics and not enough on vocational education. A better balance, without tracking would be beneficial to all.</p>
<p>We're lucky that our high school restored its voke-ed program that was being driven into the ground by a previous principal. It was restored partly because the Mass biotech sector was supportive of it and donated a state-of-the art biotech lab and committed lots of human resources to a set of biotech courses. </p>
<p>I also think that some students who are more concrete learners may really benefit from having a voke-ed approach to learning math and science. It may not help boys's verbal skills but may fit their learning style better. I was told that in CA (or at least in one district) voke-ed had been completely eliminated. The person who told me that was envious of the voke-ed opportunities available in MA. They would have really helped his son.</p>
<p>marite, in NJ (at least in the north) we have seperate vo-tech schools. Unfortunately, they are being utilized as dumping grounds for problem kids. The concrete learners you speak of, who would thrive in a vo-tech school, are often afraid to attend these schools because they are not much safer than juvenile prisons!</p>
<p>We have an awesome Voc-Tech school in this area - covers several towns who all contribute to have their students attend - it is $$ supported by all the towns involved. I am in complete agreement that college is not for everyone - and it amazes me that at our Voc-Tech that many students graduate with many college credits already in hand - since they have an agreement with the locsl Community College as well. Our Voc-Tech has a 200+ student waiting list!!! It is great to see so many of them heading off to college - or off to jobs - well trained - guess we get the best of a couple of worlds here :)</p>
<p>Are you talking about Minuteman? I'm told--and quite believe--that it is perhaps the best vo-tech school in the country. I heard of a young woman who went from there to MIT.</p>
<p>From the Minuteman website:</p>
<p>Minuteman Regional High School is a four-year public regional high school serving Acton, Arlington, Belmont, Bolton, Boxborough, Carlisle, Concord, Dover, Lancaster, Lexington, Lincoln, Needham, Stow, Sudbury, Wayland, Weston and many other cities and towns in Eastern Massachusetts. The school also provides free career development programs to many adults from its sixteen member towns.</p>
<p>Minuteman has a special mission which you can review if you click here. It is the only truly comprehensive high school in our sixteen member communities. It combines rigorous academics and preparation for college (the main purpose of traditional local high schools) with carefully designed relevance to career exploration and learning (the main purpose of vocational-technical schools). This combination comes from the original planners of the school as they focused on needs of students living along the Technology Highway of Massachusetts. Other area schools sometimes use the label comprehensive but under state regulations are not allowed to operate the Chapter 74 technical programs available at Minuteman. So Minuteman offers some very special advantages to students, advantages that you can review if you click here.</p>
<p>Around here most kids dont go to college, about 10% of the graduating class do. Most kids opt for co-op classes in carpentry, electricity, plumbing. There is also a vo-tech school that offers auto mechanics, printing, etc. More people from the vo-tech go to college than people from the regular public school. The community frowns upon the public school, and rents want their kids to go to the vo-tech where they have to be accepted first. I guess its a little switeched here.</p>
<p>oh and for the record...taking it back to the original theme...I only applied to big football/sports schools and I'm a guy. The reason...well I just wanted that kind of atmosphere, the college football saturday atmosphere.</p>
<p>MARITE - no I wasn't talking about Minuteman - but I am familiar with that school too - oops forgot about it tho - different geographical area and much bigger - and a much more affluent area as well - but yes - a great school.</p>
<p>We are on a much smaller scale where I live - and alot less affluent too - but........ our Voc-Tech still does a fairly good job of getting kids out into the work force - one way or another. :)</p>