<p>These days, college is meant to prolong adolescence. It’s the de facto route right after high school for most, an extension of it; a holding tank for teens without skills in a country that confuses education for trade. </p>
<p>The problem isn’t nurturing colleges (which are few and far inbetween, State university isn’t afraid to flunk anyone out). The problem is America’s credential fetish and its terrible public education system – the root causes of the lower standards at American universities. There are just too many kids in college that don’t need to be there, and even more than don’t want to be there. Up high school standards so that employers can rest assured that prospective employees can actually read, write and do algebra. Bring back the apprenticeship. Stop forcing higher education down everyone’s throat. Most people just want the skills necessary to get good jobs, not a half-assed liberal arts education and tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt.</p>