But there are always openings for people with excellent writing, research and communications skills. Often the major is just the mcguffin around which to hone those skills.
US college experience is vastly different from other countries and is apples to oranges comparison. In many countries, the students commute from home. There was a recent article that showed how much the Admin costs have grown, with lot more personnel with new buildings etc. Some of the super elite colleges do not even have decent dorms and dining for their students, where more than half the students are paying upwards of 70k. Also, I do not believe more money is going to Professors, because here is an uptick of hiring Adjunct or temporary professors at lower salaries. Many of the state schools have better dorms than the 70k+ colleges.
I would never watch any sports played by someone else other than my young child. And don’t get why US research universities spend so much on it.
Because nothing promotes campus spirit like a winning sports program.
When I attended undergrad, my college was a perennial contender in basketball, and won the championship one year. I have seen first-hand the effect this has on a campus.
Because everyone has different opinions and just because you don’t like it or do it doesn’t mean everyone is like you. I personally don’t like cigarettes and beer and can’t see why anyone else pays money for it, but plenty of people think differently than I do.
But the spending is disproportional for research universities core mission, which I am assuming is something about academics. Or that most of European universities have pretty grim campus spirit. Why can’t they just watch professional teams playing instead. I see people having no problem promoting good spirits in both mental and liquid forms from watching pro sports. And that’s pro sports’ core mission that they get paid for. Colleges are paid for academic degrees and could put a big screen on their main building and cheer for their local city team while having some free pizza. That will raise their spirit I think. Older students can raise both forms of spirits in their dorm watching the games on their smart phones.
In addition to gallentjil’s point, I’d say you’re actually wrong about that specifically as well. I know several very successful family and workplace mediators, for instance. Obviously micro level, but similar field.
That “Peace Studies” major may well be in demand in the UN, various branches of government, NGOs, religious institutions and similar organizations that deal with societal conflict.
^That is true. And not just NGOs and various public interest gigs - I spent a number of years on Wall Street with philosophy majors, poets, a religious studies major, medieval history, linguistics, you name it.
But every single one of them was an Ivy or equivalent graduate, every single one. These were +3sd types, not your average Peace Studies graduate. If you can get into an elite college on the basis of your brains, I’d say choice of major is not going to have a huge impact on your life’s path. If you can’t, then choose your major wisely.
^ Furthermore, only some from Ivy or equivalent graduates with those humanity majors are hired on wall Street, only after competitive hiring process. Many less qualified Ivy or equivalent graduates with such majors find much harsher reality.
This take us back to the Jim Manzi article again.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/how-elite-business-recruiting-really-works-jim-manzi/
In brief, they want 750 math and v+M over 1500, GPA over 3.5, Hard majors, and interviews. While they prefer hard majors such as physics, analytical philosophy, economics and the like, they would also look at soft majors provided they have tough analytical or quantitative courses in the transcript and did well on them.
I am willing to bet most humanities and social science students in the Ivies do not make the first cut.
thank you
" I spent a number of years on Wall Street with philosophy majors, poets, a religious studies major, medieval history, linguistics, you name it.
But every single one of them was an Ivy or equivalent graduate, every single one. These were +3sd types, not your average Peace Studies graduate. If you can get into an elite college on the basis of your brains, I’d say choice of major is not going to have a huge impact on your life’s path. If you can’t, then choose your major wisely"
=D>
I wish this was a sticky on CC. Everytime I hear “major doesn’t matter” on this site I just cringe. For the vast majority of students it does matter. For the top 50% of students in top 30 schools, it probably doesn’t. Especially the top 10 LACs.
This topic is interesting to me. I’ve also always wondered if there was an analysis of the outcome of students that major specially in non US schools (almost every course is in the major) vs the liberal arts method (even at national universities) here in the US. The liberal arts method of generic courses as 1/3 of the college degree increases costs as colleges have to have many different departments.
^^^^ True, but the hiring manager didn’t say “I have two openings for Peace Studies majors.” (S)He said “I’ve two openings for CHYMPS grads.”
I remember walking through Northwestern’s campus and seeing the Social Work building and asking myself, who would pay $50k/year (this was 15 years ago) to get a degree in Social Work from Northwestern when you could get a degree in Social Work from a local state college for a fraction of that.
@BrianBoiler Agree with the NU comment, thought the same when I was there. Similarly, some friends’ daughter just graduated from a top private university where they paid around $275K cash, and she majored in education. She is now teaching in an inner-city district, making $25K per year. I know that an education is forever, but for many people, the end would not justify the means in that case.
But then isn’t it the case that in some other countries, “liberal arts general education” is supposed to occur in upper high school rather than lower university?
Perhaps an analog in the US would be a college that allows substantially all general education requirements to be fulfilled by AP, IB, and college credit earned while in high school, and has students who do so.
Another possible analog in the US would be the few open curriculum schools, where students can take everything in their majors.
@Mwfan1921 If I had the money to spare, I would send my kids to the school that they loved regardless of intended major. I don’t expect my kids to pay me back for their college education, so it really doesn’t matter whether they want a high paying career or not. As it is, I don’t have exactly that luxury, but to the extent that I can, I am doing the same thing. My D, who wants pre-med, could obtain the required classes at any 4 year college. I have given her a range of tuitions that we can comfortably afford and within that, she is free to choose. It does not include “full pay” at a private institution. But I am not going to ask her to take the least expensive school on the list either. You could easily ask why we should pay so much more for a private school when she could get a nearly free education at a decent CUNY school nearby. the answer is that the experience is important to me and to the extent that I can, I want to let her have the one she wants.
However, some hiring managers likely do want that particular major, as I pointed out. From wherever.
@BrianBoiler and @Mwfan1921 : Are you referring to SESP at Northwestern University ? SESP is the School of Education & Social Policy. It is highly respected. Unless things have changed recently, it was the only such program in the country. In short, your comments above are misinformed.
Additionally, SESP students are free to take a second & third major in Weinberg (arts & sciences) if they so desire.
@publisher All schools at NU are well-respected! My point was that one can get a social work degree for less money elsewhere, say UIUC if in-state, among others. And in terms of outcomes, generally those with social work degrees are vying for the same jobs, with the same pay. Of course there are exceptions to this, and of course there are reasons some may choose to attend a certain school other than price and/or projected/guesstimated ROI. We all do the best we can with the data we have.
@Mwfan1921: Does Northwestern University offer a degree in “social work” ?
My point is that neither you nor the other poster know what you are writing about. SESP = School of Education & Social Policy. NOT “social work”. Think “education policy”.