A part of the problem ... stems from the rural composition of students
The small rural schools ... with graduating classes of 25 to 40 students ... are under preparing students for college ... they are big on clubs and sports (small communities love their football teams) and do not have adequate academic instructors for science and math .. or even basic language skills.
I had a conversation several years ago with a (then young woman) who had graduated from a nearby university with a masters in business... she had approximately $100,000 in college debt ... she had a part time secretarial position and I asked about her education and how she felt about it ...
Verbatim, her response:
If id knowed then, what I know now, i wouldntve went there ...
I silently shook my head and wondered how her instructors had ever let her pass a class.