What to do after college?

The movie Neighbors is mainly focused on Greek life in college and the social aspect of it. Because of that, the movie hardly touches on academics in college. Most greek chapters require their members to maintain a certain GPA for them to be considered active members in the organization. The system of grade inflation helps many fraternity and sorority members to stay active in Greek life. The movie shows that college students can go to parties all the time and can still pass college courses. Grade inflation makes it easier for sorority and fraternity members to attain high grades while involving in Greek life. They don’t have to put excessive amount of efforts in school to be an active member of a Greek organization. Moreover, sorority and fraternity members can go to parties almost everyday and can still pass many classes. While the greek system strives for high academic achievement, members in Greek life only want higher grades if they don’t have to work hard for those grades. Fraternity members in the movie Neighbors have more time for drinking and partying than for studying. College students in general tend to not challenge themselves with hard work. In Neighbors, there’s a scene particularly related to this. The scene was at a job fair where Teddy was asked for his GPA from a representative from AT&T. Even though Teddy is the president of his fraternity, his GPA is higher than 2.0 but is still below 3.0. Despite the fact that Teddy is able to pass most his classes, a representative from AT&T called him dumb and stupid at the job fair. The representative demanded someone else who is better than Teddy and has a higher intellectual capacity to work for the company. Teddy would be unable to get the job position if he decided to apply for it. This scene clearly demonstrates that Teddy is definitely not prepared for the real world. He would have a hard time finding a job after graduation. He might eventually be unemployed. The movie Neighbors shows that fraternity members don't have to spend time studying or going to classes. Furthermore, fraternity members can still manage to join Greek life and to pass most classes. This is true for students outside of Greek life also. It happens in many campuses across the country. College students don’t spend their time on school work but on their social life instead. 

College students can easily get away with minimal efforts in school. In the article called “Grade Inflation: The Effects on Educational Quality and Personal Well Being” by Clifford H. Edwards, the author points out that the quality of our college education has been greatly affected by grade inflation. The quality of education should be considered a very important matter in college. The article describes that the standards of education have been lowered in expectations. Because of that, there’s a pressure on professors to lower their standards. Professors are pressured by college students and parents to give higher grades. Student evaluation on faculty members is responsible for grade inflation. Some professors would feel obligated to give higher grades due to this system. “Consequently, when schools through inflated grades promote lowered standards, students realize that what they are doing is not substantial, but they are deceived into thinking that what is expected is all that is needed. Thus students routinely perform far below their capacity…” (Edwards) This phenomenon causes students to give minimal efforts in their work so that they can have more time spending on social events. Therefore, college students don’t have to spend many hours of studying outside of class in order to do well in the class. In the article, the author also states that self-esteem is also affected by grade inflation. Students feel good for constantly getting high grades in their classes. College students are now received more A’s than ever before. As a result, students reward themselves by going out more often. They don’t concentrate much on the quality of college education. Grade inflation boosts up their confidence. It is misleading for students to think they are prepared for the real world. “Grade inflation has the potential for undermining the traditional purposes of the university, altering student-instructor relationships, eliminating the gatekeeping role of the university, and failing to adequately prepare students for the world of work.” (Edwards) The lack of proper training would lead to future employees to not be able to efficiently perform tasks required for their jobs. In my opinion, grade inflation is in fact an issue in our education system. Students should focus less on memorizing facts just to do well on tests. “The emphasis on self-esteem and its companion grade inflation have created conditions in schools where students no longer have to meet challenges, overcome frustration, or demonstrate persistence in order to be successful.” (Edwards) This article also describes many factors contributed to grade inflation. In addition, the article suggests some solutions for this issue. Another article related to this topic is called “Education Programs Are Said to Dole Out Too Many Easy A’s” by National Council on Teacher Quality. According to the article, the coursework of education students is easier than students in other departments. “Are teacher-training programs rigorous enough?” (Chronicle Of Higher Education) This question was asked in the article in order to raise the awareness of the quality of education programs. More education students graduate with honors degree compared to students in different departments. The teacher-training programs are being questioned on their quality. Students might not be prepared for the real job after graduation. The National Council of Teacher Quality argues for a more objective curriculum as a solution. The article describes that improvements need to be made on training programs. In my opinion, grade inflation affects college students in every department. Education department isn’t the only department that is affected by grade inflation. College education is supposed to prepare students for life after graduation. College students are supposed to receive an education that will be beneficial to them. Grade inflation makes it difficult for college students to be successful after graduation. 

Citations:

1. "Education Programs Are Said To Dole Out Too Many Easy A's." Chronicle Of Higher Education 61.12 (2014): A17. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
2. Edwards, Clifford H. "Grade Inflation: the Effects on Educational Quality and Personal Well Being." Education. 120.3 (2000). Print.