In this week’s reading, we read about how admission offices of major universities and colleges used different tactics in order to get more people to apply to their schools. Honestly, I have no problem with colleges using certain tactics in order to get more people to apply. As I said in class, it’s similar to a man dressing up in a nice suit for an interview. The point is to sell yourself and to do what you have to in order to survive in this world.
Although there was one tactic described that really caught my eye and bothered me. The chapter describes a tactic where the admissions office offered reduced tuition bills but offered less aid the subsequent years. To me, not only is this not ethical, it just causes more problems later down the road. Colleges and universities are bound to have students apply that are not as financially stable as the rest.
If they apply due to the reduced tuition, this can hurt them later on when the aid is gone. They may have to drop out or continue their education elsewhere. This bothered me because it shows the colleges and universities no longer care about the students but care more about the money that they bring with them. I personally have not suffered from this thankfully, but I have seen others in Penn State suffer from the rising of tuition bills and it saddens me to see that.
Another aspect that was mentioned in regards to getting more applicants, was the appearance of the campus itself when potential students visited. This was something that I experienced when I came to visit Penn State. It was the middle of the summer and the campus was amazing when I visited. For me it created the feeling as if I was on the campus that you see in the movies. Along with the appearance of the campus, I saw a lot of college students already attending Penn State showing their school pride as well as how lively the campus was.
This made we feel as if I wanted to be a part of that as well, to be proud of the school where I am going. Not saying that I’m not, now that I go here, but it was important in my decision. This phenomena was compared to a Potemkin village in the book, basically acting as a method of deception. I don’t see it this way however. I see it as the school dressing for success, much like a poor person can dress up in a nice suit to make it seem as though he was a more successful person. What we see has more of an influence on our decisions than anything else in my opinion. Like if you were to try and date a girl the first thing you notice is her appearance.
Lastly, the reading states that athletics played a big part in the student’s decision. How universities and colleges promote their athletics, in order to provide a more beer and circus atmosphere. I myself did see that the sports atmosphere at Penn State was enormous and wanted to take part in it. It provides a sense of unity to me, unity as a college and the students. But then again there will always be those students who aren’t interested in sports so this will not affect them. Other than the money going to the athletic division and appearance of the campus, I can’t see how spending money on education will provide a more solid education if the students are not as committed to their own education as they are committed to the collegiate subculture. So in my mind, spending money on athletics and appearance is fine.
