If people were using their own money to buy their college education, more of them would choose to study something that would help them earn a living. As long as they're spending OPM, why not major in Underwater Basketweaving?
We, as a country, have big problems in the Universities. In studying for my Masters in CS, I saw that 90 percent of my classmates were 90% from India or China, etc — not good at all. In one basic class, Systems Analysis and Design, we had 21 students. All but 2 were foreign nationals. So, I understand your point first hand.
If people were using their own money to buy their college education, more of them would choose to study something that would help them earn a living. As long as they're spending OPM, why not major in Underwater Basketweaving?
Ma'am, I don't wish to be disrespectful, but so many Freepers seem to think that all any college student needs to do to ensure employment after graduation is change his major from, say, sociology to engineering. The problem is aptitude and educational background. I cannot remember the exact number but not too ago someone posted the opinion of an engineering professor that at his university maybe 15 percent of the student body could handle the mathematical requirements in the engineering school.
One has to understand that few students have the ability to understand higher mathematics and the aptitudes to handle, say, spatial relationships, that many engineers have to deal with. Add in the educational background (maybe the students took almost no math classes in high school; how are the professors going to teach remedial math as they go along in any engineering course?) So saying the answer lies in having students just change their major is not the answer, IMHO.