Posted on 01/27/2024 5:53:46 AM PST by george76
The average college student has average intelligence, concludes a meta-analysis by Canadian researchers, writes Ross Pomeroy on Big Think. In 1939, when only 10 percent of Americans enrolled in college, the average IQ was 119. By 2022, it's down to 102, not significantly above the average of 100.
“The decline in students’ IQ is a necessary consequence of increasing educational attainment over the last 80 years,” the researchers wrote. “Today, graduating from university is more common than completing high school in the 1940s.”
The “Flynn effect” -- a steady rise in IQs from 1940 onward -- has been well established, writes Pomeroy. However, "there are signs it may have reversed in the first two decades of the 21st century."
The "college for all" movement and easy access to student loans persuaded most high school graduates to give college a try. However, only 58 percent of students complete a degree within six years, Pomeroy notes. Students with lower IQs are more likely to drop out. "One influential study showed that for white American undergraduates with an IQ only slightly above average, their chance of graduating is essentially 50-50."
The researchers called for professors to "adjust curricula and academic standards" so average students can succeed. However, they warned that “employers can no longer rely on applicants with university degrees to be more capable or smarter than those without degrees.”
Some degrees will retain their value, especially those from selective universities. But a Fuzzy Studies degree from Regional State U will be even less impressive to employers. (I believe a gender studies degree signals: "Don't hire this person.")
In 2017, Education Testing Service "experts" estimated that physics (133), math (130), philosophy (129) and materials science (129) majors have the highest IQs. (I assume they're extrapolating from SAT scores.) I was an English major (120). Education majors average 110.
"A degree has become increasingly meaningless as more people attain it," writes Pomeroy.
"Last year, for the first time, the Wall Street Journal-NORC poll showed that 56% of Americans think attending college is not worth the cost," a significant change in 10 years. "Skepticism is strongest" among people of college age.
Makes sense. The sheeple have been watching tell-a-vision all their lives. They are Programed. MK-ultra’ed. 6 hours per day year after year will do that.
The diminishing collegiate IQ level is attributable to the practice of seeking many formerly unqualified students.
Just out of curiosity, have these researchers released their estimate of the average IQ at Ivy League schools or HBCU’s? There has to be at least one special interest group looking for that kind of information.
102 is the average, this means there are gigobs of people in the low 90s. Low 90s is someone who struggles to function in a highly technical society.
Television was available from the 40s on. Most Boomershad it.
Is boomershad some kind of bait fish?
If you’ve watched some of the judicial nominees, mostly black female equal opportunity affirmative action nominees, questioned by John Kennedy who can’t answer first year law school questions, this is no surprise. They must be handing out even law degrees like candy.
However in college I did concentrate on "Foamy Studies."
Aced the lab!
(Affirmative action which excludes whites and Asians)
Just don’t say the quiet part out loud. Children from low economic areas tend not to do as well as children from more prosperous areas, partly because of schools, but mostly of lack of challenging environment that encourages critical and original thinking.
IQ is not necessarily something anybody is born with. But an environment rich in learning situations engages the functions early on, and the IQ responds proportionately.
That doesn’t surprise me at all.
Low 90s is someone called "Coach."
Of course, they can't be too smart or they wouldn't $50 grand a year for a Bachelor of Gender Studies degree.
Not surprising at all. I taught at a university for 32 years. When I retired, more than half of incoming freshman had to take remedial math courses. Only 55% of freshman returned for a second year. The university then did more recruiting in urban areas to try to boost enrollment. That kind of recruiting doesn’t exactly raise the collective IQ of the student body. On top of that, smarter kids are starting to question the value of a grossly overpriced “college experience.”
Most of my friends are college grads, I am not. Without fail, there cannot be ten minutes of conversation with any of them that does not revert to some college anecdote, quote from a lecture, etc. It’s as if that was the point development stopped for them. I dearly love my friends, but this is an observable and repeatable scenario. Where one went to college or to what fraternity one pledged seems to be a major identity factor.
Canadian research group, so I have to wonder if the decline in IQ’s has to do with the increase in foreigners entering Canada on student univ. visas.
Society is getting more complex.
IQs are getting lower.
AI is getting more sophisticated and more capable of replacing both blue collar and white collar jobs.
The number of people who cannot contribute anything of value to society is skyrocketing. This is going to be a problem.
Easy. Women outnumber men now at colleges.
Mic drop...
This is a result of the taxpayers having to pay for the kiddies’ worthless diplomas. The college kiddies haven’t done a damn thing since October 7th but protest and throw anti-Israeli tantrums for their Hamass and Palestinian terrorist pals. About the only thing they learned was how to dress like Middle Eastern terrorists and to take selfies of themselves blocking traffic to post on Tik Tok. They all are frauds and azhos.
There’s also the grade inflation phenomenon.
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