Unfortunately, few states require STEM prerequisites in high school, or even teach enough basic math to ensure success in higher courses. This creates an almost unbridgeable knowledge gap.
Remedial courses are offered, but by then most students have learned to prefer regurgitating social justice memes to the rigors of math and science.
I hear this, and it may be true for rural and less affluent school districts...However, I don’t see it where I live...I have 2 (who are now ages 30 and 31) who graduated from a top school system (always making lists/receiving awards for top schools in country, etc.). Both kids had plenty of AP coursework in Chemistry, BC Calculus, etc...One even graduated in 3 years because really nothing of interest for him to take...
Neither would have been able to get into U of I Engineering. Needless to say, they were not poor students—just not the very top students at their extremely competitive high school...There are a number of very competitive schools in the “collar counties” around Chicago, and I know this is common for affluent suburbs outside of major US Cities...
At any rate, Over 26% of seats at UofI were going to foreign students for Engineering classes... The University actually goes to China to recruit...This is a change from decades in the past wheb good students could attend the flagship school of their state.
How’d my sons turn out? Oh, one has MS in Elec. Engr. and is out in San Jose working for top tech co. Other has PhD in Chem. Engineering and heads Operations for a Chem plant. They were not underprepared—just shut out of certain programs...and they have found employment to be extremely competitive as well thanks to the influx of foreign H-1B Visa candidates.
IMHO we have a serious problem if we cannot fill college seats with US students because they are not prepared. ..However, we have a problem when competent students are squeezed out of competitive schools by unlimited!! numbers of foreign students. Those students then obtain various training/intern visas and H-1B Visas after graduating from college making them more attractive to tech companies (thru reduced wages) than US Citizen college grads, and thereby squeezing US citizens out of the STEM jobs or lowering the salary base for US Stem careers.
Do a search on H-1B Visa threads, there are many chronicling the problem.
I am hoping that Trump’s plan to bring school administration back to local communities and a reduction in the granting of H-1B Visas will allow many more US students to obtain a top notch education and quality STEM careers.
Good job with your children!
I believe both lack of preparation and the preference for foreign students are true. Colleges make a lot of money on foreign students. I know we had a large number at my engineering college, and they paid somewhere upwards of 4x tuition. I think money drove all of it, though I must admit they probably supplemented my scholarship.