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New Mexico Lawmakers Want to Force High Schoolers to Apply for College, and That’s Dumb
National Review ^ | 02/02/2018 | Katherine Timpf

Posted on 02/02/2018 8:37:44 AM PST by SeekAndFind

New Mexico lawmakers have introduced a bill that would force high-school juniors to apply for college or prove that they have other approved post-graduate plans, and it’s honestly one of the most idiotic ideas I’ve heard in a long time.

The bill is sponsored by Republican representative Nate Gentry and Democratic senator Daniel Ivey-Soto. It makes exceptions for those who could prove they would instead be enlisting in the military, attending a vocational program, or getting a job, apprenticeship, or internship.

According to an article in USA Today, the bill is an attempt to reverse declining college enrollment in the state, which was down by nearly 14 percent in 2016 from 2010 levels. My take? It should be none of the state’s business what students decide to do after high school, especially since most of them are literally actual adults by the time they graduate.

Honestly, there are a lot of reasons why this is stupid. For one thing, we now live in a society where you can be a very dumb YouTube star and earn lots of money and fame, despite being painfully uneducated. Who’s to say that one of these kids ain’t going to be the next one of those?

All joking aside, requiring students to make a choice about their post-graduate plans so early could lead some of them to make the wrong decisions. The truth is, not every kid knows exactly what they want to do when they grow up when they’re a high-school junior, and that’s perfectly okay. Maybe some of them know that they don’t know, and they’d like to spend a year or so trying to figure it out before saddling themselves with life-altering amounts of debt.

(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: New Mexico
KEYWORDS: college; education; newmexico
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To: SeekAndFind

Got a better idea.
Bring back decent vocational training and apprenticeships.


21 posted on 02/02/2018 9:01:17 AM PST by Little Ray (Freedom Before Security!)
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To: SeekAndFind

To me the big problem with this, is requiring students and their parents , to make these commitments.

We can and should encourage high schoolers to think about their future, explore career fields, and find a path as they transition to adulthood.

But to me, there’s a big difference between encouraging them to plan for the future, and compelling them to choose college, whether college would fit in to their plans or not.


22 posted on 02/02/2018 9:06:35 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Verginius Rufus; Leaning Right

Remember, if they make it mandatory to go to colleges then they are obligated to provide the funds for them to do so. You will see a big increase in government guaranteed student “loans”. The colleges take the money, the student defaults on the “loan” and the taxpayer gets stuck with the bill. It’s a pure payoff to academia.


23 posted on 02/02/2018 9:10:36 AM PST by circlecity
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To: Fester Chugabrew; SeekAndFind
Fester Chugabrew :" Re-education is that important. "

Mandatory re-education to assure flaming-liberal outcome and graduates.
Mandatory indoctrination program..
and when college applications fall 17 %
more job security for liberal professors.

24 posted on 02/02/2018 9:12:39 AM PST by Tilted Irish Kilt
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Yes, I agree. But I think the time to start that process would be in 7th grade. They could read Jordan Peterson’s 12 steps... And be exposed to how to write a resume and cover letter, what colleges and employers look for, etc.

No time in the school day for that? They could replace sex ed with it, and it would probably be more effective at keeping kids’ noses to the grindstone.


25 posted on 02/02/2018 9:22:21 AM PST by Chicory
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To: rarestia
I applied to 20 different colleges but was only accepted to 11 of them.

That's a lot of money on applications! I applied to four, after studying their student profiles. Accepted to all four (wait-listed on two, but made it through the wait-list.) Of course, that was in the early '80s. The game may be played differently now, and the applications are on-line and more standardized.
26 posted on 02/02/2018 9:27:18 AM PST by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics.)
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To: Dr. Sivana

Where they heck did you apply that you had to PAY to apply? I didn’t spend a dime on my applications, as I recall.


27 posted on 02/02/2018 9:38:32 AM PST by rarestia (Repeal the 17th Amendment and ratify Article the First to give the power back to the people!)
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To: rarestia
Where they heck did you apply that you had to PAY to apply? Fees were universally between $20 and $35 then, with the exception of a handful of freebies. I got in a little trouble because I submitted an application on behalf of a classmate to Rice University as a prank, because it was free.

No wonder people apply to dozens of colleges. They are making a lot more work for themselves.
28 posted on 02/02/2018 9:47:03 AM PST by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics.)
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To: Dr. Sivana

I legitimately don’t remember having to pay anything, but then it’s possible my mom picked up that tab. It’s been a while. Many of them were long shots (MIT, Yale, Harvard).


29 posted on 02/02/2018 9:59:58 AM PST by rarestia (Repeal the 17th Amendment and ratify Article the First to give the power back to the people!)
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To: SeekAndFind; LegendHasIt; leapfrog0202; Santa Fe_Conservative; DesertDreamer; OneWingedShark; ...
This thread and earlier FR article:

New Mexico bill would force students to apply to college

NM list PING!

I may not PING for all New Mexico articles. To see New Mexico articles by topic click here: New Mexico Topics

To see NM articles by keyword, click here: New Mexico Keywords

To see the NM Message Page, click here: New Mexico Messages

(The NM list is available on my FR homepage for FR member use; its use in the News Forum should not be for trivial or inconsequential posts. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)
(For ABQ Journal articles requiring a subscription, scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the article for free after answering a question or watching a short video commercial.)

30 posted on 02/02/2018 10:08:54 AM PST by CedarDave (If Lea County, New Mexico was a state, we would be #7 in US crude oil production [NM is #3].)
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To: SeekAndFind

Do they have uniforms for them to wear too?


31 posted on 02/02/2018 10:13:32 AM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: rarestia

Did you get any “surprises”?


32 posted on 02/02/2018 10:25:06 AM PST by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics.)
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To: sipow

You have a stunted view of college. There are critical topics taught that are not politicized.


33 posted on 02/02/2018 10:38:31 AM PST by GingisK
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To: Dr. Sivana

UPenn, but I never had any intention on moving to Pennsylvania.


34 posted on 02/02/2018 11:30:37 AM PST by rarestia (Repeal the 17th Amendment and ratify Article the First to give the power back to the people!)
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To: GingisK

They are liberal indoctrination centers.


35 posted on 02/02/2018 12:23:20 PM PST by sipow
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To: EagleUSA

Thanks right up there in stupidity with forcing them to go to high dchool.


36 posted on 02/02/2018 1:33:17 PM PST by ully2
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To: sipow
Only for those with weak minds. If you want a high paying job in the technologies or science, you'll have to have a degree. As I told you before, science and technology professors are not generally into political indoctrination. There is too much of substance to cover. Liberal arts professors are a different matter; however, only weak minded and improperly raised students fall for their crap.

If you are happy with a trade, then stay out of college.

37 posted on 02/02/2018 9:43:05 PM PST by GingisK
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To: circlecity
This is probably being pushed by the colleges as a money making deal.

Better described as the college teacher employment act.

38 posted on 02/02/2018 10:13:21 PM PST by oldbrowser (There is a striking similarity between Islamist, BLM, Antifa, Nazis, anarchists, and the democrats.)
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