reflected by statistics
I’m always a little dismayed when back-to-school season starts up in mid-July – it seems a month and a half is more than ample time to be shopping for folders and hand sanitizer. The New York Times is in the back-to-school spirit, as well, with a special section about colleges and college life today.
Two stories mention my alma mater, The University of Oklahoma, arguing that it’s an overlooked hotbed of academic excellence. One story, titled “Redrawing the College Map” discusses how elite institutions have become so competitive that many bright students are turning to second-tier institutions. It quotes Mark A. Longenecker, who I guess is an education policy researcher. “The University of Oklahoma is a classic example,” he says. “Many students never used to consider it. Now it has the largest share of National Merit Scholars in the country.” Ugh, I really do think the National Merit issue is a canard. OU awards National Merit Scholars such generous scholarships that students of modest means can’t really afford to go elsewhere. (As a freshman, I got a few thousand dollars in cash after paying for tuition, books, and housing.) While the school has the most National Merit Scholars per capita (I think rival UT-Austin has the largest absolute number) most of the students attend on OU’s nearly open admissions policy. The other story notes that OU has an 82 percent acceptance rate. My experience at OU was that while there were many very bright students, classes were geared toward slightly above-average students. I and many of my peers were bored and unchallenged in classes, and campus life had little to offer beyond football and church. The National Merit statistic is used to mask an tedious and conservative environment.
I attended OU nearly a decade ago, and perhaps things are less dreary. For example, there were no venues for indie rock bands when I attended, and now there is The Opolis, which is owned by members of The Starlight Mints. And perhaps classes have gotten more interesting, but OU needs to develop a better strategy for attracting top students and raising its profile than simply handing money to good test-takers.
