How Many Children Have Been Ruined by American Education?
《How Many Children Have Been Ruined by American Education?》
This is an article summarizing a series of discussions on American-style education that we compiled based on a Chinese internet forum. It reflects the perspectives of many Chinese people on American education and is intended for reference by educators.
In American TV dramas, we often see high school students with heavy makeup and diverse hairstyles, whose lives seem to be consumed by love, parties, and alcohol. Even in the classroom, they appear carefree and unruly.
We label it "happy education", but this kind of happiness might take a lifetime to repay.
In contrast, there is the "elite education" in America, where academic performance, community service, sports talents, academic competitions, and social practice are all indispensable. If, unfortunately, they still can't get into a prestigious university, parents might resort to little tricks, such as "buying their way into top schools". Do you think reaching university is the end of "elite education"? No, it's just the beginning.
They seem to be taking different paths, but they all lead to the same destination, destroying the children under the American education system.
I. Elite Education Even More Competitive than in China
Parents under "Elite Education"
On March 17, 2021, the Netflix documentary "Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal" was released, vividly beginning with the anxious wait of American high school students for college admissions results.
Without a unified national exam, the uncertainty of college admissions leaves everything suspenseful until the arrival of the university's email. Test scores, GPA, social practice, academic competitions, sports talents, and community service – all these familiar components to international students are equally pursued by American students.
If unable to compete academically, parents often find alternative routes, like securing backdoor admissions through displays of wealth. An example is Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, who, despite average high school grades, got into Harvard thanks to a $2.5 million donation from his father. Others resort to different means, such as faking athletic credentials, cheating on SAT/ACT exams, or bribery.
"Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal" is based on the largest college admissions fraud case in the history of American higher education. Over fifty individuals, including real estate moguls, a doctor, lawyers, CEOs, celebrities, were involved, implicating top 50 universities in the US.
Apart from buying admissions, having alumni parents also significantly boosts a student's chances of getting into prestigious schools.
Yet, all these are just the entry ticket to "elite education."
The Enormous Pressure on the "Future Elites" in Elite Education
Once in university, the "future elites" enter a battleground. Students have to handle intensive courses and research projects and stand out amidst fierce competition. Even Olympic champions like Eileen Gu must juggle busy training schedules and strive for top grades, as US universities are tough to enter and exit.
In the second half of 2023, Harvard College's Administrative Board conducted an "academic review," resulting in 51 undergraduates being asked to leave and 149 receiving academic warnings.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S.: Only 41% of full-time first-time university students obtain a bachelor's degree within four years, and 59% within six years.
UC Berkeley Professor David Kirp also highlighted in "The College Dropout Scandal" that over 34 million Americans aged 25 and above have college credits but no degree...
This strictness results in severe psychological pressure.
The American College Health Association has released statistics: on average, 32% of students are diagnosed with depression each academic year, and 13.5% have their grades drop due to depression.
The higher the education level, it seems, the greater the pressure. UCB once published a survey report, which clearly stated: 47% of doctoral students and 37% of master's students show symptoms of depression, and among undergraduate freshmen, 1 in every 10 students has a serious tendency towards depression. Among them, international students make up a significant proportion.
Recently, the American media outlet Collegexpress compiled a list of the top ten U.S. universities with the most stress, based on factors most likely to cause depression on campus.
The factors considered for this ranking are:
Tuition and fees (35%): the financial pressure faced by students and their families;
Competitive pressure (35%): the strictness of the school's academic requirements;
Admission rate (10%): the generally very low acceptance rate of top American universities;
Engineering programs (10%): whether the school's engineering program is particularly outstanding;
Campus crime rate (10%)
Unsurprisingly, academic giants like Harvard and MIT, as well as Ivy League schools such as Cornell, Columbia, and UPenn, are all on the list.
According to statistics, the depression rate among Harvard students is as high as 10%, with 70% of students having experienced anxiety and depression.
Sometimes, these pressures result in tragic lessons. We often hear of suicides at some school on the eve of exams.
On November 29, 2023, Sophia Jones, a student of the Princeton University Class of 2027, sadly passed away. Although the school did not disclose the specific cause, she had severe depression and sometimes needed sleeping pills to sleep.
She was the third Princeton University student to die in 2023.
Some students, realizing they can't keep up with the pace, actively choose to transfer to schools with less competitive pressure.
More distressingly, many students, despite knowing they have psychological problems, are afraid to seek help from the university, even though schools always say they offer psychological counseling. However, Yale University once persuaded a student with depression to leave, undoubtedly adding to the student's psychological burden.
So, if elite education is so difficult, why not just settle for a happier education?
II. The True Face of 'Happy Education'
We often hear absurd statements in street interviews, where some individuals lack basic knowledge, even unsure of their geographical orientation, let alone understanding international affairs.
Dismissing classes at two in the afternoon, no homework, no pressure for further education – in China, such a scenario might be deemed the end of a child's academic career.
When we learn their anticipated professions are "lumberjack," "driver," "electrician," this "happy education" seems to have its justifications.
But upon reflection, this type of "happy education" seems to be cutting off their path to upward mobility.
The book "The Globalization Trap (Die Globalisierungsfalle: Der Angriff auf Demokratie und Wohlstand)" mentioned the "pacifier theory," which says that with increasing productivity and competition, 80% of the world's population will be marginalized. They won't need or be able to participate in product production or services, while 80% of wealth will be in the hands of the remaining 20%. To pacify the "abandoned" in society and avoid class conflict, one method is to mass-produce "pacifiers" – addictive leisure and sensory-stimulating products (like the internet, TV, games) to fill lives, divert attention and dissatisfaction, and make people lose their ability to think critically while immersed in "happiness."
Isn't the current "happy education" in the US a variant of the "pacifier theory"? Its aim is social stability and to turn 80% of the people into screws for the 20%.
We are receiving education, we are working, this is our America, but also not.
III. Blind Pursuit of Success and Living in the Moment
Undoubtedly, from the results, "elite education" is the winner, as many born in Rome start with an advantage.
But is that really the case?
Jon Reider, a former admissions officer at Stanford University, said in "Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal" – "In the past three or four decades, higher education has become more like a commodity, something you can buy. Admission itself has become the goal, not education."
Despite the competitiveness of students in prestigious schools, blindly pursuing success does not build a stable life. In the chase, they forget "what kind of person I want to be" and instead focus on "what kind of person I must become to enter these schools?"
Having a diploma from a prestigious school means more chances to join the upper echelons of society without fearing downward mobility. The internal competition in American higher education is creating new inequalities, and the class identity reinforced by graduates of prestigious schools is evolving into a new caste system, running counter to the once cherished "American Dream."
Their lives are full of praise, but in the long run, this breeds a panic about failure, leading some down the wrong path. For instance, Sam Bankman-Fried, the MIT graduate and genius founder of FTX, extravagantly spent clients' funds on luxury houses and harem in holiday paradises, while dabbling in politics and charity. He was later accused of wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering.
Another side effect of internal competition is an exaggerated view of "individual heroism," producing a generation of young elites lacking introspection and gratitude. America's "spiritual education" is turning into a form of "elite tyranny." On one hand, it squeezes the "future elites" upwards, and on the other, it makes them believe in their own success.
Blindly pursuing success is certainly not good, but living in the moment for temporary happiness is even more dangerous, especially in today's struggling global economy.
Many can't even find jobs, and alcohol or drugs may become their escape mechanism.
In the long run, both individuals and society will suffer greatly.
How to solve these problems and allow everyone to have a channel for upward mobility, and a broader definition of success? I believe neither elite nor happy education is the answer. Perhaps this shake-up in higher education will bring new opportunities for American higher education.
