The Value of of a Bachelor's Degree

Does anyone know of any method of quantitatively evaluating a college degree?

To illustrate the question, how would one compare, say, a degree in electrical engineering from Penn State with a degree in Ethnic Studies from Yale?

The "good" evaluation system would take into account, as a minimum:

The relative competitiveness of the college,
The academic rigor of the college major,
Grades vs. The same - school average (some schools inflate grades).

It seems to me that these are all things that could be quantified. What is the average SAT score of admitted freshmen? What is the ratio of applicants to accepted students? SAT scores of students with the same major. Grades are obtainable, provided individual names are not divulged.

Does anybody do this?

From what I have seen from high school classmates where you go matters. Those that went to top colleges like Yale, Stanford, University of Chicago, Michigan got better jobs over those went unranked schools.

It actually depends a lot on what you're going to study. And also on how easily impressed your prospective employer is by "name-brand" schools.
 
Once you could work your way up, today a BA may help open a door. In our modern gig economy it may help as well. The destruction of unions has hurt too. A STEM graduate is a means to more security today, but oddly most of my work these past twenty years or so didn't exist when I entered the job market.

Is College Worth It? - TIME

Education & the Workforce of the Future

College | Pew Research Center
Depends on what the Major is, many of the degrees give now are False degrees that really don't need expert knowledge in. Media, Sports, real estate, pottery, Law-enforcement, photo lab, and many more. Many were created to make money for the schools. Many were taught by Special Schools for the Jobs that they would be used in. Met a guy who had a degree in Geography worked for Sara Lee as a Shipping director. Even he said that he never used anything that was taught in College. As for me Welding school, Auto tech worked out great.

Yeah I regret not trying welding, but after two college degrees and a lot years wasted in low paying $7-$12/hr jobs is to late in life to try to start over again. So the quickest career path change for me was to get a CDL and drive a truck.

I advise young kids I meet actually not to go to college, to go to welding school or a trade school instead. I talked one young kid out of college the other day at a truck stop I was having coffee. He wanted to go to college for a degree in Hospitality so he could work for hotels. I told him to ditch the college and go to trade school instead. I told him don't do the same mistake I did and go to college, he was better off doing a trade instead.

Yeah, but does he WANT to be a welder?

Also, there actually are fast-track schools - essentially trade schools - for Hospitality Management that take less time and money to get to the same place, if he really actually wants to work in that field.
 
Does anyone know of any method of quantitatively evaluating a college degree?

To illustrate the question, how would one compare, say, a degree in electrical engineering from Penn State with a degree in Ethnic Studies from Yale?

The "good" evaluation system would take into account, as a minimum:

The relative competitiveness of the college,
The academic rigor of the college major,
Grades vs. The same - school average (some schools inflate grades).

It seems to me that these are all things that could be quantified. What is the average SAT score of admitted freshmen? What is the ratio of applicants to accepted students? SAT scores of students with the same major. Grades are obtainable, provided individual names are not divulged.

Does anybody do this?
To use your example if you compare an EE degree from Penn State and an Ethnic Studies degree from Yale you may be comparing colleges more than degrees which would skew your results.

I would further say from my analysis of classmates I know those who went to colleges that were more selective based on SAT scores did a lot better than those who went to colleges that had low SAT admissions requirements or no SAT requirements. It seems to matter even if you didn't get in a top college, if you graduated from a somewhat more selective college than a college anyone can get into your chances of getting decent paying jobs seems a lot higher. High School classmates of mine that went to colleges with like 1200+ SAT averages I would say faired better than classmates who went to local colleges with low to no SAT requirements that accepted like 75% of all applicants. Graduates from State Universities seemed to do better at landing good jobs than those who went to the State extension campuses that had much lower SAT requirements I noticed.

Many students who go to low SAT requirement or no SAT requirement schools like I did shouldn't even go to college but go to trade school or get in an apprenticeship. I got like a 24 on my ACT got a Bachelor's and Master's with just low paying job offers after college never seemed to be able to move up in pay, so my only way to a middle class salary was to become a Truck Driver. Sadly my CDL was more valuable and led to more good paying job opportunities for me than my Bachelor's in Business and Master's in Education. Even guys I know who were liberal arts majors at more selective colleges seemed to do far better than graduates from colleges that let just about anyone in.
My son took the SATs in Middle School and passed I guess they just need more students in Flower Arranging.

No, your son didn't. There is no "pass" on the SAT. You are confused or making it up.
 
Does anyone know of any method of quantitatively evaluating a college degree?

To illustrate the question, how would one compare, say, a degree in electrical engineering from Penn State with a degree in Ethnic Studies from Yale?

The "good" evaluation system would take into account, as a minimum:

The relative competitiveness of the college,
The academic rigor of the college major,
Grades vs. The same - school average (some schools inflate grades).

It seems to me that these are all things that could be quantified. What is the average SAT score of admitted freshmen? What is the ratio of applicants to accepted students? SAT scores of students with the same major. Grades are obtainable, provided individual names are not divulged.

Does anybody do this?
To use your example if you compare an EE degree from Penn State and an Ethnic Studies degree from Yale you may be comparing colleges more than degrees which would skew your results.

I would further say from my analysis of classmates I know those who went to colleges that were more selective based on SAT scores did a lot better than those who went to colleges that had low SAT admissions requirements or no SAT requirements. It seems to matter even if you didn't get in a top college, if you graduated from a somewhat more selective college than a college anyone can get into your chances of getting decent paying jobs seems a lot higher. High School classmates of mine that went to colleges with like 1200+ SAT averages I would say faired better than classmates who went to local colleges with low to no SAT requirements that accepted like 75% of all applicants. Graduates from State Universities seemed to do better at landing good jobs than those who went to the State extension campuses that had much lower SAT requirements I noticed.

Many students who go to low SAT requirement or no SAT requirement schools like I did shouldn't even go to college but go to trade school or get in an apprenticeship. I got like a 24 on my ACT got a Bachelor's and Master's with just low paying job offers after college never seemed to be able to move up in pay, so my only way to a middle class salary was to become a Truck Driver. Sadly my CDL was more valuable and led to more good paying job opportunities for me than my Bachelor's in Business and Master's in Education. Even guys I know who were liberal arts majors at more selective colleges seemed to do far better than graduates from colleges that let just about anyone in.
My son took the SATs in Middle School and passed .... g.



So, you’re not going to retract this lie?
 

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