In the classic movie, "The Paper Chase," the infamous Professor Kingsfield admonishes the incoming first year Law Students (at Harvard Law) to look at the students on their left and right; only one of them (i.e., of the three of them) would graduate. The others would wash out. [Please ignore the mathematical logic flaw; he was a lawyer, not a mathematician]. Consider that this was an exalted professional school, not undergrad.
When I matriculated at the University of Pittsburgh in the Fall of 1967, there was the same perception - that a large percentage of the Freshmen would ultimately be expelled due to academic failure. I myself became, "Exhibit A" a half year later, though I overcame that initial failure and obtained a small stack of degrees at later times.
About 20 years ago, my son was doing quite well at that same University of Pittsburgh, and thought he would try to transfer to a "better" school. He was told by the two that he actually contacted that they accepted almost no transfer students (at Columbia) because there was basically no attrition. No open seats, figuratively speaking.
So what's the deal now? Is academic attrition a Thing? Does it still happen? Or is it possible to drop classes without penalty, take easier ones, and so on, and simply stay in college as long as one's will and money hold out?
Inquiring minds want to know.
When I matriculated at the University of Pittsburgh in the Fall of 1967, there was the same perception - that a large percentage of the Freshmen would ultimately be expelled due to academic failure. I myself became, "Exhibit A" a half year later, though I overcame that initial failure and obtained a small stack of degrees at later times.
About 20 years ago, my son was doing quite well at that same University of Pittsburgh, and thought he would try to transfer to a "better" school. He was told by the two that he actually contacted that they accepted almost no transfer students (at Columbia) because there was basically no attrition. No open seats, figuratively speaking.
So what's the deal now? Is academic attrition a Thing? Does it still happen? Or is it possible to drop classes without penalty, take easier ones, and so on, and simply stay in college as long as one's will and money hold out?
Inquiring minds want to know.
