Gaining A College Degree In The Death Of Expertise By Tom Nichols

During the 1910’s, less than 10 percent of the American population had obtained a high school diploma, and even fewer had received a college degree (Collins). A college degree was seen as a status symbol and showed that a person was willing to attend college and was also willing to become an expert in their field. Although receiving higher education has become more prevalent over the years, college degrees hold less significance than they once did, partly seeing as a greater number of people are attending college. Instead of less than 10 percent of the population having a high school diploma, more than a quarter of the American population has a bachelor's degree or higher (Collins). In his book The Death of Expertise, author Tom Nichols demonstrated

Although college is a way to become educated, some students are unqualified to attend a four-year university. They are sometimes ill-prepared and tend to drop out (Nichols 77). The colleges know these students are not qualified, but they still admit them. Whether a student completes their four-year degree or drops out during the sophomore year, colleges still collect students’ tuition money. Since some students were unable to complete college, they could say they at least ” got ‘some college’”, even though they never completed a four year degree. Rather than wasting money on going to an expensive university, students who dropped out could have been better suited to a trade or technical school and become experts in a field like plumbing or electrical. Although colleges have been admitting students to receive their tuition, they have also been admitting students because they have been pressured to admit more students at cheaper costs (Collins). Going to college has become an expected life choice among high schoolers. Parents want their kids to go to college so they can get a good job. Even though people are being admitted into colleges at cheaper costs, they are still required to pay tuition. Even though the students who drop out do obtain some education, the education is of inferior quality, compared to if students stayed the whole four

Since students can graduate from college and receive a bachelor's degree, they think they are experts in their field, even though they have received the bare minimum of a college education. Most people who consider themselves experts, and have gone to college, have only continued in a classroom environment, not long after high school (Nichols 72). Students that have graduated from college think they know more than people who are actually experts in their field. The reason why students have this overconfidence is because colleges give them “Gut courses” (Nichols 90). Gut courses are classes given by colleges that are easy and are meant for students to receive higher grades. These easier courses give students the illusion of being smart and educated. This sense of expertise makes students believe they know more than they do. Part of the reason why students have this overconfidence is because of grade inflation. Faculty members are encouraged to treat students with greater sympathy, instead of pushing them and making them uncomfortable (Collins). The students who are taking these gut courses are getting easy classes that do not teach students much about the real world or their field of study. Instead of gaining expertise in their subject, students instead learn basic and easy information, in turn, giving students an inferior