College Grade Slight-of-Hand

I often provide this example of what goes for the best available education today.

At the College of the City of New York during World War II, students were admitted only if they had the highest grades in local schools.

If they were getting deferments because they were science and engineering majors, they had many of their classes marked on a “curve.” This was comparable to having to make the cut in professional golf. The lowest 10% to 15% of each class flunked, no matter what mark they got. Classmates competed against each other.

In the toughest college in the city, perhaps the U. S., open only to the top high school graduates, a student with one class failure immediately flunked out.

Compare that to the Ivy League standards of today!

Students go to Ivy League schools because of the aura about them, and the contacts they afford. The vaunted Ivies are not tough once you are admitted.

If anything, they are overrated. We see their products in Wall Street and government. ( See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments.)