A: Not anymore
April Pointer, a part-time telemarketer who never completed high school, attends Rockland Community College in Suffern, N.Y.
But many colleges--public and private, two-year and four-year--will accept students who have not graduated from high school or earned equivalency degrees.
And in an era of stubbornly elevated high school dropout rates, the chance to enter college through the back door is attracting growing interest among students without high school diplomas.
That growth is fueling a debate over whether the students should be in college at all and whether state financial aid should pay their way. In New York, the issue flared in a budget battle this spring.
They are students like April Pointer, 23, of New City, N.Y., a part-time telemarketer who majors in psychology at Rockland Community College, whose main campus is in Suffern, N.Y. Ms. Pointer failed science her senior year of high school and did not finish summer school.
But to her father's amazement, last year she was accepted at Rockland, part of the State University of New York.
"He asked, 'Don't you have to have a high school diploma to go to college?' " she said. "I was like, 'No, not anymore.' " (more...)
What do you guys think about this?
Related Tags: college, education, high school, HS dropout rates, Financial Aid, politics, activism
.jpg){kind=icon}
I didn't know about this?? Well, the important thing is that these individuals are trying to better themselves through higher education. On the downside, it doesn't seem fair for the students who worked hard to get into a college or university. Thanks for that info! How are you?
Stephen,
Doesn't seem fair because they are still allowed in? Personally we need to get over the whole "it's not fair" argument. i hate to be cliche', but life isn't fair. And if students work hard and get into college, i assume they will get into better schools than those that allow non-HS grads to enter, so it's all still "fair". and i'm one that thinks HS is a mixed bag anyway & doesn't prepare you for college (at least not anymore). with all of these HS exit exams, most teachers just teach the kids how to pass the test. forget taking good lecture notes, forget study habits, forget introducing new texts, etc, etc...so i say if you can get into ANY college...gon' head and do it!
btw: i am fine, thanks! how was your weekend?
:) I agree with your statement about 'fairness.' I was playing devil's advocate with the downside. If an individual has the desire then it's all good. I say open up the door and let 'em in.
My weekend was filled with BBQ's and family. I had a really good time. I want to post some pictures for it as well. Enjoy the rest of your day. :)
I think this is REVOLUTIONARY! How about spending money on students who WANT to go to college? who go of their own free will? I think students will do better when they realize that college/school is to their advantage. Once you have spent some time in the real world after having tried it out amongst the ranks of the un/undereducated you quickly learn the value. and now you can make it translate into a better life.
DOWN WITH BOGUS HS QUALIFICATIONS!!!
And the people who are against this are probably thinking, "damn, we thought we had them nailed to the poverty line with the substandard primary and secondary education!"
i think colleges are recognizing that a persons potential/capacity to learn can not be measured by today's HS standards!
(Hey lady bug!)
hey J,
while i agree that anyone wanting to go to college should be able to, i think it's a bit dangerous to throw ANYBODY out there w/o proper training first. you do need some skills to make it in college. i think they should be required to pass some entry-level classes before moving on. at least that way they won't waste a bunch of money trying to take classes they aren't prepared to take.
i think in most institutions you have to do this (even before this new twist)