The “Nowhere” depicted in the film The Road to Nowhere does not refer to college as some may think; I believe “Nowhere” is the college application process. The principal theme in the movie is that high school, for many students, is not about learning but about creating a resume full of exceptional grades, honors classes, AP courses, extracurricular efforts, community service, and various awards in order to gain acceptance to the highest-rated colleges possible. Under our current system, students become experts at “doing school” rather than experts at learning skills and long-term knowledge. This has to change, and there are many courageous schools that are fighting this battle to prepare students for life, not college acceptance.
In the Q and A session following a recent viewing of A Race to Nowhere, Warren Wilson College President, Steve Solnick, made some comments about the college selection process that rang true to me. He said that the ranking of colleges by students and the ranking of students by colleges has created a situation where too many students end up at the wrong college. Students should be choosing colleges by best fit, not by attempting to attend the “best” college. Likewise, colleges should attempt to find students that best fit their college, not attempting to enroll the “best” students.
As Solnick pointed out, the strength of higher education in America comes from the great diversity of colleges. There are colleges that train students to be athletes, that conduct research, that emphasize particular religious beliefs, that promote outdoor education, that focus on relationships between faculty and students, that require all students to spend a year abroad, etc. Choosing a college because it outranks another on an arbitrary list inevitably ends up with students at the wrong schools.
One indicator that students are choosing the wrong colleges is that one-third of all college students end up transferring (Chronicle of Higher Learning). Of course there are other reasons for transferring than discovering that your “best college” choice in high school was a poor fit, but certainly the lack of fit must be a determining factor for many students who transfer.
Unfortunately buying a seat at a college is under the same marketing and status influences as purchasing other goods and services. Many Americans drive particular cars to impress others, choose wines because of a name or rating, and wear emblems on shirts and shoes because they are brand conscious. So, it should come as no surprise that young Americans are susceptible to marketing ploys and status seeking with regards to college.
This makes the job of conscientious parents and faculty even more important. We must help our children and students to understand that college is much more than a name on a list and more than a flag that can be waved in front of the world to show how well they “did school." When any young person says, “I want to go to college at _________,” the adults who love her need to ask why and probe deeply to help her discover the right fit.
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