"I Told You Something is Coming & Now It's Here..." | Victor Davis Hanson
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Victor Davis Hanson critiques the current state of higher education, arguing that universities are graduating students with substantial debt and inadequate skills, contributing to a national crisis. He suggests that universities should be more transparent about the costs and outcomes of different majors, and that they should be held accountable for the education they provide. Hanson also touches on the decline in SAT scores and the impact of demographic changes on university admissions, suggesting that the reputation of elite institutions is suffering due to diluted curriculum and grade inflation.
Takeaways
- 🏛️ The speaker suggests that ideas from academia often influence the White House, but this can lead to misguided policies in higher education.
- 📚 The current state of higher education is criticized for producing graduates with high debt and insufficient skills, contributing to a national crisis.
- 💰 There is a concern about the unsustainable student debt, which stands at 1.7 trillion dollars, and the role of universities in this issue.
- 📉 The speaker highlights a demographic crisis, with fertility rates dropping from 2.1 to 1.6, affecting societal structures and economic growth.
- 🧑🎓 Young people, particularly males, are described as not getting married, buying houses, or having children, which is linked to the failure of universities.
- 📈 The speaker calls for transparency from universities regarding the cost of education, average compensation by major, and the financial implications of student loans.
- 🏫 The speaker questions why universities with large endowments don't take responsibility for student loans and suggests this could improve course relevance and teaching quality.
- 📊 The importance of standardized testing like the SAT is discussed, as a means to ensure academic quality and accountability, which the speaker feels has been lost.
- 🎓 The speaker argues that elite universities are admitting students who are not prepared, leading to a decline in the quality of education and student preparedness.
- 💼 A shift in hiring preferences is noted, with some employers preferring graduates from less prestigious institutions due to better training and less entitlement.
- 🏢 The speaker predicts a revolution in education, with a move towards trade schools and community colleges as people become disillusioned with the elite university system.
- 🗳️ The script ends with a political commentary, suggesting that the upcoming elections are not about personalities but about systemic issues in education and society.
Q & A
What is the main argument Victor Davis Hanson makes about the current state of higher education?
-Victor Davis Hanson argues that universities are producing graduates with massive debt and insufficient skills, contributing to a national crisis.
How does Hanson describe the impact of universities on the national debt and societal issues?
-Hanson states that universities are culpable for the 1.7 trillion in national debt and societal issues such as a declining fertility rate and a generation that is not getting married, buying houses, or having children.
What is the 'myth of the four-year degree' that Hanson refers to?
-The 'myth of the four-year degree' refers to the belief that a four-year college education is necessary for success, which Hanson suggests is leading to debt and a lack of practical skills.
Why does Hanson suggest universities should disclose the average compensation of different majors to students?
-Hanson believes that by disclosing the average compensation, students can make informed decisions about their education and the financial burden they are taking on.
What responsibility does Hanson believe universities should take for student loans?
-Hanson suggests that universities, especially those with large endowments, should pledge their endowment and take responsibility for student loans, particularly in cases of default.
Why does Hanson mention the SAT and its role in the past?
-Hanson mentions the SAT to highlight the disparity in high school quality and the need for a standardized test to ensure students are prepared for university-level education.
What change in university admission practices is Hanson critical of?
-Hanson criticizes universities for admitting students who may not be prepared for the curriculum, leading to watered-down courses and inflated grades.
How does Hanson describe the current hiring preferences in Silicon Valley?
-Hanson states that employers in Silicon Valley prefer to hire from schools like Texas A&M or Georgia Tech over Stanford because they are better trained and do not bring the same therapeutic culture issues.
What is the demographic shift Hanson observes in university admissions?
-Hanson notes a shift where universities are admitting a more diverse student body, but at the expense of excluding highly qualified students and potentially lowering academic standards.
What is Hanson's view on the future of higher education and its impact on society?
-Hanson predicts a revolutionary movement in education, with a shift towards trade schools and community colleges, as the current model of higher education is seen as toxic and exploitative.
What does Hanson suggest is the root of the problem in higher education?
-Hanson suggests that the problem lies with the credential elite, who are not being held accountable and are failing to provide competitive education compared to other institutions.
Outlines
📚 The Crisis of Higher Education and Student Debt
Victor Davis Hansen discusses the current state of higher education, criticizing universities for producing graduates with massive debt and insufficient skills. He points out the societal impact, such as the decline in marriage, home buying, and fertility rates, and suggests that universities are not transparent about the true cost and potential earnings of different majors. Hansen also addresses the lack of accountability in higher education, proposing that universities should be more upfront about the financial implications of their programs and the performance of their graduates. He highlights the absence of standardized testing like the SAT for post-secondary education, which could serve as a measure of quality and accountability.
🔍 The Shift in Perception of Elite Universities
This paragraph delves into the changing perceptions of elite universities, particularly from the perspective of employers in Silicon Valley. Hansen recounts a conversation with an employer who prefers graduates from less prestigious institutions due to their better training and adaptability. The employer criticizes elite universities for lowering their academic standards to accommodate a more diverse student body, which has led to inflated grades and a decline in the quality of education. The discussion also touches on the high cost of education and the lack of competitiveness of graduates from these institutions. Hansen suggests a growing trend of parents and students seeking alternative educational paths, such as trade schools and community colleges, due to the perceived shortcomings of traditional universities.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Faculty Lounge
💡Four-Year College
💡Student Debt
💡Fertility Rate
💡University Accountability
💡Endowment
💡SAT
💡Grade Inflation
💡Credential Elite
💡Trade School
💡Educational Revolution
Highlights
The assertion that ideas from faculty lounges can influence the White House within two years.
Concerns about the high number of students attending four-year colleges without gaining substantial knowledge.
The $1.7 trillion debt crisis attributed to universities for their role in the current predicament.
A drop in fertility rates from 2.1 to 1.6 within 25 years, considered catastrophic.
A generation of young people, particularly males, avoiding marriage, home ownership, and children.
Victor Davis Hansen's argument that universities are producing graduates with debt but not enough skills.
The critique of universities not providing clear information about the cost and benefits of different majors.
A call for universities to be transparent about the average compensation of their graduates by major.
Suggestion to link university endowments to student loan responsibilities to improve course relevance.
The historical role of SATs in providing a standardized measure of student ability across different high schools.
Criticism of universities for not maintaining the same academic standards as in the past.
Anecdotal evidence from Silicon Valley preferring graduates from non-elite universities for their skills and adaptability.
The observation that elite universities have been admitting students they know cannot handle the curriculum.
The impact of universities' changing admission standards on their reputation and the job market.
The increasing trend of parents and students opting for trade schools and community colleges over traditional four-year degrees.
A call for accountability in higher education and a shift towards more practical and skill-based learning.
The potential for a revolutionary movement in education to address the current issues with universities.
Concerns about the exploitative nature of the current higher education system and its impact on taxpayers.
A discussion on the upcoming elections and the potential for change in the education system.
The final note on the importance of not needing to be perfect to be good and the hope for positive change.
Transcripts
I always used to say that the craziest
idea in a faculty Lounge takes about 2
years to be implemented in the white
house so it it's very
influential there's too many people
going to 4-year colleges and they're not
learning anything we have 1.7 trillion
in debt and so the university is very
culpable because we have this problem
now where we went from 2.1 fertility
down to 1.6 it was catastrophic in 25
years so we've got this whole generation
of young people primarily also male
young people who they're not getting
married they're not buying houses
they're not having
children are universities failing
students and Society in this video
Victor Davis Hansen discusses the
current state of higher education he
argues that universities are churning
out graduates burdened with massive debt
and insufficient skills contributing to
a national crisis and I have them in my
own family and I talk to them how did
you get
150,000 niece or
nephew and the major that they're they
go three units here six units here five
units here and they they consume their
20s because of this myth of the
four-year degree and then you have these
universities and you say to them and
I've said this to a lot of
Administrators why don't don't you just
tell you know when I buy a car I'm told
exactly what the monthly payment is what
the total cost is and am I aware of all
the ins and outs and I have a 17-page
thing to fill out would you just tell
the student when they take these
loans what is the average compensation
of a sociology major a psych major a
Classics major whatever it is just tell
them tell them how much the interest
will cost them and what is the price per
unit
in dollars so that they can make a
decision and not just f it off on a
guaranteed loan and then would you also
Pledge Your endowment get the government
out just pledge you if you're Stanford
University and you have a $40 billion
endowment why don't you just tell the
students that they'll have the student
loans but you are
on your responsibility when they default
and maybe if that happened you would
offer courses that were relevant and the
students you would be very critical of
the faculty who couldn't teach Etc and
then another
thing until recently we had SATs and the
pre premise of the SAT was the GPA
cannot be
trusted because there's such a wide
disparity in the quality of high school
so an a from my high school Salma High
School where I graduated is not really
an a compared to PO Alto High School
that was true so therefore I had to take
the
SAT why don't we have an sat in the back
end because I guarantee you that where
Stanford is today and watching it they
are not turning students out like
Hillsdale College I teach it both 20
years ago the Stanford student was far
better prepared and educated and came in
not now and if you had an SAT that said
everybody who needs a ba has to get I
don't know 85% a 520 the SAT you would
be surprised how much they they hate
that idea and because they don't want
any accountability that either they
haven't taught people to improve in the
skills they said were necessary to take
their
courses and
uh I'll just finish this with I had a
guy in Silicon Valley last year I gave a
lecture and he came up to me and I said
at some point their reputations are
going to suffer these four-year colleges
because they're watered down the
curriculum and it's Dei
and he said where have you been
Victor he said in the last 3 years
Stanford University LED in 20% white
students we don't care what color they
are but to get that ratio they had to
exclude people that were brilliant so
they rejected 70% of those who had a
perfect sat even though it was alter you
know it was a choice they sent it in and
that became a mark of
vulnerability it's it's like one 0.11%
of the SAT get perfect scores Stanford
refused 60 or 70% of them that applied
so then he said and then you have the
therapeutic culture so I said what are
you getting at said when we're in
Silicon Valley and we have a choice now
in 2023 to hire somebody from Stanford
whether it's public relations or coding
or Texas A&M Georgia
Tech we will take them any day and i'
say are you serious he said yes because
two things they're better trained and
the first thing they do not do is go to
our HR department and complain you your
students they're not as competitive they
the your faculty to accommodate the new
student body had to either water down
the courses inflate the grades but
accommodate the fact that they are
letting in students by their own their
own admission did not fit the
requirements that they used to preach to
us were absolutely necessary or as he
put it in 1998 these guys would come up
to us and say you know what it's a very
rare person that can get into sford
University and once they get in here we
give them the toughest classes and when
we go out to they go out there these
guys are brilliant they're trained and
so then he says to me well if that was
true and now they admit they've thrown
out the
SAT then they're admitting they're
letting people in that can't do the
curriculum on the books that they said
was necessary to to ensure their
Prestige so why would we trust them
anymore and in fact when we and that's
what's happening to Harvard yet 80% of
the grades at Yale were AIDS so I think
what you're saying
is not only is the demographic
shrinking there's fewer students but the
costs are going up above the rate of
inflation the students are not getting
uh any means to pay back the loans and
the the universities are no longer
mccratic and that's even going into
Medical School law school business
school and so a lot of people are saying
I want my child to go get skills I want
him to go to a trade school I want to go
to a community college and I the elite
now believe it or not I get a call twice
a week Victor I not going to send my kid
to Harvard Yale where I win or Stamford
is it Hillsdale is it Pepperdine is is
it St Thomas aquinus where do I send my
child or do I send him to University of
Oklahoma Oklahoma State and so I'm very
confident that there is a revolutionary
movement in education to get rid of this
toxic I have a bunch of letters after my
name therefore I'm educated therefore I
can I can I'm an expert and what the
universities have done is really is
almost criminal to put us the taxpayers
on a a 1 Point 7
trillion exposure so they can raise
their rates of INF uh tuition above the
rate of inflation and they're not
accountable and their students are
getting they're not competitive compared
to other other universities the problem
is not with the middle and upper middle
classes it's with the credential Elite
and they I'm not confident about them
but I think we have to hold them to
account in the media and the university
especially but so I I think
we'll see what happens in November and
you know the Republicans have a lot of
problems too but we'll see it's not so
much about Trump or Harris it's more or
less at this after 233 years we're not
going to call the country a failure and
it's races systematically unfair it's
exploitive and we're going to we're
going to tear it apart we're not going
to do that sorry if you don't like it
that's the way it's going to be we're
going to vote and we're going to we're
not perfect but we don't have to be
perfect to be good and we're better than
the alternative and for that that's good
enough and we're going to press on
that's the attitude and I think it'll
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