That's right everyone: Pack up all your stuff, schlep over to the Dinky Station and return to your states and countries of origin. We've had a good run over the past 262 years, but all good things must come to an end.
That was my initial reaction when I read the latest revelations of the long-suppressed Committee on Background and Opportunity survey. Among other results, it showed that a disturbingly low proportion of students reported taking career opportunities into consideration when choosing a major. At almost every socioeconomic level, about a third of respondents listed this as a factor in their decision. In the very wealthiest bracket, the number dropped to a mere 22 percent. Ideally, a majority of the student body would consider job prospects to be of paramount importance in determining their course of study, since the primary purpose of the college experience is to serve society, find a practical career and establish financial security.
Granted, a well-rounded liberal arts education at a prestigious university such as Princeton is about far more than the crass desire to pad one's bank account. It is also vital to cultivate academic and extracurricular interests, to become involved in the campus social scene, to broaden our minds by meeting new people and taking courses in a wide range of subjects. But there is no reason why all of these wonderful activities can't be pursued outside of a college setting. If we desire to push our intellectual boundaries, we can read, study and discuss on our own time. Where Princeton differs from independent learning is that it prepares us to succeed in the workforce.
Currently, the administration, through its Major Choices program, is seeking to promote the notion that alumni can go on to achieve their dreams regardless of what they wish to study. What it fails to point out, however, is that there are significant differences in income depending on the major one selects. For example, the average starting salary of a computer science graduate is $67,000, while a comparative literature major can expect to earn about $37,000. This is the kind of crucial information that students need to have available as they select their courses and aim toward a concentration.
Those who wish to select a more "esoteric" major, putting academic passion above monetary concerns, are to be praised. But this decision needs to be a serious one, made after much deliberation and undertaken with full awareness of the sacrifices it entails. Currently, high schools across the country do little to help students determine their goals beyond getting into college. Princeton is uniquely positioned, as a leading national university, to lead the charge for better guidance counseling services and more potential for specialization at an earlier age. This is the case in Europe, where students can focus on certain areas of interest beginning at the high school level. To reward ambitious applicants, the Admission Office ought to give higher priority to prospective students who have well-developed ideas of their long-term plans and a record that indicates relevant past experience. This would push students to investigate and decide on a career earlier on.
Princeton's unofficial motto, derived from a speech by Woodrow Wilson, class of 1879, is "in the nation's service and the service of all nations." At this trying time in history, it seems that America desperately needs the assistance of the best and the brightest - qualified experts who understand the complex world we live in. We need more scientists to compete with the rising technological might of India and China. We need engineers to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, economists to reform our chaotic financial system, speakers of Arabic, Farsi and Pashtun to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world. There are a lot more new discoveries to be made in researching the human genome than analyzing the "Iliad." If we are to truly fulfill our mission, we need to steer students toward majors that offer both practical benefits and personal enjoyment.
This proposal may at first seem like a radical departure from our cherished traditions, but in fact it is very much in keeping with the values that make Princeton great. And this policy is compatible with the prevailing philosophy that a college education ought to stimulate the mind. Things like distribution requirements, which mandate that students delve into topics beyond the narrow range of their preferred majors, are excellent. But when push comes to shove, we need to ensure that our graduates are prepared to survive the harsh realities of the real world.
In America today, many 20-somethings are unable to make these kinds of tough decisions about their future because no one has ever forced them to or shown them how. We owe it to them to give them the tools they need.
Sam Norton is a freshman from Falmouth, Me. He can be reached at snorton@princeton.edu.
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