So a recent report says that more and more kids are taking longer and longer to graduate from college, or aren’t at all. In fact, I didn’t know the numbers were so bad… apparently only 18% of kids enrolled end up with a degree in America, and nearly half don’t graduate after six years. At the same time, another study shows that 49 out of 50 states failed to provide affordable college to its residents. (Only California passed with a C-, thanks to its extensive community college system.) And the cost of tuition is growing at three times the cost of living is.
As someone who pulled a Van Wilder in getting my degree, I have to say, the two aren’t unrelated. I picked up grants and loans where I could, but my family was strapped thin. It got worse in the years my sister was also in college. And all that for a degree that can’t do much for me on its own. American society keeps pushing the idea that a college degree is the path to success. Now, even the value of a bachelor’s degree is muddled, and grad school is “needed” for success. And of course, I’m buying into that, too… 
What really needs to happen is revamping the K-12 system. Better methods, better materials… all I know is that standardized testing isn’t the answer. When teachers teach kids to pass tests instead of to understand the material, something is wrong. That problem only compounds when the schools/teachers benefit from those scores. The huge reliance on everything from STAR testing, AP testing, SATs, and the various grad school tests… they are just a scam set up by ETS and the like.