Pros and Cons of a College-preparatory Curriculum

As a student voluntarily enrolled at Creighton Prep, a prestigious high school with a college preparatory curriculum, I am able to fully appreciate the platform and methods in which such a school administers necessary information. Creighton Prep and similar college-preparatory institutions have produced a myriad of scholars, politicians, law professionals, and notable alumni employed in professions in other facets of life. Such figures include George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, John Kerry, Daniel Webster, and Dan Brown. I am also able to fully appreciate that the students (and their parents) enrolled in such academies aspire for them to accomplish great things; however, the fact remains, statistically and realistically speaking, many of these students will experience shortcomings on their quest to achieve.

If and when reality hits, and these “non-performers” fall short of their objectives, will their erudition be able to compensate for their lack of “real world” applicable experience? Parochial college preparatory graduates and alumni of public schools alike tend to agree with me when posed with such a question. The belief is that students at these establishments are often left ill-prepared for daily life, and thus these schools must begin to implement trade and other “life” classes into their curriculum, in order to offer a healthy balance for the students.

There tends to be a general consensus among people in modern-day society that neither the public school system nor private parochial schools are without flaw, with each system having their own benefits dependent on the student’s career ambitions. For instance, college-preparatory schools are (by definition) oriented towards those students who have the intention of attending a four-year university. In fact, preparatory schools within North America boast a 98% matriculation rate among their students, versus a considerably lower 34% nationwide average in public school systems. But one must also take into consideration an essential question: are these college-preparatory schools truly preparing their students for everyday life in a fast-paced American society, or are these institutions merely “coaching” their graduates on gaining entry to a college or university? While I admire such aspiring graduates in their willingness and desire to further their education, statistically, less than half of the students that enter college, actually graduate with a degree. According to Al Branch, a leading journalist for the “Magazine for Leaders in Education”, approximately 45% of the students that enter four-year degree programs, graduate with a degree. Thus, it is reasonable to surmise, that a large portion of graduates from college-preparatory schools, will fail in their quest towards a college degree.