COLLEGE ARMAGEDDON: Elite Schools Are DOOMING a Generation!

A chilling trend is sweeping through California’s universities: students are arriving profoundly unprepared, and the consequences are devastating. Professor Andrea Mays, an economist at Cal State Long Beach, witnesses this firsthand every semester, a growing wave of students struggling with foundational skills they should have mastered years ago.

The root of the problem, she argues, lies in a well-intentioned but ultimately damaging decision – the elimination of standardized testing requirements like the SAT. Driven by a desire for “inclusivity,” the California State University system abandoned a crucial metric for assessing college readiness, believing it would open doors for a wider range of applicants.

Instead, Mays says, it has opened a floodgate. Students who once would have been identified as needing additional support are now entering four-year universities only to find themselves overwhelmed and falling behind. The dropout rate has soared, a “phenomenal” increase across multiple departments, with a staggering 25% of students abandoning courses.

The struggle is particularly acute in mathematics. Mays recounts a heartbreaking scene in her introductory economics class – a course designed for non-majors. She could write the necessary math skills on an index card, basic concepts learned in seventh and eighth grade, yet students are paralyzed, unable to calculate simple percentage changes.

The shame is palpable. Some students, embarrassed and demoralized, seek help during office hours, confessing they simply never learned the material. But many more suffer in silence, too ashamed to ask, and quietly withdraw from the class, their academic dreams quietly collapsing.

Mays penned a stark warning in the Orange County Register: “Bring back the SAT at CSU — or admit we are failing our own students.” The justification offered for dropping the SAT – a commitment to inclusivity – rings hollow to her. True inclusivity, she insists, doesn’t mean lowering standards; it means providing the support students *need* to meet them.

The narrative against standardized testing, fueled by activist groups and even the nation’s largest teachers union, has gained traction in recent years. But Mays believes this narrative obscures a critical truth: high schools are not created equal. A student with an ‘A’ in algebra from one school may lack the fundamental skills of a student from another.

The CSU system’s shift to “multi-factored admission criteria” – focusing on GPA, extracurriculars, and socio-economic factors – was intended to “level the playing field” and expand access. But Mays argues that access without readiness is a cruel illusion. It’s a disservice to students who arrive believing in their abilities, only to discover they are woefully unprepared.

“Pretending preparation gaps do not exist is not equity,” Mays asserts. She proposes a practical solution: utilize California’s robust community college system as a bridge for students who need to strengthen their foundational skills. A single, targeted math course could equip them with the tools they need to succeed at the university level.

The core issue isn’t about excluding students; it’s about empowering them. It’s about providing honest assessments, targeted support, and a pathway to genuine opportunity. Ignoring the warning signs, Mays believes, is not just a failure of the system, but a betrayal of the students it claims to serve.