I feel like I should jump in and give some support to college kids; I'm only a couple months out of grad school myself. The problem is I really can't say much in support of the great majority of them. There are exceptions (I would like to say I'm one, but these aren't things that you can claim. In my opinion, they have to be shown and stated by others.), but they are few and far between. I know a lot of folks with the same degrees I have that I'm ashamed to say have them. Ultimately, their degrees are just as good as mine.
Most of the undergrads I've dealt with, lately, do not have "sharp minds and acute wit." They are "vetted" by how well they can take a standardized test (A textbook racket, but that's a different discussion.) and if they can pay. Granted, they can fail out if they try to.
I'll be generous and give most grad students I've dealt with "sharp minds and acute wit." The problem there is that does not mean they use them all the time, make the best decisions, or see the whole picture. Like I said earlier, I have a lot of very liberal friends that are thrilled at the results of the election. I admit to agreeing with several of the reasons they voted for him (science and natural resources, primarily), but I do not think the benefits of him being in office outweighed the risks/costs. For example, I and many of them work in a field where firearms are a key tool and a primary finacier (Pittman-Robertson). They don't think about him removing them from us and, therefore, eliminating that tool and income.
I'll agree with, JdePietro, about some of the downright stupid comments related to science, etc. made recently by Republican politicians hurting them. They were greatly mocked and ridiculed for them, and it did not help the party as a whole. However, I don't think they actually changed that many if any of the votes of people I know. They may have motivated people to vote though. For the record, I am a Christian, albeit a struggling one at the moment.
I've spent a lot of time in and around colleges and have formed an opinion on college attendance. Granted, it was a little before my time, and I'm working off of my understanding with a little generalization. A high school degree used to be an important thing to have in order to "advance" through many careers. A college degree was something very special and a really big plus in those same careers. Those that didn't finish high school and, especially, the majority who didn't go to college learned a trade. They were able to advance that trade and become prosperous with it. Now, a highschool diploma is an everyday, "no big deal, everybody has one" item. You are expected to go to college and get a degree for most fields and have to get an advanced degree for many of them. I have learned and very much believe that college is not for everyone. Some people just aren't designed for it, and that is not a bad thing. These are the ones that shouldn't be there but should be learning a trade. However, they don't do it; they limp through college because that is "what they're supposed to do."
I can say without a doubt that I am not a "beer guzzling savage." Despite how many times I've crawled back in at weird hours and hung out it bars, I have never drank a drop of alcohol and don't intend to. For that reason, I make a dang fine DD. I can't claim to not occaisionally instigate the drinking of it by others because drunk people can be funny.
