Wacky World Of Degrees

7:49 am EST April 27th, 2007 | Uncategorized | 7 Comments

M.I.T.’s dean of admissions resigns and admits she lied about her college degrees. Maybe it’s because I don’t have one, but it’s always been intriguing to me the almost magical power someone exerts by saying they have a college degree. In the last 12 or so years since I’ve been in the real world, I’ve found people with tons of advanced degrees who are absolute idiots while others with just “the basics” are brilliant.

Topic:

Related Posts

«
»

7 Responses to “Wacky World Of Degrees”

  1. jerry says:
    April 27, 2007 at 12:30 pm

    Neither of my parents had degrees (nor their brothers and sisters), but all of my brothers and cousins have degrees. So my experiece is biased and small.

    But to be nosy, I am curious how you became involved in politics.

    My naive thoughts are there are two ways: some vague process that occurs in college, or as some “film hero” by working by the docks, or unionizing against the man, or fighting a corporation’s attempt to do horrible things to a community (Silkwood, Erin Brockovich.)

  2. Texaspete says:
    April 27, 2007 at 1:35 pm

    It’s not the degree, it’s the lying. Academics depends utterly on trust and honesty — that your work is really yours and not plagiarized, that you actually did the research that you claim and didn’t just make it up, that you published the articles on your resume and fabricate them — and that you have the degrees that made you eligible for your job. There are good reasons for academic degrees to be a requirement for the job — although presumably other qualities are required, too. But if the person deciding which high school student is qualified to enter M.I.T. lied to get her job — then why should anyone trust the M.I.T. admissions process? Why shouldn’t the students lie to get admitted?

  3. Texaspete says:
    April 27, 2007 at 1:37 pm

    Oops! . . . published the articles on your resume and DIDN’T fabricate them . . .

    That’s what I meant.

  4. TheHolyFatman says:
    April 27, 2007 at 1:43 pm

    Even in Washington DC, I’ve come across TONS of people WHO EMBELLISH multiple degrees from presitgious institutions. And myself, with a lowly degree in fine art, can spout off economic and poltical analysis better then most I’ve worked with. Lying/Embellishing has become commonplace these days because of the competitive atmosphere in this town.

  5. Duros62 says:
    April 27, 2007 at 2:09 pm

    Lying/Embellishing has become commonplace these days because of the competitive atmosphere in this town.

    Absolutely. You just have to look at 1600 Penn. Ave. to see evidence of that.

  6. TheHolyFatman says:
    April 27, 2007 at 4:20 pm

    MMM….maybe I should attend Regent University school of law instead of that other school I plan on attending soon…..

  7. jim says:
    April 27, 2007 at 5:30 pm

    Some people are just educated beyond their intelligence.