While reading the article about requiring students to take a Kaplan course, published in The Beacon on January 9, 2011, I was shocked and rather apalled by the article and wrote down the following thoughts:
While I readily agree that the average student is woefully uninformed when it comes to all of the possible services that are offered by FIU, being a student here has tremendous advantages and resources that most are content to simply let that opportunity pass them by. However, it would represent a very slippery slope if the administration were to require us to use, much less take advantage any of them.
Kaplan is foremost a “for profit” company, while partnered with FIU is not subject to the same standards of education or accreditation as the university. Secondly, have you ever taken a Kaplan course? It might as well be call (sic) socially awkward smart kids who can’t teach imparting knowledge to students who realize studying alone is a better use of their time. Personally I do not want to put my graduate school chances in the hands of others who are both competing against me and have little oversight.
Granted, Kaplan would not still be in business if their programs did not work, however it is a business out to make money. They turn out the largest amount of student “prep” courses for the largest amount of money they think the students will pay, the lawsuits show that.
It also gives me pause that Kaplan would not release information about their enrollment of students. It’s bad business to snub the news, it’s even worse to snub the newspaper of a business partner who is both trying to bring awareness to your program and will no doubt increase traffic in some fashion through advertising.
The issues at hand are not Kaplan as a whole or even Kaplan as a possible service for students. The issues are fixing the rampant uninformed student complex and further adding more requirements on us to graduate.
To the first I would suggest a larger and more interesting orientation process consisting of not what you can/need to do for the university but what this university can do for you!
Its (sic) one thing if you approach a situation and make a decision based on the options in front of you, it’s a travesty if you did not even know that another option existed.
To the second I say forget requiring students to take a prep course for a graduate exam. That should be on you.
Responsibility is one of those things that goes along with that nice fancy diploma. If you cannot pass the test you probably should not be going.
Finally lets (sic) be serious: do you want stupid people running around flaunting the FIU name in advanced degree programs who are not necessarily qualified to be there? When I go out and apply I want schools and employers to know that FIU turns out a quality product not people who know just tricks and shortcuts to problems.
-Kyle Schmitt,
Senior, Undeclared
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