Consolation Prizes

By Matt Reed. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg suggested yesterday that students who drop out of a four year program after two or more years should be awarded Associate’s degrees as a sort of consolation prize, like a year’s supply of turtle wax. The argument is that a student who has put in two or more solid years of college has done some real work, but that she leaves with nothing to show for it.  An Associate’s degree signifies something concrete, and carries more heft than a high school diploma alone. Read more...