Good question, but at the tender age of 17, it would never in a million
years have occurred to me to ask it. All there was, was a kind of
underlying panic...
At the time, these were government-funded institutions (don't know the
details), so it could have been government that called the shots. As each
student was funded (tuition, books and living grants) those who granted the
money were quite selective in the first place - university entrance
requirements - so when I come to think of it, the culling started much
earlier. At the time, the number of graduates in the UK was about 10% of
the number in Canada (perhaps North America) on a per capita population basis.
It all seems so long ago...
P.
At 11:11 PM 9/4/2006 -0500, you wrote:
For a university's book to balance, I wonder how many students
need to quit or flunk after the first or second year.
Harry
Philip Winestone wrote:
> Hi Richard.
>
> "Essence" indeed... The essence is most likely the intuitive aspect (or
> part of the intuitive aspect) I was babbling about.
>
> Interesting about "culling". Back in Scotland, where I graduated, the
> culling was done by the university. 60% in the first year and a further
> 60% (of the remainder) in the second year. And as you say, of the
> remaining (exhausted) bunch, most were trying to get out of Engineering
> itself as soon as possible. Into management where the pay and prestige
> were far greater than those of the grunts manning the slide-rules (remember
> them?).
>
> P.
>
>
>
> At 07:33 PM 9/4/2006 -0500, you wrote:
>>
>> Philip wrote,
>>
>>> and this research is
>>> accomplished by our friend the Intellect.
>>
>> Howdy Philip,
>>
>> And a most reliable friend indeed. Couple intellect with desire and a true
>> "tinkerer" is created. My experience with mentoring a few Aggie undergrad
>> engineering majors give ample evidence that most youngsters should never
>> aspire to become engineers because they lack that intangible "essence"
>> required. The record number of freshmen engineering majors that opt out of
>> the engineering schools may appear to be an epidemic but is actually a
>> healthly culling. It is surprising to learn how many engineering grads
>> later do not aspire to become engineers.
>>
>> Richard
>>
>>
>>
>
>
