 |
 |
Anne Lancashire wrote: > I have real qualms about the professionalization of undergrad studies: > quite apart from the concerns others have already expressed. Against > current trends, I > believe the university system these days is pushing even graduate > students into giving papers at conferences, and submitting papers to > journals, etc., too soon and too often; and an undergrad journal moves \ > these pressures back even further into yet earlier academic years. As father of a science-whiz daughter who will be going to Caltech in the fall, I'd like to observe that many undergraduate colleges at that level are using the availability of undergrad journals (many new in the last couple of years), paid research opportunities (even the summer after high school graduation), etc. to attract extra-qualified applicants. The competition among the 50 or so most selective US colleges is so fierce that "professionalizing" the undergrad years is, I would say, among the lesser problems. And you don't want to know what this competition is doing to many high-achieveing secondary schools that aim to fill the freshman class at those 50 colleges. Al Magary SF