Article 1

Elitists And Degrees: A bit of Plato wont hurt

By T.W.N.Y. San Jose, California
23 July, 2007
THERE are many types of elitists in Malaysia. As far as education goes, there are three types.
There are the accent elitists. These are people who think that only people who speak the Queens
English with the Queens accent are worthy of their conversation.
There are also the major elitists. These people assume that anyone who studied anything besides
the five professions were dropped on the head as a child. The third elitist group is one of a rarer
breed but is much more harmful. That is the degree elitist.
Are you a degree elitist? Do you think that a student pursuing a degree in universities under the
British system is smarter than one pursuing a degree within the US system? Would you rather
employ a British or Australian graduate over an American one? If your answer to either question
is yes, then you are a degree elitist.
As an engineering student studying in the US, I have heard countless of times that an American
degree is easier to obtain and inferior compared with its British counterpart. One of the reasons,
they say, is that the American degree involves the study of subjects unrelated to your major. For
example, engineering majors have to take electives under social science, history and art.
It is strange that Malaysians think that having knowledge of Platos teachings makes me an
inferior engineer. Being schooled in several disciplines can only make a person more creative
and with a deeper capability for critical thinking. When obtaining an American degree, you have
to be good at everything or fail overall.
This is the age when ministers and employers lament the lack of soft skills in graduates. Why is
it that people think that a graduate who learns public speaking and understands the civil rights
movement is inferior to one who does not?
Another reason society thinks that the American degree is inferior is because they accept fresh
high school graduates without having to do a pre-university course. In America, students can
take university-level classes in secondary school. If you are not up to par, the university forces
you to take remedial classes, barring you from further study until you pass. The degree can take
you up to five years to complete compared with Britains three years.
The last key reason is that people assume the course in America is easier than the British one.
The passing score for the American degree is 70 points and the best score requires 69 points.
However, the passing mark for many British and Australian universities is 40 points and the best

score requires 70 to 80 points. The question then becomes, would you prefer a graduate who
understands at least 70 per cent of every essential theory, or a graduate whose minimum
requirement is to understand 40 per cent of a more in-depth course?
I do not think that the American degree is better than the British or Australian degree. They are
different. Both degrees require hard work and intellect. It is unfair to overlook an American
graduates achievements based on urban legend and myth. So, we should respect the fact that
American graduates can compete with anyone on the international circuit.
Copyright 2007 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.