As the number of college graduates increase, studies are starting to show there is a decrease in students improving in their critical thinking and writing skills.

The book “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses” studied the amount students improved in valuable skills such as writing and critical thinking in the course of four years. In this study, they found that 35 percent of students spend less than five hours a week studying , 50 percent didn’t have to write the required 20 pages in any of their courses and there is an overall 50 percent decrease of students spending time preparing for their classes.

“If you go out and talk to college freshmen today, they tell you something very interesting,” said Richard Arum, co-author of Academically Adrift. “Many of them will say the following: ‘I thought college and university was going to be harder than high school, and my gosh, it turned out it’s easier.’”

Senior and movement science major Steph Dayton, 21, said high school was where students could learn different subjects but college is where students should go in order to get their degree.

“I don’t think that my critical thinking and writing skills have really changed because of the liberal education here (at Grand Valley State University),” she said.

According to a report done by the Delta Cost Project, one reason why some students feel this is because colleges are spending less on their budget for instruction and spending more on recreation, student services and other ways to attract new students.

“I think students are learning in all kinds of different ways these days,” said Diana Pace, associate dean of students. “Education is not just about getting information, it’s about learning how to think. So the broader your education, the better able you are going to be to do those things.”

Pace said that through a liberal education, skills such as learning how to work with people and communicate verbally and in writing will stay with students for a lifetime.

“A liberal education is the foundation for everything else,” she said. “It provides that base that students can move off from and then become more specialized. Without that base, it becomes so narrow and it is going to be hard for them to be adaptable.”

In a 2009 study on what students say about GVSU, students reported that their experience at GVSU encouraged them to be more organized, motivated, better at managing time, be open-minded and examine their values.

Assistant vice president for Academic Affairs Nancy Giardina said GVSU has many support services in order for students to be successful, such as tutoring services, learning and study skills development, the math lab and the Writing Center.

“At GVSU, we provide all kinds of support services to ensure that students are successful,” she said. “I think for students making great choices to be engaged in all of the things that are available to them is absolutely the way to make the most out of your college experience.”

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