In the latest episode of “Killing DeSantis:” Governor DeSantis’s “autocratic policies” are so bad young people are leaving in droves to study in other states.
Here are our “EXPERTS SAY” segment brought to you by Forbes:
“A survey released today finds that among Florida’s incoming college freshmen, dissatisfaction with Governor Ron DeSantis’s education policies runs deep—in some cases, deep enough to make them look for college opportunities in another state.”
As someone who recently went through a complex college admission process with my kids, and served as an amateur college advisor to some of my friends, I found it a huge surprise that “dissatisfaction with the Governor’s policies” entered into a kid’s choice of college. From my experience, common sense, and every possible study available, the main considerations for choosing a college are the following:
- How a college fits into your career choice or your field of study
- Is it affordable (cost and financial aid)
- What is campus life like? Is it a good fit socially?
- Local climate
- Safety and quality of life around campus (city-wide, NOT state-wide)
Your kid may have other reasons depending on his personality, not the least of which is his chances of getting into a certain college. State politics are nowhere on that list. It does not even register. I did not hear one high school senior mentioning a state Governor as a reason for choosing a college – and I have talked to more than a few very liberal high school seniors (aren’t they all liberal?)
However, “the experts” managed to find one thousand high school seniors in Florida who said that they consider leaving the state because Ron DeSantis is banning porn from elementary school classrooms, or something. Those young people find that fact so concerning that:
1 in 8 graduating high school students won’t attend college in Florida due to education policy in the state.
1 in 20 current college students in the state plan to transfer because of those policies.
Well, that Ron DeSantis has done it this time. He has angered young people so much that one in eight of them doesn’t want to study in Florida. Except, if you look at the statistics, you find that a lot fewer young people are leaving Florida than most other states:
- 4 in 10 (43%) Americans who began college in 2020 moved away from home, the highest rate since 2005.
- Nationwide, roughly 31% of all college students have left their home state to attend college.
If we believe that high school seniors choose their college based on politics, a third of college freshmen are moving away from their states because they don’t like their Governor. Based on that stat, most Florida freshmen are very happy with Ron DeSantis, because much fewer of them are leaving Florida than many other states. For example, 17% of California residents study out of state. New Hampshire must have the world’s worst Governor because a whopping 75% of their kids attend colleges in different states.
With the transfer students, the situation is not any different: more than a third of college students transfer into a different college (many, to a different state,) depending on a personal situation – not the government policies.
Today, US News and World Report rank Florida #1 in higher education, mainly because of low tuition rates. Education cost is one of the most (if not the most) important considerations going into choosing a college. College cost has gotten so high over the years that according to Wall Street Journal, most Americans do not believe a college degree is worth the price of admission:
“The survey, conducted with NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization, found that 56% of Americans think earning a four-year degree is a bad bet compared with 42% who retain faith in the credential.”
The reason college cost has risen dramatically over the recent years is rising “diversity and inclusion” bureaucracies that have been eating up resources, and making tuition skyrocket. Florida is well on their way to banning DEI bureaucracies that add nothing to the qualify of education and young people’s success in life, which is why they go to college in the first place. That will ensure that Florida colleges are not only affordable, but also a great investment into your kid’s future because you are not paying for a degree in lesbian poetry.
American higher education, once highly respected all over the world, is losing its quality and prestige because of woke mob that has overtaken college campuses. All states must take Governor DeSantis’s lead in reclaiming American colleges, demanding they produce competent, logical, and highly qualified young professionals ready for the challenges of the job market – not of throwing a temper tantrum because they can’t handle an opposing point of view.
