Because a big-name university degree means so much…
or rather, if you’re still under the impression that going to a prominent university for your undergraduate education is a Good Idea, you might take a look at this collection of essays and other student work. Apparently the students using the computer lab at this school sometimes print out extra copies before turning it in, and sometimes they get left behind. If the papers are lucky, they get picked up and “proofread” by a graduate student (i.e., someone who *can* write). If the students are lucky, then they just get tossed. It’s already a pretty broad collection of English-y stuff after a single semester. No lab reports yet, which is sad, because those tend to be almost as bad…
And yes, I realize that he’s surely picking the worst examples to critique, for maximum effect. The surprise is that anyone who can turn out work like this even gets IN… let alone passes. Then again, apparently at least one of them was on the football team, maybe that makes a difference.
