ARE YOU READY FOR COLLEGE?

[Music] that's what was important to us then we would be the pilot somebody else would be the passengers and the hostesses and weathermen and Engineers we would do the flying we like to think then that we would do something exciting something that took courage maybe in those early years you were inspired by the sight of the policeman on the corner you were going to be a US Marshal or an FBI agent who stopped a bank holdup or caught Public Enemy Number One today you know there's much more to police work than carrying a gun and wearing a uniform you know that the science of crime detection and the social science of crime prevention are far more complicated than we could imagine that was when you were a child in elementary school today the high school is the center of your life it may be a rural School a central school a suburban school or a city school no matter where your ideas now have changed a little let's take a look at your high school and your new ideas at the high school level here you're beginning to think seriously for the first time about how you're going to earn a living as your guidance counselor has told you your planned career may involve College you've entered high school with dreams of a career in your ch chosen field and you'll be leaving it ready to prepare yourself in the College of your choice are you really going to be ready for college the college campus is still only a dream an important part of your future nonetheless but still a dream right now you may not even be certain you wish to go to college but then you may be interested in a career that requires College what do you know about the college in your future aside from its Campus College life certainly that's important to you the Freshman can during the freshman orientation week the friends you'll meet the girlfriend or boyfriend you may be dating the romance and the social life of these college Years are bound to enter into your thinking [Music] now there'll be the fraternities and the sororities and then too maybe in looking ahead to taking part in college life you're thinking about participation in college athletics you may lie awake at night dreaming of becoming a football hero hearing the cheers in the stands or seeing yourself as the cheerleader or as a shortstop making that all important last out for your Victorious team it's true the colleges want people interested in extracurricular activities Future Leaders already demonstrating their leadership in their well-rounded personal program of activities but college is much more than this you've heard of this closing door of the crowded College 25 years ago one in 12 high school graduates entered college and they could pick the school of their choice today one in three high school graduates go to college what is it mean it means you're competing for admission to the school of your choice let's go for a moment to the offices of the college admissions directors and get the word from the people who know the admissions people are a lot more choosy today than they were a few years ago and when you're interviewed by the admissions counselor he's going to take a long look at your High School record to see just how well you measure up when compared with other high school graduates the college campus may be your goal those beautiful buildings those intriguing courses the wonderful libraries and the great Laboratories May beckon but can you realize your dream the competition is growing Keener all the time the admissions people want to know not only that you have good grades but that you've taken the subjects they think you need to get the most out of the four years you're going to spend there so right now would be a good time to examine your high school program let's look in on Joe Hicks he's a high school student like you and he's faced with the same problems we went to the administrators of colleges to the persons who know what the colleges want of Joe and we found some answers that can give you a head start in the race for admission to college now Joe perhaps like you doesn't know what he wants to be but he has his dreams more and more now he's thinking thinking of the future and perhaps the life of the lawyer is for him a lawyer leaving his plush office in a new office building for another interesting day in court there is lots of excitement in that Prospect the drama of the courtroom the debate but there's more to it than just the excitement of the courtroom this day in court represents hours days perhaps weeks or months of skilled work in the office repairing his [Music] briefs and as is the case with most lawyers this man carries a good deal more in his head than he does in his briefcase in the courtrooms of the world that needs him in a continuing struggle to bring fair play into the lives of all of us he sometimes stands alone and yet not quite alone he enters the courts of law with the backing of long years of gathering into his mind the precepts of government as it evolved from the tablets of hamurabi the law of the Romans the Magna Carta and the Napoleonic Code right on down to the most recent decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States or the latest city ordinances against noise in his town it is here in law school that Joe must become aware of the many facets of his profession in these buildings he will study the famous cases that face the judges of yesterday but entering the law school is a problem in itself Joe must have the proper background before he can be admitted to study law the association of American law schools says that before you enter law school you should first go to a college offering a liberal education for pre-law students it says education of a student for a full life is far more important than mere education for later professional training and practice but why Joe wonders why do I have to take all those subjects like literature and science I'm going to be a lawyer well the association tells us that it's important for the pre-law student to develop skill in comprehension and use of words and then it's not too hard to see that research in Shakespeare is not too far removed from digging facts from the United States statutes for an important brief Law School Association says that when you come to the Law College you should be able to show Not Mere accomplishment in memorization but an accomplishment in understanding the capacity to think for yourself and the ability to express your thoughts with Clarity and force when you receive your bachelor's degree from college as a step toward entering law school you will have command of your nation's history and its philosophy of government its language you'll be acquainted with science and the problems of corporations in the age of science as well as as the science of blood tests ballistics involved in crime detection these are the courses you will have completed before applying to law school for admission these are your goals in the pre-law course in the College of your choice but first things first first you must get by these college Gates you must pass the requirements of the undergraduate college for admission before you can begin that pre-law study and how will you get on this campus when like Joe you pull out that application form you should be certain that you have all the breaks you can make for yourself you should be off to a running start with Mathematics algebra and geometry a lab science biology chemistry or physics literature as much as you can take the plays the novels The Poetry a foreign language is required for admission in 85% of the liberal arts colleges Latin not required is always helpful and of course history The Climb from high school to the courtroom is neither short nor easy but you can make it easier by taking the right courses now yes it's a great dream whether you ever go on to law or not and what was true about pre-law is also true of the student preparing for for theology medicine Dentistry public administration diplomacy all these fields require a 4-year undergraduate degree before you can enter The Graduate School which specializes in training you for one of these professions and then perhaps the space age is calling you and you just can't get those dreams of this new era of satellites and Rockets out of your mind and you don't want [Music] to today it's the armed services that are applying our new knowledge to build our defenses you may want to go to college to prepare for a position in the development of these new machines of defense or you may wish to go directly into these Services either way you will need to know your mathematics before you'll be trusted with these marvels of a new age [Music] these may be weapons today but tomorrow these same men may be fueling our first ship to Venus or the moon they may be harnessing Cosmic energy for our homes and our factories these army officers had the good sense to prepare themselves for the Space Age the man who pushes the button that fires these guided missiles is just one of a group of thousands who worked on their development Engineers technicians writers Executives all of whom had to know their onions and that meant chemistry physics math biology English and foreign language there's a lot that goes into the making of a scientist the men and women who are involved in the systems we use to develop the Machinery are for the most part people who had the imagination to see what was ahead and the foresight to prepare themselves for a space age the opportunities that lie ahead in astrophysics chemistry nucleonics Metallurgy Plastics radiobiology and other fields yet unborn are there mostly for people who are still in high school like you it takes time to understand the machines of a space age it takes time to make a scientist and the world is crying for more men of science to unravel the mysteries of the Stars to defeat cancer to remove salt from the sea Waters which can irrigate the deserts of the world every course you take in college will be vital and you'll desperately wish you had time for still more and fellas don't think for one moment that science is a man's world it was Madame curee who opened this Atomic ERA with her discoveries about radium and today one company has even set aside one scientific building run entirely by women employees other companies hospitals and colleges are searching for the Keen minds of women scientists yes it takes time in college classes to become a scientist and you'll find that you just don't have enough of it do you know that right now you're in a position to gain one year if you take the right courses now you'll be exempt from certain college courses and can start work in these laboratory courses a year earlier have you planned on at least 2 years of a foreign language if you have you'll be required to take one less year in college language and can take a science course in its place the scientist today should be able to read in technical journals of the latest discoveries by Frenchmen Russians Germans and others and yet today thousands of articles in these technical journals lie untranslated in our libraries remember jet engines Rockets penicillin and radioactivity were first discovered in other countries then too you can save time in math and physics if you've had these math courses in high school you've actually gained one whole year of advanced College work in your future planning but perhaps you're not certain your future lies in science you find like Joe here that your dreams are drawn to the excitement of the business world the world of Commerce with the shipping of the world passing through our Harbors the world's greatest network of Railways Meeting those ships and more than 20% of our employable population working in the transportation industry or the world of investment brokerage banking the financial structure on which our entire Society hangs and there's retailing with the administration of the Big Chain stores the grocery stores Automotive Sales all needing leaders the insurance field or perhaps you'll be an independent real estate broker or perhaps it's Big Industry itself that calls you steel the automobile industry aluminum the aircraft industry Machine Tools Plastics millions of Americans are working in Industrial Enterprises today but their production their very jobs and Welfare are in the hands of the business executive who understands the intricacies of the business world and all that it takes to keep the wheels of Industry turning these millions of Americans depend on the head office to decide whether to spend the money for a new plant when to expand production when to change change models let's go inside the Executive Suite and watch the man who knows how to run a big [Music] business the decisions men like this must make in administering our far-flung Enterprises with responsibility for the Destinies of thousands of workers demands an ability in decision making involving sometimes millions of dollars the lives and fortunes of people in in all branches of his Factory are in his hands they come to him for leadership this is a good deal more than just sitting at the desk unlike the merchant or businessman of 50 years ago who could get by with simple arithmetic on his counter without even a cash register today a man going into the steel or Insurance business or entering a banking house will have to go in with a knowledge of mathematics of Finance this course required today of college majors in accounting and business administration requires at least 200 high school algebra courses before you can take it the admissions offices of your colleges will look for that in your record how about you will you be just one of the crowd just another man in the street or will your dream take you to the top in the business world and once again fellas don't think you've got this business World tied up for yourselves not only have women become senators and judges but they now run publishing houses brokerage firms they edit magazines they head real estate firms they buy for Department doors they design our clothing today and tomorrow more and more important decisions are to be made by women but let's look at all this from a different angle we've looked at the professions now let's go back to the high school and look at the courses you're taking in high schools all over the country you'll hear students ask why do I have to take a foreign language do you realize how much of our American way of life depends on our overseas trade some years we export half the cotton almost half the tobacco and almost 2/3 of the turpentine we produce it's with this money that our Southern States buy Automobiles and refrigerators from our Northern factories ships have carried half our locomotives onethird of our motorcycles and onethird of our office machine production to foreign markets our tourist trade is important too France for example has for some years paid for a quarter of its Imports with the income from American tourists these ships in the temps in London England are unloading American [Music] Goods today in Venice Young American women are buying the world famous lace and glasswar of Murano and buano for the Department Stores they represent at home how'd you like to tour the Mediterranean each winter as a buyer a vacation and a job all rolled into one or perhaps you've noted the trade with the Netherlands in diamonds or the lucrative tourist agency business but will you be able to speak the language of these people to write a business letter in French or German or Spanish or Italian today it's a sorry businessman who tries to dabble in all these rich markets without a knowledge of at least one foreign language if diplomatic or foreign services in your future get a language now for every two years of high school life language most colleges will exempt you from one year of college language a year is jump on your college courses a year to get something more out of college this woman in the red coat is a foreign correspondent for an American newspaper traveling overseas like this at ease in the very hottest spot of the crisis ridden world today Algeria but let's consider this what use would she be to her paper if she spoke no French could get no word of opinion from a single Algerian then today lots of high school students ask why history the answer because you can't get into college without it in this day and age of political crisis calling for so much of our energies to ward off war no matter what you choose from engineering to journalism your college will require some sort of History course usually in your freshman year you should understand your government and its Heritage from the Western World and if diplomacy is your field you may end up right back there where democracy was born in the halls of the British government or perhaps you'll work in the city hall or even the Congress of the United States the need is great for city managers and other competent Municipal officials even the city engineer or health officer must understand the principles of government and economics history is not just a study of the crumbling past of ruins and long departed Kings the colleges believe it vital today they believe the study of political and social developments of other times applied to the problems of today give us the best idea of what will happen tomorrow the world has gone through some bitter times and when we stop looking back we'll have to give up also the hope of preventing the misery and bloodshed the depression and hunger that face us every once in a while then to they ask why so much emphasis on English from Billboards to engineering reports the ability to express yourself correctly is the key to success and advertising can be much more complicated than Billboards one major automobile manufacturer recently advertised want 25 men who can correctly write the English language television has become an increasingly important medium in advertising as well as in entertainment and in the presentation of news whether you write news short stories advertising copy dramatic skits engineering reports sales analyses or tax audits you've got to know your language and the printed word be it newspaper magazine or book is the basic tool of success you must be equipped to handle it well you better begin polishing up on that reading right now whether you're hoping to make the College Newspaper staff with your first thrill as a reporter or as a rewrite man or as an editor or layout man or someday expect to be working in a radio Newsroom you'd better get your word skills in good shape words are the backbone of this business and of most business here in a college language laboratory you see a professor preparing recordings for the foreign language classes remember 85% of the liberal arts colleges require foreign language and you can't expect to know German French or Spanish grammar if you don't have your English grammar in shape and then there's the really big bonus all colleges require English composition of their freshmen but you can take an examination when you arrive on campus and if your English is good enough here is one more course you can skip in order to start more advanced work in your chosen field ahead of most other students that's the word from behind the door of the college admissions man that's why you take high school English now we've already talked a great deal about math how you can get at least one year jump on other students in engineering and Science and Prem medicine if you've had all these courses now naturally the engineer must have his math but do you know that most all colleges require a laboratory science somewhere in your four-year college program regardless of your major whether you're going to to operate a surveyor's transit or preach from the pulpit of your church and all lab Sciences require at least algebra and usually plain geometry are you ready for these required College Science courses or must you waste a year at College taking non-credit High School level mathematics after you get there these are accounting students they're using math they need it for psychological statistics accounting and market research and more and more colleges are even turning down applications from students without math yes even the musician who makes a study of the physics of Acoustics finds mathematics a necessary [Music] tool we've also discussed science for the scientist but what have you other students who don't expect to major in science this is a biology laboratory in an Eastern College not one of these students is a science major now some experience in the scientific way of thinking in a high school course is a lifesaver here any science it doesn't have to be the same one you're going to take in college and of course those of you planning your future in medicine or Dentistry must constantly live with science nurses and Medical technologists in these efficient new hospitals must know chemistry and [Music] biology pharmacists study Physics math two years of chemistry and three years of biology even the criminal lawyer should know something of the processes of Science in crime detection maybe you think you won't need these courses because you're going into a new field not yet quite a profession a field like television and if you think you won't need the basic courses you're making a mistake the successful broadcaster needs as broad a background as possible think of the wide range of interests touched by this powerful force in American Life how can a newsman analyze current events without a knowledge of History the dramatic actor's talents are augmented by his knowledge of the theater and the classic plays the advertising copyright would be lost without a solid background in English and then there are the engineers experts in advanced electronics the lighting men and Technical directors who need to know Optics the behavior of light and the characteristics of lenses the audio Engineers who must know Acoustics the designers who make the scenery and the sets the foreign language training the announcers and musicians must have just think of the importance of language training to the people who are in The Voice of America and radio free Europe to The Correspondents in overseas bureaus of ABC NBC and CBS as the world shrinks before the swiftly expanding fields of communication and transportation the study of a foreign language becomes more and more important and then there's the business side of broadcasting the audience measurement survey companies leaning heavily on math in statistics the time salesman who depends on his knowledge of psychology and the executive Personnel who need to know a little of everything no field is an exception this physiotherapist must study in college biology chemistry physics anatomy and physiology he must be able to read and to write clear accurate reports he must understand the social background and the psychological problems of his patient he must have a broad background the physical education teacher also must take zoology anatomy and physiology he must know his English and his history so you see no matter what your field you'll get a head start in your race to enter College if you take the proper High School courses now one state requires its Elementary School teachers to complete two years of high school science to be admitted to teachers college now it won't be long before you've reached that first goal you've set for yourself High School graduation you'll be ready to move up to college if you have taken the courses the college admissions people will be looking for with the proper subjects behind you that diploma is the key to the closing College door but don't think it's just a money maker your college education is designed to make you a leader with responsibilities that go with a college degree you assume obligations to all these thousands of co-workers in society will you be able to lead will you assume the responsibilities of big business whether in the armed forces or as a scientist behind the scenes will you really produce when the chips are down will you benefit mankind will you make the world any better our system of laws with Justice for All is a system which needs the protection that a well-informed people can give it and the colleges are aiming toward making each graduate a responsible or will you be admitted but have to take so many Elementary courses that you only get three years of college education in four years or will you graduate from college knowing that you got the most for your time and every dollar of tuition you paid right now is the time to think about your future if you're headed in this direction take a good close look at your high school curriculum make sure it's getting you started right for college