I have to admit that I was a little shocked by the article written by Babson College adjunct professor, Kara Miller entitled “My Lazy American Students”, and I apparently was not the only one.  The article, published in the Boston Globe in December, set off a fire storm of comments, both positive and negative.  Inside Higher Ed.compublished a summary piece earlier this month that not only highlights Miller’s original article, but also discusses her follow up piece she wrote since so many comments were posted.  Inside Higher Ed also published a summary of a piece written by an American Babson student (which was also published by The Globe)  and the response from the Undergraduate Dean that were posted on his blog.
Babson College is definitely a unique place.   As a former Babson admission officer, I can understand that it is easy to make comparisons between Babson’s international and domestic student populations, especially since there are so many international students on campus.  However, just because it is easy to place students into stereotypical groups, I don’t think this type of judgement is fair to any student.  In my experience, every student is different and there is no way, in my mind to classify that one group of students works harder than the next.  While I do respect Miller’s right to her opinion and observations,  it is difficult to perceive how any American student will feel comfortable in her classroom, unless they want to prove her wrong!
Katherine Price
Educational Consultant