If there was a vote for the one place in the entire universe of American colleges and universities where solid preparation for college physics should be expected, an Ivy League school like Princeton University would certainly be in the running.

However, even at Princeton, physics professor Tony Rothman tells Scientific American, students from American high schools are mostly overwhelmed by a standard college physics course.

Example: Most of Princeton’s pre-med students now take a dumbed down physics course because they cannot handle the math in traditional freshman physics!

There are stars in Professor Rothman’s classes, but they come from Asia and, believe it or not, Eastern Europe.

Rothman is unimpressed by the claim that American students are creative while the Asians and Europeans are just disciplined. He knows better. “I’ve seen no lack of creativity on the part of the foreign students,” says Rothman. He continues, “(American) High schools would do better not to teach physics at all than arm students with the attitudes they bring us.”

And, it’s not just physics that is problematic. Rothman says, “The incoming algebra level in calculus-based (Physics) 103 has been declining since I arrived at Princeton, and last year—after returning from a sabbatical—it appeared to have glitched downward to the worst I’ve ever seen (something I heard from other institutions as well).”

Keep in mind, these comments are coming from one of the nation’s most selective and competitive universities.

What do you think is happening at other American universities which can provide excellent educations but simply cannot compete with Princeton for the top tier of students in the nation?

Our kids just aren’t leaving the K to 12 school system with inadequate preparation, they are also leaving with bad attitudes about work that guarantee lackluster college performance – even if they go on to elite schools like Princeton!

That’s really scary.