A business major went viral on TikTok after she returned to college later in life and found the young students shockingly unprepared. She claimed they're unable to read and write like they should or understand anything more than elementary math.
It might sound hard to believe until you see all the professors agreeing with her.
The kids can't math
Sahirah Abdur (@sahirahabdur) started going viral with her video, now at 1.2 million views, over the weekend. Already a model, she smartly decided to go back to college for a business degree. She wouldn't reveal her age, but she's apparently not 18 anymore, and needs a backup plan.
Her second time around the campus sounds like it's a lot easier than the first.
"I decided to go back to college, and long story short—boy, are these kids stupid!" she said in the video.
"I cannot believe these kids. They can't read, they can't write. I'm not great at math, but they don't even know the basic 5th-grade math."
She went on to tell a story of a young woman who had already failed a basic speech course twice, even though Abdur says you can pass just by showing up and participating sometimes. That student spotted the model taking notes in class and, surprised, asked if she should be doing the same.
"Our future is cooked," Abdur concluded.
It appears that the warnings about students falling behind in the basics weren't heeded well enough to stop the deficits from reaching universities. In 2024, a Vox report outlined multiple studies reporting student struggles in each of the areas Adbur mentioned.
Many blamed the gap on COVID, but then found that schools have been failing to catch the affected kids up. The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) reported that some were only falling further behind.
"It’s gotten soooo bad"
It might be tempting to dismiss this as just one person's experience, but college professors keep showing up in the TikTok comments to confirm Abdur's observations.
"College professor here. It’s gotten soooo bad in the last 7-8 years," said @swampwitchhh.
"College professor here… I get SO EXCITED when I see a returning student. I'm like, LETS GOOO!" @cate_thinkandthrive agreed.
"I’m a university lecturer. I have students who write entire essays as one paragraph," wrote @queennegan. "I teach journalism and communication. I’ve had to make a rule that if anyone opens TikTok while I’m talking, I’ll make them play the video for me and then explain it to the class."
Other returning students added additional evidence to Abdur's claims.
"29 back in school and it’s so crazy how low the professors set the bar, I’ve never felt like such a genius in my life," @satanicvalkyrie cried.
"I have had my professor ask me to stop answering questions in class because no one else will speak," said @grimmgraham.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @sahirahabdur for comment via TikTok.
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