Assumptions on High School and College Skill Levels

[Black Rose]

What would you say is a reasonable assumed level of education for, as the title says, High School and College skill levels, both halfway through a Bachelor's as well as graduated with a BA or BS from a quality university?

I'm trying to parse these out for a setting, and while it seems like at the High School level, Defaults would be better from a realism standpoint, it kills any gradiation. "Hey, how good are you?" Well, I've got a 9 IQ and a default in an IQ/H skill, and so does everyone else in my class."

Kinda dull.

So assume both a Cultist viewpoint as well as a moderately cinematic viewpoint? What do you think?

[Crakkerjakk]

Skill 11-12 for a recent graduate of a unremarkable (in either way) university. Let high school students mostly operate off defaults, with a few points here and there in the areas they're especially interested in (even if that's Carousing).

As for mid-way levels, call it 10-11?

[Pragmatic]

Note that one of the criteria is that, as people raise in education, their IQ increases as well. At least, in the Templates I've seen. (Probably a "chicken-and-egg" thing. If someone doesn't have an IQ of X, they probably wouldn't have gotten a degree of level Y.)

[Ulzgoroth]

If you have problems with the too-steep differentiation of 'you have a point or you don't' for a class-full of high school students, use Dabbler perks. A half or quarter point can make a big difference between somebody pulling off a passable grade in a class and someone not even taking it.

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

Note that one of the criteria is that, as people raise in education, their IQ increases as well. At least, in the Templates I've seen. (Probably a "chicken-and-egg" thing. If someone doesn't have an IQ of X, they probably wouldn't have gotten a degree of level Y.)

That's not too surprising for templates, because a template that really uses a college education is likely going to be of the know-it-all type. Adventuring nerds usually lean to the omnidisciplinary.

A highly skilled chemical engineer would certainly have a college degree, but might only have a couple highly developed IQ skills and an average IQ. It's just that that character is less likely to turn up as a PC than someone who can also handle three other kinds of engineering, repair a car, and program a computer.

Education can justify an elevated IQ, but neither mandates the other.

[Black Rose]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

If you have problems with the too-steep differentiation of 'you have a point or you don't' for a class-full of high school students, use Dabbler perks. A half or quarter point can make a big difference between somebody pulling off a passable grade in a class and someone not even taking it.

I should probably mention that the effect of the Dabbler perk is pretty much an assumed setting rule. I really like the smoother gradiation from Default to Def+1, Def+2, Def+3 and finally 1-pt that it offers. Not to mention it allows someone who's had a few months' worth of classes in a subject to have that matter.

[trans]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

If you have problems with the too-steep differentiation of 'you have a point or you don't' for a class-full of high school students, use Dabbler perks.

Having recently bought the 4e Basic Set, I would really like to know where the Dabbler perk is described?

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by trans

Having recently bought the 4e Basic Set, I would really like to know where the Dabbler perk is described?

Power-Ups 2: Perks, an e23 PDF that compiles most (or all?) of the GURPS 4e perks that predate it and a number of new ones. I think Dabbler was one of the new ones.

[MagiMaster]

I thought I remembered seeing Dabbler in Martial Arts? (It was a friend's copy, so I can't look it up.)

[Harald387]

One can generally assume that a high school student is operating on the default, at a generous TDM (the teacher doesn't want you to fail; you've probably studied EXACTLY THIS MATERIAL in the last month; high school rarely covers really advanced skill applications) and a bonus for taking extra time (because even a test in high school is rarely the kind of situation that doesn't let you squeeze double or triple the 'standard' time to answer a question).

College students - the ones really applying themselves, anyway - most likely have an IQ of 11 by the time they finish high school and a point or two in their areas of study. They're then operating on a favorable TDM (because before the postgraduate level, college is still not an environment designed to make you fail, even if the material itself is more advanced), and then racking on extra time if they take it.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Black Rose

What would you say is a reasonable assumed level of education for, as the title says, High School and College skill levels, both halfway through a Bachelor's as well as graduated with a BA or BS from a quality university?

High School students are very unlikely to have any Science or Professional Skills. Many of their teachers will be no better than 12 in the subject they are teaching.

Exceptions might be made for the absolutely brightest kid in school who's gotten an early start on his Ph.D.

High School kids may have other Skills though. Athletic/other Physical and Hobby Skills are most likely. Probably not Driving. Even amjor jocks though are unlikely to have more than a pt of 2 in even Physical Skills.

If a college student graduates ready to take an entry level job in his degree filed then that translates to a skill of 12 or higher. That's pretty much by definition. Extrapolate from there.

If all this seems dull.....well, Gurps primarily concentrates on measuring the Skills of Adventurers and most High School and College students will have few if any Skills useful to Adventurers.