Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think there's an incredible anti-education bias everywhere. And it didn't start with all the "OMG Student Loans" reporting we get to hear about on a daily basis nowadays. Some people just don't believe that education past HS is necessary or important.
My grandfather felt that way. My mom was valedictorian of her HS class and even though he could have afforded to send her to college, he refused because "A college education is a waste. Especially for women". Sadly, dear old grandpa's point of view is alive and well even today.
The main problem is that college, right or wrong, has become essentially a job training program that society says everyone needs to go to, driving enrollments up, even among those who are a poor fit for a traditional academic environment.
The exclusivity and prestige of a traditional liberal arts education is now gone.
The main problem is that college, right or wrong, has become essentially a job training program that society says everyone needs to go to, driving enrollments up, even among those who are a poor fit for a traditional academic environment.
The exclusivity and prestige of a traditional liberal arts education is now gone.
I would agree with your assessment. Many now attend college who are a poor fit. But, for someone who is a good fit, college is still a worthy investment. Although, IMO, for the best students it's just another hurdle to jump before getting an advanced degree.
I would agree with your assessment. Many now attend college who are a poor fit. But, for someone who is a good fit, college is still a worthy investment. Although, IMO, for the best students it's just another hurdle to jump before getting an advanced degree.
It's still a lot more granular than that.
I was a high-achieving high school student and got a partial scholarship to Washington University in St. Louis. After seeing the costs ($$$$ - just checked and the "full package" is now up to about ~$66k annually), I elected not to go and attended my local state university, which was probably 20%-30% of what I would have paid.
Would I have received a hell of an education there? Definitely - but even if someone today is only paying let's say a third of the "sticker price," they're still coming out with $88k. Throw in price increases and incidentals, and you're easily up to $100k. The debt, no matter what major you came out with, is burdensome, even if the starting salary and connections a school like that offers are far greater than your average school.
I still learned a lot at my state school, though it didn't have the connections or marketability a major school would have, but I blame the local economy and isolated location more than the quality of the education itself.
Maybe not, but as stated below, a lot of people on these boards claim a person can make $50K right out of high school. You know that's an outlier situation. That's unskilled labor at that point.
I was a high-achieving high school student and got a partial scholarship to Washington University in St. Louis. After seeing the costs ($$$$ - just checked and the "full package" is now up to about ~$66k annually), I elected not to go and attended my local state university, which was probably 20%-30% of what I would have paid.
Would I have received a hell of an education there? Definitely - but even if someone today is only paying let's say a third of the "sticker price," they're still coming out with $88k. Throw in price increases and incidentals, and you're easily up to $100k. The debt, no matter what major you came out with, is burdensome, even if the starting salary and connections a school like that offers are far greater than your average school.
I still learned a lot at my state school, though it didn't have the connections or marketability a major school would have, but I blame the local economy and isolated location more than the quality of the education itself.
Ironically I work with someone who went to Wash U while I went to Average State U. We have the same job title and same pay rate.
From what I gather, the experience there was better, but I have to wonder if it was worth it.
Ironically I work with someone who went to Wash U while I went to Average State U. We have the same job title and same pay rate.
From what I gather, the experience there was better, but I have to wonder if it was worth it.
Many of these liberal arts colleges are great places to learn. Other than it being highly ranked, I have no firsthand experience with WashU, but I enrolled at a small, liberal arts Christian school during the semester off I took. I ended up pulling back on the basis of cost, but I made more student connections there in a few weeks than I did at the state school in years. Amusingly enough, I made few non-faculty connections/friends at the state school over many years there.
If all else is equal, I'd much rather attend the liberal arts college, especially if I was majoring in a liberal arts degree.
I think there's an incredible anti-education bias everywhere. And it didn't start with all the "OMG Student Loans" reporting we get to hear about on a daily basis nowadays. Some people just don't believe that education past HS is necessary or important.
My grandfather felt that way. My mom was valedictorian of her HS class and even though he could have afforded to send her to college, he refused because "A college education is a waste. Especially for women". Sadly, dear old grandpa's point of view is alive and well even today.
I'm aware of that mindset. Certainly when I graduated in 1967, many girls especially were not particularly encouraged to go to college, or to consider going to a highly ranked college. The irony of my class' situation is that living in the Pittsburgh area, there were, even then, a lot of highly ranked schools, including the prestigious Carnegie-Mellon U. I went to a higher ranked college than our female valedictorian.
I'm also talking about this board. There is almost always at least one thread running of this nature. Currently there are two on the front page of the forum. There seem to be a lot of people on CD who don't think college is worth it, or necessary.
I'm aware of that mindset. Certainly when I graduated in 1967, many girls especially were not particularly encouraged to go to college, or to consider going to a highly ranked college. The irony of my class' situation is that living in the Pittsburgh area, there were, even then, a lot of highly ranked schools, including the prestigious Carnegie-Mellon U. I went to a higher ranked college than our female valedictorian.
I'm also talking about this board. There is almost always at least one thread running of this nature. Currently there are two on the front page of the forum. There seem to be a lot of people on CD who don't think college is worth it, or necessary.
ROI for a degree seems to be decreasing over the past decade or so.
I'm aware of that mindset. Certainly when I graduated in 1967, many girls especially were not particularly encouraged to go to college, or to consider going to a highly ranked college. The irony of my class' situation is that living in the Pittsburgh area, there were, even then, a lot of highly ranked schools, including the prestigious Carnegie-Mellon U. I went to a higher ranked college than our female valedictorian.
I'm also talking about this board. There is almost always at least one thread running of this nature. Currently there are two on the front page of the forum. There seem to be a lot of people on CD who don't think college is worth it, or necessary.
For sure true on CD. People love to point to anecdotal evidence and claim college is some sort of scam and a frivolous waste of time and money. I'd rather rely on the statistics. College graduates statistically have a lower percentage of unemployment and higher lifetime earnings.
I do agree that students and their parents need to control costs and therefore loans as much as possible. Going to college, like any decision that effects one's finances, should be thoroughly thought out and carefully chosen.
ROI for a degree seems to be decreasing over the past decade or so.
I seriously disagree. About all you can do without one is retail or food service.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
