higher education
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higher education
| Wed, 12-03-2008 - 11:54pm |
1- does higher cost=higher quality education?
2- does the higher education system need to be fixed? if yes, what needs to change?
Soaring Tuition Pushes College Out of Reach
Report Finds Tuition Costs Jump 439 Percent, Outpacing Family Income
full story here...

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In my opinion, higher cost does not equal higher education. Ive seen plenty of unaccredited schools out there that offer degree's yet charge an exorbitant price.
I do think higher education should be fixed. I believe that everyone should have access to a college education. However, I also believe that too many people are getting post graduate degree's thus flooding the field. If a person wants a PHd and will contribute to research in their field, then they should do it. Some programs are just pumping out PHd's without focusing on what the PHd is supposed to bring to the field it's in. I think PHd's should contribute to their fields, and research, research, research and if an individual has no interest in research or teaching, then why not stick with just a B.A. or Masters?
Just my thoughts, I'm interested in seeing what others feel.
I agree with the article that we get what we pay for.
I don't think higher cost always means better education, but it can make a difference.
I think your thoughts on PhDs are interesting. As a PhD, I have seen the market be "flooded" although I perceive the situation a little differently. PhD programs typically only want to admit students who they think will make contributions to research and teaching, and they usually have to PAY for their PhD students (tuition plus stipends) so there isn't a lot of motivation to just pump anybody through. They only benefit from PhD students if those students can make valuable contributions to the field and improve the reputation of the university. Some students realize they aren't cut out for research early on and then they leave their program with a masters. Other well-intentioned students simply become disillusioned when they realize in a few years that getting a job in academia is going to be extremely difficult. The situation is especially bad in the humanities and in some of the social sciences where jobs outside of academia are more limited. Its a strange thing to be so well-educated and yet to feel unqualified for so many jobs out there. But the reason there aren't many academic jobs is sort of complicated, and not necessarily about having too many PhDs. Baby boomers are still occupying many tenured positions out there and b/c professors tend to live longer than the average person, they will occupy those jobs for a loooonggg time. And then there's the economy...
Katie, I totally agree with you POV. Cost makes a difference, but isn't a perfect predictor of the quality of education you get. I went to a small liberal arts school for my BA that was more expensive than a State school but certainly not up there with the more renown institutions. I had AMAZING teachers and lots of opportunities for hands-on learning. For my PhD I went to a more expensive, prestigious place, and I noticed there that the teaching was sort of hit-or-miss. Some of the impressive faculty members were good teachers, but some others were pretty awful. Just because they were impressive researchers did not mean they knew how to teach undergrads. But your education quality also comes from the students around you. So if a more expensive, selective institution draws in smarter students, then your money pays for you to be challenged more by your peers.
College really does delay adulthood for a lot of people, doesn't it? On one hand, I can see that regardless of your career aspirations, college has general benefits. College teaches you how to learn, how to set goals, how to stick to deadlines and work with others. Some young people really benefit from that and then it doesn't really matter whether they pursue a career relevant to their degree, because they have become better, smarter people as a result of college. But for the students sleeping through their classes and barely scraping by because they are using college to avoid responsibility and mooch off their parents...they are sort of wasting the experience. I do wonder if there is research out there on the benefits of a gap year to later success. It seems like great idea to me!
my opinion is that for the most part, it is what you make of it...
someone could go to an inexpensive school, work hard, and get an excellent education, leaving them highly qualified...
at the same time someone could go to an expensive school, not put much effort in, and as a result, be unprepared.
In my professional life, the school has less bearing on the preparedness, it is the way the candidate participaetd in thier education.
we have seen many fabulous candidates coming from less expensive schools, and even more so we have seen many poorly qualified candidates from some of the nations’ top universities….in that category, we get a lot of the “smart, but lazy” types…not so with the motivated people from the less expensive schools
-Kristen
i've enjoyed reading everyone's responses so far. here are my very scattered thoughts on the subject...
1-i dont know. part of me thinks that you only get out what you put in to any experience. so like others have said, if you work hard and use the opportunity for growth, then you will be alright no matter what school you go to. but an other part of me wonders, if i send my resume to a potential employer with the University of Pennsylvania listed, would they look at the resume differently if i had Community College of Philadelphia listed?
i think it is interesting that a relatively small percentage of people in the US have college degrees. i wonder if the percentage is of the entire population, or of people of college age? anyway, i say that beacuse i feel like college is becoming the new high school. every job posting i have ever looked at has required at least an associates, and bachelors preferred. maybe that is not true for all fields, though.
i absolutely loved my college experience, but when i look back i feel like there was something missing, like i didnt feel prepared for the real world... i dont know if my post made sense at all... i think i need a nap before i post any more, lol
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-Kristen
I agree.
i absolutely loved my college experience, but when i look back i feel like there was something missing, like i didnt feel prepared for the real world... i dont know if my post made sense at all... i think i need a nap before i post any more, lol
You nailed it.
That's because high school & college are a series of rote memorization exercises.
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