The Future of College Looks Like the Future of Retail

[abefroman329]

- that textbooks are the best/worst examples of cost depreciation

1) Given the fact that you can at least return a brand new textbook for a full refund within the return window, I'd say new cars are a better/worse one
2) Nowadays you can rent textbooks, which is a brilliant idea.

[abefroman329]

In general, I think I was a better human being having completed 4 years of college on campus (though I had [and have] a long way to go), and I didn't see others who didn't go to college go thru similar growth.  They were just as immature at 25 as they were at 18.

[english si]

As someone with experience of both distance-learning and campus-based further education, campus-based's big benefit is life experience, not better teaching.*

That said, learning works better with others physically there, but others could be '3', could be '90' (though smaller classes/seminars stop you from hiding, and also give you more ability to raise your queries. But I had the same absorption of in-flesh lectures at the same place whether there were 90 or 9 in the class. And the same absorption of recorded ones whether there was 10 or 4 of us). Watching lectures online on your own makes it harder to absorb as you don't get the questions and discussion around what's been taught from fellow students.

Being on campus makes little difference academically to being a small study group studying remotely, unless academics are approachable and accessible outside the usual queries and such from students on their module that they have to do as part of the job. Knowledge doesn't filter through by osmosis, by mere proximity to great minds - it requires interaction with them.

*Certainly I've seen little to counter my theory that if a uni/college/department is trading on big names, or quality of research, or prestige, then the teaching of undergraduates is not the highest priority for academic staff and teaching quality isn't as good as those slightly lower down the chain. Obviously a crappy place will be crappy, but...

[Desert Man]

10 things you learned in college, esp if it's private, a state university and ivy league school.

10. On average, it will cost you $10-50k a year (times 4 for average span in college).
9. There's no financial literacy nor home economics and income budgeting class.
8. No class in Latin (Not even roman numerals - see VIII) nor cursive (a dying art).
7. Never take a racial or gender studies course (no company employer wants you now).
6. The job market is mainly fast food and retail (at least you got a HS diploma, a must).
5. All jobs are part-time, temping, and minimum wage ($11 in CA) - not living wage.
4. Ironically, a 4% unemployment rate for both CA and the US (current avg. for each).
3. You will be outsourced, job given to automation and if your company decides to keep a real human manual job, they hire an immigrant worker on a H1B visa to replace you.
2. You shoulda taken $20-200 a class in junior or community college (only a mundane office job with avg. $50-75,000 a year salary here in urban centers of CA).
and 1. College student loan debt for life. I heard it's a total of $100,000+ now.   

Welcome to the real world, millennials (and soon generation Z), and let's start adulting.

[abefroman329]

7. Never take a racial or gender studies course (no company employer wants you now).

1) How would they know unless they asked for a copy of your college transcript?
2) Why would they care?

What an odd statement.  Employers want to know that you earned the degree you claimed you earned and that it's in the field of study you claimed it was (assuming it's a job that requires a degree in a particular field).  They don't care what specific classes you took.

[Rothman]

As someone who has hired other employees, we always ask for a transcript.  That said, a gender or racial studies class here and there aren't going to keep them out.

[abefroman329]

As someone who has hired other employees, we always ask for a transcript.  That said, a gender or racial studies class here and there aren't going to keep them out.

Honestly, I can't remember the last time I was asked for a transcript, and it happened so infrequently, it was notable when it did.  Either my employer verified the fact that I'd earned a degree through the standard background check, or they just didn't care that much.