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Is a college education worth the money?

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Re: Is a college education worth the money?

#51

Post by ghb »

potatolicious wrote: post #37
krakensden wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? I never would have learned the math on my own, and liberal arts could cost you $1.50 in library fees. I grew up reading for fun though, perhaps that facet of education is harder for some people?

> "and liberal arts could cost you $1.50 in library fees." Many subjects cannot really be learned from books. Regardless of how many history books you may read, for example, it will not shed the same insight as a profound discussion with a highly-experienced academic in the field. This is true for many aspects of the humanities. Which isn't to say self-study is worthless, but rather that it is a poor substitute for i…

As someone with a philosophy degree I can say that your thought is immeasurably underestimated. Every philosophy 101 course teaches you Plato, but the differene between the Plato you find there and the actual Plato under scholarly anaylsis is immense. Aristotle is even worse: his Attic Greek has almost nothing to do with his common English translation EDIT: when it comes to the key terms.

Re: Is a college education worth the money?

#52

Post by philwelch »

krakensden wrote: post #29
mechanician wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am an engineer. Being five years removed from undergrad, the most valuable parts of college were not electives in mechanics or control theory. They were the professors I interacted with, the football games I attended in the student section, the liberal arts and writing classes I was required to take, and the friends I made.

Really? I never would have learned the math on my own, and liberal arts could cost you $1.50 in library fees. I grew up reading for fun though, perhaps that facet of education is harder for some people?

There's a big difference between reading philosophy and understanding it. Understanding philosophy requires some understanding of translation issues, historical knowledge of which philosophers are replying to whom, and (especially in analytic philosophy) a working knowledge of the technical jargon involved. It's much easier territory to navigate when you have a guide.

Re: Is a college education worth the money?

#53

Post by foldr »

rsheridan6 wrote: post #46
potatolicious wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've taken those courses also - they are still valuable. Take the same book home, or hell, take ten books home on that subject and you will still miss many salient points that only prolonged formal study of the subject will bring. That's the trick with the humanities - they are not hard sciences, there is no canonical body of knowledge to be passed on; This isn't a straight download. Many things are a matter of persp…

How is going to a lecture with no interaction different from taking a transcript of the lecture and binding it in a book?

It's not, but you have to go to the lecture to get the transcript, right? The professor may be saying things that don't appear in any book. This is especially so if you're going to a good school and the professor is a leading researcher in his field.

Re: Is a college education worth the money?

#54

Post by foldr »

jrp wrote: post #23
ihodes wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you'd be surprised. Maybe it's the company I keep, or the college I go to, but hell if not at least 90% of the kids who go here think they're "enriching their lives".

No. I am a grad student teaching first-year calculus. 90% are getting a chance to party and maybe 10% are the idealists.

I'm not sure how you can tell. It's easy to form opinions like this about undergraduates that you're teaching, but in practice they're based on virtually nothing. You don't know these people, you just interact with them in a very restricted way for a few hours a week. (And you spend hardly any time at all with them on a one-to-one basis.) At least, that's how I fell when I'm teaching.

Re: Is a college education worth the money?

#55

Post by smokey_the_bear »

timcederman wrote: post #24

I'm still amazed at the cost of a college education in the US. My computer engineering degree in Australia cost $15k total, then a PhD was free (with many, including myself, getting a scholarship to pay for living expenses).

Most people in the US don't spend hundreds of thousands on undergrad education, just the people who blog about it a lot. I went to Iowa State. Tuition was about 1500 a semester, so 12k total, for a double degree in computer engineering and math. I'm totally satisfied with the quality of the education and social experience.

Re: Is a college education worth the money?

#56

Post by foldr »

potatolicious wrote: post #37
krakensden wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? I never would have learned the math on my own, and liberal arts could cost you $1.50 in library fees. I grew up reading for fun though, perhaps that facet of education is harder for some people?

> "and liberal arts could cost you $1.50 in library fees." Many subjects cannot really be learned from books. Regardless of how many history books you may read, for example, it will not shed the same insight as a profound discussion with a highly-experienced academic in the field. This is true for many aspects of the humanities. Which isn't to say self-study is worthless, but rather that it is a poor substitute for i…

>Many subjects cannot really be learned from books. Regardless of how many history books you may read, for example, it will not shed the same insight as a profound discussion with a highly-experienced academic in the field. This is true for many aspects of the humanities.

Also, if you're really interested in a subject, talking with an expert is fun. You're really missing out on the good stuff if you keep to yourself and your books. I think this goes equally for the arts and the sciences.

Re: Is a college education worth the money?

#57

Post by aohtsab »

jrp wrote: post #23
ihodes wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you'd be surprised. Maybe it's the company I keep, or the college I go to, but hell if not at least 90% of the kids who go here think they're "enriching their lives".

No. I am a grad student teaching first-year calculus. 90% are getting a chance to party and maybe 10% are the idealists.

I don't think first-years are a fair assessment of any institution. Many of the original 90% partiers will either a) shape up, b) drop out of college or c) some other choice. Good luck -- my friend is also a grad student teaching first-year calculus for "business, social sciences and humanities" .. ie kids that aren't interested in math. In his words, "it's painful".

Re: Is a college education worth the money?

#58

Post by aohtsab »

ludistan wrote: post #42
timcederman wrote: post #24

I'm still amazed at the cost of a college education in the US. My computer engineering degree in Australia cost $15k total, then a PhD was free (with many, including myself, getting a scholarship to pay for living expenses).

I'm from Europe, and my electrical engineering degree didn't cost me a single euro. So with me, it was more question like "Is it worth the time? I could spend time on something much more interesting."

how so?

Re: Is a college education worth the money?

#59

Post by ludistan »

aohtsab wrote: post #58
ludistan wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm from Europe, and my electrical engineering degree didn't cost me a single euro. So with me, it was more question like "Is it worth the time? I could spend time on something much more interesting."

how so?

I'm from Slovenia, but I think most European faculties (colleges in Europe) don't charge students for degrees. We pay that through taxes. I hope that answers your question.
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