41–50 of 222 posts
I strongly disagree. Elite colleges are all about signaling. But I don't doubt for a second that my CS degree taught me an enormous amount - some skill-building, lots of abstract thinking - that I wouldn't have been able to achieve as quickly as anywhere else.
“If a student wants to study at Princeton, he doesn’t really need to apply or pay tuition. He can simply show up and start taking classes. As a professor, I assure you that we make near-zero effort to stop unofficial education; indeed, the rare, earnestly curious student touches our hearts. At the end of four years at Princeton, though, the guerrilla student would lack one precious thing: a diploma. The fact that alm…
At which point Princeton would enforce their membership rules but that's another atory
I strongly disagree. Elite colleges are all about signaling. But I don't doubt for a second that my CS degree taught me an enormous amount - some skill-building, lots of abstract thinking - that I wouldn't have been able to achieve as quickly as anywhere else.
All these anti-education articles are pretty tedious. If you believe it's the schools who have it all wrong by teaching subjects that aren't useful for building phone apps, you're probably already pretty set in your worldview.
Formal education is classroom-based, provided by trained teachers. Informal education happens outside the classroom, in after-school programs, community-based organizations, museums, libraries, or at home. http://enhancinged.wgbh.org/started/what/formal.html
In other words, if I'm reading at home, undergoing on the job training, even picking people's pockets, I'm getting educated.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, community college diploma is a strong signal compared to no diploma. You seem too preoccupied by concerns of top few percent.
Sure, I suppose you're right. I'm mentioning these top colleges because we're on HN, which is heavily oriented around the Bay Area tech ecosystem, which loves to dip into that pool.
“If a student wants to study at Princeton, he doesn’t really need to apply or pay tuition. He can simply show up and start taking classes. As a professor, I assure you that we make near-zero effort to stop unofficial education; indeed, the rare, earnestly curious student touches our hearts. At the end of four years at Princeton, though, the guerrilla student would lack one precious thing: a diploma. The fact that alm…
“If a student wants to study at Princeton, he doesn’t really need to apply or pay tuition. He can simply show up and start taking classes. As a professor, I assure you that we make near-zero effort to stop unofficial education; indeed, the rare, earnestly curious student touches our hearts. At the end of four years at Princeton, though, the guerrilla student would lack one precious thing: a diploma. The fact that alm…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you see the contradiction in saying that school was easy and pointless, and simultaneously saying it kept you from doing things? It sorta has to be one or the other. The blatant sexism is also a problem.
What sexism? No, you are required to pay attention, and therefore unable to do something more productive.
"Also the prevalence of women in school administration..."
Implying that male administrators, purely by being male are not making whatever nebulous errors you complain about.
There are signals and signals and disparaging an entire school is ... unfair.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What sexism? No, you are required to pay attention, and therefore unable to do something more productive.
Do you really not see it? "Also the prevalence of women in school administration..." Implying that male administrators, purely by being male are not making whatever nebulous errors you complain about.