Tuition-Free University Gains a Following

One of a handful? All higher education in Sweden is tuition free for all students regardless of where they come from.

Maybe he means "one of a handful in the US", but the "students all over the world" part suggests he's talking worldwide?

The question that really poked out to me was: "5 Please finish this statement: “When I think of Online Education I think…”. "

Well, of course, I think infancy. The internet as a whole is probably still in an infancy stage with nothing set in stone. I started thinking about it from a philosophy POV too. My Phil101 class consisted of 70% natural texans, 10% out of state, and 20% international students. There was an obvious amount of disgust from the natural texans not only to the international students but to the out of state students. I realized a major problem with discrimination and fear had to do with just plain lack of familiarity. I had always got along with the African transfer students because our stories were similar in a way. We were both just looking for a place to fit in where we were basically regarded as foreigners. The texans would criticize, laugh, and just be pure cruel to the transfer students. I would get questions and express my agnostic/absurdist opinion and get the same exact vibes. It wasn't because we were picked on that we could get along though. It was because we had experienced more than just what "texas" is. An online environment can not only teach students subjects but can teach students about one another if it is made interactive in some way. My countless hours spent on IRC in various networks has already contributed to my ability to be able to put myself in another's point of view.

Anyways, back to the point! Online education could pull off some things that a traditional college fails at achieving. "Its who you know and what you want to make!" Well... I haven't met anyone in my traditional college other than professors. I have the need to create, but there's really no intermediate for creating or place to talk to others who might be interested. An online community not only has the chance to create great contacts (how much easier is it when student A just gives you his email address?) but also allow for hubs of creation to spawn on sort a viral scale. Creation is limited in traditional environments that I've been a part of! If online institutions decide to stray from what we call tradition, maybe, just maybe, they will create what should be called higher education. Because, baby, this ain't it.

There is one hidden cost, though - you're going to be paying out the ass to live anywhere near the Village, and New York City is expensive. That was the main reason that I left. Well, that, and the fact that I realized after a year that engineering wasn't for me - it's not an engineering school in the MIT sense, where you're still going to be satisfied even if you're interested in pure physics or math, Cooper Union really is a school devoted to teaching you to be a practicing engineer.

Still, it beats the hell out of NYU or any of the other schools around, where you're paying both the exorbitant NYC apartment costs plus 40k/year for tuition, so it should definitely be on any engineer's list...