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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The idea that one should invest a quarter of a million dollars they do not have to "develop as a person" is exactly what is wrong with higher education.  Schools inflate grades, courses get easier, and a Bachelor's Degree has become relatively worthless.  It would make much more sense to promote trade schools and have students learn crafts, make a Bachelor's degree more difficult to obtain by abolishing ridiculous grade inflation and tearing down party school atmospheres.  College might be a time when we "grow" and "develop" in to our adult selves, but it should actually be about learning in the classroom and not learning in the frat house.

Now, before you get defensive, of course there are many students who do take advantage of their educational opportunities, but both schools and student populations need to change their attitudes about what college is really supposed to be about.[/quote]

I don't mind paying $60,000/year for my daughter's education. We have the money and she is a serious student. Any school with Greek life came off her list of possible colleges. I think that her liberal arts education will make her a better person and that it will ultimately pay off from a financial perspective.  Students with BA/BS degrees from [b]rigorous[/b] colleges might not find jobs immediately but in the long run their skills are valued and marketable. Ask any manager in a professional field; the ability to write and think critically are always valued and in demand.

I do agree with you that students who squander the opportunity to become educated by focusing on partying and frat life are wasting time and money.[/quote]

But paying $240,000 and four years of your life "expanding your mind" is really a rich family's luxury, even if DC stays out of the frats. I say this as a mom about to send DC off to one of these $60,000/year schools. [/quote]

I think the expanding one's mind is part and parcel to why liberal arts grads from good colleges do as well as they do later in life both personally and professionally.

And no doubt it is a rich family's luxury to spend this kind of money, but these same schools offer up a boatload in scholarship money. I work for a non-profit and one of the student's who is part of this program is attending the same school as my kid for $2,000 per year - got the rest as a first generation college student. I know that one of the reason's we pay $60,000 per year is to enable others who can't afford it to also attend. And that is a good thing in the long run - for my kid and for the scholarship recipient.

And while there are those who can't afford it, and those who won't get tremendous scholarships, I think abandoning the brain trust of this country to the kinds of applied/vocational studies that result in quick job offers upon graduation would be short-sighted for our country in the long term. I think a strong country and the chances for a strong future require both avenues of study.[/quote]

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