Reply to The End of College Life - Wash U Prof's article in the Atlantic

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "The End of College Life - Wash U Prof's article in the Atlantic"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm a foreign research scientist living in the US, who went to undergrad in Europe.

To be entirely frank, ever since I've lived in the US, I've been astonished at the amount of money that just gets thrown away on frivolities in every aspect of American life. It's a country of consumerist excess to a degree that is unfathomable in most other countries. US college campuses are no exception: yes, there are classes and professors and research. But there are also luxury facilities, for performances, sports and recreation, etc. I am all for investing in the serious things, that down the road will cure cancer, find sustainable and affordable energy sources, or other huge benefits of research. But massive sports facilities? Subsidizing all kinds of clubs and activities and trips? Enormous manicured campuses and tons of wasted space in buildings that translate to enormous A/C bills? That kind of luxury doesn't exist anywhere else in the world. Are we sure this is where we want to spend money?

My son attends a private university in the US, and will continue some his grad work in Europe. He's headed towards a European institute that world-renowned in its specialty. But the lecture halls will be 19th century (no A/C). The living situation will be bare-bones compared to his fancy dorm here. No sports or clubs. No sprawling lawns. The education, however, is top-notch, at a reasonable price for grad school.

I think Americans can rethink some of their expenses without reducing the pace of academic progress or impeding research in any way.

[/quote]

I don’t consider A/C a frivolity. I don’t consider that lack of A/C to be fiscally responsible.

Clubs are largely funded through student fundraisers or sponsorships.  They aren’t subsidized. The students work for that. A small grant may be available for a specific initiative but that’s not guaranteed and requires an application, etc.

Sports facilities, yes, ridiculous. But the amount of money those sports programs generate is also ridiculous through ticket prices and merchandising. That’s probably not a common experience at European universities. It’s a whole other ballgame, so to speak.

I’ve not seen a nice dorm room. I’m sure they exist.

I work at a R1 university. Some of the facilities are very nice largely because they are new. The land wasn’t even a part of the US when some of the European universities were already in action. Apples to oranges here.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics