Students who acquire large debts putting themselves through school are unlikely to think about changing society. When you trap people in a system of debt . they can’t afford the time to think. Tuition fee increases are a “disciplinary technique,” and, by the time students graduate, they are not only loaded with debt, but have also internalized the “disciplinarian culture.” This makes them efficient components of the consumer economy.
-Noam Chomsky
Is this depressingly accurate?
How much do you agree with it?
How does having such a large debt before you even graduate effect people?
Should all levels of education be free? Why? Why not?
However scholarships are only offered to a very small portion of students. I am speaking specifically about the vast majority of students attaining a western education, that go through the whole loan and repayment method of education.
Didnt you mention in another thread that the worst thing someone said to you was after you got kicked out of med school?
Very impressive you were able to still get only scholarships after that. You must be intelligent!
here in Canada, there is a cap on how much debt load a student can carry during his/her undergraduate program…it’s $7000 a year which means $28000 for the entire course. mostly, it’s grant and scholarships.
It’s partly about government policy to counter rising tuition, but also about culture. If people are stupid enough to take on thousands of dollars of debt to get a Fine Arts degree which will most likely not provide you with a worthwhile job after graduating, that’s your fault. People need to realize that, in a lot of cases, unless you’re going into STEM courses, or are suitably wealthy, skipping university and entering the trades, or going to a more affordable university, is a better idea.
^ I agree. The government should have greater subsidies for jobs that lead directly to a trade or profession, specifically sciences and engineering, especially engineering. The rigor is such that it creates a natural bottleneck.
And yes, there’s nothing wrong with being a plumber or electrician either.
Yes. Trade courses/careers should be encouraged more. Even if one is not going to go out and work as an electrician, those skills are very important to have. Add to the list accounting and other relevant business degrees, BEd and possibly law as well.
In the us education loans are never forgiven. The Salle Maes make a killing. The university president’s and other administrator’s salary is nothing short of scandelous. Must have a strong lobby. Education tuition fees have far exceeded inflation.
Disagree with only STEM being free or subsidized. The strength of the US is people pursuing their interest. Should not turn it into them indians.
I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the value of a Bachelors degree has fallen significantly in the last 20 odd years. Once upon a time you could come out of the university, with only a 10K loan to your name, and know that you will find a good paying job with that 1 degree. But now that everyone and anyone has a Bachelors, including fine arts degrees, because they can afford to do so (parents money, loans, savings, jobs whatever), having a Bachelors now and going to the job market is the equivalent of just having your GED. It’s nothing. And all because “let the kid pursue his interest”. Now at the most minimum, a double bachelors is required. Even then, one must have a Masters to their name, if they are not going to route of a professional degree (Medicine, Law etc). So no, let’s not let the kid pursue his interest because he is neither benefitting the economy by walking around with a Bachelors in Sculpting, nor he is benefitting himself.
There is nothing wrong with pursuing your interest. Take sculpting courses, take music courses, take them starting from elementary school all the way to the moment you’re dead. But do not come out with a degree in it, then apply for jobs that should be filled with someone with a better degree, nor should you whine about how you can’t find a job even though you have a bachelors, whine about your loads of loans and skew all the statistics when it comes to percentage of students with loans and joblessness.
Great points. The value of a Bachelors degree may have gone down due to devaluation from fine arts to use your example. But value of a professional degree still the same I think.
Now if we give STEM subsidized education, the students benefitting will be disproportionately from a middle class to privileged background. Who went to public schools in “good areas”. Yesterday’s Bill Moyers show had a guest who spoke about the damages that have been and continuing to be inflicted on blacks. We judge the kids by their score but we don’t take into account their past - I paraphrase.
The unintended consequence would be continuation of blocking out most blacks from STEM line.
