Will Obama or any future president of America do anything about higher education?

[MannyIsGod]

What is?

There are more college degrees being earned these days than ever?

What's the crisis? Student loans?

, each person in this country owes FAR MORE as their portion of the debt than they do for a student loan. Not a big issue.

There are different issues. The price of an education is skyrocketing - especially over the past decade. The economic crunch is only diminishing the amount of money States are putting into their schools. Student debt is a problem and its becoming a greater problem every year. The fact that our citizens have more debt in other areas doesn't make student debt any more palpable.

Then there's the quality issue. Not only are students paying more today they're also getting a weaker product.

We as a country are going to fall further and further behind the rest of the world. We can't sustain our stands of living if we fall behind.

[MannyIsGod]

I don't see why anyone here wants to make higher education any less accessible. No, not everyone needs a liberal arts degree but you're kidding yourself if you don't think this country needs more qualified professionals to keep pace with the rest of the world. The time of the assembly line worker who can support a family is leaving. The time of people who can make decent livings without college degrees is pretty much gone.

Today is not yesterday so why do people refuse to accept that and acknowledge we need to prepare for tomorrow and not 50 years ago?

[101A]

There's several crisis. The price of an education is skyrocketing - especially over the past decade. The economic crunch is only diminishing the amount of money States are putting into their schools.

Then there's the quality issue. Not only are students paying more today they're also getting a weaker product.

We as a country are going to fall further and further behind the rest of the world. We can't sustain our stands of living if we fall behind.

Then why are so many foreigners coming here for an education?

Where is your evidence that the education received is weaker? An education is what you make it, and there is still Academic freedom in Universities around the country. There are good professors in all fields, in public and private universities providing great educations.....

Now, let the government start paying a larger portion of the bill, and I guaranty TWO things:

1. Quality WILL diminish.

2. Cost WILL rise (just not necessarily in the form of tuition)

[101A]

I don't see why anyone here wants to make higher education any less accessible. No, not everyone needs a liberal arts degree but you're kidding yourself if you don't think this country needs more qualified professionals to keep pace with the rest of the world. The time of the assembly line worker who can support a family is leaving. The time of people who can make decent livings without college degrees is pretty much gone.

Today is not yesterday so why do people refuse to accept that and acknowledge we need to prepare for tomorrow and not 50 years ago?

Only in a few fields are qualified professionals made in college.

[Extra Stout]

The problem with much conservative thinking is that it is unable to fully encapsulate the complex intereactions within an economy. People are viewed as if they are completely independent of everyone else and islands in and of themselves.

The problem with much liberal thinking is that is unable to disabuse itself of the preconceived notion that the only way to deal with the complex interactions within an economy is through the power of the state.

If we, as a nation, fail to provide enough college graduates for any given field, where do businesses go to find the skilled workforce?

If other nations can provide those graduates, they simply become economically more compe ive.

The fallacious assumption is that if we, as a nation, simply provide enough government funding for students to go to college, we will have enough compe ive college graduates to stave off other countries economically.

That assumptions runs so counter to reality as I experience it, and evidences a kind of tunnel vision so indicative of stereotypes within a particular profession, that I struggle not to become reaaaalllllly derisive.

We have to dumb down college so students can get through it. Where other countries are kicking our ass is not in "numbers of college graduates;" it's in graduates in medicine, in engineering, in the true sciences, in technical fields --- you know, the fields that are haaaaaaaard, not like "English," or "social sciences" or "women's studies." The problem is not that students aren't getting enough money to make it through; the problem is that they can't hack it. I don't think it's because Americans are dumber than people from other countries, but we are most certainly lazier. Other nations have never clutched the brass ring so they will strive for it on bloody knees, while Americans believe they are en led to it by birthright.

That's not even a questionable assertion to me. Young Americans are so obviously lazier and unwilling to work for anything that is difficult or does not result in immediate gratification than past generations, that for anyone to challenge the statement just tells me they are living in some alternate reality.

Barring some kind of tyranny, what pray tell is government going to do about that?

[Extra Stout]

Then there's the quality issue. Not only are students paying more today they're also getting a weaker product.

The reason they are getting a weaker product is because the only way to keep them from flunking out of college is to water down the product.

We as a country are going to fall further and further behind the rest of the world. We can't sustain our stands of living if we fall behind.

We are going to fall behind, and our standard of living is going to fall.

[101A]

We have to dumb down college so students can get through it. Where other countries are kicking our ass is not in "numbers of college graduates;" it's in graduates in medicine, in engineering, in the true sciences, in technical fields --- you know, the fields that are haaaaaaaard, not like "English," or "social sciences" or "women's studies." The problem is not that students aren't getting enough money to make it through; the problem is that they can't hack it. I don't think it's because Americans are dumber than people from other countries, but we are most certainly lazier. Other nations have never clutched the brass ring so they will strive for it on bloody knees, while Americans believe they are en led to it by birthright.

Props

[ElNono]

I just got an email offering me a College degree for $50... I REALLY want it free!

[coyotes_geek]

We have to dumb down college so students can get through it. Where other countries are kicking our ass is not in "numbers of college graduates;" it's in graduates in medicine, in engineering, in the true sciences, in technical fields --- you know, the fields that are haaaaaaaard, not like "English," or "social sciences" or "women's studies." The problem is not that students aren't getting enough money to make it through; the problem is that they can't hack it. I don't think it's because Americans are dumber than people from other countries, but we are most certainly lazier. Other nations have never clutched the brass ring so they will strive for it on bloody knees, while Americans believe they are en led to it by birthright.

That is true. There is a shortage of engineering students in this country.

[Jacob1983]

I'm not sure if you know this but getting a C in college is the equivalent of making an A in high school. When you comprare high school to college, high school is way easier and less stressful. I'm gonna set the record straight. I know that my loans aren't going to go away. Well, I think the only way that might go away would be if I died. Anyways, it's not like I'm ducking the issue and not paying my loans. I send Satan a payment every month. I have looked up facts about consolidation and there are more downs than ups when it comes to consolidating college loans. I've heard that in the long haul that you're actually paying more and the interest rates go up. I just made this thread because I was pissed and wanted to vent. I didn't mean to pee in anyone's kool-aid. It just makes me mad that I'm gonna have to pay these loans off for a very long time. And I know that's life but it doesn't make my loans go away. At the end of the day, I'm still going to be paying Satan money.

[Wild Cobra]

I'm not sure if you know this but getting a C in college is the equivalent of making an A in high school. When you comprare high school to college, high school is way easier and less stressful. I'm gonna set the record straight. I know that my loans aren't going to go away. Well, I think the only way that might go away would be if I died. Anyways, it's not like I'm ducking the issue and not paying my loans. I send Satan a payment every month. I have looked up facts about consolidation and there are more downs than ups when it comes to consolidating college loans. I've heard that in the long haul that you're actually paying more and the interest rates go up. I just made this thread because I was pissed and wanted to vent. I didn't mean to pee in anyone's kool-aid. It just makes me mad that I'm gonna have to pay these loans off for a very long time. And I know that's life but it doesn't make my loans go away. At the end of the day, I'm still going to be paying Satan money.

You have to remember the different ways credit hours are assessed. College, depending on the courses, will have far more expected homework and self study. I wouldn't say it's harder, unless you take too many credit hours. You simply have to be more responsible, and manage your time well. The course material should be more advanced, but it should be a progressive step, and therefore not any harder than a previous progressive step.

I disagree with a C being equal to an A, at least not in my time.I was at first going to disagree with that, but I just remembered. A HS degree isn't worth any more anyway. Teach to the passing of the dumbest student.