deciding on post high school education

VitaMan's Avatar
How can anyone considering college or any post high school education figure out
what school to attend ?

College tuition at some schools is more than $ 50,000 per year. How can they justify that anymore, in the internet age, with online courses ? Students end up with huge debts.

Other schools heavily advertise online courses. Even branded names like Arizona State. But plenty more advertise, and it is almost impossible to figure out if their courses or accreditation credentials have value. Even the accredited bodies seem to have no value.

Then there are schools like University of Phoenix, with has a combination of overpricing, debt financing at high interest rates, and possible worthless courses. Sometimes they keep changing the course requirements for a degree, just so you have to keep staying enrolled. Othertimes they discontinue courses, and you can't finish your degree.

The government recently shut down for profit school ITT for shady practices and worthless degrees.
Guest123018-4's Avatar
The government took over the student loan business. That is the first problem.
Second problem is antiquated course requirements that only are justified by the tenured professors that teach them.
Third problem are worthless degrees from so called tier one schools. Degree is virtually worthless in the real world and they cannot make enough money to pay the debt.

I believe it is all a master plan to make the youth forever indebted to the government. You cannot get out of that debt via bankruptcy.

Unless you are going to be a registered professional a college education is greatly overrated.
pyramider's Avatar
Just send the retarded teenager to HVAC school.
Just send the retarded teenager to HVAC school. Originally Posted by pyramider
You'd think this is an issue, until you have a goddamn over achiever who's been accepted into

Baylor
Rice
SFA
U of H
TSU
Did I say Rice
UCLA
UCLA Berkley
ASU

Now she's like mom....how much can we afford?


In all seriousness, I know that she could honestly do whatever she wanted. And I'm not sure of the difference between a degree from least say Sam Houston and UCLA?
Just send the retarded teenager to HVAC school. Originally Posted by pyramider
And they are all,retarded until,the age of 25.
VitaMan's Avatar
ASU constantly advertises their on line courses. If you can stay at home and get a worthwhile degree, that seems like the way to go these days.

How can the tier 1 schools justify the tuition they charge ? It seems like name brand only. I think Notre Dame is charging $ 69,000 per school year.

Umm....except football players. They get it for free.
Slitlikr's Avatar
Congrats to your daughter Nikki!

College in general-

The right degree will get you hired right out of school.
I'd say try 2 years in Community College and finish up at a good 4 yr. if you decide to go.
lizardking's Avatar
Don't you see? Figuring all this out is part of the educational process.

In the end, you need both the degree and the education. Those are two distinctly different things, and the latter does not necessarily follow the former. But, I emphasize, you need BOTH if you're really going be in the mainstream of those who "make it". Of course, there are more unconventional routes to success outside of that mainstream (e.g., music, acting, art, tech, etc.), but the failures "haunt this dusty beach road in the skeleton frames of burned-out Chevrolets", or something like that.
Slitlikr's Avatar
True^^^
Start and run a successful business for a while and you've earned an education worthy of a Wharton MBA degree.
....
In the end, you need both the degree and the education. Those are two distinctly different things, ..... Originally Posted by lizardking
yup

The degree gets you hired.

The education gets you raises and promotions.
MrClark's Avatar
Congrats to your daughter. Where you go somewhat depends on what type of degree you are interested in. Then again she might be like me I have been hired because I have one and have seldom used it..
Best of luck sounds like a good problem to have.
TheADream's Avatar
Best of luck nikki and congrats. Just my two cents but try to avoid student loan debt if possible.

Some college staff members get free tuition for dependants as a "benefit" for working there. You may be able to get help from a relative, or marry a regular client I dunno, lol. Also if you buy a house in a city with a decreasing population, tuition could be waived under a gov't promotion to increase the population of the city. Yale could be covered under this program.

To the OP'S original topic though they are not all the same and are artificial barriers to entry into particular companies. IMO if you don't have your whole life figured out already and set in stone (e.g. your job/career, the spouse you will choose, the car you will drive, etcs)

An average state school will do just fine. Ivy league is great if you can get it for free. However, if you weren't brought up in that environment there will be a learning curve just to fit in. There is also grad school to consider...

yup

The degree gets you hired.

The education gets you raises and promotions. Originally Posted by GlobeSpotter


^^^Not always true it depends on the culture of the company. Degrees make it easy for you get a job in a strong economy. This doesn't mean your boss will have a degree.

Promotions, you have to be a people person or likeable. Raises are simple, deliver on your tasks.
VitaMan's Avatar
If I don't get a college degree......I'm going to be living in a van down by the river.

If I get a college degree from one of the worthless universities......I will owe 100,000 and be living in a van down by the river.

If I get a college degree from a well known university, but it is not in a good hiring
field........I will owe 250,000, and still be living in a van down by the river.
VitaMan's Avatar
Just happened in the news. Now Devry University is fined $ 100 million for deceptive advertising about job hunting success and income potential after graduation.
Don T. Lukbak's Avatar
Kids who go directly from high school to university generally remain kids, sometimes until senescence kicks in. Their educational experience would be greatly enhanced by a 2 to 4 year period of work or military service before they trudge off to a typical re-education camp.