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One thing that causes middle-class families a lot of hardship is this idea we have that you have to "go away to college" to get the full college experience. Hogwash. Living at home is a great way to cut the cost in half.
People should also look into the community college route into a four-year school.
That route isn't for everyone and in order to fully experience the college experience and to cut "the apron strings", going away to college is a rite of passage to adulthood that is my opinion part of the problem we're seeing from the decrease in those even going to college at all. Not to mention the feel of attending the local community college can/does feel like 13th and 14th grade with many of the same students one attended high school with there as well. One has to also consider the social implications involved which include unfortunately a certain hierarchy that's established among a group that isn't beneficial to a majority of those involved. The new beginning at college away from home allows a student to spread their wings a bit and develop in ways not readily experienced in prior years.
I get you feel strongly but the reality is even you wouldn’t go to a surgeon who had no formal training right?
How about a divorce lawyer who only read books and watched movies with no formal education?
Someone can be well read in a subject area without a formal education but the fact that you think that is the same thing as a formal education is telling.
But that's not what I'm talking about.
There's a difference between being an educated individual and being FORMALLY educated to do a JOB.
That route isn't for everyone and in order to fully experience the college experience and to cut "the apron strings", going away to college is a rite of passage to adulthood that is my opinion part of the problem we're seeing from the decrease in those even going to college at all. Not to mention the feel of attending the local community college can/does feel like 13th and 14th grade with many of the same students one attended high school with there as well. One has to also consider the social implications involved which include unfortunately a certain hierarchy that's established among a group that isn't beneficial to a majority of those involved. The new beginning at college away from home allows a student to spread their wings a bit and develop in ways not readily experienced in prior years.
And I would argue that a student attending community college, working part time and paying his own rent in an apartment is far more experienced than a full-time student living in a dorm with bills paid by mom and dad and no financial responsibility.
It's a matter of perspective. Going to a CC for 2 years and transferring is far more financially sound. Get the degree and the name without all the cost. Great lesson to learn.
College was never supposed to be a "right of passage to adulthood." It was supposed to be an education to get a better job. And if it doesn't fulfill that requirement, it's a complete waste of money.
And I would argue that a student attending community college, working part time and paying his own rent in an apartment is far more experienced than a full-time student living in a dorm with bills paid by mom and dad and no financial responsibility.
It's a matter of perspective. Going to a CC for 2 years and transferring is far more financially sound. Get the degree and the name without all the cost. Great lesson to learn.
College was never supposed to be a "right of passage to adulthood." It was supposed to be an education to get a better job. And if it doesn't fulfill that requirement, it's a complete waste of money.
It really depends on the college and it depends on the major. A full time student attending a top-50 university taking a 'hard' major is going to receive a much better education than someone doing college-lite at a community college. The profs teach to the level of the class. At a community college, you'll see some strong students who are adults who went back to college when they were older and a smattering of 18-year-olds who are bright and do the work and are there because it's what they can afford. 90% of the classroom is filled with poorly prepared high school C students doing remedial high school.
My "rite of passage" into adulthood was going to school part time while working full time and paying for my own apartment and my own bills. I can't say that someone living in a dorm is getting more of the adult experience than those who are actually "adulting."
It really depends on the college and it depends on the major. A full time student attending a top-50 university taking a 'hard' major is going to receive a much better education than someone doing college-lite at a community college. The profs teach to the level of the class. At a community college, you'll see some strong students who are adults who went back to college when they were older and a smattering of 18-year-olds who are bright and do the work and are there because it's what they can afford. 90% of the classroom is filled with poorly prepared high school C students doing remedial high school.
My community college courses were filled with working adults. I imagine it could be because I went in the evenings.
My "rite of passage" into adulthood was going to school part time while working full time and paying for my own apartment and my own bills. I can't say that someone living in a dorm is getting more of the adult experience than those who are actually "adulting."
That's not the point. A 4 year college is a way of learning to be an independent adult in a controlled environment.
First of all, nothing of unique value is learned in college EXCEPT being able to stick it out to get the degree.
That is the reason a college degree offers better job opportunities, because you have proved you can wade through a ton of irrelevant crap and stick it out. This is key to being able to stick it out on the job where you will encounter similar mindless nonsense for years, until you have a real skill to offer your employer, at which point you will either be left alone, or have mastered the nonsense to the point you are eligible for promotion.
Second of all, there's no reason to spend a ton of money or accumulate a ton of debt to get that degree. You can live at home and attend a city or state university in commuting distance and with working part time during the school year and full time over the summer, you should be able to get a degree with $20,000 or less left to pay off on a 10 year college loan. Not a big deal.
You don't learn anything in college you can't learn on youtube. You are indoctrinated in college, and it doesn't pertain to politics or morals. It pertains to becoming a cog in the system's wheel.
My community college courses were filled with working adults. I imagine it could be because I went in the evenings.
Sure. I'm talking about day students.
At least for the STEM path I took, if you put a top 50 school curriculum side-by-side with a community college curriculum, it's very different. A top college is teaching analytical skills. They don't bog down doing remedial high school. I've been a hiring manager for many years in tech companies. When I'm hiring new grads, I have to screen the people who went the community college/state school track carefully. I occasionally encounter qualified applicants but that's the exception rather than the rule.
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