16Oct
My university got a C, and only requires 3 of the 7 suggested subjects. Which is one more than HARVARD or YALE require, so there’s that. Also, it only has a 32% graduation rate, which seems depressingly low. I was somewhat disappointed in most of the universities in Colorado, because some of them have reputations as being better schools than the chart suggests. The Air Force Academy looks like the best of the bunch, not surprisingly. Only the cream of the crop get in there, and it is grueling.
My true hope is that the traditional college model with be obsolete by the time my kids are old enough to go. Or we’ll be DIYing that too.
How did your schools rank? What about the ones your kids are thinking of?
October 16th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
You wouldn’t be talking about me would you? LOL
That is a good video. I went to the website. My son’s school rates a B. I guess not bad, but not fabulous either. I did sit in a discussion with the Dean once and he basically told us that all those “ratings” are based upon information supplied by the universities. They can doctor their numbers a bit in order to get higher marks. I believed him. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.
Tressa´s last [type] ..Random Monday
October 16th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Wow – this was quite eye-opening, and it’s great to be challenged thought-wise on this subject. My school, like yours, scored a “C” with 3 of the 7 subjects required. 60-something graduation rate. And it’s a really good school! Very interesting…
Also, I was just talking with the kiddos about college at lunch time. I told them we’re going to do whatever it takes to get them a great education without burdening them with debt. They may have some, but I believe there are ways to seriously cut the cost of undergrad education. I do believe the days of resting on the laurels of a school name are over. I used to think “Oh, I hope the almighty colleges/universities will deign to let our little selves in,” but now I think, “Hm. How can I use this system to our advantage?!”
hi kooky´s last [type] ..15
October 16th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
Exactly, Kooky.
Speaking as a person who had a very small student loan, but who married someone with a very big student loan, starting out with a bunch of debt makes for a harder start at adult life. I will do everything I can to encourage my kids to remain debt-free. It’s just easier to get your first job and your first house and get married and have babies without a quarter of your paycheck already spoken for. If we hadn’t inherited enough money to pay off our loans, we would have been chipping away at it until well into our 40s. And as for being a parent and taking out loans on behalf of my kids? Never gonna happen. I firmly believe that being able to take care of myself into my golden years without relying on my children is a bigger gift to them than a few years at an over-priced college.
this all being easier to say since my kids are only 5 and 7, of course.
October 17th, 2012 at 10:32 am
Very interesting. My school got a C, but I clearly remember having to take all but one of those – US Government/History. I think I took a fluffier class for that requirement. And just because colleges allow fluffier classes to meet requirements, it doesn’t mean that the student has to take those. I think a student can get a good education if he or she is willing to make wise choices when planning his or her courses.
October 17th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
As usual your randomness has brightened my day.
Blessings
Diane
October 17th, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Oh, I’m with you in hoping things are different when my kids are of college age (in 8 years!). We will actively pursue non-traditional options.
As for my alma mater, unsurprisingly, it earned an F, requiring only science. It was founded in the late ’60s and was supposed to be “UW-Madison North” so everything about it is still anti-establishment. I knew that when I was there, but not ahead of time, and it seemed to hard to transfer. I do know, though, that what I’ve achieved has very little to do with what I learned there.
Even the very pricey, very reputable private college in town – $30K per year tuition! – only got a C. Ugh.
Tina H.´s last [type] ..{Hope for the Home}: Halloween – What If You Don’t Partake?
October 20th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
The university that my son attends is a “C” and my reaction to that is very positive. His high school credit in the other so-called “should be required in college” classes were enough and that, in my opinion, is as it should be.