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Q: 'Buried' in debt, can he dig out?


Tux of Borg

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What highschool do you get to do anything other than math, social studies, science, and english?  I never got to experiment with anything.  I think the only choice I had was whether I wanted to take spanish or french.  :wallbash:

 

And sorry, but college isn't about getting a profession, that's what trade schools are for.  College is about learning and learning how to learn.  Yes, it helps you get into various professions, but it's not about learning a skill (aside from the skill of learning).  That's one reason a lot of jobs require a college degree -- the theory is that if you can learn everything you need through college, you can learn stuff on your own as well.  We all know that depends on the college the degree is from though.

 

That's also the reason why you have to take a broad range of classes, instead of focusing on one dicipline.  Some people say "I want to do XXXX" and take only classes dealing with XXXX, then change their mind and say "I want to do YYYY!"  A four year degree is based on taking a broad array of  classes for the first year or so, then based on that, delving into a specific field.

 

I paid my entire way through school, and I took some classes just to see what they were like.  It almost led me to writing, even though I love computer science (then I realized that IT paid better than writing  :(  )

 

I agree that you shouldn't complain about it, but I disagree on the rest. :)

 

(wow, I rambled....  Sorry!  :oops:  )

CW

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I guess the Canadian School system is not the same as the Amrerican. In 9th grade you would start with most of your classes picked for you, you only had the choice of art/music/drama

 

After that you get more choices so in your last 2 years, the only requirements are an english, a math, and a science, everything else is optional.

 

In College I chose what program i wanted to go into (Construction Engineering) and had very little choices as to what classes I wanted to take. My friends that went to university chose what they wanted to major in and had to take speciffic classes pertaining to their major, and then had some choices for others.

 

By the time you entered College/University you are supposed to have an idea of what you want to do for a career/proffession and work towards it. I don't know anybody who just went on to College/University with no idea what they wanted to do

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I see your points, but I think it is really important in the first year of law school at least, for a student not to work. Critical decisions are made about law review membership, summer internships, and inns of court that are wonderful educational opportunities. Without complaining (I actually learned a lot as a cop) I missed lots of educational and networking opportunities with working. I don't like carrying debt and I don't want my kids to get into a major habit of carrying more than they can actually pay for reasonably or starting their careers with crushing debt hanging over them. After she graduates she'll be on her own, as was her brother, who has done quite well. And then in a few years they can pool their resources to take care of their grumpy old man!!! :(

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I see your points, but I think it is really important in the first year of law school at least, for a student not to work.  Critical decisions are made about law review membership, summer internships, and inns of court that are wonderful educational opportunities.  Without complaining (I actually learned a lot as a cop) I missed lots of educational and networking opportunities with working.  I don't like carrying debt and I don't want my kids to get into a major habit of carrying more than they can actually pay for reasonably or starting their careers with crushing debt hanging over them.  After she graduates she'll be on her own, as was her brother, who has done quite well. And then in a few years they can pool their resources to take care of their grumpy old man!!! :(

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What ever happened to working during high school to earn the money to help pay for college? Oh that's right, the illegals took all those jobs.

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What ever happened to working during high school to earn the money to help pay for college?  Oh that's right, the illegals took all those jobs.

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How is a $5/hr job going to help pay a significant portion of college? My high school work helped pay for some books my first semester, and that's about it. :(

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How is a $5/hr job going to help pay a significant portion of college?  My high school work helped pay for some books my first semester, and that's about it. :(

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Paid for grad school for me.

 

Of course, I had to work two jobs, had no social life whatsoever, barely slept for two years...but I did it.

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What ever happened to working during high school to earn the money to help pay for college?  Oh that's right, the illegals took all those jobs.

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Actually, she played soccer and worked at a patent law firm in high school, and worked as a waitress through college. A lot of law schools forbid ANY outside work in the first year (although I don't know how they enforce that rule.) She takes care of her rent and most living expenses even now.

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Knowing the rules and tweaking them (cummings) is different than not knowing them (Fezmid).

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While taking the cheap and easy jab of a grammar correction on another poster can be somewhat effective - one that I've had fun with myself in the past, actually - I think it's been pretty well-established that even the sharpest folks on here don't give a damn about writing posts in APA format. :(

 

That is all.

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Paid for grad school for me. 

 

Of course, I had to work two jobs, had no social life whatsoever, barely slept for two years...but I did it.

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I got ten bucks that says you look back on that two year period with a lot of satisfaction and pride :(

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While taking the cheap and easy jab of a grammar correction on another poster can be somewhat effective - one that I've had fun with myself in the past, actually - I think it's been pretty well-established that even the sharpest folks on here don't give a damn about writing posts in APA format.  :(

 

That is all.

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That's actually pretty poor sentence structure... :wallbash:

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A couple points I think are worth making (some have been made before)

 

1. Tuition has rapidly increased and outpaced inflation while the jobs that students can do have not kept up. I think that tuition has been at the pace of the expansion of our economy, but not with low wages that unskilled young people can get. (That you could pay your own way easily decades ago does not mean it is close to being that easy anymore.)

 

2. Some professional schools have restrictions under how much a student can work: 20 hours a week in law school for example.

 

3. Professional schools (I know vet schools and law schools are like this) and certainly undergraduate schools require you to provide your parent's financial information--even if you have little connection to them or you/they do not want them paying one red cent for your college/grad school education. So a student looking to do the more admirable thing of paying for their own education instead of their parents will face the full bill (lots of schools charge over $40K a year just for tuition) and can take FAFSA loans up to only $18,500 a year at 6.8% (not including loan fees) currently and then have to take out loans at 8%+ from private lenders to cover the rest and to cover living expenses.

 

4. While I think it is far more admirable to make your own way in school, when you receive help, is receiving voluntary help from parents that much worse than receiving help from taxpayers or other people? A student who "pays his own way" received help in at least some way through the following situations:

 

-A lot of help from taxpayers if they went to a state school, some if they went to private school in the form of federal grants, subsidized loans, grants, etc.

 

-Especially in private schools, help from donors to the school. And these donations were subsidized by the rest of the nation's taxpayers through charitable tax deductions.

 

-When there are need-based grants they are paid by others. Some of these grants were paid for by higher tuition bills by students (or at least whose parents) who can supposedly afford to pay a higher share of the tuition.

 

5. Before unleashing personal attacks on me based on what you assume is my situation note that I have paid my education through working all the time since high-school (normally more than 20 hours a week during the school year and full time or more during breaks), loans, help from parents and some limited assistance from the government. I don't feel like I am entitled to any of the help outside of what I earned myself and I am not going to attack anyone else who received more help than I did.

 

6. I do not have much sympathy to those who jumped into question educational adventures, knowing they would have mountains of debt and then complaining that no one is bailing them out.

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lots of schools charge over $40K a year just for tuition

.....

6. I do not have much sympathy to those who jumped into question educational adventures, knowing they would have mountains of debt and then complaining that no one is bailing them out.

These are the parts of your post that jumped out at me. I don't think I paid $40,000 for my entire education (U of Minnesota - go Gophers!! :oops: ), let alone one year. If you want to go to a school that costs $160,000+ to get an undergraduate degree, knock yourself out, just don't complain that you have al ot of debt when you're done.

 

So I'm with you - no sympathy for those who knew they'd have debt :)

 

While taking the cheap and easy jab of a grammar correction on another poster can be somewhat effective - one that I've had fun with myself in the past, actually - I think it's been pretty well-established that even the sharpest folks on here don't give a damn about writing posts in APA format.

He didn't even take a jab at my grammar, he took a jab at my capitalization :wallbash:

 

Hmmm, funny, my post didn't have those two words in it.

Someone's grumpy today. :(

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