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Because smaller classes are still better. Even if they aren't REALLY important, they are still better. Thus, it's something to Merced's favor. Maybe it only makes Merced a little better. I never claimed Merced is a LOT better than Berkeley.
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<p>I'm saying maybe Merced is better at some things, while Berkeley is better at other things, and small class sizes just happened to tip things in Merced's favor. In this case it wouldn't matter if class sizes are better by a little or by a lot. Of course this is just one possible scenario. This is very different from saying that class size is the ONLY determinant to quality of college.</p>
<p>You mean when you try to argue against the "outlandish claims" that I did not make? I call that a straw man argument. Your posts don't really resemble good debating on any level, I'm afraid.</p>
<p>"You mean when you try to argue against the "outlandish claims" that I did not make? I call that a straw man argument."</p>
<p>Yeah, but but you call everything a straw man argument. Why don't you wait until the end of your logic class when you know the rest of the fallacies before you post again.</p>
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Why don't you wait until the end of your logic class when you know the rest of the fallacies before you post again.
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<p>I know plenty of fallacies. Ad hominem, begging the question, appeal to authority, just to name a few, yet you insist on using the same one over and over again.</p>
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Vicissitudes: You call your babble "good debating?" LOL. At least SnuggleMonster's posts make sense.
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<p>They make sense, but they are moot points. SnuggleMonster is trying to argue something that's already been established and is irrelevant to the discussion.</p>
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"You mean when you try to argue against the "outlandish claims" that I did not make? I call that a straw man argument."</p>
<p>Yeah, but but you call everything a straw man argument. Why don't you wait until the end of your logic class when you know the rest of the fallacies before you post again.
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<p>I say SnuggleMonster is immediately discredited just because he doesn't know how to do the fancy quoting thing.</p>
<p>Looks like the Honorable Visccitudes and his Merced team has Berkeley on the ropes.</p>
<p>"I say SnuggleMonster is immediately discredited just because he doesn't know how to do the fancy quoting thing."</p>
<p>And I say vicissitudes and cardinalfocused are immediately dicreditied for making arguments about a school that they have been students at for a whopping three weeks.</p>
<p>What is the argument here? I bet you couldn't even answer that. You bob and weave so you can't be pinned down to anything. I'll tell you what the argument is. You're arguing that UC Merced is better than UC Berkeley. Correct? Ok. I'm saying that someone who has been a student at UC Berkeley for less time that it takes to digest a steak shouldn't be looked at as an authority in this argument.</p>
<p>I bob and weave? All of my arguments are clearly presented in the second post of this thread.</p>
<p>How long have either one of us been a student at UC Merced? What makes either one of us qualified in judging which school is better? Not much. But we debate anyway based on what we know. Being a student at Berkeley for a longer period of time doesn't automatically make you more knowledeable, and not being a student at Merced does not mean you don't know anything about it.</p>
<p>Haha, I never claimed to have any authority on Berkeley. Very few of us can probably say we do. I'm not saying everything I say is factual; most of it is opinion. I just try to make it logical, at least.</p>
<p>I think it's all based on what your prefrence is. I don't mind being one of 500 students, I still get pretty close with my profs. I chose Berkeley's great academics over Merced's high student/prof ration, but that's just me.</p>
<p>But you would probably prefer being one of 30 students instead of one of 500 students, given the same professor. Of course, Berkeley's professors are probably better, so it comes down to professors vs. personal attention. Of course the issue becomes more complicated, as some professors are heavily involved in research and do not care to teach undergrads (in Berkeley's case), while the student in a large class could always grab a seat in the front and make it more personal that way. It's hard to say which is better given so many factors involved, but you gotta admit that the Merced's campus is nicer (look at pics in post #2). ;)</p>
<p>vicissitudes, your characterization of the Merced campus is nothing short of ridiculous. In actuality, it looks no better than the average Southern California community college.</p>
<p>"Of course the issue becomes more complicated, as some professors are heavily involved in research and do not care to teach undergrads (in Berkeley's case)"</p>
<p>Are you going to show some proof of this? You obviously don't have first hand experience to back up your claim (as you have been a student here for less than a month), so I'm wondering where you got this idea.</p>