<p>Somewhere along the way between spending thousands of dollars in rising tuition and fees, applying for federal loans and meal programs, buying textbooks for 500$ one week and selling them back for 60$ the very next week, and realizing professors are paid to do research rather than teach, I forgot the reason I even came to college. Supposedly it is to learn, but in my own experiences having been at two colleges (one ranked and one not) I find most of the work to be busy work.</p>
<p>Colleges used to have monopolizations on knowledge- professors would read out of a hard to find textbook and the students would gain valuable knowledge that would put them lightyears ahead of everyone else. Now, not so much. If I want to learn I can find it much more easily and speedily using the trusty 21st century invention called the world wide web. The globalization of knowledge has put everyone on an equal footing and college is becoming more of a status quo than anything else.</p>
<p>You don't have to agree with me, I just want to say it so if it happens in the future I can say I told you so.</p>
<p>Yeah. College sucks. The interweb is where it’s at and ya don’t have to go to class…and stuff. Just think where civilization would be if Newton and Einstein would have had access to wikipedia and youtube. I’m pretty dang sure we’d have flying cars and edible micro-wave pizza by now. Don’t get me wrong- I’m a fan of fig-based cookies and bagels but… I’m just sayin’. They could have done so much more.</p>
<p>It’s overpriced like hell but I still think it’s good for learning. While I could learn about everything I’m studying on the internet, it’s extremely helpful to have a knowledgeable person guiding the way.</p>
<p>All of your posts have the same underlying theme. Instead of complaining about everything in your life, take action to get your life on a positive track. One of your posts describes how you spent the 4 years of your high school (wasting your time playing computer games). You’re in college now and contemplating quitting. You’re trying to justify the idea of quitting college. </p>
<p>What are you going to do if you quit school? Are you going to sit around playing computer games or hiding behind a computer screen? You mentioned a web based business idea that you would like to pursue rather than remain in college. Do you really think it’s a good idea for you to go from wasting 4 years of high school sitting behind a computer/TV screen to wasting more time hiding behind a screen? </p>
<p>Take responsibility for your life and stop making excuses for the way things seem to be turning out for you. If you want to make a positive change in your life, you need to take action. Maybe the first step should be a visit to your counseling center.</p>
<p>It’s funny. I’ve been in college for a bit and have only bought 2 textbooks. Both were under $100. Most of my professors use public articles and novels.</p>
Well college has a monopoly on this paper certificate (which can cost $500,000) called a degree, without which you can’t get a good job in some cases.</p>
<p>The point he was making is that purely in terms of learning (at least for some majors), you can learn more from libraries and the internet. In my engineering / science major, I have to completely agree.</p>
<p>Not only can you learn more comprehensively from books / internet, but you can learn faster. Books are available on pretty much anything you need to learn. All you need is a well-designed curriculum for your major, and you can easily find this from any top college.</p>
<p>But this isn’t to say college is useless, even not counting the degree. College allows you to build connections. The assigned homework and grading helps those who are not self-driven, and the classroom setting helps those who are not good at being self-taught. And college gives you the possibility to become recognized for achievements that normally would go unnoticed (other than a successful business).</p>
<p>In any case, just enjoy college for what it is. You can still work on hobby businesses on the side. And try to study a lot on your own, beyond what is taught in class. Don’t let the fact that 99% of college students don’t really care about what they’re learning make it seem OK to just learn only what is required too. Spend time to excel at what you’re learning in college, and you’ll be recognized for it. But also spend some leisure time too :)</p>
<p>What idiot would spend $500,000 on a bachelor’s? Even four years at somewhere like GWU (which is the most expensive school if I’m not mistaken) would clock in around $200,000.</p>
<p>Isn’t the definition of obsoletion that everyone has to agree that it’s obsolete? As long as you need a degree for many jobs, college can’t be obsolete. End of story. You don’t have to justify dropping out to anyone here.</p>
<p>that’s bullcrap. you can mature much faster living paycheck to paycheck and trying to raise a family.</p>
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<p>That’s an easy way out response, but the underlying fact is I can learn faster, easier, and more enjoyably on the internet than paying thousands of dollars going to college any day of the week.All college does is give you a piece of paper that says “I got through it”. I know that doesn’t hit the right tone for most of the posters on here, but it’s time to face the facts.</p>
Condescending much? You’re a ****ing freshman. You don’t know jack about college, and with 10 posts you sure as hell don’t know anything about the posters here either.</p>
<p>distressed - you are neglecting the oligopolistic Department of Education, and their accreditation via the Association of Schools and Colleges. Also, consider the effects student loans have: in order to get subsidised loans, one must take classes from an accredited school.</p>
<p>It’s a freakin’ scam, like almost everything about this decrepit country.</p>
<p>If one wants to reform it, just set up a series of examinations one can sit for at a nominal fee, and privatise the educational services that prepare one to take the exam. Imperial China, for over 1000 years from the Sui dynasty used a similar system to fill its civil service. I do not think this country can hold a candle to Sui.</p>