<p>Has anyone ever taken a step back and look at the whole admissions process as a complete rip off? You work your ass off in high school to go to the college of your choice that you are PAYING for. I know education isn't free but the idea that you have to be QUALIFIED to be educated at a certain university is a little absured.</p>
<p>I know right. A fair few countries in Europe make it effectively free.</p>
<p>Nothing is free. Those tuition funds have been contributed through outrageously high taxes that no American would ever tolerate paying.</p>
<p>Yeah, those Europeans really have it rough.</p>
<p>Yeah... if they tried to tax like they do in Europe, Americans will probably invoke the second amendment... have you seen gas prices in Europe...? sheesh...</p>
<p>Yeah, I bet they easily spend a year's tuition on gas taxes alone. Can you imagine if you had to spend $50k a year on gas taxes? We've got it so good here. I bet they use their mass transit a lot. Poor souls. They probably spend another $50k on taxes for heath care. How is anyone able to live there? An, everytime they're interviewed, they're like so happy, happy..."I spent August in Fiji, last summer we visited Bangkok" la la la...they have some impressive propaganda...never have I ever heard a European tell it like it really is. How can they afford to eat? Always out at some cafe...in France they boast that nannies come in and do their laundry during their one year off from work for having a baby....yeah, they really have it rough..I'm really surprised they aren't hitting the streets protesting.</p>
<p>College is nice in England...pretty cheap isn't it?</p>
<p>here in germany higher education is basically considered a right for everyone (who qualifies), schools until like 2 years ago didnt even have tuition, last year it started with about 500€. So nothing really and in some areas that fee has already been turned over by courts.</p>
<p>Of course that all has its downsides, the University system here is very different from the us-system and without all the tuition money we sure wont get a harvard in berlin. But instead we have a large number of very decent and affordable universitys. Also college isnt valued that highly in comparison. German high school system f.e. after year 6 is divided up into 3 school system of different difficulty. The highst system, the Gymnasium, holds the top 15-20%. Courses there are way stronger than at the average us high school, (taught on college level) and graduating from there you can have a very decent carrer without ever going to college.</p>
<p>Im not saying that one system is really better as im applying to the us, uk and germany, but going to college for free and have a decent education or paying a really high price for getting absolute excellence at a hand full of top notch institution? i dont know...</p>
<p>good things cost good money, but id agree with you if you say that american tuiton prices are completely blown out of proportion</p>
<p>And stop the taxing thing, it just got nothing to do with it and is completely wrong to bring up here, no economic discussion pls. Your college tuition has nothing to do with gas prices period.</p>
<p>^^^ I was being facetious. Really, I thought it was obvious. I much prefer your system.</p>
<p>And, fwiw, any private college here runs close to $50k...top, bottom and middling. The state schools can run close to 20K.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Has anyone ever taken a step back and look at the whole admissions process as a complete rip off? You work your ass off in high school to go to the college of your choice that you are PAYING for. I know education isn't free but the idea that you have to be QUALIFIED to be educated at a certain university is a little absured.
[/quote]
And the rip off doesn't end there!! Even if you get INTO the college of your choice, you have to do work. They make you write papers, take tests, and all other kinds of things that are no fun. You get to pick your major, but they they tell you what classes you have to take to get a degree. And they require you to keep a minimum GPA or they'll kick you out. And you're PAYING to be a student. How absured (sic)!!</p>
<p>[/sarcasm off]</p>
<p>Well, you can't just look at it as a free/expensive in terms of the US vs. Europe. Most European countries on socialized education run on a completely different system than us. In addition to high taxes, high percentages of students attending university means a lower value for a bachelors degree. In some countries, it's getting more and more common to study up until a doctorate level just to be able to distinguish yourself from the rest of the masses of people holding bachelors degrees.</p>
<p>Not that I'm in complete support of our overly-capitalist "best for the best, get the best" system, I'm just saying don't think that just because university is free over there that it's all that great.</p>
<p>^^^ That's actually pretty true here as well. Unless you get a very vocational bachelor's, grad school is necessary because everyone goes to college. And, everyone includes the poor....that's why there is so much student loan debt because no one rightfully believes a good job is possible without a bachelor's. I personally know successful exceptions, but they were very talented and took many years and a lot of disrespect in the process in order to get where they are.</p>
<p>We have the best schools in the world and the best and brightest from every corner of the world fight to get here. Anyone who doesn't like the system is hardly forced to participate which would leave more room for those who do.</p>
<p>As Mattsmom says, in countries with cheap schools, they pay for them through taxes. We all pay one way or another.</p>
<p>^^^ actually, that was my facetious post...in Ireland, for example, corporate taxes are the cheapest in the world. And, in all countries taxes aren't so prohibitive that they prevent anyone from going on an overseas holiday for the traditional month of August vacation. Or from having children, or from obtaining appropriate medical care.</p>
<p>As for the best schools in the world, they (NYU, Cornell, and more to come) are being exported to Dubai and other overseas locales. Schools will go where there is money and opportunity for their students. It's a global economy.</p>
<p>The US has the overall lowest tax rates of any developed country.</p>
<p>Mattsmom, I kind of think you admire the eurostyle schooling. I can see how that may be good for UG education, but our top private colleges arent UG factories, their many, and arguably only important task is to pump out massive amounts of quality ground breaking research. Have you noticed how US unis dominate the world rankings for research output?</p>
<p>So every school should educate every person who wants to go to it?</p>
<p>^^hmom, That might help explain the highest infant mortality rates of any developed country.</p>
<p>Tboonepickens....actually, I know a lot about that....my brother has helped with that some of that ground-breaking research during his tenure at Yale....they pay him a fraction of what his patents have earned the university. He has been interviewing in England and Italy. I'm afraid that at least his groundbreaking research isn't here to stay. The brain drain out of this country will be incredible if things don't start improving quickly.</p>
<p>i read an article about how europes losing their best to the american ivy leagues because american schools have such better merit aid for international students
and the liberal arts of american colleges is also a lot more appealing since euro schools are so much more specialized</p>