<p>I’m the last one to defend the crazy high price of tuition, and you will find me ranting about this crazy industry often, especially the way they investing in marketing, and basically con parents into paying huge fees for a special brand that isn’t any different than the next. But having said that I would like to add a few points to the discussion: </p>
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<li><p>The labor cost for me to teach a class is not 3 hours a week. Good lord, I only wish. The preparation is easily as much, if not more, and the other aspects- meeting with student groups, one-on-one meetings with many of my students, answering emails until 11pm, written and oral feedback, grading grading grading, creating exams, writing letters of reference, providing career guidance, involving undergrads and training them in research, serving on awards committees, participating in ‘major’ events, talking to employers, meeting with prospective students, serving on curriculum committees, coaching case competitions, revising curriculum, reviewing textbook options, and creating whole new courses…adds up to far more than anyone can appreciate.</p></li>
<li><p>The whole “freshman classes are taught by TAs” is completely overdone. Yes there are TAs, no doubt, but it is simply nowhere near the degree that say LACs insist you believe. And it does vary quite a bit by school. And I will add that in our big research university, our PhD students do teach their own class in their last year of the program, but they are in training and heavily supervised and directed by faculty. They do as well as more senior faculty in terms of teaching eavluations, and often win awards. And future professors have to learn somewhere. It is no different than going to a teaching hospital and having residents overseeing your care. </p></li>
<li><p>The connection between research and teaching is so very often missed. Everything we teach in the classroom comes from… guess where? Research! It is the knowledge from research that fills our textbooks, guides our knowledge, shapes our opinions, and not to mention, many of us incorporate our research into the classroom (hot off the presses). Without research, your kid would not have material to learn. </p></li>
<li><p>There are so many common expenses that simply have nothing to do with the variable cost of your particular child…but without them your child would have no university to attend. As but one example? Our new building, with smart classrooms, many study rooms for students, new student lounges, new career centre, two amphitheatres etc- $125 million. </p></li>
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<p>Of course none of this justifies the crazy high tuition now charged. No way. And I so wish universities were more honest and transparent too (they are not). But I still wanted to add a few things you might not have considered (especially if you are stuck with a gigantic tuition bill that seems hard to justify).</p>