My experience with college.

[NW Admin]

Okay, so I am going to leave out the name of the school here to avoid being sued for slander or something stupid.

Anyway, as you may or may not know by know, I am a self-employed web developer. Pretty much everything I know is self-taught. I have learned it all from the Internet, books, friends, and experience.

I thought that I would go to school for a 2 year degree at a very well known University to learn more about web development and get an actual degree. I felt that I was lacking in some areas and really wanted to improve my knowledge and expand my areas of expertise.

So I sign up for school and attend for 1 year. Initially, the classes were ridiculously easy and for me... common sense stuff. I kept telling myself that maybe these were just "warm up classes". You know, preparing us for the hard stuff to come. Now I am no super intelligent person by any means. So I was finding myself bored. So I started to ask the teachers questions about the topics they were teaching. I soon discovered that they didn't know the answers unless they looked them up in a book. This was very discouraging as this is what I had been doing on my own prior to college. I could look in a book myself. I don't need them for that. The teacher also kept asking students to teach the class for her. On top of that, you didn't have to do much of anything to get an A in a class. So I started talking to the other students to see if it was just me feeling this way. Feeling like we were getting a free ride just for the sake of obtaining a "degree". Turned out that everyone was feeling a bit ripped off.

So I went to the Dean to complain. I discovered that I was not the only one complaining. A lot of people were. I told him that I felt like I was waisting my money and that the teachers didn't know any more then I did. He said... and I quote... "They are the best teachers we have. They were flown all the way here from California." After that statement, I felt sickened. I said "So basicly, you are telling me that there is nothing that can be done?" Our conversation... and my attendance at that school... ended there.

Why should I waste $45,000 on an "education" from people who don't even know what they are teaching?? I was basicly paying for a piece of paper that meant nothing.

Of course, now I am paying these ridiculous student loans for the 1 year I went there and it just kills me to send those payments. It really does. I think it's an outrage. It is not worth the money they are charging. At all.

[CarolineWH]

I find it very difficult posting on this Forum for it is the New World and I am the old world...This, alone, raises the caution flag....However, I will tell you of one instance of college...

One of our sons was a wonderful athlete...He was offered a scholarship on a sport he excelled in...This was sanctioned by a big league team that was going to draft him....He was contacted and went to the college...There he proceeded to do wonderful for the draft but learn nothing...He was given added monies but then found something that amazed him....Needless to say, we were shocked...He was told he did not have to go to some classes and would still get passing grades...The education meant nothing, his reward would be his drafting...This happened many years ago but it is probably still going on....

There is more to this story but here it will end....TC, C

[NW Admin]

Caroline,

I am not surprised by that at all. That's been said to be happening for as long as I can remember. It's caused a lot of controversy in the news. I think that a lot of schools are only out to keep a good reputation by making "stars" out of their students.

Oh, and this site may be called "New World", but it's all about everyone young & old coming together to share wisdom, experience, ideas, opinions, etc. So you are always welcome here. I value your input so keep it coming!

[avorrgorrus]

I loved the college I was going to for accounting and business.

I think how one enjoys their experience in a school depends on how dedicated someone is to learning about their chosen subject.

I would say all the partying comes after schoolwork second to none.

I got most of that out of the way before college...

[avorrgorrus]

I would like to go back to college for another major, biology, majoring in atomic physics, that would be wonderful, then I could work in a laboratory.

Analyzing some cell's membrane, then looking closer in the nucleus, and inject it with my boss's favorite genetically modified organism.

[jamesb]

I think that it does depends a great deal on the college. I never had these problems at my college and I was more then happy with the teachers which I had.