College and school in general...

[Lamberto Quintero]

What are your opinions on these things here in the United States? What do you think of the efficiency of school, the costs, the results (graduates), the difficulty, basically anything you can think of.

I'm sure that private schools like Stanford and Harvard are a lot different, but state colleges like the one I attend are fuckin weak IMO. It's the biggest waste of money and especially time, I could have learned everything that I've learned now by just reading books myself. And public schooling from elementary to high school is also a complete joke, since the point of them is to raise a bunch of law-abiding citizens who won't change the current status quo.

 

[I AM]

I'm in my last week of college, graduate on Saturday...and I can say...

College is pretty fucking weak. I could teach myself more by reading and living my life than they could teach my in college. I got a BA in Broadcast Journalism with minors in sociology and advertising...I learned more about broadcast outside of school doing a show for public access with my friends...learned more about sociology by just being around people and COMMUNICATING with them...and more about advertising by just analyzing the market, and figuring out the stereotypes of people and where they fit.

College is there to prove to an employer that "you can make someone else happy." That's what my portfolio assessment (last Senior class) prof told us on the last day of class. And it's true.

Schools are there to teach you how to be on time, work well with others, turn your shit in on time, some basic skills and history shit (the history is ALL one sided), and a couple other skills...

You do not get an education at school. You get an acculturation. And the last fucking thing I want to be, is like everyone else.

 

[autistic]

I think schools today in the U.S. still follow the formula they developed back in the times of the industrial revolution when everyone aspired to work in a factory. That's why you have to be at school early and sit there all day. The schools are training the students to be workers.
Also, the curriculum in American schools is racist and full of myths. So in a way the American school system produces a bunch of dumb asses that are misinformed about history and the world. (i.e. Portuguese Godfather, Princesa, etc., etc.)
Also, schools along with every other institution in the United States celebrates White culture and criminalizes the cultures of people of color.

 

[Lamberto Quintero]

^^^ Two good responses, thanks.

 

[tha_psycho]

all i know is i hated high school teachers were dumb as fuck... sure they were smart in that subject... same with college.... i have been there for two semesters.... i hate it also.... i wanna do something else and make money but shit i dont have a degree so shit is hard to find a good job..... but w.e the parties are fun

 

[The Visualizer]

I think Preschool - highschool help you to develop the social skills you are using now.

College isn't much of motivational factor in my life right now.

 

[MISTADON]

From what I have been told, getting a degree basically shows you can start something, and finish it.

 

[Gas One]

i think you need to readjust the reasons you go to college.

and not go because you think its a good idea or because its wha tyou should do after high school, but go because its something thats going to help you in the long run.

if i looked at my college experiences when i was 19-23, i dont agree with them.

if i look at my reasons for college now, i agree with them.
college as of right now, is a gateway for me to make a third more than i make now. and my work will pay 4500 a semester of it.

why wouldnt i? im just going to that shit to make more money

back then i was going to college for the experience of a dorm, girls, living on my own. i didnt actually care much about college and thats why i dropped out.

i didnt need a major in illustration, as that isnt how the art world works right now. but i definately could use a few papers under my belt...

never thought id go this route until i realized this is how i can make 'grown up' money..

 

[Sketchy B]

College is cool, because working sucks balls. And you can almost always get a better job with a degree than otherwise, even if you dont learn anything but how to write A LOT better so you can hustle in writing better (an important skill in business, and many other fields).

My advice is to try and go to school full time and not work. Just suck it up and take hella loans, the rate on them is better than almost any other loan out there. Because the people that work and go to school part time make themselves miserable and dont get as much out of classes and tend to drop out, making a lot of that money a waste. You are paying for the classes either way, might as well concentrate on them full-time so you can actually learn something.

But the main reason to go to college is because if you like learning, you basically get to sit around and learn all day. It's way, way more interesting than high school, even if its a state school. And plus a better environment, because for the most part, people in the class want to be there and pay attention, or at least if they dont want to learn, they generally shut up and sit quietly....

you have your whole life to work, and college isn't nearly as cool if you aren't 18-25 or so.

my 2 cents.

 

[Gas One]

in hindsight that is exactly why im glad i fucked around in my prime college years. it was stupid, but stupid is expected at that age.

at 27, college is more of a "do good because your ass is paying for it and if you dont youre doomed for the rest of your life" type thing in comparison to a "my parents are paying for it, its all good if i drink beer and do my finals at the same time" sort of thing

college also gives you a reason to not want to be married, as one of those girls will end up someones wife

and every girl has "that night" in the dorm..believe you me..

 

[I AM]

From what I have been told, getting a degree basically shows you can start something, and finish it.

That's true as well, it says, "Hey, I'm got here, did this, learned some shit, and now I have my piece of paper."

It shows you can do something when you set the goal...but mainly, it says that you can make other people happy and do your shit well enough to pass...

just cause you go to college doesn't mean you'll get a good job. i know people that graduated and work as tellers at a mother fuckin bank...and they aren't incompetent...

austistic hit it though with the white culture in schools...that's what is called, "acculturation...making everyone into one culture basically...wanting everyone to be "white" so to speak...but that really just means, "don't care about the people, care about the money," in this country at least.

 

[coondogg26]

We have the best university system in the world and we attract the best minds from around the world to come here. Its called the brain drain, we get all the other countries brightest minds. Generally they come here for college and they end up staying and working here because we have the most opportunities for high level work. But our public school system is another story....

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

@ gas, are you or were you an art major? what school did you attend?

 

[MpMaStErMiNd17]

whatever u do people dont fuck with HEALD COLLEGE.. biggest mistake ive made in my life now im fucked.. still owe bout 4gz in student loan. been collectin unemployment since late jan.. i got an AA in business admin accounting.. healdz job placement 4 life is bullshit.. never went into the field of what i learned cuz of the lack experince so entry level 4 what i learned is bullshit. oh well im going back into sales @ the month..

 

[Lamberto Quintero]

^^^ Yeah I know several people who went to Heald and they aren't doing as good as they hoped and were promised. I remember everybody and their momma wanted to do this shit cuz it was guaranteed 60 G's or more in salary right after graduating...

 

[Pak Dan]

wait so ur saying colleges like UC aren't that good?

 

[antoniog831]

I think Preschool - highschool help you to develop the social skills you are using now.

College isn't much of motivational factor in my life right now.

I DONT AGREE... MAYBE PRESCHOOL, BUT IN HIGHSCHOOL YOU DONT LEARN THAT SHIT. I LEARNED HOW TO HANDLE AND UNDERSTAND PEOPLE IN A PSYCHOLOGICAL LEVEL JUST IN EVERYDAY LIFE... IF ANYTHING HIGHSCHOOL GOT ME MAD AT THE EDUCATION SYSTEM. MAD BECAUSE THEY WERE TEACHING ME ALL THIS BULLSHIT THAT I WOULD NOT NEED. IF ANYTHING I'VE LEARNED SHIT ON MY OWN... LIKE ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT AND HOW CORRUPT THAT SHIT IF(EVERYBODY SAYS IT). BUT I ACTUALLY STARTED FINDING OUT HOW AND WHY. THATS WHY FUCK THIS EDUCATION SYSTEM

 

[Dirty Shoez]

I could have learned everything that I've learned now by just reading books myself.

That about sums it all up right there.

"Why am I the one doing all the hard work? I could run this business way better than my Manager!"

"Why am I the one setting up the equipment? I can rap way better than Rapper XYZ!"

etc. etc.

The bottom line is that, without college, the textbooks you could "just read" wouldn't exist. You'd have to spend hundreds of extra hours combing through books and compiling the good information for yourself. This is assuming you already knew what was good and what was bad....which you probably wouldn't.

From a less philosophical point of view......sure, just buy the books and read them. If you have questions, I'm sure there's some online forum you can go to. And if you can pull it off, I'm sure you can find a few university websites and e-mail the professors themselves (which would be hard, unless you went out of your way to find out what they specialize in, and not just ask general questions; otherwise, they'd probably tell you to bugger off).

The reality of the situation is that people need college to learn, mainly for the motivation and structure it provides. Self-motivation is not enough for 95% of people. 95% of people who drink 3+ times a week COULD NOT quit drinking cold turkey for a year or more. They WILL come up with excuses, they WILL say "there's no good reason to continue".....they simply cannot keep up with it. Excuses, excuses, excuses. In college...there are only so many excuses you can get away with, so it forces you to work.

Me personally, I hope to be going to school for the rest of my life, or at least, constantly learning new things. Eventually I hope to become a professor, not necessarily because of my love of teaching, but because I want to take so many more classes (Latin, Greek, Arabic, Swahili, Islamic Studies, MBA, Law, Political Science, Linguistics.....too much shit.)

I could easily speak on college for another page or 4, but I'll stop for now!

 

[Dirty Shoez]

Alexander the Great never went to college, and he ended up conquering half the world. You do make a good point there.

 

[FDS]

What are your opinions on these things here in the United States? What do you think of the efficiency of school, the costs, the results (graduates), the difficulty, basically anything you can think of.

I'm sure that private schools like Stanford and Harvard are a lot different, but state colleges like the one I attend are fuckin weak IMO. It's the biggest waste of money and especially time, I could have learned everything that I've learned now by just reading books myself. And public schooling from elementary to high school is also a complete joke, since the point of them is to raise a bunch of law-abiding citizens who won't change the current status quo.

I AGREE 10000000000% PERCENT, at least as far as the social sciences go, the average semester consists of me reading a whole load of shit they give me. and writing an essay about it.