College Has Become Big Business

Unfortunately, at least in my opinion, College and higher level education is no longer about the individual (if it ever was in the first place) and has now officially become big business. It's a sad fact that I do feel I must share. And I am sure I am not the only one who's ever stated this.

The bottom line here folks, is that I have been noticing this trend for awhile now. I get calls all the time from these blood suckers who are obviously addicted to the government teet and who depend on it for their sustenance. I know some way, some how, these colleges are making a profit. And it is the government who is providing it for them. And when I get these calls I get the same thing over and over, yes this is so and so from bla bla bla community or state college calling about our wonderful opportunities for you and your family. Bla bla bla bla bla.

The fact is folks, these colleges could give two shits about you and or I. They just don't give a damn. I would have more respect from these people if they called you on your cell phone and stated, "Yes, this is Bob from Crackpot community college calling, and I really don't like my job very much at all but I am on a serious quota limit per day and if I don't get you to at least pretend you are interested in my education pamphlets, etc., then not only will the college that employs me not get it's usual cash infusion from the United States government but I will be out of a job!" Now that I would respect simply for these people just telling the truth and not trying to pretend to be my best friend. Cuz I know that at the end of the day it's all about the money, both for them and for the college.

These colleges don't care about you taking out massive government loans that they know will most likely put you in debt for decades to come. It has been this way for awhile. As long as the college get their share of your government loan or however it is that the mechanics of the business work then they really don't care what happens to you as an individual. It's all about profit...and how do they get this profit? By using you as the medium between the college and it's government funding. You are the tool by which the college aquires it's cash, in other words, and therefore, you are only valuable up until the day you graduate. After that, all the lies that they peddled for you while you were attending their school become a reality only for you and the college moves onto their next victim. By then you are left in the dust and if you think you can gain the sympathy of the college that convinced you to get into debt than you are completely at a loss because they simply just don't care. Not unless you plan to take more classes...that is.

Of all the good choices I have made in my life, not taking out major goverment loans through a college was one of the best in my opinion. My sister is in debt up to her eyeballs but luckily she was one of the lucky ones who was actually able to land a job while she is actually attending school. For the majority of college students, especially in todays economy, this simply is not the case. In fact, I believe I heard a statistic on the news that said that only 20% of college graduates actually land a successful job immediately after they graduate from college. So what about the other 80%? What happens to them? Or how about the ones who didn't graduate? What happens to them? My guess is that the college they are attending simply doesn't care, and so in their opinion, why should you?

I just don't like what I am seeing in todays higher education system. It has become a business just like any other, which is fueled by the greed behind making a profit, and is no longer in my opinion about taking care of the individual student and insuring that they are successful in their pursuit of the American dream.

College, like just about everything else in America, is all about making a dime off of the American citizens labor. Only with colleges they focus on a person's mind more than they do on the actual physical labor that many other businesses gain profit from. Either way, they have discovered how to turn Human Bodies into cash, and they don't hesitate to do so.

I agree. 😉

It's also a way to get people into debt right out of high school.

How many people are actually placed in the job they majored in?
Very few.

There should be a guarantee that the college will help place you in the job you want after your schooling is finished.

Oh oh! Now tell us how Ron Paul will save us!

Originally posted by The Scribe

There should be a guarantee that the college will help place you in the job you want after your schooling is finished.

why? any loser can go through college with straight A's its not that difficult all it takes is time to waste. getting through college doesnt mean youre automatically ready for the job you want.

Originally posted by WO Polaski
why? any loser can go through college with straight A's its not that difficult all it takes is time to waste. getting through college doesnt mean youre automatically ready for the job you want.

Originally posted by King Kandy
It really depends on major and grad school some of them are notoriously hard to get good marks in.

Making a course hard for the sake of making it hard so a certain number of people fail is to miss the entire point of teaching. IMO, that degree means much less...it just has a name on it. It's kind of like buying a pair of Nike shoes that are expensive as hell, but fall apart rather quickly.

However, some places have really good educations and are big names. I like CIT's "feel". They provide both a good education (from what I can see) and they are a big name.

Granted, more money, better facilities. It's hit or miss. You'd be better off taking most of your medical classes at a good community college as it is mostly just rote memorization.

Eh, at top of the top grads like harvard law it's not uncommon to have several classes that are curved so that x number of students will always fail no matter what. So it's not easy, actually it's really competitive.

Originally posted by King Kandy
It really depends on major and grad school some of them are notoriously hard to get good marks in.

i meant community colleges. 😖hifty:

Originally posted by WO Polaski
i meant community colleges. 😖hifty:

Universities and colleges have never tried to hide the fact that the more students that enroll, the more money they get for funding. I don't see the big problem with it. I'd much rather a university got funding for new research than the banks get it to prop up their inadequacies in running themselves.

As for them making a profit? This is nonsense. The amount of money required every year to pay the faculty's salaries is enormous. A university professor is most likely on a 6 figure salary. That would take the income from anywhere between 10 and 50 students fees contribution to pay for that one faculty member. multiply that up and it's easy to see where the student's fees go. Not to mention the rest of the non teaching staff...adminisation, research fellows, cleaning staff...Then there's the money for equipment (which in the case of science can be hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars for some pieces of equipment)

A lot of universities don't make enough from the government to fund this and have to get private funding or make the money themselves. That's why many universities set up spin-off companies and satellite companies to generate revenue. My local university has over 20 such companies that research and manufacter anti cancer medication, are involved in construction consultancy, mobile phone design, book publishing and many others.

Originally posted by King Kandy
I agree there. 99% of community college courses you could almost sleep through and get As. It's quite different at high-ranked private colleges.

True. Some, however, offer a better education on the same material, for much much less money, and you end up with a higher grade that's transferable.

I think I was talking to Chitthappens about this, but, you can get most of your hours at a cheap school, then transfer them a big name school for your Ph.D. so you end up with a Ph.D. from the big school, but most of the work was done at the less expensive school.

Originally posted by dadudemon
True. Some, however, offer a better education on the same material, for much much less money, and you end up with a higher grade that's transferable.

I think I was talking to Chitthappens about this, but, you can get most of your hours at a cheap school, then transfer them a big name school for your Ph.D. so you end up with a Ph.D. from the big school, but most of the work was done at the less expensive school.

That's basically what I'm doing. Associates degree, then a transfer to a state school.

it has always been big business, its just grown with the current trends in capitalism. or did we really think that all those handsome donations were for anything other than bribing students to get in

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
That's basically what I'm doing. Associates degree, then a transfer to a state school.

Good thinking. 🙂

EVERYTHING in America is big business and to some extant that's ok as long as strong anti trust laws are in place and enforced (they haven't been) and there are protections for workers(there aren't enough).

However things like education and healthcare shouldn't be driven by profit, society is the worse off for it.

Originally posted by dadudemon
True. Some, however, offer a better education on the same material, for much much less money, and you end up with a higher grade that's transferable.

I think I was talking to Chitthappens about this, but, you can get most of your hours at a cheap school, then transfer them a big name school for your Ph.D. so you end up with a Ph.D. from the big school, but most of the work was done at the less expensive school.

Originally posted by NuclearWinter
Unfortunately, at least in my opinion, College and higher level education is no longer about the individual (if it ever was in the first place) and has now officially become big business. It's a sad fact that I do feel I must share. And I am sure I am not the only one who's ever stated this.

The bottom line here folks, is that I have been noticing this trend for awhile now. I get calls all the time from these blood suckers who are obviously addicted to the government teet and who depend on it for their sustenance. I know some way, some how, these colleges are making a profit. And it is the government who is providing it for them. And when I get these calls I get the same thing over and over, yes this is so and so from bla bla bla community or state college calling about our wonderful opportunities for you and your family. Bla bla bla bla bla.

The fact is folks, these colleges could give two shits about you and or I. They just don't give a damn. I would have more respect from these people if they called you on your cell phone and stated, "Yes, this is Bob from Crackpot community college calling, and I really don't like my job very much at all but I am on a serious quota limit per day and if I don't get you to at least pretend you are interested in my education pamphlets, etc., then not only will the college that employs me not get it's usual cash infusion from the United States government but I will be out of a job!" Now that I would respect simply for these people just telling the truth and not trying to pretend to be my best friend. Cuz I know that at the end of the day it's all about the money, both for them and for the college.

These colleges don't care about you taking out massive government loans that they know will most likely put you in debt for decades to come. It has been this way for awhile. As long as the college get their share of your government loan or however it is that the mechanics of the business work then they really don't care what happens to you as an individual. It's all about profit...and how do they get this profit? By using you as the medium between the college and it's government funding. You are the tool by which the college aquires it's cash, in other words, and therefore, you are only valuable up until the day you graduate. After that, all the lies that they peddled for you while you were attending their school become a reality only for you and the college moves onto their next victim. By then you are left in the dust and if you think you can gain the sympathy of the college that convinced you to get into debt than you are completely at a loss because they simply just don't care. Not unless you plan to take more classes...that is.

Of all the good choices I have made in my life, not taking out major goverment loans through a college was one of the best in my opinion. My sister is in debt up to her eyeballs but luckily she was one of the lucky ones who was actually able to land a job while she is actually attending school. For the majority of college students, especially in todays economy, this simply is not the case. In fact, I believe I heard a statistic on the news that said that only 20% of college graduates actually land a successful job immediately after they graduate from college. So what about the other 80%? What happens to them? Or how about the ones who didn't graduate? What happens to them? My guess is that the college they are attending simply doesn't care, and so in their opinion, why should you?

I just don't like what I am seeing in todays higher education system. It has become a business just like any other, which is fueled by the greed behind making a profit, and is no longer in my opinion about taking care of the individual student and insuring that they are successful in their pursuit of the American dream.

College, like just about everything else in America, is all about making a dime off of the American citizens labor. Only with colleges they focus on a person's mind more than they do on the actual physical labor that many other businesses gain profit from. Either way, they have discovered how to turn Human Bodies into cash, and they don't hesitate to do so.

Agreed.

I always laugh the hardest at the "Business Administration" or "Finance" majors that automatically assume they will be millionaires. I have friends who go to really good private business schools and they're just like this. One of them just smokes weed and gets 2.7 gpa's and thinks he will be rich as all hell. 90% of them will be corporate middle management whores, 9% will be upper management with a good salary and 1% will become CEO's and billionaires. Which is irrelevant because if you're intelligent enough to reach CEO status and become a billionaire then you're smart enough to start your own business from scratch without the degree and become a billionaire on your own.

Originally posted by KidRock
Agreed.

I always laugh the hardest at the "Business Administration" or "Finance" majors that automatically assume they will be millionaires. I have friends who go to really good private business schools and they're just like this. One of them just smokes weed and gets 2.7 gpa's and thinks he will be rich as all hell. 90% of them will be corporate middle management whores, 9% will be upper management with a good salary and 1% will become CEO's and billionaires. Which is irrelevant because if you're intelligent enough to reach CEO status and become a billionaire then you're smart enough to start your own business from scratch without the degree and become a billionaire on your own.

Funny how you keep yammering about how people have to get good education and then show this much scorn for the people who do.

Originally posted by King Kandy
Funny how you keep yammering about how people have to get good education and then show this much scorn for the people who do.

An education is pointless if you have no determination, goal or motivation.

Hence the reason I, a college student has a job, and the PHD man doesn't.

Learn to listen or don't post.

Originally posted by KidRock
An education is pointless if you have no determination, goal or motivation.

Then why did you just say the education is totally meaningless?