Number 35: The myth about college

I just heard on the national news that among the top 25 competitive countries throughout the world we Americans rank 17th in education.

The report was meant to be a wake up call that the US needs to get on the stick if we don't want to be at the bottom of this list in the not-to-near future.

They did not address the issue concerning the high cost of this education here in the US. I also heard a report that the younger generation is trying to justify the debt that will burden them for many years against the weak job market that might not provide adequate income to pay off that huge debt within a reasonable time.

I wonder how our education compares in costs to students in other countries, and I wonder if the prospect of being burdened by this educational debt is much greater here as compared to those other countries.

I do believe that education is very important, not just to the students but for the country as well, but it seems that a greater number of students must carry the vast majority of the financial burden in order to obtain this higher learning. If our country needs a higher level of educated workforce then should the country not invest at least as much as the student?

If we take a good look at the high dollar schools it seems to me that they spend a dis-proportionate amount of their revenues on sports. Perhaps the very people that are charged with the responsibility of trying to educate these young students have their greater focus on the athletic departments.

I think that the institutions of higher learning are more concerned with generating revenues that will produce greater salaries for the professors and the top powers -that- be in the institution. The students education is secondary. If you don't think I'm right just ask some students. Some professors have an attitude that if the student has a difficult time keeping up, that's just tough shit. To me this kind of attitude is callous and counter productive to education.

These educational institutions should provide remedial assistance to the students having difficulties in some of their courses. They provide this kind of assistance to the team athletes in order to keep their grades high enough to keep playing ball.

These institutions also seem to be led by Olympian Gods as it is obvious that they continue to spend tremendous amounts of money in efforts to impress the world. I truly doubt that an intelligent student cannot learn below the clouds, and, the schools that look like they are erected on Mount Olympus are truly erected on regular dirt. Are these fabulous looking schools as interested in elevating education as they are at elevating egos?

It seems to me that colleges and universities are more about image and money than educating students.

When I was released from the Air Force I applied for my GI educational benefits and started taking classes at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. I flunked out on most of my classes and wasted most of my time and opportunity to get an education. I know that I am not the only student that was not college material, and I see it going on 40 years later.

I do believe that education should be paid by the public because it is the educated people that tend to improve everyone's way of life, I just don't think that the educational institutions focus as much on educating students as they do on image and making money to pay for high salaries and building beautiful buildings.

Students should be subjected to a more thorough screening system before receiving public funds to pay for their college education, and those that pay as they go for their education should be reimbursed for their costs when they successfully complete their courses.

The cost of education is a huge part of the reason that we rank 17th out of the top 25 countries in this report. Our students could perform at a much higher level of achievement if they did not have to worry about the high cost associated with their educational endeavors.

I support total government paid education for students that show that they can excel at levels of average and above in college level courses.

Finton.