Higher Education: Only For Those High Up on the Social Foodchain

The rising cost of college — even before the recession — threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Over all, the report found, published college tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007 while median family income rose 147 percent. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade, and students from lower-income families, on average, get smaller grants from the colleges they attend than students from more affluent families.

“If we go on this way for another 25 years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education,” said Patrick M. Callan, president of the center, a nonpartisan organization that promotes access to higher education.

“When we come out of the recession,” Mr. Callan added, “we’re really going to be in jeopardy, because the educational gap between our work force and the rest of the world will make it very hard to be competitive. Already, we’re one of the few countries where 25- to 34-year-olds are less educated than older workers.”

I posted this link in my Facebook, but I figured it should be addressed here as well. So I’m glad I’m getting my degree now, considering that I went to this college based solely on financial aid. I’m barely affording it as is.

The future of Gattaca is sadly, not too far off.

But then again, 17 out of 23 people in my cyberpolitics class are on the way to become millionaires. One girl in my group was determined to make 10 million. I’m sure someone else raised their hand as well. I guess they don’t have much to worry about.

What the people forced into virtual colleges because commuting to college has gotten impossible due to high gas prices? Virtual education is inferior. It’s not the same as a campus classroom, with established professors.

So higher education is on the way to once more being only for the affluent?

I wonder how many more girls will dance their way to afford tuition?

The thirst of many honesties (hah, so punny, get it?)

Dear blog, I made a fool of myself in class. True, this is a common occurrence, but I am hardly bothered by it.

I pretended to be some sleazy salesgirl (although not as bad as those Cricket Baby girls)  trying to sell rubber tubing to companies other than medical/industrial ones.

So our professor said to take risks. To be honest, she’s right. To be honest, the other students, the ones who want to play it safe, who posted replies in their blogs that when they do something not by-the-book they get scolded, and so they rather not take such a risk…are not wrong either. The problem, is that they’re not doing something different. They’re just taking the prescription wrong.

But enough of us will have bosses who make ridiculous demands of us. Yes, make an awesome PowerPoint in 5 minutes.  Impossible task that will likely result in failure. I treat this as prep. Hell, I did have a supervisor that made crazy demands of me this past summer. But I knew I wouldn’t get fired, because even if I couldn’t read her mind, I was one of the best, if not the best graphic designer intern they’ve had thus far. I know that my grade does not depend on the amount of scolding. So in way, I’m not worried about it. I calculate my risks. But I still take them.

I’d rather beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.

A personal motto, I suppose.

Thing is, I figured that for this class, unlike any other class, risks, no matter how foolish, would be rewarded in some fashion or another.  I mean, for this class, we were totally encouraged to take risks. Make the environment our own. There’s playing it safe, and there’s playing it scared. Again, what’s the worse that can happen? Some scolding? Pft. Whatever. No one can scold you better than your own family. So really, no one scares me in that respect. Sure, I don’t bite the hand that feeds me, gives me my grade, and gives me a paycheck. That doesn’t mean I sit in wait for the next command.

Dear blog, what makes a better blog? The blog on politics and culture, or the one…that..tells my story?

“And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.” – Talmud

everyone is the only one