Hypothetical "boot straps student" rant

[BDBoop]

Don’t EVEN Get Me Started, Mythical Bootstraps College Student | Persephone Magazine

Here are just a few things that are not your decision and are not within your exclusive or even direct control:

1. How successful your parents are
2. How good your teachers are
3. Whether you will get a scholarship (though it is your decision to apply, so take on that onus)
4. Whether you’ll get into the college of your choosing (admissions criteria is tougher than ever)
5. How much rent will cost in the city in which you live
6. How much the minimum wage will be in the state in which you live
7. What kind of access you’ll have to low-interest loans
8. Whether or not you’ll be able to get into the major of your choosing
9. Whether you’ll have the aptitude to maintain a 3.8 while working 30 hours per week
10. Whether you’ll be able to get into grad school (I mean, if you want to be a 1 percenter you should go, most of them went)
11. Whether you’ll be able to afford grad school (most 1 percenters had their parents pay for theirs, ask Donald Trump about how much student loan money he borrowed – money trickles down… down to rich people’s heirs)
12. Whether you’ll be able to get a high paying job after grad school
13. Whether you’ll be able to get any job after grad school

Finally, the main takeaway:

This stupid little Facebook photo is not only ill-informed, it’s harmful. Nothing on it has anything to do with reality. It has everything to do with a false rhetoric that’s being promoted by people who either don’t know about the realities of higher education in this country, or don’t care.

Excellent, well-researched, -written and -considered post.

 

[Mad Scientist]

I worked as a fuckin' Security Guard for $5 an hour while going to community college for two years (92-94) to get my Aircraft Mechanics License. After living in Japan for a few years I came back and started work as Mechanic at an Airline for $10.65 an hour (I was making just under $18 an hour when I left 5.5 years later). But during that time I went to school full time, did homework on my days off and graduated College in 2001.

Yes, it can be done.

 

[alan1]

Neither my wife nor I received any scholarships for college.
We received no financial help from family.
I did receive GI-Bill funding of $300 a month for 4 years (rent for our cottage was $550 a month and did not include utilities).
We both attended college at the same time.
I worked full time (more than min wage) and attended college part time. She worked part time (also more than min wage) and attended college full time. She graduated one year before me.
Our second child was born shortly after my wife graduated college. Fortunately, the birth of the second child was covered under insurance, because the first one was not.
We graduated with zero student loan debt and zero credit card debt. We did have a car loan/debt. Sacrifices were made to accomplish this.
I will admit, this was over 20 years ago, but even back then, the cost of living in CA was astronomical.
It is possible to graduate from college without student loan debt.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

Reply to the bullet points in bold.

Don’t EVEN Get Me Started, Mythical Bootstraps College Student | Persephone Magazine

Here are just a few things that are not your decision and are not within your exclusive or even direct control:

1. How successful your parents are
   True. But with the Federal Student Aid program in its current form, if your parents aren't successful you can get a decent chunk of change in financial aid to help, and many states have scholarship opportunities to state schools as long as you maintain a "B" average.
2. How good your teachers are
   It is possible to self educate, especially for anyone seeking to go to college or currently in college. Part of the goal of college is not to teach you what to think but how to learn and think for yourself.
3. Whether you will get a scholarship (though it is your decision to apply, so take on that onus)
   True, but again there are many "blanket" scholarships that are typically available to any student who meets some very wide margins. There is also the option of military service.
4. Whether you’ll get into the college of your choosing (admissions criteria is tougher than ever)
   Boo Hoo.
5. How much rent will cost in the city in which you live
   There is typically financial aid for students that are willing to live in the dorms.
6. How much the minimum wage will be in the state in which you live
   Campus jobs are pretty widely available and pay a decent wage. Part of the problem is that college students feel they have to have smart phones and new cars. Use the bus and the dorm phone. You'll save a lot of money each month.
7. What kind of access you’ll have to low-interest loans
   I'm not sure what to make of this one. There's plenty of student loan money out there if you want it, and if you don't, go into the military for a stint there. Some of my best students are the older more mature students who did military time first.
8. Whether or not you’ll be able to get into the major of your choosing
   This is a strange one. Admission to a major program is typically a reflection of your grades in the first year and a half to 2 years on campus. Very VERY few programs require application parallel to your college admission application. You can control how hard you work, and the grades you get, by being a savvy hard working student.
9. Whether you’ll have the aptitude to maintain a 3.8 while working 30 hours per week
   Honestly, if you have to work 30 hours a week in college, maybe you shouldn't be there. Unless you have a family to support, you need to reassess your monthly bills. Do you really need that cell phone?
10. Whether you’ll be able to get into grad school (I mean, if you want to be a 1 percenter you should go, most of them went)
    Trust me. If you work hard you'll get in. Grad students are the bread and butter of most institutions. Grad students attract the most State and Federal money and also teach classes on the cheap for support. If the issue is you that you didn't get in where you wanted, Boo Hoo.
11. Whether you’ll be able to afford grad school (most 1 percenters had their parents pay for theirs, ask Donald Trump about how much student loan money he borrowed – money trickles down… down to rich people’s heirs)
    Most graduate programs off teaching assistant ships for support, in addition to some nice fellowships if you qualify. As a grad student you're actually more likely to get student loans than before. You'll be able to afford it.
12. Whether you’ll be able to get a high paying job after grad school
    What did you write your thesis on? In many areas there are topics that you can go into where you can literally name your salary coming out of grad school. In Mathematics, if you go in Mathematical Biology, Financial Math, Statistics, or get a Ph'D in Math Education you are literally set for life.
13. Whether you’ll be able to get any job after grad school
    See above. Your selection of degree plan should be motivated by job prospects, not by what sounds cool.

Finally, the main takeaway:

This stupid little Facebook photo is not only ill-informed, it’s harmful. Nothing on it has anything to do with reality. It has everything to do with a false rhetoric that’s being promoted by people who either don’t know about the realities of higher education in this country, or don’t care.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Don’t EVEN Get Me Started, Mythical Bootstraps College Student | Persephone Magazine

Here are just a few things that are not your decision and are not within your exclusive or even direct control:

1. How successful your parents are
2. How good your teachers are
3. Whether you will get a scholarship (though it is your decision to apply, so take on that onus)
4. Whether you’ll get into the college of your choosing (admissions criteria is tougher than ever)
5. How much rent will cost in the city in which you live
6. How much the minimum wage will be in the state in which you live
7. What kind of access you’ll have to low-interest loans
8. Whether or not you’ll be able to get into the major of your choosing
9. Whether you’ll have the aptitude to maintain a 3.8 while working 30 hours per week
10. Whether you’ll be able to get into grad school (I mean, if you want to be a 1 percenter you should go, most of them went)
11. Whether you’ll be able to afford grad school (most 1 percenters had their parents pay for theirs, ask Donald Trump about how much student loan money he borrowed – money trickles down… down to rich people’s heirs)
12. Whether you’ll be able to get a high paying job after grad school
13. Whether you’ll be able to get any job after grad school

Finally, the main takeaway:

This stupid little Facebook photo is not only ill-informed, it’s harmful. Nothing on it has anything to do with reality. It has everything to do with a false rhetoric that’s being promoted by people who either don’t know about the realities of higher education in this country, or don’t care.

Excellent, well-researched, -written and -considered post.

So what?

Look at steve jobs. He came here with NOTHING and look what he did for everyone working in the capitalist system of the united states.

 

[BDBoop]

I worked as a fuckin' Security Guard for $5 an hour while going to community college for two years (92-94) to get my Aircraft Mechanics License. After living in Japan for a few years I came back and started work as Mechanic at an Airline for $10.65 an hour (I was making just under $18 an hour when I left 5.5 years later). But during that time I went to school full time, did homework on my days off and graduated College in 2001.

Yes, it can be done.

Anybody read the article? Anybody understand/grasp/comprehend that students are up against it like they never have been before? In other words. Even five years ago, prices were lower than they are now.

 

[del]

I worked as a fuckin' Security Guard for $5 an hour while going to community college for two years (92-94) to get my Aircraft Mechanics License. After living in Japan for a few years I came back and started work as Mechanic at an Airline for $10.65 an hour (I was making just under $18 an hour when I left 5.5 years later). But during that time I went to school full time, did homework on my days off and graduated College in 2001.

Yes, it can be done.

Anybody read the article? Anybody understand/grasp/comprehend that students are up against it like they never have been before? In other words. Even five years ago, prices were lower than they are now.

and 5 years before i started college, prices were lower than when i started college.

big fucking deal.

it's called life.

you want fair?

find a fucking ferris wheel

 

[BDBoop]

And still not the point.

If we want to be the greatest country on earth, education prices need to come down.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

And still not the point.

If we want to be the greatest country on earth, education prices need to come down.

Sure. Tell us how. As it is most Universities are running as tight a ship as possible. The economic downturn affected both Private and Public institutions. Where I'm at we are running at bare bones. Losing anyone else at any level would be a disaster. And we've cut nearly every other part of the budget that can be cut. Costs cuts from here on out will mean faculty, which means larger class sizes and lower success rates.

It is tough for students right now, but in addition there's more help available for them than when I went to college in the 90's.

 

[Oddball]

I worked as a fuckin' Security Guard for $5 an hour while going to community college for two years (92-94) to get my Aircraft Mechanics License. After living in Japan for a few years I came back and started work as Mechanic at an Airline for $10.65 an hour (I was making just under $18 an hour when I left 5.5 years later). But during that time I went to school full time, did homework on my days off and graduated College in 2001.

Yes, it can be done.

Anybody read the article? Anybody understand/grasp/comprehend that students are up against it like they never have been before? In other words. Even five years ago, prices were lower than they are now.

Boo fucking hoo.

BTW, where are all the douchebaggers protesting and complaining about "price gouging" by Big Edumacation?

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

And still not the point.

If we want to be the greatest country on earth, education prices need to come down.

Actually our govt's interference in individuals lives and the uncertanty they create for our businesses along with their taxing, spending, size, and scope needs to come down.

Then the american people would be free to be great again.