One of the reasons the film and TV industry is so mired in an upper class white perspective is that you have to work for free or below livable wages for so many *years* before you can expect decent pay that mostly only people who don’t need a job to make ends meet can afford to stay the course. There are exceptions, of course. Also, I should mention that writers in film are expected NEVER to earn enough to support themselves. That’s why virtually all of them have second jobs – day jobs, professorships, teaching extension courses, whatever.

never mind that, no they dont have the space/money, that the school also need space for foreign students, that they dont provide all the degrees(or that all of them is of high quality), or that it doesnt cover living cost (especially those having to relocate), ect…

in all honestly, art students shouldn’t pay so much in tuition when, especially in america, theres a low value placed on artistic talent (or expected to be givin for free because you’re doing what ‘you love to do’)

If I didn’t know I was going into a very well-paid and secure job – contrary to the US, German teachers have it fairly good, financially –, I don’t know if I’d risked that. Now at least I know I will be able to pay it back, some day.

Just because a degree tries to ensure good work (and you can argue how successful that is) does not mean that good work is impossible without one. And that *is* a problem with standards.

Just look ad the medical profession; yes, standards mean that doctors have extensive training, but it also meant many, especially female, medical workers who were doing perfectly fine were pushed out of work. And we still have bad doctors.

As at Harvard, Yale families earning less than $60,000 annually will not be asked to contribute toward tuition, while families making between $60,000 to $120,000 will contribute up to 10 percent of their total income.

That’s where you got the idea this was “entirely free”, yes? You’re so very wrong.

The University will also reduce the amount that students are expected to contribute from their own earnings each year to $2,500, from $4,400. Students will be able to earn this by working on campus for about seven hours a week, according to the University’s announcement.

Here’s the problem. It says “parental contributions.” I’m guessing you never handled student loans of your own, and don’t realize there’s also a “student contribution.”

These kids on this deal will be working 7 hours a week just to meet what’s required of them on this setup you imagine to be completely free. That’s not free. It is a big drop, yes, commendable, but not “entirely free” as you claimed. But it’s not even as great as it sounds, because that 7 hours of work won’t begin to cover living expenses – that’s just what they owe the school. They’ll probably need to work at least 20 additional hours a week (cost of living varies by region: 20 hours a week at $11.50 is not enough to live in Los Angeles, but some of these schools may be accessible from cheaper regions). So while the rich kids get to focus entirely on their studies, the poor kids have a 27+ hour/wk job to focus on, plus their studies. Or, if loans still work like they did when I went to school, the kids MIGHT be able to get student loans to cover living expenses, and then go into big debt like we’ve been talking about. And of course, any earnings they report will reduce the amount of loans they can get the next term – something else you probably don’t know, because I sure didn’t know it until I found out the hard way. So, you know, it might indeed be a better deal than the local state school, and that’s great. But it’s not “entirely free” as you described it, and it certainly won’t work for everyone. Not only the kids who can’t qualify for those schools but are still pretty damn smart, but the kids seeking degrees those schools don’t offer (or aren’t the preferred school for).

I am a Geological Engineering student. You can learn parts of the field on your own (co-op exist for that reason) but there is a lot that you need higher education to understand. Fluid Mechanics/ \hydrogeology both are good examples of course i have to take that i could not fully understand on the job.

The term Engineering in both Canada and the US is legally restricted to professional engineers only. It is a serious offense to call yourself an engineer with out your license. Certain countries have different rules but in Canada and the US this is the case. Read the code of ethics and limitations on the term for the two countries. Canadian engineering graduates (or at least made it to there last term) have an iron ring on there pinky finger as its a sign of there oath they take and originally a memory of the Quebec bridge accidents which claimed many lives. I use this case for in was one of the ones which forced the field to self regular.

The greatest thing a university or college can do to make sure the students can make money and get real experience is a co-op program. Worked here at UW (university of Waterloo). I’m here on a student line of credit (over 25000 in debt but paid over 15000 due to co-op) and work terms. This is expensive for Canada but the set up makes it possible and OSAP is not SO much of a pain.