The education debate

[Beskar]

kidding me? Most don't even end up in their field. How many historians are historians. How many law-students are lawyers.

A degree in History shows more than just being a historian, it shows you can research facts and figures, analyse things from different angles and a whole bunch of skills.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Let's say we have two people then, the first is the 756th smartest guy with no money, the other is the 934th smartest but with lots of money.

Universities will take the one with the better marks, student loans will be provided, he can work in the summers, and if all else fails the university will do their best to help him budget. I think you underestimate the universities which are in "evil capitalist" countries and the services they provide.

[Papewaio]

Far, far less than 50% of the population is clever. I'd estimate less than 10%.

But we aren't talking PhD's. A lot of what we are talking about are professional degrees where hard work and rote learning not creative intelligence is required.

After all creative accounting gets people in jail.

[Ja'chyra]

College and University should be free along with books etc, however students should have to pay for everything else themselves. Want to go to the pub, get a job, want new clothes, get a job, want to eat, get a job, see where I'm going with this.

Education is a good thing in most cases, not all by any means though, so should be encouraged but I shouldn't have to pay for some 29 year old scrounger to avoid getting a job.

Which raises another point, education should be free until you are 21, after that you should pay for it yourself.

[rory_20_uk]

But we aren't talking PhD's. A lot of what we are talking about are professional degrees where hard work and rote learning not creative intelligence is required.

After all creative accounting gets people in jail.

I am sure that not everyone that has a degree is clever - and as you rightly point out that is not required for all degrees (medicine is certainly one where regurgitation of facts alone will probably get you through).

[Papewaio]

Mind you I would want the Doctor to be able to cleverly apply said facts in some sort of coherent manner... which would also require that the Doc's are healthy too (sleep deprivation does not a happy brain make).

[tibilicus]

I am sure that not everyone that has a degree is clever - and as you rightly point out that is not required for all degrees (medicine is certainly one where regurgitation of facts alone will probably get you through).

Bear in mind medicine is still one of the most, if not the most competitive degree around. I believe that since 2006 the UKCAT has been a permanent thing. That means to get onto a medicine course you have to have all A's, work experience(generally unnecessary for every other course, minus law) as well as a high UKCAT score. It's also made even harder seeming only select places offer medicine courses.