Universities, Community Colleges, and the Clusterf**k!

[Carcharodon]

Why is a college education so damned expensive? Even community colleges have gotten outrageous, such that while they are an alternative, they're not much of one.

Then there's the massive fees associated with textbooks (holy crap, a $200 -$250 textbook??), miscellaneous fees, etc.

What the hell gives? Seems like a rather backwards way of getting our country and our economy back on track. Bush was pushing all of this higher-education crap and how important it is, but what was done?

Am I the only person who thinks this is crap? Does anybody else know what is currently being done? Can somebody enlighten me? Everybody deserves the opportunity without being dragged into life-long debt.

 

[Bubonic]

It works toward keeping you a slave to the system, and assuring hard luck people have a harder time moving out of their circumstances.

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

I've wasted a lot of money on books..& I haven't even used most of them. Good thing I kept the receipts on all the books for a full refund.

 

[Downhere]

Used books FTW! lol. Although, they are still expensive. But yeah, the costs involved with colleges/universities is getting pretty steep. It sucks even worse when you don't know exactly what you want to do at first and you take a whole bunch of classes that end up being meaningless.

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

Used books FTW! lol. Although, they are still expensive. But yeah, the costs involved with colleges/universities is getting pretty steep. It sucks even worse when you don't know exactly what you want to do at first and you take a whole bunch of classes that end up being meaningless.

I only got like one used textbook!Wtf? Every other book was new since they ended up changing all the books for this semester.
Well..One I bought used & the math I'm taking now is using the same book as last semester so I saved myself $125 on that.

 

[StrainedEyes]

Why is a college education so damned expensive? Even community colleges have gotten outrageous, such that while they are an alternative, they're not much of one.

Then there's the massive fees associated with textbooks (holy crap, a $200 -$250 textbook??), miscellaneous fees, etc.

What the hell gives? Seems like a rather backwards way of getting our country and our economy back on track. Bush was pushing all of this higher-education crap and how important it is, but what was done?

Am I the only person who thinks this is crap? Does anybody else know what is currently being done? Can somebody enlighten me? Everybody deserves the opportunity without being dragged into life-long debt.

Oh stop whining and get into debt like the rest of us.

 

[Carcharodon]

Oh stop whining and get into debt like the rest of us.

I'm already there, damnit!

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

im not in debt...uncle sam is paying

 

[Downhere]

I only got like one used textbook!Wtf? Every other book was new since they ended up changing all the books for this semester.
Well..One I bought used & the math I'm taking now is using the same book as last semester so I saved myself $125 on that.

See, that sucks when they change the book forcing you to buy the new one which you will most likely not use or the use of the book will be nonexistant. Luckily, that hasn't happened to me for a while, and I hope it stays that way. But, what I have noticed is that even used books are freakin' expensive. This semester all my used books have been about 120-140 bucks each...it's like, wth? lol. Luckily, I only had to buy 2 books as my other classes didn't require purchasing any books. So that was good but still.

 

[StrainedEyes]

I'm already there, damnit!

Let's compare debt, how bad are you? I am pretty bad. Especially since I chose not to work and focus on school but to get more loan money to help pay for food and an apartment.

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

you dumbasses never heard of amazon or half.com or ebay? ...damn

 

[Carcharodon]

Let's compare debt, how bad are you? I am pretty bad. Especially since I chose not to work and focus on school but to get more loan money to help pay for food and an apartment.

Not terribly bad yet. I WAS working, but I stopped because I moved. I want to get a lab job at my school, but they're getting hard to come by and after about 7 interviews I've got nothing.

It sucks, because I'm completely qualified, but I get beaten out by students with freakin' work-study.

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

See, that sucks when they change the book forcing you to buy the new one which you will most likely not use or the use of the book will be nonexistant. Luckily, that hasn't happened to me for a while, and I hope it stays that way. But, what I have noticed is that even used books are freakin' expensive. This semester all my used books have been about 120-140 bucks each...it's like, wth? lol. Luckily, I only had to buy 2 books as my other classes didn't require purchasing any books. So that was good but still.

Lucky! In my Philosophy class, I have a paper due in like 2 weeks..Dunno how the hell I'm gonna do it. Freakin bookstore doesn't have it. Haven't bought it in in weeks. Thank god my teacher doesn't really use it in class..But still..F'in school. At least I've saved myself at least $80. & I don't really plan on buying it online.

 

[Carcharodon]

you dumbasses never heard of amazon or half.com or ebay? ...damn

Where do you go to college?

Oh, by the way: in the event that those sites carry the book you need, you don't often save that much money, really. I try to get my books from those places if the used copies are gone at the school bookstore, but so far I've had little luck.

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

i go to florida international university, so far I've bougth 90% of my books online...the hell with the bookstore. Have you tried ecampus.com?

 

[Carcharodon]

i go to florida international university, so far I've bougth 90% of my books online...the hell with the bookstore. Have you tried ecampus.com?

No, but I will. Thanks.

 

[Downhere]

i go to florida international university, so far I've bougth 90% of my books online...the hell with the bookstore. Have you tried ecampus.com?

Hmm, I tired looking on amazon and half.com and I've had the same experience as Wall Crawler, basically the same price as buying them used at the book store. Although, I love my bookstore, all I have to do is order it online (computer knows what book I need) and have it shipped to my house. If they have a used book they will send me that or if they don't they will send a new one (grrr) but that hasn't happened yet.

 

[SpideyVille]

I'm super poor so i got financial aid helping me out, but when i went to go away to a state university I saw I couldn't afford it. Even after taking a school loan I still had to pay and my family simply couldn't afford it. And that was even before I started classes and had to worry about books. I ended up withdrawing from there and now i go to a city university and with my financial aid they pay for all of it, and they even gave me $400 to buy books. I already used most of it, but whatever is left I get to keep when the semester's over.

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

I have financial aid. Hooray for that!

 

[JewishHobbit]

I graduated high school in 1999 and am just now looking into going to school (a wife and 2 kids later). It's killing me because I won't be able to go full time due to family and working full time, so it's actually going to take me around 6 or so years to do a 2 year degree, give or take.

Anyhow, trying to dodge that long of education, I've looked into a 15 month Message Therapy program. It'll end up being around $16,000 for 15 months! Granted, that includes books, equipment (table, lotions, etc.), and the cost of the 1st testing fee to get liscensed... but GOOD LORD!

My wife has 2 years done with school and has only paid around $7000. Colleges suck!

 

[Darthphere]

I hate professors that make you buy the book and you never use it.

 

[Cmill216]

I hate professors that make you buy the book and you never use it.

That's why I stopped buying textbooks altogether.

Even if it's "required", I just find ways to get around that. Like mooching.

 

[The Senator]

Better question: Why doesn't the government help some of us borderline-poor people out more, rather than forcing some of us to rely on hard-to-get student loans with skyrocketing interest rates?

But yeah... college is great, despite the $45k a year I have to pay... which doesn't include almost $1,000 I spend on text books, and all other living expenses...

 

[Darthphere]

That's why I stopped buying textbooks altogether.

Even if it's "required", I just find ways to get around that. Like mooching.

I especially hate it when the so called professors name is on the book, as an author.

 

[Cmill216]

I especially hate it when the so called professors name is on the book, as an author.

I've only had to experience that with this British math professor my freshman year.

He designed the book specifically for the course, had all of his Powerpoint slides in it with spaces next to the text where you could write notes. Very practical, actually. It's one of the few books I won't burn or sell.