SamuelLCompassion t1_jbtd5e2 wrote on March 11, 2023 at 3:45 PM

Reply to comment by HomicidalHushPuppy in How can we attract more people into the teaching profession? by jekomo

If you take out student loans to earn a four year degree for a job that pays $50k, more than 25% of your monthly take-home pay would be going to Sallie Mae.

Maybe the answer is substantially discounted tuition for education majors?

HomicidalHushPuppy t1_jbtfe74 wrote on March 11, 2023 at 4:01 PM

Income-based payments and they have the potential for PSLF.

But if they started trimming the fat from college curricula, then we could reduce loan burden for everyone.

IamSauerKraut t1_jbtvi9b wrote on March 11, 2023 at 5:54 PM

>if they started trimming the fat from college curricula

What would this "fat" be?

HomicidalHushPuppy t1_jbu232f wrote on March 11, 2023 at 6:40 PM

Courses completely unrelated to your major. I studied physics...I had to take creative writing courses, history of religion, a film studies course, etc. Being a "well-rounded" student isn't worth it for the time and incredible financial commitment.

IamSauerKraut t1_jbua2f3 wrote on March 11, 2023 at 7:37 PM

Writing courses should be part of every field of study. I suspect the other 2 you selected from a menu of courses that included history and maybe a language?

HomicidalHushPuppy t1_jbubc7l wrote on March 11, 2023 at 7:46 PM

I agree writing courses can be useful. But in a field like physics, I should need to take a creative writing course. I also had to take a technical writing course that was much more useful and appropriate.

As far as the others, yes, they were from a menu of elective courses I had to take, but my point was they're not related to the major and I've never needed to know a damn thing from them. I spent a ton of money and wasted a lot of time on courses I didn't need. It's a common practice at universities that has to end as part of a reformation to make education more affordable.

IamSauerKraut t1_jbuciqj wrote on March 11, 2023 at 7:54 PM

Writing courses, in their many forms, are much more useful than the binary view would make them. Same with any number of other courses that not only round you out as a person but also helps you think beyond the binary world of physics/math/engineering.

You selected the courses you now describe as useless but you must have viewed them as worthy when you selected them, non? If anything, you should have used them to help bolster your GPA.