In class, we had a hard time deciding what the actual purpose of education was. Some people said to separate ourselves from each other by our qualifications, some said for higher learning, and some said to help us get "better" jobs. Towards the end of class while we were continuing to discuss this, along with some of the comments of other students, I realized that sadly our educational system is mainly just a business. In the capitalist society we live in everything is based around the green paper. Opportunities both educational and not simply depend on how much you can afford. It is not a coincidence that some of the most powerful people in our society are both wealthy and educated. Someone in class brought up the terms "haves" and "have nots" which I believe still very much exist today. In my political science class, we had to read a few chapters on the life of Howard Dean. Although the book downplayed his wealthy upbringing, a student in class brought up the point that had he not gone to a private school and then Yale and had the wealthy connections he had, he probably wouldn't have been in a position to run for an elected office, especially President.
On another note, I attended a pre-law advising meeting last night where they discussed everything you need to know about applying to law schools and taking the LSATS. The woman running the meeting continued to bring up how expensive law school was, and how you would probably need to take out various loans. Not only is law school expensive, but the applications to law school, the lsat, registering for the lsat, and taking a prep lsat course all add up. Sitting there I thought literally, "they're screwing us." What on earth do we need to pay over a hundred dollars per application for? Why do we need to pay an additional registering fee for the lsat on top of the lsat itself? I know that although my family isn't wealthy by any means that my parents would find some way for me to pay for all of this, the prep course and other necessary materials I needed if this was something I really wanted. However, after sitting through our class I started to think about other people , students that truly didn't have the money to pay for all these things, should they not be able to go to law school? Of course there are scholarships and loans, but scholarships for law school as I was told last night are mainly given out on merit not need, and loans you have to pay back eventually. So basically, all the students that can afford it will go onto law school or medical school or grad school while the rest will be left behind? That doesn't seem right. It seems that our money making educational system is seriously becoming how much are you willing to pay or go into debt to get an "education", to get a "better" job, to make more money, and to live a happy life? As I said in class the American dream is to live a happy life in the "land of opportunities", however where is this land of opportunities, because it surely isn't the America we live in.
http://lsac.org/LSAC.asp?url=VideoStreams/financing-a-legal-ed_Ch5.html
here's a video about the financial process of law school
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I totally hear you by what you are saying that people that don't have the money to go to law, medical school, etc...are not always able to attend. People that have the money can pay for it, people with NO money get need based aid, and then the "middle class" gets screwed. Our society today is all about money, and seriously, it doesn't always seem fair.
Your comment is exactly what we're fighting to understand. Why is it that some have and others don't? Why can some kids become President and others can't? That's important to understand.
I agree with you completely. I originally wanted to become a psychologist. I love learning about the mind and applyng that to people's lives. I think it is an interesting field and I think I would be very good at it. However, I do not have the money to go through all of that schooling. I can not simply graduate from binghamton and be a psychologist, it isn't even just about getting your masters. Obtaining my PHD would be a long, expensive road I just can't afford to go down. Going to Binghamton and then grad school is enough in loans. I could have stayed home and went to community college for a fraction of the price, but I thought I should attend a more prestigious school so I would be able to go to grad school and get a job. Now that I look back on it, are all these loans really worth it? Why do we have to spend all this money just to gain an upper hand?
Post a Comment