What Colleges Are Selling
Fred Clark, the Slacktivist reminds us what most exclusive colleges and universities are selling:
Which brings us again to the most revealing fact about American higher education: the cost of auditing a class. It varies slightly from school to school, but the general rule of thumb is that the cost of auditing a class is about a third the cost of taking that class for credit. This tells you everything you need to know about how these schools perceive what it is they're selling. You can learn everything they have to teach for 1/3 the price because education isn't the main product. The main product is credit. That's what you're paying for when you go to college.
Comments
Well, I'm not so sure I agree. Credits are, of course, a big part of it, but the credits are a way to measure overall participation in the entire curriculum and college experience. If I audit a class, sure I might learn as much as someone paying full price, but am I engaged in the college community? Am I taking other classes that broaden my knowledge in different and/or complimentary ways? Am I gaining from the interaction with peers outside of class?
Posted by: NTodd | April 5, 2006 04:31 PM