Let’s say you want to be an engineer. Say you take a faux-physics course and a faux-calculus course, etc… What will be the difference between you and some of your colleagues from elite families? (I will speak of the “average” you and the “average” them.) Neither you, nor they, will learn the engineering skills that students of your same abilities at non-short-term “consumer-oriented” schools learn. Probably, neither of you will get the kind of job you might have gotten. This may not be the end of the world for either of you. But for whom will the difference be greater?
By the way, your friend from the wealthier, more powerful, family may be just the kind of person that the “consumer-friendly” school wants to attract and make happy with faux-courses that everyone can feel good about. (To see how this works, read my post How to Make Calculus Students Believe They Know Calculus When They Don’t )
Disclaimer: It is not the purpose of this post to demean any class of people, whether they be wealthy, powerful, or whatever. It’s purpose is simply to point out what I believe is true.
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