Massachusetts soon to be a haven..

[rabbit]

Harvard offers free tuition for any student from a family earning under $60,000/year.  That seems like a marvelous offer to me.

But the problem is that most families with two working parents earn about $70-80,000 a year.

So?  They are undergraduate classes; they're relatively elementary in concept.  The GTA's aren't idiots.  They're perfectly capable of instructing a course.  They were selected for a reason.  Their youth could even allow them to connect with students on a more personal level, which makes the educational experience more enjoyable and, as a result, more bashful students feel comfortable asking questions when they miss a concept.  It seems to me that a GTA is a more effective instructor for the more elementary courses that an undergraduate student would generally enroll in.

I suspect that is true of most colleges, but that does not necessarily destroy the education that you would get otherwise.  You're forgetting that professors still organize the curriculum, oversee the performance of the GTA and are openly available to help a distressed student.  They have office hours which are open to the students of the undergraduate classes.  Undergraduate research also exists in most universities.  Working with these professors gives students a chance to get involved with their field early on.  If the facilities and faculty of the university are of higher quality, I would reasonably suspect that the educational value of the experience would also be higher.  If these opportunities are taken advantage of early on, then I don't understand how having a GTA teach a class degrades the intellectual stimulation of a higher university.

SO TRUE!  My chemistry recitation instructor (TA) is awesome.  My lecture professor isn't as awesome, but he's Australian, so it makes up for it.

Even if the education you recieve at Harvard may be "overrated," I don't think its prestige is.  Graduating from a university such as Harvard impresses most people, including employers.  I am not saying that going to another college makes you suck at life (otherwise, I'd be saying that about myself)!  I'm saying that I think Harvard is an excellent school and I'm confused that someone would dare insult it.

It's not for everyone.  It's like ..I don't know.  I understand why they do it, but they are still stupid to insult it.

People at my school hear "Ivy League" and start shitting their pants. It's horrible.

I know the type of people.  I think the schools are considered better for a reason, but that doesn't mean that I necessarily disagree that they are overpriced. 

The price is irrelivant if you are awarded lots of scholarships.  Plus, I'm faily certain that Harvard and Berkely have different focuses.

True!  Berkeley* focuses mainly engineering, business, and journalism, while Harvard focuses on law, education, and government.  Harvard also has an agreement with MIT which allows free cross-enrollment for undergrads, which is a pretty sweet deal.

[CrAz3D]

so you can judge a school based on the price of it but I cant?......

I'm not judging the school based on anything close to price, Crazed.

Harvard is a private university.  Berkely is not.  I'd certainly hope the tuition rates are higher.  If they weren't, I think the school would suck.

[iago]

so you can judge a school based on the price of it but I cant?......

I'm not judging the school based on anything close to price, Crazed.

Harvard is a private university.  Berkely is not.  I'd certainly hope the tuition rates are higher.  If they weren't, I think the school would suck.

Did you read the other 10 things he said?  You're making a strawman argument -- building his argument into something it's not, then knocking down the side-argument.

[CrAz3D]

so you can judge a school based on the price of it but I cant?......

I'm not judging the school based on anything close to price, Crazed.

Harvard is a private university.  Berkely is not.  I'd certainly hope the tuition rates are higher.  If they weren't, I think the school would suck.

Did you read the other 10 things he said?  You're making a strawman argument -- building his argument into something it's not, then knocking down the side-argument.

yeah, its a side argument...but I already admitted(?) that Harvard (& alot of other ivy league schools) is better than any public school...I sorta figured that argument was over.

[Sidoh]

yeah, its a side argument...but I already admitted(?) that Harvard (& alot of other ivy league schools) is better than any public school...I sorta figured that argument was over.

Then what is the point of continuing the argument?  With that statement alone, you've already discredited anything negative you said about Harvard.  You're wrong and you admitted it!

[CrAz3D]

yeah, its a side argument...but I already admitted(?) that Harvard (& alot of other ivy league schools) is better than any public school...I sorta figured that argument was over.

Then what is the point of continuing the argument?  With that statement alone, you've already discredited anything negative you said about Harvard.  You're wrong and you admitted it!

I was continuing/beginning a new arguement...not continuning the old one of "Harvard being over rated".

[Sidoh]

I was continuing/beginning a new arguement...not continuning the old one of "Harvard being over rated".

You're still wrong.  I didn't judge the school in any way near the way you did.

[CrAz3D]

I was continuing/beginning a new arguement...not continuning the old one of "Harvard being over rated".

You're still wrong.  I didn't judge the school in any way near the way you did.

You said it would suck because they dont charge much.

I said it seems over rated.

Yeah, there is a difference, but it appears to me that my judging was less harsh & unwarranted.  You just said the school would suck, period.  I just claimed that Harvard seems over rated for what they charge.

[Sidoh]

You said it would suck because they dont charge much.

No, I didn't.  You misread what I said.  I've explained it an additional time already; go back and read it.

I said it seems over rated.

You can speculate all you want, but until you come up with any sort of concrete evidence, I don't suggest you loudly claim these beliefs.

Yeah, there is a difference, but it appears to me that my judging was less harsh & unwarranted.  You just said the school would suck, period.  I just claimed that Harvard seems over rated for what they charge.

Again, you misread what I posted (twice).  Go back and read.

As true as that may be, I wasn't arguing that point. I was referring to RoMi's statement that Harvard matches 100% of all costs. In my experience, this only holds true for all who make $60,000 or less.

Yes, I recognize that.  However, it's an important point to address if someone is complaining about the tuition of Harvard.

Your idea that undergrads would relate to GTAs better, than to professors isn't necessarily true.

Which is precicely why I worded that entire paragraph the way I did.  I didn't say that it was always the case.  I said that it, by the logic defined in that paragraph, would make sense (generally speaking) for the GTA's to have an easier time connecting with students.

I for one, would much prefer a professor teaching me because I would know that any and all questions I had would definitely be answered(correctly). Some at Harvard believe the graduate teaching assistants tend to be aloof and ineffective compared to professors. I have not only been told this about Harvard, but many other universities also.

I'm sure that is the case in several instances, but I will personally say that I have awesome GTA's who do their job wonderfully.