The Miami Herald’s September 5th’s front page carries an article, “For-profit colleges grow as do complaints,” about the appeal that for-profit colleges have for some students and the apparent pitfalls associated with these schools. After reading the article (see link below) post your comment by summarizing what the article says are the reasons for the growth in enrollment of for-profit colleges and the problems that, according to the article, students and the public at-large face. In addition to providing a summary about these two factors, give your point of view (something that the article does not mention but that you deem relevant) regarding these two issues.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/04/1809205/for-profit-schools-grow-as-do.html
Sunday, September 5, 2010
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For-Profit schools, considering the economy have popped up everywhere. In this society people are looking for fast results to better their financial loss since the recession. However, I don't agree with the way these for-profit colleges are filling students with misguided information. One would think that every college wheather regionally or nationally accrediated would want to lead you in the right direction and provide you with the correct information to make your college degree worth your while. But, convincing sudents to commit financial aid fraud for enrollment defies all educational morals. Not to mention the false hope of job placement and annual earnings. It's a shame how community colleges suffer from cutbacks when they are the ones providing a promising and legit education with underpaid professors; while for-profit colleges appear to be pouring out money left and right into everything but a promising education. Students need to do their research before walking into one of these career colleges and compare their degree of interest to the job market to see if its even acceptable. Understandable, the economy calls for more affordable education overall, but, not at the expense of the well-being and future of students.
ReplyDeleteDesmond Symonette
ReplyDeleteThe “For-profit schools grow -- as do complaints” article clearly states the vital reasons for the exponential growth of the for-profit colleges are the convenient scheduling and the student-friendly class structure. For-profit colleges offer a broader variety of convenient schedules to working adults with busy schedules. The in-state educational institutions (community and universities) scheduling can’t compete with the convenience of the for-profit schools. The for-profit schools hone in on what appeals to individuals in today’s society; which, in all reality is convenience over cost. For instance, you can go to TGI Fridays and order Chicken Alfredo for about $20. Consumers pay the $20 because the food is prepared for them in a convenient manner; which in reality the cost is substantially more expensive compared to them preparing it themselves. That $20 Chicken Alfredo is a “one-time eat”; however they could have purchased the ingredients for 4-5 people for about $30 total (4 separate meals). The idea of convenience over cost comes into play because of the values of our current society. For-profit colleges use a marketing technique; which causes the perception that they are less expensive than the traditional colleges and the working class and “coach loafers” subconsciously buy into the idea. One’s perception of life determines his/her actions and the for-profit colleges ill-conceived notions of “dreams of a better life” through manageable financial means target individuals that hone in on convenience. So the 44% of the student loan defaults are generated because of the perception of values in today’s society.
The for profits schools are feeding off the 21st century education frenzy.As consumers, when selecting an educational institution we must take into consideration various social and personal factors.Personal factors arethe values an individual places upon their education. You must ask yourself abouth the best alternative for yourself? We must make well informed decisions when selecting career paths and funding. For profit schools are just another form capitalizm. These organizations utilize a combination of marketing and bargaining techniques to make themselves the targeted education alternative.
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