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I wish this was how college worked; everything is free, except to sit for an exam and then to obtain the degree itself. Colleges could structure degrees and ma

I wish this was how college worked; everything is free, except to sit for an exam and then to obtain the degree itself. Colleges could structure degrees and majors by examination and interview, rather than by "credit hour", which itself is a meaningless assessment of comprehension. As an example: "The University of College offers a Degree in Electrical Engineering, offered at the following levels: - Associate (At least a 60% in the following examinations: Classical Electricity, Circuit Design, ...) - Bachelor (Meets Associate requirements plus at least an 80% in the folowing examinations: Signal Analysis...) - Master (Meets Bachelor requirements plus at least a 90%...) - Doctor (Meets Master requirements plus three original research publications...) " HOWEVER--this would require the total dismantling and reform of the student loan industry, academia itself, and the secondary market that's sprung up around college being a "part of life" for young adults. "College" is a many-billion dollar industry and very few peoiple want it disrupted to the degree that it would require to move to an examination-based format, with the exception of builders and technicians (engineers, etc.) who are actually trying to filter on skill when they hire.

seanmcdirmid 5y ago
The German system goes with a different take: it is almost free because much of the burden is placed on the student, no TAs to grade homework that isn’t graded anyways, just one final exam to determine your grade for the course. No fancy sport centers or dorms or other facilities that Americans find mandatory but don’t really matter that much.
- quacked 5y ago
  I know a few Germans--the only issue I have with that system is that they're required to take the class before sitting for the examination. This has two effects; one, it makes a degree vanishingly difficult for anyone that doesn't have a lot of time, and two, it makes it impossible to use your degree to accurately reflect your skill level once you're out of college. I think it ought to be appropriate for a degree to take decades, with examinations taken and passed at leisure. Most entry-level jobs that require degrees are far easier than college degrees, anyway.
  - seanmcdirmid 5y ago
    > Most entry-level jobs that require degrees are far easier than college degrees Germany handles that with their apprentice programs. But for a SWE, I think having gone through the class in a limited amount of time and forced to take an exam at the end, that can be reassuring to some people. Anyways, it still beats the American system, IMHO.
- Tainnor 5y ago
  I live in Germany. Yes, education is (almost) free but still not anyone can just enroll, although I think some universities have programs where you can just attend lectures and not do exams. I don't think that's possible for some more prestigious universities (like KIT or TU Darmstadt), though. I might be wrong.

seanmcdirmid 5y ago

The German system goes with a different take: it is almost free because much of the burden is placed on the student, no TAs to grade homework that isn’t graded anyways, just one final exam to determine your grade for the course. No fancy sport centers or dorms or other facilities that Americans find mandatory but don’t really matter that much.

quacked 5y ago
I know a few Germans--the only issue I have with that system is that they're required to take the class before sitting for the examination. This has two effects; one, it makes a degree vanishingly difficult for anyone that doesn't have a lot of time, and two, it makes it impossible to use your degree to accurately reflect your skill level once you're out of college. I think it ought to be appropriate for a degree to take decades, with examinations taken and passed at leisure. Most entry-level jobs that require degrees are far easier than college degrees, anyway.
- seanmcdirmid 5y ago
  > Most entry-level jobs that require degrees are far easier than college degrees Germany handles that with their apprentice programs. But for a SWE, I think having gone through the class in a limited amount of time and forced to take an exam at the end, that can be reassuring to some people. Anyways, it still beats the American system, IMHO.
Tainnor 5y ago
I live in Germany. Yes, education is (almost) free but still not anyone can just enroll, although I think some universities have programs where you can just attend lectures and not do exams. I don't think that's possible for some more prestigious universities (like KIT or TU Darmstadt), though. I might be wrong.