3 ms·

This seems like an interesting idea. You can object to the religious element. But a low cost liberal arts college that also teaches a trade sounds like a really

This seems like an interesting idea. You can object to the religious element. But a low cost liberal arts college that also teaches a trade sounds like a really, really good idea.

tptacek 4y ago
It's an idea that every community college in the country has already had, isn't it?
- pyuser583 4y ago
  No. I went to community college before “real college” - and it tried to be all things to all people. “Want to transfer to the local land grant college? Get your credits here!” “Want to earn a certificate IT security? Take your courses here! “Want to earn your GED? Take the courses and the test here! Honestly, now that I think of it, the reason this college appeals to me is because of how focused they are. They have a very specific goal. “A very specific goal” is something most colleges lack, so it’s not fair to pick in community colleges.
  - tptacek 4y ago
    I mean, you can do more than one thing at a community college. For core undergrad prereq classes in Illinois, CC credits are as good as flagship credits. If you've got a physics prereq, take it at a CC, pay less for it, and probably get better instruction --- that's the experience my kids had. If you need a GED, get your GED. Sounds pretty great! Need a welding certification? The CC has the facilities and instructors. It'd be one thing if they did a poor job at all (or any) of these things. But from what I can tell, they mostly do an excellent job at all these things.
    - pyuser583 4y ago
      I transferred from my “do everything” community college to a college that only offered one major and zero electives. Every student took exactly the same classes. The level of support was amazing! All of the students were able to help each other, because they all had the same courses, By the time I started a class, I’d heard a dozen stories about what we learn and do. And then when I was in my senior year, I spent lots of time mentoring the incoming students on what to expect. I don’t think you can realistically do so many things. Not well anyway. We need more specialized schools.
JackFr 4y ago
> a low cost liberal arts college that also teaches a trade sounds like a really, really good idea It sounds a little like 1930 New York City high school. My grandfather taught Latin and Greek in the HS in New York, retiring in the early 60’s. That might have been the golden age of NYC public schools, but they seemingly were able to teach practical things like typing, bookkeeping and some industrial arts as well as a lot of history, literature and culture.

This seems like an interesting idea. You can object to the religious element. But a low cost liberal arts college that also teaches a trade sounds like a really, really good idea.

tptacek 4y ago

It's an idea that every community college in the country has already had, isn't it?

pyuser583 4y ago
No. I went to community college before “real college” - and it tried to be all things to all people. “Want to transfer to the local land grant college? Get your credits here!” “Want to earn a certificate IT security? Take your courses here! “Want to earn your GED? Take the courses and the test here! Honestly, now that I think of it, the reason this college appeals to me is because of how focused they are. They have a very specific goal. “A very specific goal” is something most colleges lack, so it’s not fair to pick in community colleges.
- tptacek 4y ago
  I mean, you can do more than one thing at a community college. For core undergrad prereq classes in Illinois, CC credits are as good as flagship credits. If you've got a physics prereq, take it at a CC, pay less for it, and probably get better instruction --- that's the experience my kids had. If you need a GED, get your GED. Sounds pretty great! Need a welding certification? The CC has the facilities and instructors. It'd be one thing if they did a poor job at all (or any) of these things. But from what I can tell, they mostly do an excellent job at all these things.
  - pyuser583 4y ago
    I transferred from my “do everything” community college to a college that only offered one major and zero electives. Every student took exactly the same classes. The level of support was amazing! All of the students were able to help each other, because they all had the same courses, By the time I started a class, I’d heard a dozen stories about what we learn and do. And then when I was in my senior year, I spent lots of time mentoring the incoming students on what to expect. I don’t think you can realistically do so many things. Not well anyway. We need more specialized schools.

JackFr 4y ago

> a low cost liberal arts college that also teaches a trade sounds like a really, really good idea It sounds a little like 1930 New York City high school. My grandfather taught Latin and Greek in the HS in New York, retiring in the early 60’s. That might have been the golden age of NYC public schools, but they seemingly were able to teach practical things like typing, bookkeeping and some industrial arts as well as a lot of history, literature and culture.