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Cost. Those tutors don't come cheap. Moving from university for a tested elite to general access altered the money component and now, we achieve a lower peak fo

by ggm 2y ago

Cost. Those tutors don't come cheap. Moving from university for a tested elite to general access altered the money component and now, we achieve a lower peak for more people. I was at the tail end of elitist education in the UK (79-82) and we complained about tutorials being two students at a time instead of one on one, and seminars with 10 of us. How little we knew of what was to come.

EA-3167 2y ago
Very much so, part of it is undoubtedly the result of changing social norms, politics, and a broadening middle class... part of it is an increased population and changing economics from globalization and other factors.
- ggm 2y ago
  I will say as a very average product during elitist times I do not personally have a problem with more average uplift than just a spike of brilliance. I suspect I am swimming against the "10x" zeitgeist here but I'm unconvinced geniuses at scale do a much as people want to think. That said, I love being the dumbest person in a room.
  - EA-3167 2y ago
    Without in any way trying to draw the collective wrath, I think it's worth saying that being "10x" isn't really brilliance, it's just high productivity. This is doubly true when the work being done is not exactly groundbreaking. Still putting aside the world of tech, we definitely benefit from the existence of geniuses in a way that enhances the lives and careers of vast numbers of people. Ideally we'd make room in education for everyone from special needs up to especially gifted, but as you say... money.
rahimnathwani 2y ago
I was at the tail end of elitist education in the UK (79-82) and we complained about tutorials being two students at a time instead of one on one When I did my undergrad, tutorials were usually 2:1, except during the first year. It sounds expensive, but consider: - we were only studying two courses at a time, so we only had two tutorials per week - there were only 8 weeks per term, so 24 weeks per year - 2 x 24 is 48 - let's say the tutor needs to be paid $100 for the session and $100 for skimming the essays beforehand; that's $100 per student - 48 x $100 is less than $5k - in the US, even state schools charge much more than $5k per year

by ggm 2y ago

EA-3167 2y ago

Very much so, part of it is undoubtedly the result of changing social norms, politics, and a broadening middle class... part of it is an increased population and changing economics from globalization and other factors.

ggm 2y ago
I will say as a very average product during elitist times I do not personally have a problem with more average uplift than just a spike of brilliance. I suspect I am swimming against the "10x" zeitgeist here but I'm unconvinced geniuses at scale do a much as people want to think. That said, I love being the dumbest person in a room.
- EA-3167 2y ago
  Without in any way trying to draw the collective wrath, I think it's worth saying that being "10x" isn't really brilliance, it's just high productivity. This is doubly true when the work being done is not exactly groundbreaking. Still putting aside the world of tech, we definitely benefit from the existence of geniuses in a way that enhances the lives and careers of vast numbers of people. Ideally we'd make room in education for everyone from special needs up to especially gifted, but as you say... money.

rahimnathwani 2y ago

I was at the tail end of elitist education in the UK (79-82) and we complained about tutorials being two students at a time instead of one on one When I did my undergrad, tutorials were usually 2:1, except during the first year. It sounds expensive, but consider: - we were only studying two courses at a time, so we only had two tutorials per week - there were only 8 weeks per term, so 24 weeks per year - 2 x 24 is 48 - let's say the tutor needs to be paid $100 for the session and $100 for skimming the essays beforehand; that's $100 per student - 48 x $100 is less than $5k - in the US, even state schools charge much more than $5k per year