> older sects of society still believe those signals exist.
I'm only in my forties but it's incredible how much this has changed in my lifetime.
I remember talking to an intern a few years ago and they made a comment about what a joke Columbia is (in regards to master's students). I was shocked because when I was a teen Columbia was seen as incredibly prestigious. I argued with them that Columbia is a really prestigious, well regarded school, but they and a few other interns just laughed and rolled their eyes.
Looking into it more it became obvious how this view had changed. It turns out Columbia, like many top tier schools from when I was a kid, has basically turned into get fancy version of a degree mill for master's students. Even though the school boasts some impressive faculty in many departments, it's also clear, based on the grads from there I have worked with after this conversation, that very little of that prestige is passed on.
As someone who used work in academia, it's wild how rapidly the entire system has decayed. From publisher or perish culture creating a mountain of non-reproducible work, to schools across the spectrum rushing to exchange credibility for cash. There have been so many systemic errors made that I don't believe academia will recover.
I suspect we'll see a fairly massive contraction in higher ed in the next decade or so.
Columbia also has the School of General Studies for non-traditional undergraduate students. Tuition is $58,440 an academic year, not including their estimated $26,010 cost of living, and they don’t offer much financial aid.
I'm only in my forties but it's incredible how much this has changed in my lifetime.
I remember talking to an intern a few years ago and they made a comment about what a joke Columbia is (in regards to master's students). I was shocked because when I was a teen Columbia was seen as incredibly prestigious. I argued with them that Columbia is a really prestigious, well regarded school, but they and a few other interns just laughed and rolled their eyes.
Looking into it more it became obvious how this view had changed. It turns out Columbia, like many top tier schools from when I was a kid, has basically turned into get fancy version of a degree mill for master's students. Even though the school boasts some impressive faculty in many departments, it's also clear, based on the grads from there I have worked with after this conversation, that very little of that prestige is passed on.
As someone who used work in academia, it's wild how rapidly the entire system has decayed. From publisher or perish culture creating a mountain of non-reproducible work, to schools across the spectrum rushing to exchange credibility for cash. There have been so many systemic errors made that I don't believe academia will recover.
I suspect we'll see a fairly massive contraction in higher ed in the next decade or so.