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America's got some catching up to do!

stratovani

stratovani

Nov 18, 2007
3,653
1,131
Spencer, MA, USA
#1
Bottom Line - Canada tops list of the most-educated countries

Actually, the US is doing pretty good in postsecondary education, coming in fourth, according to this article. What really surprised me is that 50% of Canada's population has some postsecondary education.

In my opinion countries need to invest heavily in education. It should be one of a country's top priorities, and it's pretty much the best and only way for a country to progress.

Thoughts?
 
#2
I can't say I'm surprised by this. The US has always ranked well in postsecondary education and we usually dominate international top 10 rankings. If it were for high school education, though....
 
#3
stratovani said:
Bottom Line - Canada tops list of the most-educated countries

Actually, the US is doing pretty good in postsecondary education, coming in fourth, according to this article. What really surprised me is that 50% of Canada's population has some postsecondary education.

In my opinion countries need to invest heavily in education. It should be one of a country's top priorities, and it's pretty much the best and only way for a country to progress.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I agree that education = good, what I will say though, some people need to realise that University isn't the only viable post-seconday education. I know a lot of folk who are doing well with trades these days!

Surprised the UK is only 37%.

I'm going to root around and see if I can find the stats for Scotland alone. Scottish students studying in Scotland get up to 5 years of post-high school education paid for them, so I suspect it could be slightly higher than the UK average.
 
#4
stratovani said:
In my opinion countries need to invest heavily in education. It should be one of a country's top priorities, and it's pretty much the best and only way for a country to progress.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

"The weekend at the college didn't turn out like you planned,
The things that pass for knowledge I can't understand"

I have my issues with what passes as "education" in the States.
I find that the desire to learn and actively pursuing my interests has provided me with a lot more knowledge than I ever obtained sitting in class. YMMV.
 
#5
i_got_a_mohawk said:
Scottish students studying in Scotland get up to 5 years of post-high school education paid for them, so I suspect it could be slightly higher than the UK average.
Click to expand...

What about Scottish bloodlines living in the US? Will the motherland pay for my schooling as well? :D

Im sure a lot more 'mericans would pursue postsecondary education if it didnt cost so gaddanged much.
 
#6
MatticusMania said:
What about Scottish bloodlines living in the US? Will the motherland pay for my schooling as well? :D

Im sure a lot more 'mericans would pursue postsecondary education if it didnt cost so gaddanged much.
Click to expand...

+1 to both of these. More affordable college has been a platform every presidential candidate since Reagan has stood on but it's all moot when universities increase tuition every year.
 
#8
Are they only basing this title of "most educated" on the amount of postsecondary graduates, GDP, and money that the country puts into education? Shouldn't they be focusing on, you know, whether those postsecondary graduates are indeed actually educated?
 
#10
MatticusMania said:
"The weekend at the college didn't turn out like you planned,
The things that pass for knowledge I can't understand"

I have my issues with what passes as "education" in the States.
I find that the desire to learn and actively pursuing my interests has provided me with a lot more knowledge than I ever obtained sitting in class. YMMV.
Click to expand...

Got to agree with you there, Matt. I feel like I've learned a ton of things outside of the classroom, like all I've learned here at TB. You have to have a love of learning in life, which unfortunately people have too little of these days.
 
#12
stratovani said:
Got to agree with you there, Matt. I feel like I've learned a ton of things outside of the classroom, like all I've learned here at TB. You have to have a love of learning in life, which unfortunately people have too little of these days.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I was never the greatest student, academically. My teachers mostly liked me though, because I was seriously interested in learning. Some good teachers were disappointed with me for getting low grades, as I clearly understood the material, but refused to do schoolwork on my own time (homework). Some of the best teachers actually understood my stance, and gave me alternative opportunities to pass, which I did.

It is sad that there are a lot of people who are complacent enough to not seek out further knowledge. Gladly, I think that many of those types are not bass players (or at least dont hang out with bass players).
 
#13
America's not nearly the place it used to be or as great as we seem to need to think it is.

Not the highest standard of living.
Not the best educated
Not "the best healthcare system in the world" no matter how many friggan times they say it is....it ain't.

And not nearly as easy to get out of as it it is to get into for all those "well, if it's so bad, why don't you just leave?" types.
 
#14
MatticusMania said:
"The weekend at the college didn't turn out like you planned,
The things that pass for knowledge I can't understand"

I have my issues with what passes as "education" in the States.
I find that the desire to learn and actively pursuing my interests has provided me with a lot more knowledge than I ever obtained sitting in class. YMMV.
Click to expand...

I think you have to keep in mind that there is a huge variety of post-secondary education opportunities in this country. It's really a matter of seeking out the education environment/program that fits you best.
 
#16
MatticusMania said:
What about Scottish bloodlines living in the US? Will the motherland pay for my schooling as well? :D

Im sure a lot more 'mericans would pursue postsecondary education if it didnt cost so gaddanged much.
Click to expand...

Sadly I don't think so bud :p

The UK is starting to ramp up university costs. Thankfully they aren't too unrealistic (yet), and tuition can generally be paid back afterwards (don't know if that's the case in the US?)
 
#17
SoonerMatt said:
+1 to both of these. More affordable college has been a platform every presidential candidate since Reagan has stood on but it's all moot when universities increase tuition every year.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the tuition issue is largely a state problem. In my state, Pennsylvania, the past couple of administrations, whether R or D, seem to have had a war against public post-secondary education. This past year, all of the schools in my universitiy's system had to increase tuition due to the govenor cutting post-secondary funding state funding by 50%. I actually lucked out as a doctoral student, and my tuition only went up by about $1200 a year. However, students who are carrying 15 credits a semester aren't in such a good boat; their tuition jumped thousands. I really don't see why anyone would come to my university system out-of-state with what they'd be paying in tuition now.
 
#18
i_got_a_mohawk said:
Sadly I don't think so bud :p

The UK is starting to ramp up university costs. Thankfully they aren't too unrealistic (yet), and tuition can generally be paid back afterwards (don't know if that's the case in the US?)
Click to expand...

I remember reading years ago that there was some scholarship money somewhere for people who played the bagpipes.

I do have some Scottish ancestory. I guess I chose the wrong instrument when I decided to pick up the bass. :D
 
#19
i_got_a_mohawk said:
Sadly I don't think so bud :p

The UK is starting to ramp up university costs. Thankfully they aren't too unrealistic (yet), and tuition can generally be paid back afterwards (don't know if that's the case in the US?)
Click to expand...

Tuition has been skyrocketing around here for some time.
When I first went to a CC in 2002 it was $11 a unit, most classes being 3 units. About a year later they hiked tuition up to $33 a unit. Thats not too expensive still, but Im talking community college here. Ive heard rates went down breifly, but Ive also heard recently theyve gone back up.

LiquidMidnight said:
I remember reading years ago that there was some scholarship money somewhere for people who played the bagpipes.

I do have some Scottish ancestory. I guess I chose the wrong instrument when I decided to pick up the bass. :D
Click to expand...

What if we were to play our basses while wearing a kilt?
 
#20
NWB said:
I agreee completely and wholeheartedly.

Unfortunately, under current economic conditions, education is being deeply cut (50% for universities!) in my state of Washington.:(

When the time comes, my son may very well go to Canada for his post-secondary education.
Click to expand...

We're pretty fortunate here in Massachusetts. The state has a scholarship called the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship (named for the 2nd President and his wife). You can qualify by scoring a "proficient" in the MCAS test, which is the state test for students here in MA. The scholarship allows a student to attend a state institution of higher learning tuition-free. My daughter got her Art History degree from Framingham State University without paying a cent of tuition! My son, on the other hand, opted to get his Biochemistry degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute; he's currently in debt up to his eyeballs even with the partial scholarship he got!

Sometimes living in a "left-wing socialist" state does have its advantages! ;)
 

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