Originally Posted by
Mesabah
The original point of college was to make information available to the student which wasn't readily available at the time. Today I can find all of the information I could ever learn in college sitting right here at home, minus the social experience to some degree. Take for instance math; I can basically download any major math textbook, or buy it online and take delivery. Furthermore, websites such as this one can provide you with a pretty good education on the subject
Khan Academy
This is completely incorrect! That was the purpose of a library.
The purpose of college was, and is, to teach analytical thinking and how to push your personal boundaries, and to establish professional relationships with others.
Unfortunately, many lower-tier schools have shifted away from that in the modern era and become more focused on printing diplomas in exchange for a fee (and providing some entertainment while you wait).
Originally Posted by
Mesabah
Logically the cost of college should have gone down as the flow of information picked up, it did not. Also, a large part of the money you pay to go to college is not spent on your education. It is funneled into university investments, research, and development that most students don't take part in. A lot of that money is used on projects that only benefit the university or a company that is sponsoring the university or specific project. I can cite specific examples where I went to school for engineering, in which, students would discuss ideas for improving products that would wind up being implemented by the company underwriting the program. The student saw no capital gains for perhaps a multimillion dollar idea.
Most research funding comes from grants from government and industry, not tuition. I suspect that the spiraling costs have more to do with overhead, special programs, and professor and support staff salaries. Academia is a very liberal institution, so schools usually provide excellent (expensive) benefits to employees.