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by Latty 3726 days ago
I mean, I self taught a ton and see the value in it, but seriously?

You pay to attend a university for the sole purpose of having people teach you, that is what they are selling. The idea you should go to a university and only self-teach is insane, at that point, why attend at all?

It's not entitled to want the thing you paid for. Those people are literally there to provide that service.

2 comments

> The idea you should go to a university and only self-teach is insane, at that point, why attend at all?

Because they give you a piece of paper with a prestigious name on the top of it at the end.

There's no reason why I couldn't have learned everything I learned in college on the internet, or at a well-stocked public library, but that piece of parchment written in Latin with the fancy seal on it is worth a thousand times it's weight in gold.

I mean, that might be true, doesn't mean it's what's being sold, and doesn't mean you shouldn't demand what you paid for.
So your view is that because you paid, you should be able to passively learn without effort?

At no point did I say "only" - but I will stick to my view that the onus to learn is on the student, not the teacher.

You can lead a horse to water...

> passively learn without effort

Getting taught by a teacher or helped by a teaching assistant is not 'passively learning without effort'. It is getting the help you need at the time. The job names literally include the word 'teach' - it is their job to teach you.

Yes, self-learning is a part of any degree, but sometimes people need help. Sometimes people learn more quickly and easily with help, and that's why they pay someone to help them do it.

I, personally, did not need or want that help. If I had, however, I was paying for it, and have the right to that education, as does everyone who does so.

You may not have said 'only', but you did say people shouldn't expect to have a degree given to them after being given an example of someone asking for help a couple of times. You implied that people should never need to ask for help, and should instead self-teach.