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by elwell 4532 days ago
No, if you choose to go to Yale and pay 58k/yr then you get the product they give you. It's up to them to design the product (your Yale education). It might lead to unhappy customers, but I don't see how entitlement can be argued.
1 comments

I disagree. Completely. First of all, I object to your classification of a 4-year educational experience as a "commodity" that is offered on a "take-it-or-leave-it" basis. In fact, every student is guaranteed (and therefore, entitled to) the right to chose the classes that he takes. Yes, there are gen-ed requirements. Yes, there are majors. But, generally speaking, a STUDENT is responsible for tailoring his education. The value of the "product" lies within the choices that it offers students (both in terms of courses/professors and in terms of post-grad prospects).

If Yale prescribed to your notion of higher education, each student would be handed a list of pre-determined courses that he would have to take each semester. Instead, Yale students are allowed to chose their own courses/majors, and in some cases are allowed to create their own majors. Why? Because "choice" is the underpinning of the liberal arts philosophy.

So, within this context, I believe that I should be able to use a well-designed course listing platform as I am considering what courses to take. Especially at 58k/yr.