Originally Posted by Val
Originally Posted by Mk13
They can't just be free. They need to be free for the best of the best. The rest can pay their way through private schools or find a job after high school and become "skilled labor" so those jobs that need skills wouldn't be all done overseas.


Who defines the best of the best? The SAT? Grades? Recommendation letters? All you get in a system like this is an arms race weighted toward stressed-out tiger cubs. No thank you.

Anyone who qualifies for admission should be allowed to go to public universities for free provided they maintain minimum grades as set by the university.

I'm going back to liking the European system (might not be all of the countries but many of them) where you apply to school with a particular major in mind, you take entrance exams targeted towards that major, prove your knowledge in that field, and get admitted based on those test results. No SATs, ACTs, or other things like that. It's knowledge based. You study really hard in high school, especially in your senior year to do your best on those tests. Some universities have written and oral entrance exams. My nephew just started Law school at the best of the few public universities in the country. He had his eyes on the prize since early middle school and everything he did was with wanting to go to that particular school and program in mind.

The system has it's flaws but I still like it a lot better than the college system in the US. High schools are free to everyone ... college is beyond what's necessary for many people in many occupations.