Wider population? Which country are you talking about?
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Agreed. But institutional bias is a question of degree and can be taken too far.
There can be BAD institutional biases. How about institutions that reject strong candidates because they think that they will go to a better school? Is trying to protect your institutionâs yield a legitimate institutional bias?
And what about individual bias? A lot rides on WHO is looking at your application. Committees and multiple readers seek to guard against this, but group think is also a thing.
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All of my kids are education in Canada. The only one who looked elsewhere was totally based on a recruitment for âsportsâ and that was the only reason. You realize how much University of Toronto Western or McGill cost for in-state/province, right???
So your contention is that âsportsâ was somehow more compelling than the value proposition you had at your own, local options? Seems to me that falls under the category of âpersonal preferenceâ, not any institutional failing. I know kids in landlocked states in the US who cry âthe system is unfairâ because they canât afford the public Uâs in Santa Barbara or San Diego where the weather is nicer and the surfing is better.
That doesnât mean that UIUC is broken or inferior to UCSB. Itâs just not near the Pacific Ocean. Personal preference, not an institutional failing or evidence of a broken system.
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It appears your recruited son was applying to a state school. Why should the tax paying citizens of a U.S. state subsidize your Canadian kids education? Your sense of entitlement to âaffordableâ options at someone elseâs expense seems a bit off.
Based on the grievances you keep highlighting and your kids narrative (above), I get the sense that had your kidâs ability to play hockey led to a free ride you would conclude the system is less broken.
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@Canuckdad What? Estonia did not provide a better option for you?? 
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Yep. Was going for the free ride on your ticket, dude! Sorry about that⊠You do know that Florida, Maine and several other states give state deals to Canadians? And of course, I would take what a broken system offers. Doesnât mean, it isnât broken. A couple of Haily Marys and I will sleep soundly.
Again, I must ask- how much of your premise that the system is broken is predicated on your kidâs personal preference (sports) AND leveraging a system which owes you nothing because you are not a taxpayer-- vs. an actually broken system???
If you are happy now that you have vented- fantastic! Go in peace.
There are SO many broken systems all around us. Black women die in childbirth (or have other serious, negative outcomes) more than White women, even when you control for income, health, age, weight, and marital status.
Go fix that- an actual broken system, once youâre done âfixingâ the coach and sports team which did not come up with enough money to bribe your son to attend vs. his academically superior and cheaper local option.
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Yes, LoRs are probably the college application factor that has the greatest variation not controllable or influence-able (or even viewable) by the applicant (quality of LoR writing independent of how the LoR writer views the applicant, and the effect of LoR rationing at many high schools). Hence, a higher emphasis on LoRs increases the ârandomâ (to the applicant) aspect of a collegeâs admission process.
Of course, that means that 45% comes from the tippy top of the family income and/or wealth levels.
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At least we agree about the sour grapes thing. No need to apologize, sounds like the broken system worked as your kid is getting an education on your dime and not a tax paying local.
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Then you start off by doing the Freshman Year For Free program through Modern States. Take CLEP exams for those classes and pass them, and enroll in a community college that has some online course options to get you to an AA degree point, then you transfer to a 4 yr college and finish there.
But you realize that many state schools are looking more and more to international students to bridge the gap created because of declining enolments. International students spend money at local restaurants, go to movies etc, and do community work.
Not all state universities accept CLEP scores for credit, and not all of them automatically accept any AA/AS degree for transfer purposes.
Thanks for sharing. No wonder you are so frustrated that your kid didnât get enough of a discount to attend while apparently other international kids are. Doesnât mean anything is broken however just provides context to your views.
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And that isnât the right learning style for everyone, but I donât think this means the system is broken. Is there going to be a number of students in Alabama who donât live near a CC or 4 year school, and canât afford to leave home? Sure, there always have been.
There are students who canât get to a public school every day or have to ride a big yellow bus for over an hour to get to 1st grade and that isnât ideal, but every problem canât be solved. Doesnât mean public education is broken for the vast majority of students.
And it doesnât mean states have to solve the problem of how to get a college education to every single person in every nook and cranny of the US (or a state). There are times when people have to help themselves. They need to move to the city, they need to study online for a year or two, they need to go to college where it is cold (or hot, or arid, or humid). Join the military, work for Walmart or Starbucks and have your tuition paid, pick a cheaper school, take the 12 credits to be full time and work full time and yes, it may take an extra year to graduate.
I we want a one size fits all (like some countries have), then yes, the US system is terribly broken because each college (or state) sets its own admission and FA process. I think we have diversity, not a broken system.
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True. Am totally aware of that. Was just pointing out that thereâs options out there that some people donât even know exist.
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Other internationals are in same boat as I am. Just a question of options. Some willing to pay, some not because they can get a better deal at home with same quality.
Once again very entitled for someone with affordable options and discounted opportunities in a foreign country to repeatedly complain about that system as broken. Just my opinion.
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Most of my sonâs classmates and teammates the last two years are Americans. A number of them are going through pure hell because of the FAFSA fiasco. Just because we have options, doesnât mean I canât have empathy for those who are impacted by the system. This board is not reflective of the majority out there. Ask them. They will you the system sucks.
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Iâm sure this is true, but the colleges have nothing to do with this fiasco, they are also victims.
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