School Complaint/Banter Thread

[uncballzer]

I've always enjoyed learning. I love just sitting and reading, whether it be anthropology or geology or pathology. But I've grown to hate certain aspects about the academic setting. Here's some of my complaints. Please, feel free to add your own!

First, I'm all for older students, but the soccer mom referencing everything about her kids' medical history during a pediatric lecture, wasting everyone's time, that's a no-no. Go take a time out.

Students yelling at professors over a bad question, or a bad test grade. That's disrespectful. Wait till they harm a patient during their residency, they'll get their own.

Not giving back the exam so that you can learn from your mistakes, only because your staff is too lazy to right new questions, even though half of them take them straight from the text anyway? I personally really hate this, we can look at our exams afterwards, but we cannot take any sort of notes from them at all. We do not get the exams back, and actually, most of the questions/tests are the same year after year this way. How I know this? Cheating scandal. Over 2/3rds of our exam was exactly the same from the year before. Stop being lazy and right new exam questions, especially since you have at most 15-20 questions; the major points are retested year after year anyways, so regardless it's essentially going to be the same.

Don't completely throw out questions just because 90% of the class missed the question. It hurts the grades of the other 10%. If need be, curve at the end of the class.

If attendance isn't mandatory, and you suck as a lecture (ie boring, reading straight from the slides), don't complain when no one shows up for class (especially the day after a major exam at 8 in the morning).

Exams every 2 weeks that are 50% of the course grade, with class from 8-5 daily with labs, and you expect us to study for boards on top of that? REALITY CHECK!

Tuition so high for a public school that by the time I'm done, my education is going to have cost more than my first mortgage. Solution: STOP spending money on useless plasma TV's in the classroom that doesn't get used, and $400 on individual chairs that are supposed to be "ergonomically" the best, when in actuality, they have created more back problems than have solved.

Housing costs that are outragious! $650 for an apartment that has no porch, no dishwasher, no dogs, walls so thin you can hear someone piss in the next apartment over, where the only cable you can get is SuddenLink, and this is in the middle of West Virginia! Again, $650!! I would have only paid about $400 for the same apartment in Chapel Hill. Solution? On campus housing!

No cafe on campus! What??? When the only road to get anything to eat is 2 lane and the traffic is worse than in NY? Solution? Sell those classroom chairs and build something useful for a chance.

In conclusion, .


I could go on and on. This is very therapeutic, almost as good as a cigar! So, what are your complaints?

[vstrommark]

Originally Posted by uncballzer

In conclusion, .


I could go on and on. This is very therapeutic, almost as good as a cigar! So, what are your complaints?

I have taught computer science at two academic institutions. My main complaint is that students are viewed as cash cows and not the future of our industry. It isn't much work for the professor to invest in each and every student to help ensure that learning is occurring for everyone possible. Yes, you can't play as much golf or do as much consulting, but isn't producing the best possible graduate the whole point and not that other stuff?

Students are American schools take what is dished out to them and very rarely push for change. They are doing themselves a disservice.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eyu7nN3kBnw

[icehog3]

My complaint is that the fun days of school are over for me and I have to work 50 hours a week to support my cigar habit.

[ScottishSmoker]

I too have many complaints pertaining to the education system as a whole. I went to a private college, which in hindsight, was a mistake. The students were nothing more than income to the school. They really did nothing to help certain students excel. If I do not enjoy a class, or find it useless (half of the classes I took hold no bearing in my education as something I could not have done with out) or so easy that it bores you to sleep, I will most likely get poor grades...however, if the school allowed an independent study side I would do very well. Not my school..."we do not employ the idea of independent study for our class sizes are small enough that it is a lot like independent study, except in groups." Needless to say, I stopped giving them my money. As far as the housing issue you are having, it does not surprise me one iota. It was actually cheaper for me to rent an apartment, at $1000.00 a month, than it was to live on campus for 6 months. I am glad that I have moved on from that "Educational Institution." I could rant for a lot longer but I need a smoke instead...

[M1903A1]

My days in "higher(?) education" ended eight years ago, and for that I am grateful every day. I had to work my way through for five and a half years (took out a loan only for my final year, and even that was a pain), and I honestly think I learned more valuable skills on the job. Too many sucko instructors (either mouth-breathing idiots or geniuses off in their own little worlds), impossible policies (the first school I went to only allowed you to drop a class in the first two weeks, after that it was an F) and a general lack of help when I needed it. Oh, add to that a lot of classes (though I have to say, I did not have any PC-type issues) and being fist-f***ed every semester on buying textbooks....

My alma mater still sends me appeals for donations. I should really simplify the process and change my address with them, so they can just send them straight to the landfill!

[uncballzer]

Originally Posted by vstrommark

I have taught computer science at two academic institutions. My main complaint is that students are viewed as cash cows and not the future of our industry. It isn't much work for the professor to invest in each and every student to help ensure that learning is occurring for everyone possible.

I'm dishing out 50K a year for tuition, out of state, for a public school, plus about 25 more for living expenses for the year (not including the two summer months when I'm still having to pay rent then too). The rumor going around in our school is that basically we can do whatever we want, cause they're not going to kick us out, risking loosing that 50K/year.

[uncballzer]

Mandatory lectures (all day) the day before an exam

[madurolover]

Originally Posted by uncballzer

Mandatory lectures (all day) the day before an exam

Glad I graduate tommorrow.

[DETROITPHA357]

Originally Posted by icehog3

My complaint is that the fun days of school are over for me and I have to work 50 hours a week to support my cigar habit.

Tom dont you still hang out at your Old High School from time to time

Originally Posted by madurolover

Glad I graduate tommorrow.

Congrads

[madurolover]

Originally Posted by DETROITPHA357

Congrads

Thanks Booker. i just wish I would have had the sense to do this 20 years ago.

[uncballzer]

Originally Posted by madurolover

Glad I graduate tommorrow.

Graduation for me is a couple years away still; but at least in a month I'll be outta Lewisburg WV and into the worser part of WV so they say (ie shootings/stabbings in the ER constantly)

[Seanohue]

Originally Posted by uncballzer

Tuition so high for a public school that by the time I'm done, my education is going to have cost more than my first mortgage. Solution: STOP spending money on useless plasma TV's in the classroom that doesn't get used, and $400 on individual chairs that are supposed to be "ergonomically" the best, when in actuality, they have created more back problems than have solved.

My tuition cost after 4 years could buy a decent sized house. Be happy for your state funded schools

[uncballzer]

Originally Posted by Seanohue

My tuition cost after 4 years could buy a decent sized house. Be happy for your state funded schools

Unfortunately, not really. I think they're trying to go back to being private. My tuition right now is roughly 50K a year, not including 25K for living/etc. They do get some from the state, but not as much as WVU or Marshall.

[Seanohue]

Originally Posted by uncballzer

Unfortunately, not really. I think they're trying to go back to being private. My tuition right now is roughly 50K a year, not including 25K for living/etc. They do get some from the state, but not as much as WVU or Marshall.

How is it over 50K? Mine is private and is 49K for my sophomore year, including room and board.

[uncballzer]

Originally Posted by Seanohue

How is it over 50K? Mine is private and is 49K for my sophomore year, including room and board.

Out of state. Instate is roughly 19K/yr. This is just tuition. It's one of the most expensive medical schools for some damned reasoning (don't ask me why, have no clue). Then there is another 25 or so for living expenses, books, board fees, etc.