Clearly hit a nerve here. Pay back your loans guys - you can do it! I believe in you. ;)

I disagree, that sort of naive attitude has no place in education. From what I've seen, low level math curricula are pretty standard regardless of the school. Basic trig is covered in an advanced algebra course which is required before calculus. Not to mention, if I was sitting in calculus class and the professor started talking about trig identities (and I didn't remember them), I would say to myself, "Hrm... I better learn these." - then I would go home and memorize them. What's so tough about that?

I'm a total asshole based upon a comment on a message board? Talk about presumptuous. Maybe you should take some responsibility for your actions (YOU took out those loans - deal with it).

Well, the fact of the matter is, universities and colleges are businesses. So they will happily take your money. The higher tier ones will have stricter admissions policies because they want their degrees to "mean something." I'm sure if all universities had strict entrance criteria the same people would be complaining that they the elitist universities won't "give them a chance." If you (not you in particular) have any doubt in your mind about your abilities, my recommendation would be to go to a community college (minimize your financial investment) and see whether you can do well at a "college" level before taking on a lot of debt.

Don't blame the teacher. Math is cumulative. You don't remember your trig identities going into calculus, maybe someone else doesn't remember how to multiply (it's an extreme example, I know). But if the prof is forced to go back to ensure everybody is "caught up," there would be no time for new material. When you enter a class, you are expected to be familiar with the prerequisite material upon which that class is building upon and it is your responsibility to do what needs to be done to make that happen.

Or the definition of "living wage" is being influenced by MTV.

"...unfair to students..." Seriously, we should just hand them a degree since they deserve it right? And it should be free. Not everyone needs to go to university and not everybody can hack it in a hard science field. If we coddle people so it's easier to get a degree, that's not going to help them once they get out of school; the "unfair" argument isn't going to fly when you can't keep up at your first job. Know your limitations and go into a field where you can succeed. I'm starting to think the master's degree is the new bachelor's...

Why do you sound so surprised that a government peruses information freely provided by citizens? Especially since we've seen that many "movements" (e.g. Arab Spring) started on these sites. Makes perfect sense to me.

I don't have an pedant-alarm, but if I did it would be going off.

I agree. I was just being realistic assuming the average 18 year old kid who places a "cool" car and an apartment with his friends as high priorities. I was him once. :o)

...I fail at these jokes.

It will obviously vary based upon the business (required initial investment to get up and running) and the financial resources of the business-starter; however, I know individuals who took second mortgages out in order to invest in their own startup. From what I gather, this is not an uncommon occurrence, at least in Silicon Valley.

Nothing is "free." You are paying for your education and subsidizing everybody else's in your income and sales tax.

That's the point that everybody seems to be missing. Getting a degree does not make you smart, any more than not having a degree makes you stupid. People get a degree and show up at employers who instantly recognize that this person has the IQ of a box of hammers and shows him/her the door.

./signed