Totally agree with this! I don't think AI is the solution (which I vaguely remember was the starting point of this discussion) for either college or health care. Getting rid of most private health insurance (who literally take 20% commission on health care expenses) and ensuring meaningful access for everyone, especially for preventive services and mental health, would go a long way to slowing the speed of cost increases. And six figures for any bachelor's degree is ludicrous and sets you up for a lifetime of disappointment and debt. The only way out is through increased public investment, expense reductions and efficiencies (I would start by spinning off all semi-professional athletics programs, getting most faculty out of the "research" game, and pumping the brakes on the lifestyle expectations that many students bring with them), and a broader recognition of education as a public good (not just an individual benefit).

As a null hypothesis, the question "are we alone" can only scientifically be answered in two ways:
A) We don't know. OR
B) No (and here's the evidence).

Personally, I believe there is life out in the universe somewhere, but we'll never make meaningful contact because of the challenges of time and distance. We will likely find evidence of DNA or even DNA-based life having existed in other places in our Solar System (although nothing complex or intelligent in any sense of the word).

...such as...? Other than athletics those are pretty much the main amenities offered at most places.

Yes, and health care IS part of the problem. Health insurance costs make up a huge portion of personnel costs (20% or more). Offload that to a single-payer, federal system, and suddenly college can be much cheaper.

To be fair, people in those countries are also healthier than people in the U.S.; so we also have a health problem in addition to a health care cost problem

That's not going to happen, at least not at the federal level. The current administration wants the government to control the content of what is taught in higher education while pulling out most of the funding. Some communities (e.g., Tulsa, and Kansas City, etc.) have decided to fund their own community colleges for the people who live there, and that seems to work pretty well as a gateway into college. But that's up to the local leaders and voters.

Yes, when you cut teaching costs by hiring adjuncts and TAs, you still need staff to manage those you've hired and run all of the other aspects of the institution (such as admissions offices). And, counting only "costs" without looking at revenue is deceptive, because much of the revenue from students now comes in areas (such as housing and dining) that are only administrators (no faculty) but produce lots of revenue that support instruction and research.

If I could answer this with a simple answer, I wouldn't be poking around on Slashdot, I'd be selling consulting services to all colleges and universities that also want to answer this question. Cost does matter but amenities matter, too - and this is true in any market. For instance, a bicycle is cheaper than a Lexus, but do you want to bike in the heat and the snow and ride your bike on the highway? Some of those amenities are 'must haves,' and for many students in the middle of the market for higher education a few thousand dollars a year more in cost is worth it to have a modern place to live, something to do outside of class (like a rec center), and buildings that are not falling down; not to mention excellent food, access to counseling and advising.

These are not the same at all and suggests you do not understand higher education at all. For community colleges to give bachelor's degrees, they would need to hire faculty with more advanced degrees themselves (who expect higher salaries), thus increasing the cost at those institutions. Similarly for trade schools - if trade schools want to offer bachelor's degrees, they would have to hire faculty who have the credentials to teach at the bachelor's level (which is a different credential than what is required to teach in a trade school), thereby increasing the cost.

Yes, the US spends more than many other countries on a degree, but our cost of living is also much higher than many other countries and the BENEFITS of a degree (even in $$ earnings) is higher than in many other countries, too.

Okay, sure.
How.

By paying faculty less? Most institutions have already turned over huge proportions of their teaching to low-paid adjuncts and TAs.

By paying administrators less? Most administrators don't make that much money (usually much less than the faculty), and many such positions are designed to do a task (e.g., managing faculty travel expenses) more efficiently than faculty.

By cutting amenities? When you cut amenities or just don't keep up with the latest and greatest, students don't come.

So, yes, cutting costs would be great. But how?

The only realistic solutions I can come up with: 1) solving the health care cost crisis in the U.S.; and 2) getting faculty out of the research requirements and have them teach more (not realistic and some research brings in money).

Your example has not even been published, and includes Harvard students (clearly not a random sample of all college students), and uses an AI tool that was carefully prompted and designed by the faculty members teaching the course.

Yes, AI has potential to provide individualization and interaction with students, but it is not, at least for the foreseeable future, going to be something where we can just "turn over" learning or teaching to AI.

Yes, it does sound fun. The problem is that there's no reason such a club *must* be run through a college or university. Your local YMCA, community recreation / parks department, community center, church, etc. can all just as easily run social clubs and activities at a much lower cost than colleges or universities.

Doubling down on social activities is not a solution for "saving" colleges and universities (and I don't agree they are broken and need saving; education is often a punching bag for all bad things happening in society and this latest round of grievances around higher education are intentionally politically motivated and driven, as are these recurring "stories").

....to a company who is simply going to buy Bitcoin with it? Their ability to repay the loan will be based on the price growth of Bitcoin during that same period. So your loan to this company (via a bond or a stock purchase) is essentially just a long position on Bitcoin...in which case, why not just buy Bitcoin yourself instead of working through this middleman who will take a huge cut?

Most finance and investing stuff makes no sense to me, but this seems outlandish even in that context!

Instruction is everywhere, and you can get instruction from a free book from the library. The value comes from A) the selection of what content is MOST important to learn, and B) assessment and certification of your learning, so you have feedback on your progress and can have evidence of your knowledge and skills and abilities for those who wish to employ you.

AI may have some efficiencies to learning (although those efficiencies all come by stealing content from others who created it), but it will never effectively replace A and B.

The number of truly false accusations against men (or women) for sexual harassment or sexual assault is very, very small, and, if you think about it, no larger for those who attend college than those who don't.

Is it "man-bashing" to simply ask men to not be so rapey? Sheesh.

There are plenty of masculine places on college campuses. The most popular college sport literally involves men bashing their heads into each other over and over again. If you want to do something masculine with a group of others who also want to do something masculine, go for it.

This is not good advice. You should go to college if you can. It will open so many more doors for you, and if you still want to work the trades, you can pursue a trade degree after you complete college. It's not either / or. And it can be affordable. Go to a local public college, live frugally, work when you can, don't worry about keeping up with the inflated lifestyle of your peers, and it can work out.

I get a sense he's not all-in on the TERF business, that it is as much about getting an easy laugh and defending his own ego ("how could I ever be wrong about something!") than it is about a true and honest belief. And his recent stuff really comes across as out of touch with reality (which he is, as a very rich celebrity he has lost track of the core that used to drive much of his comedy) and his behavior in his local community (by opposing affordable housing initiatives and threatening city council members and calling them "clowns") is reprehensible.

I see a similar driving force for Rowling's anti-trans views, that it is not really based in a careful, thoughtful exploration of the issue and discussion with people on all sides of the issue (especially trans people themselves), rather, it is Rowling digging in her heals because someone called her a name and challenged her ego, and now it has become such a part of who she is that she can't let it go.

You can add an ad-free Hulu subscription for $1 per month once you subscribe to Disney+ (ad-free). I'm not sure Disney really needed the content as much as they wanted the subscriber base that they could glam on to their existing packages. I'm not sure it has been profitable, and will take a long time to pay off that $9 billion investment.

...or if they knew about the acquisition pitch before it was public knowledge and used that insider knowledge to buy even more Warner stock...(or if they get insider information that the sale isn't going through, and then sell their Warner stock before that news drops...)

Most "normal crossings" are incredibly dangerous for pedestrians. Kids shouldn't have to risk their lives just to get to school.

In my community, the school buses stop diagonally across the road, blocking traffic in all directions with their bus until the students are safely to wherever they are going. Not only is it illegal to pass them when they are dropping off / picking up, it's impossible.

If that doesn't work, then I would get a few volunteer parents, give them baseball bats, and have them smash the headlights of any vehicle that passes the bus when the door is open. I suspect Waymo would *suddenly* find a software update that solves the problem. They don't care until it costs them money.