"For a student looking to start an academic program, that kind of crap is not the kind of thing that will encourage them."
I've come to the conclusion that there is a contingent here, (not a small contingent), that cares nothing about encouraging anyone. They care nothing about their neighbors. The don't give a hoot about anything other than their wallet.
Those stock replies are intended to make them feel justified in their stance.
Newton's 3rd law is in effect on this one.
If, by that, you mean the Bill Gates wannabes who despise working Americans, I think that's most of us.
After almost five years here, I have to agree. There's an awful lot of FR boilerplate posted here, much of it from people trying to convince themselves of their own superiority.
You will know them by their angry reactions to posts such as this one.
But I will say that their pat answers have made it much easier to flash past hundreds of posts to reach a few thoughtful ones, simply by looking for keywords.
There are a lot of Rush Limbaugh-trained "conservatives" here who are members of the "I've got mine" school. Its likely these people have never dealt with any kind of adversity whatsoever. Their thinking will change when either their own job is outsourced or some Chinese company undercuts their business.