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Jobless NYC woman sues college for $70K in tuition
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090803/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_jobless_grad_sues ^ | August 2, 2009

Posted on 08/03/2009 7:42:38 AM PDT by ConservativeStatement

NEW YORK – A New York City woman who says she can't find a job is suing the college where she earned a bachelor's degree.

Trina Thompson filed a lawsuit last week against Monroe College in Bronx Supreme Court. The 27-year-old is seeking the $70,000 she spent on tuition.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: highered; lawsuit; nyc; sourcetitlenoturl
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To: Oldpuppymax; Tupelo
According to the college's website, here's what she would've studied.

Yes, this lawsuit is silly, but is a degree in IT so worthless? An IT major appears to combine programming with business. I don't know; I'm just asking an honest question. I've been out of college for a long time, and within the next few years, my own children should be starting college.

21 posted on 08/03/2009 8:22:28 AM PDT by Tired of Taxes (Dad, I will always think of you.)
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To: presently no screen name

He’d have her and a rep from the college sit down for a beer. /sarc.


22 posted on 08/03/2009 8:24:25 AM PDT by ConservativeStatement ("World Peace 1.20.09".... um, what happened?)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia
but the truth is that many institutions of higher learning do very little to prepare students for the work world.

How TRUE! The professors in my computer science master's program mentioned that they had complaints from industry that the graduates often were totally clueless about actual commercial systems and operations. It mostly proves one can learn, I guess.

23 posted on 08/03/2009 8:26:08 AM PDT by Huebolt (Kill the boomers quickly and cheaply = O BUMMER CARE "take the pain medication")
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To: mefistofelerevised

actually this makes legal sense.

remember student loans get SPECIAL favor in bankruptcy.

ALL universities sell students on the notion that just having ANY degree will mean more money and better jobs as an automaic.

This woman is suing on that misrepresentation.

Also remember Universities DO NOT COMPETE IN THE FREE MARKET, they are subsidized by the fact that loans are unforgivable AND government guarantee student loans. They don’t have to lower prices to reflect the decrease in value of degrees.

FINALLY, keep in mind that most degrees these days are worthless fluff. Gone are the well rounded individual with a foundation in the classics of thought and fundamentals of science and mathematics.

I hope she wins and universities start to jeteson the “pc” subjects that do not ad value to degrees.


24 posted on 08/03/2009 8:27:41 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: sniper63

I bet you’re right on the money with that—she’s proably a flaming lib who desn’t understand why her “illustrious,” “amazing,” or “infinite” self and presence isn’t worth a couple of hudred thou a year.
(Those adjectives are/were used by lefty bloggers and posters).
There’s not a shortage of self esteem for the esteemless these days.


25 posted on 08/03/2009 8:28:23 AM PDT by BamaAndy
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To: WhistlingPastTheGraveyard

It’s a silly lawsuit, but then again, colleges have been so busy indoctrinating instead of teaching, maybe they should be taught a lesson... lol.


26 posted on 08/03/2009 8:28:46 AM PDT by Tired of Taxes (Dad, I will always think of you.)
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To: Tired of Taxes
According to the college's website, here's what she would've studied.

All these jobs are out-sourced to India and China. We are now the third world.

27 posted on 08/03/2009 8:29:37 AM PDT by Huebolt (Kill the boomers quickly and cheaply = O BUMMER CARE "take the pain medication")
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To: Tired of Taxes
Yes, this lawsuit is silly, but is a degree in IT so worthless? An IT major appears to combine programming with business. I don't know; I'm just asking an honest question. I've been out of college for a long time, and within the next few years, my own children should be starting college.

I have other questions: (1) How restrictive is her search - what is she selling herself as? where is she willing to go?, etc. (2) Does she just have the degree or can she boast some good job experience? The son-in-law parlayed internship with Harris into a great 10-year hitch as a computer engineer. His current employer is into nav and sonar and such.

28 posted on 08/03/2009 8:31:41 AM PDT by jimfree (Freep and ye shall find!)
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To: catnipman

actually the LAW SCHOOLS would be the first to be sued.

You have new law schools opening up EACH YEAR. not a joke.

There are now MORE FIRST YEAR SEATS than there are APPLICANTS.

ANYBODY with a four year degree can obtain a law degree from an accredited law school SOMEWHERE in the USA.

The law schools keep selling the same “there is always room for more lawyers”.

Perhaps we should ENCOURAGE lawyers to sue these law schools.


29 posted on 08/03/2009 8:32:00 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Note to all HR Depts of employers in the Tri-State area: you do not want to hire anyone named Trina Thompson!


30 posted on 08/03/2009 8:32:46 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Note to all HR Depts of employers in the Tri-State area: you do not want to hire anyone named Trina Thompson!


31 posted on 08/03/2009 8:32:50 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Yup unfortunately this grad has no resume


32 posted on 08/03/2009 8:43:24 AM PDT by the long march
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To: John.Galt2012
This girl IS an idiot, but along the way, her parents told her she could do/be anything, and a “nice” high school adviser told her she had what it takes to go to college, and a liberal college admissions office let her in and somewhere a loan officer managing college loans or grants loaned her the money to pay for it.

Yes she is, along with MANY of the kids who are herded into college and saddled with years of debt unnecessarily. College loan officers are some of the biggest "predatory" lenders in the country. Most of these kids have no business being in secondary schools -- but we've romanticized the idea of the University to the point where every parent desperately wants to believe their precious children belong there. Some of them belong in trade schools, some of them belong in the work force. Not everybody is cut out for college, not everybody gets something useful out of it. The sooner we understand that and stop stigmatizing other options and paths, the better off we'll be.

33 posted on 08/03/2009 8:55:27 AM PDT by WhistlingPastTheGraveyard
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan
Thompson says she's been unable to find gainful employment since she received her information technology degree in April.

I think India is hiring.

Seriously, if the school "guaranteed" they would help her find a job after she graduated, she may have a valid point. It wouldn't be MY first choice of things to do, but could be worth watching to see how this turns out.

34 posted on 08/03/2009 8:55:53 AM PDT by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

To all:

Remembering the general trustworthiness and thoroughness of the media, don’t be too quick to judge on this case. The plaintiff might very well have a point if the school made specific promises or guarantees that it failed to follow through on.

Mind you, I doubt that they would have made guarantees without wiggle room built into them, but the simple fact is that we just don’t know. From the article she is claiming that the school has not followed through on promised services in job placement and counseling. The school, of course, denies it. But we aren’t privy to enough facts to know whom to believe.


35 posted on 08/03/2009 8:56:07 AM PDT by kevkrom (Obama: Stuck on "Stupidly")
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To: pgkdan

The other problem with this degree is that this is something that should really be taught at a technical school/through an apprenticeship, which usually have to worry about things like whether their graduates can go anywhere with this.


36 posted on 08/03/2009 8:59:59 AM PDT by ronnietherocket2
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To: John.Galt2012

I agree with the first few lines in your post, but I do believe almost everyone can do anything with some effort. Apparently, she earned the degree. I don’t know how worthwhile a degree from this particular college is. But, even a degree from an Ivy League university doesn’t guarantee a job. The degree is just a sheepskin. It doesn’t guarantee the degree-holder can sell himself/herself in an interview or that the student will make a good employee, no matter how brilliant that student might’ve been.

One of my employers had to review 200 resumes for a position once. The position was identical to the position I was holding, and I had nothing more than an associates from a community college. (I’d worked my way into the position.) Yet, most of the resumes we received were from applicants with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ivy League universities. My boss was notoriously mean to the core, and he was laughing at those resumes. One was so funny that I myself still joke about it today, 20 years later, and this applicant claimed to have a master’s from the University of Pennsylvania. My boss trashed most of them, so their resumes couldn’t even get them to the interview process, even with those degrees. A few were invited for interviews, but they just didn’t sell themselves well. He did hire someone finally, and she did have a degree from an Ivy League university, but she had written a decent resume and sold herself in the interview.

So, no matter how many thousands a person spends in education, there are other factors at play.


37 posted on 08/03/2009 9:00:07 AM PDT by Tired of Taxes (Dad, I will always think of you.)
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To: Tired of Taxes

It’s absolutely silly, and the girl’s an idiot. She never should have been in the school in the first place. If they wanted to indoctrinate her into their warped, ass-backwards concept of right and wrong, mission accomplished. They’ve created their own monster and I hope she burns them.


38 posted on 08/03/2009 9:06:38 AM PDT by WhistlingPastTheGraveyard
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To: All

My prediction is this will be settled out of court. No matter how ridiculous the lawsuit is, this is very bad publicity for this college. Think about it, if you were in the final year of high school and applying to universities, would you apply to a college which is known for having its grads not being able to find jobs?


39 posted on 08/03/2009 9:13:47 AM PDT by Decombobulator
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To: WhistlingPastTheGraveyard

They’re not all leftist. I’m very grateful for my education.


40 posted on 08/03/2009 9:18:41 AM PDT by twigs
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