Jim McElwaine

A member of the Philip Greenspun's Homepage community since March 27, 2001

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March 27, 2001, on Tuition-free MIT:
Like on many other issues there is a gulf between American and European views. Reading through the above comments the European stereoptype that some Americans know the price of everything and the value of nothing is reinforced, My own experience of academia comes from seven years as a student at Cambridge, three and a half years in Japan, 6 months in France and a couple of months in the USA as a post-doc. This experience doesn't mean what I say isn't rubbish of course, but I hope I no longer have a purely British viewpoint. When I started Cambridge not only was tuition free but I also received a (means-tested) grant from the government for living expenses. Far from students having to work during term time it is forbidden. Having a part time job can get you thrown out. This means that those who choose can devote themselves totally to their studies and the rest can easily combine study and a vibrant social life centred on hundreds of flourishing societies. What m...