NYCPHP Meetup

[David Krings]

Urb LeJeune wrote:
> 
>         You may be comparing apples and oranges. Some schools use 
> quarter semesters
> which are 12 week semesters. The most common are 16 week semesters. So 150
> quarter hours would be equivalent to 112 semester hours.
> 
>         You mentioned Drexal, I believe they use quarter hours.

But the credits should end up to be the same. So instead of getting 3 creadits 
for a 16 week course you get only 2 credits for a 12 week course.

And I didn't mention Drexel, that was someone else, but in that regards, it 
also matters in Germany where you go. Places like Aachen or Karlsruhe have a 
much higher regard and much tougher programs although universities generally 
cover the same topics, but each offer some specialisations (I specialised in 
optical communications). The place I went to was close to where I lived and 
offered a program that was not impossible for me to complete. Yet it was 
probably not even among the top 100 engineering schools in Germany. Still, 
everyone I graduated with got an engineering job within a few months.
That said, going to CCSU and getting straight As in everything with not much 
effort doesn't really make me believe that getting an MS degree here is as 
difficult as it is to get the equivalent degree in Germany. In fact, German 
universities give BS degrees to those who drop out of MS programs. But they 
figured that this does quite a disservice for those who hold a BS and now 
offer a BS degree after 3 years and when adding on another year you get the MS.
CCSU is the place where Pratt&Whitney sends their people to get degrees. P&W 
has a nice tuition program, not only do they pay for school, but they also pay 
their employees for several hours a week for studying as well as give a 10k 
bonus when one graduates.
I got "paid" to go to school in Germany. I got federal financial aid, half was 
a gift from the taxpayers and the other half was an interest free loan. The 
loan is due two years after graduation. I paid the sum off in one go and got a 
28% reduction for that. Now THAT is financial aid, not this crap that they 
offer here so that the universities can have bloated amounts of staff, huge 
football stadiums, and a campus that rivals the fine parks of the kings of the 
world. Oh, and for the longest time there was no tuition in Germany, just a 
semester fee that paid for the day care center and for the half year rail&bus 
pass. They now charge about 300 Euro a semester, but compared to a US school 
that is still a bargain. Luckily I didn't pay for the tuition, IR did. I just 
think that a 1,000$ plus fee per class should result into some more 
challenging education.

Again the disclaimer, this is all based on my epxerience and what I read and 
what I heard others state to me. I don't know what Drexel or GA Tech or MIT or 
CIT do in class and in the labs and how their programs really are. It's just a 
bit time and cost prohibitive for me to find out for myself, although I wish I 
could.

David