[desultorypawn]

Large state colleges tend to be a city themselves and I am interested to see how life will be affected at large universities. Given that tuition, meal plans, board and everything is fixed costs what would happen if oil costs (food, buses, heating, etc) starting rising rapidly?

Will they become a sheltered oasis or crumble?

[Cashmere]

College admissions will follow a bell curve.

The tremendous increase in the attendance at colleges has been, like so much else, a direct result of the oil age.

When oil runs out, so too will will college admittance decline.

This will occur both because there won't be any jobs worth going to college to get and because the cost of college will be too much for most people.

We will return to the days when only the children of the wealthy go to college.

[allenwrench]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('desultorypawn', 'L')arge state colleges tend to be a city themselves and I am interested to see how life will be affected at large universities. Given that tuition, meal plans, board and everything is fixed costs what would happen if oil costs (food, buses, heating, etc) starting rising rapidly?

Will they become a sheltered oasis or crumble?

[allenwrench]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cashmere', 'C')ollege admissions will follow a bell curve.

The tremendous increase in the attendance at colleges has been, like so much else, a direct result of the oil age.

When oil runs out, so too will will college admittance decline.

This will occur both because there won't be any jobs worth going to college to get and because the cost of college will be too much for most people.

We will return to the days when only the children of the wealthy go to college.

[desultorypawn]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('allenwrench', '
')
Has PO put any doubt into your major if you are still in school?

[Serial_Worrier]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('desultorypawn', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('allenwrench', '
')
Has PO put any doubt into your major if you are still in school?

[Tyler_JC]

My guess is that Media Studies, Sociology, and the other silly degrees will slowly go out of style.

Biology, chemistry, engineering, math, etc. will increasingly take over from the liberal arts majors as the return on investment for some LA degrees starts to turn negative. (If it isn't negative already!)

Some of the small private liberal arts colleges will go bankrupt and some of the useless public institutions will also vanish.

Harvard, Princeton, and MIT will be around till the sun burns out.

[desultorypawn]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Serial_Worrier', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('desultorypawn', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('allenwrench', '
')
Has PO put any doubt into your major if you are still in school?

[dohboi]

Tyler, I agree that some types of colleges will do better than others. But DOW Chemicals, a major employer of chemists, is shitting bricks because of the rising cost of their major inputs, especially natural gas. There will likely be fewer, not more, chemists post peak.

Here's a furthere question, relating to the larger country/city question:

Will rural colleges do better because they are close to food sources, or will urban colleges have the better chance of survival, since most students will not have to travel as far to get to them?

Another question:

What would be the ideal post peak curriculum?

[mos6507]

I really think in the long term colleges are going to be seen as a waste of money vs. a trade school for most people.

[Tyler_JC]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dohboi', 'T')yler, I agree that some types of colleges will do better than others. But DOW Chemicals, a major employer of chemists, is shitting bricks because of the rising cost of their major inputs, especially natural gas. There will likely be fewer, not more, chemists post peak.

Here's a furthere question, relating to the larger country/city question:

Will rural colleges do better because they are close to food sources, or will urban colleges have the better chance of survival, since most students will not have to travel as far to get to them?

Another question:

What would be the ideal post peak curriculum?

[socrates1fan]

They will probably suffer but not as badly as people anticipate on here.
I'm going to go to college regardless of the economic crisis even if it means I have to scrub floors all night.
I'm going for historical preservation.

[cube]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', 'I') really think in the long term colleges are going to be seen as a waste of money vs. a trade school for most people.

[emailking]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'M')y guess is that Media Studies, Sociology, and the other silly degrees will slowly go out of style.

[Tyler_JC]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emailking', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'M')y guess is that Media Studies, Sociology, and the other silly degrees will slowly go out of style.

[emailking]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emailking', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'M')y guess is that Media Studies, Sociology, and the other silly degrees will slowly go out of style.

[cube]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emailking', '.')...
I already have a career in physics. That link gives figures for sociology. Why is media studies silly?
If you listen to a rather large faction on this board, what really matters as far as "investment" is learning to live completely on your own, separated from modern society. In that sense, the salary of your 'stay above water' job shouldn't matter much.

[Cog]

The decision I made was to have the daughter take mandatory general studies classes at a junior/community college that will transfer to an university later on. Its about 1/3 the cost and from discussions with university professors and people in the science and engineering field, it makes no difference if you take Speech Com, Comparative religion, music appreciation etc. at Podunk community college then it would be to pay for these same courses at a university.

The university she has in mind is about a 20 mile drive. We have discussed how we are going to handle that matter as it would involve another car and the attendant fuel costs. We have discovered that a mass transit express bus goes to the university twice a day and she can get on it with a 5 minute walk. That means a long day at the university but she can still live at home and save the room and board aspect. She is still set on chemistry or chemical engineering.

I would expect community or junior colleges to do well as people try to cut costs pursuing a 4 yr degree.

[emailking]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cube', 'I') totally disagree.
There's a huge group of people who would argue that community and family would be even more critical in an economically declining world. I've said it before, the "Mad Max" aka "the lone warrior" scenario is unrealistic.