Klarinet Archive - Posting 001331.txt from 2000/10

From: Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] A curricular issue
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2000 16:01:14 -0400

--- William Wright <Bilwright@-----.net> wrote:

> My position remains: if I was refused entrance to the school, so be
> it. If I was accepted into the school, but if the school told me
> clearly, "You will have to compete once you are inside this school in
> order to be offered a full education", then (personally) I would not
> enter the school.
>
> But MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, and this is where I come back to my
> original statement, if the school accepts me without advising me clearly
> about the competition clause in their policy, and if I satisfy the
> school's minimum requirements (that were explained to me before I
> enrolled) as I progress through the school, THEN THE SCHOOL HAS ASSUMED
> AN OBLIGATION. If the school doesn't fulfill it, then they have been
> dishonest.

Baloney, in my opinion. The burden is upon the student to sort out his/her
needs and desires before (s)he begins the process of choosing where to go to
school. It's not the school's job to hold the student's hand and make sure
(s)he understands every single element of policy. The student is about to
spend a bucket-load of money on an education. With that much at stake --
not just money, but time, energy, and the person's prospects for a bright
future -- (s)he should perform the diligence necessary to determine whether
his/her criteria will be met, relative to the entire educational experience.
This includes the likelihood of being assigned to his/her desired private
teacher, policies on substituting classes for credit in certain cases, and
the conditions which (s)he can expect to face in the process of gaining ac-
cess to performance ensembles.

The same logic applies to education as it does to any other consumer product:
CAVEAT EMPTOR. If you don't want to get burned by a product that is inferior
-- or one that does not suit your particular needs -- then educate yourself well
enough to choose the right one before you put down the money. No school is going
to invest the kind of time and money that would be necessary ensure that every
single candidate for its program fully understands every word of its policies on
admission, placement, and graduation. Ask questions (what a novel idea). Any-
body who is going to claim that they didn't get what they "expected" better be
able first to demonstrate that they knew what they wanted before they got there,
and then demonstrate that due diligence was performed. Simple logic, though,
suggests that if due diligence was, in fact, performed, then the student won't
get burned in the first place.

-- Neil

Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf! It's FREE.
http://im.yahoo.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org