Hacker News Reader

Comment by com2kid | Hacker News Reader

> "In 2050, I'll be getting emails from high school students about research opportunities, because the average college will require 2 publications to get in and will cost $500k."

From my general understanding, those are already the numbers for elite colleges.

I hear complaints about kids that have published research, have started local charities, and have completed most of an undergrad degree already, that they are still getting rejected from top colleges.

View on HN

Harvard costs about $350k all in for 4 years.

But if you make under $200k a year they wave tuition, and over that you start paying a prorated rate until assistance phases out.

If they are that enterprising and go-getters, I paid some guy almost $10k to roof my house, and he gave me an invoice showing the price of materials were only about $3500 of that. He did it with a few friends in two days, maybe 60 man-hours of work. All they had was a few ladders, harnesses, an ancient truck, and they didn't look like the sort to have wasted much of it on insurance or overhead.

I would expect kiddos who are all-in on going to college won't be able to see any other opportunity as acceptable. They've spent almost their entire lives trying to get into a good college. No college may not seem like even an option.

You sound like you are blaming them personally, instead of the teachers and guidance counselors who pushed them in that direction.

How are children supposed to know the adults in authority positions around them are full of shit?

> How are children supposed to know the adults in authority positions around them are full of shit?

I think that was my underlying point. It isn't blame, its just that they don't know any better. They've been sold the One True Path To Adulthood and Success and Happiness and it is a false bill of goods.

That’s 108 dollars per hour. That seem reasonable?

>wasted much of it on insurance or overhead.

Insurance and overhead (eg. safety harass) exist for a reason other than to drain your wallet. Roofing is also a physically difficult job. You won't find many 50+ year old to couch on a rooftop all day, regardless of pays.

> and they didn't look like the sort to have wasted much of it on insurance or overhead

This is in general a really bad idea. Not only can you be on the hook if they make a mistake with the install, or mess something up like venting that ends up damaging appliances or plumbing, but if one of them falls off your roof, depending on the circumstances you could be personally liable for their possibly life long medical treatment (or end up in an extended lawsuit as they try to claim that you personally directed their work). Make sure your contractors have insurance.

Yeah it's extraordinary how prepared today's elite undergrads are. Population demand has outpaced spots in these colleges, and so that's why I don't believe "grade inflation" is a thing. The kids are just way, way smarter and more productive than 60 years ago, just as workers are.

Kids cheat today massively more and get parents to demand changes to grades which is something you wouldn't see 60 years ago. It's not higher productively its lower morals and less buy-in from teachers who give in to pressure or look the other way because their authority has lowered. Plus they can't hit students anymore.

And thus smart and talented high school students are working twice as hard these days with nothing to show for it.

This is obviously selection bias, because as a hiring manager, I generally see the most motivated students.

But holy smokes, there are some A-game kids out there that are prepared and willing to put in the work for an opportunity.

I don't remember it being this competitive when I was a student. Maybe I wasn't in that top echelon like they are, but still.

>I hear complaints about kids that have published research, have started local charities, and have completed most of an undergrad degree already, that they are still getting rejected from top colleges.

Are they Asian by any chance?

Well yeah if they've completed most of the degree already why admit them /s

Reply on news.ycombinator.com