September 9, 2000

8:47 AM

Two highschool seniorsare looking for corporate sponsorship to finance their college education. "Imagine your logo on our hats or shirts as we travel the country being the very first corporate sponsored college students."

Creepy.
posted by ar0n (25 comments total)

It's a sad testament to the tremendous amounts of money students these days are asked to pay in exchange for a college degree (something you need). Other countries send kids to school for free, but our nation prefers to spend that money on hi-tech tanks and bombers that don't work. I've experienced this first hand, being a college student in a school that's not where I want to be, the sole reason being money, working in all my free time to save tuition money for a transfer. All because I know for a fact that the financial aid system just doesn't work.
posted by tomorama at 10:09 AM on September 9, 2000

not everyone needs a college education, i certainly didn't

whats wrong with paying for your own education? you're the one whos going to end up reaping the benefits (financial and otherwise) of getting a degree




posted by sawks at 10:43 AM on September 9, 2000

Of course... those countries that send their kids to college for "free" can afford it, due in large measure to our military budget keeping them covered for the last half century.

That said... we DO need to spend more on our education system. It really is inadequate.
posted by silusGROK at 10:44 AM on September 9, 2000

Frankly, I think this is brilliant. Most people walk around plastered with company logos anyway, making themselves walking ads for Nike or Levi's or what have you. Brands are a way of life. Why not take your own power as a billboard and sell it?

Hilarious.
posted by honkzilla at 10:55 AM on September 9, 2000

If they can pull it off, it'd be great, but I can't imagine it'll be anything more than amusing. Their site doesn't take itself seriously enough. It sounds like something a couple high school kids would do as a joke. (I know I would have if I'd thought of it :)
posted by Lirp at 11:03 AM on September 9, 2000

in exchange for a college degree (something you need.

Bill.

Gates.

College dropout.
posted by mikewas at 11:37 AM on September 9, 2000

Bill.

Gates.

Harvard dropout.
posted by EngineBeak at 11:43 AM on September 9, 2000

I've heard this "Bill Gates was a college drop-out" statement over and over again, and it's really not becoming any better a statement. Of the thousands of college drop-outs the year Bill Gates dropped out of college how many have become even fractionally as successful as Bill Gates? Let's face it: most well-paying jobs require a degree.
posted by ar0n at 12:17 PM on September 9, 2000

BradLands Light Industries & Amalgamated Consortia will be signing on as the official ego-driven personal website. Naturally, we're sponsoring Luke because he's cheaper.
posted by bradlands at 12:22 PM on September 9, 2000

Let's face it: most well-paying jobs require a degree.

except, of course, all those well-paying jobs in the computer industry, which is where all the action is anyway. :-)

-Mars, living proof that really unusual circumstances can sometimes allow one to sneak through the holes in established wisdom, but that you really shouldn't count on doing so
posted by Mars Saxman at 1:38 PM on September 9, 2000

The politics of education first: I'm not opposed to students paying their own way, but surely it's better to implement it as a graduate tax (the system in Australia) rather than loading twentysomethings with loans that amount to the equivalent of a decent mortgage?

But, more to the point: aren't most colleges themselves sponsored up to the teeth? And aren't there plenty of scholarships tied to particular sponsors, so that the lucky recipients are known throughout their college life as the Tampax Scholars in Absorbency Studies or somesuch?

A mate received a bursary through termtime by agreeing to work -- paid -- at a particular company during the summer. So it's not as if this is a new thing.
posted by holgate at 2:02 PM on September 9, 2000

Yes, unfortunately, legions o' computer geeks can get away with it for the time being. Which makes me fearful of future generations, if the trend keeps up: legions of well-paid, influential people with specialized technical skills... and no in-depth knowledge about anything else, voting in elections based solely on comments made while playing Q3A. [shudder]
posted by youhas at 4:10 PM on September 9, 2000

In August, we went to California to look at schools ...they were all great schools, and the girls were beautiful.

These guys have their priorities straight! :]
posted by pnevares at 4:46 PM on September 9, 2000

"There are now almost 800 million people who don't get enough to eat." -- Food First

"Sponsor us: We will eat your cereal even if we are not hungry!" -- ChrisAndLuke.com

Hmm, priorities?
posted by johnb at 4:55 PM on September 9, 2000

"legions of well-paid, influential people with specialized technical skills... and no in-depth knowledge about anything else"

I see...college is the only way to find out about anything outside of your area of expertise. If you ever want to find out about anything unrelated to your job, you *need* to fork over thousands of dollars and attend classes every day for four years. Sure, you could skip this and have a good career, but you'll be giving up the opportunity to ever know about anything else, ever!

Give me a break. You make me sick.

"voting in elections based solely on comments made while playing Q3A."

And if that wasn't a troll, I don't know what is. Because, you know, techies obviously have no clue what goes on in the Real World, and base all their perceptions of it on Quake.
posted by CrayDrygu at 4:55 PM on September 9, 2000

From my outsider's experience, an American college degree qualifies you for one thing that you couldn't do previously: paying $20k/year for grad school. At which point Chris and Luke are going to have to do some thinking.
posted by holgate at 1:31 AM on September 10, 2000

this is a great idea no doubt, but just seeing the BMW m-coupe in the background of some of their shots turns me off. If their parents can afford that car, they can afford to send the little pricks to college. Although, I realize that's not the main point, as they don't claim to be poor. But I feel that something like this should be reserved for people who *really need* it.
posted by physics at 11:09 AM on September 10, 2000

oh, and on the subject of college. It's not so much the classes you take or the fact that you're learning, as much as it is who you meet and associate with.

Some people go to college to meet and associate with other high-profile people to make connections.

It's all about who you know. You don't think Steve Ballmer is thanking his lucky stars that he met Bill Gates and Paul Allen at Harvard? (or was it Paul Allen, memory not serving me well right now) Anyhow, he best be kissing those billions.
posted by physics at 11:16 AM on September 10, 2000

i'm kind of creeped out that two ken doll clones are asking for corporate sponsorship. it's so media conglomerate. they're utterly inoffensive and content-free; designed for advertising.

does anyone remember the couple last year who traded advertising space at their wedding for corporate sponsorship? i think their bevnaps had the wal-mart logo on them. eyuch.
posted by patricking at 2:40 PM on September 10, 2000

CrayDrygu, of course it's possible to learn something outside your field without college. I don't think youhas was implying otherwise.

Look at it this way: when you go to college, you spend four years doing nothing but learning. (If you're lucky enough not to have to work your way through.) You have access to school libraries full of rare books that are difficult to find elsewhere. You have access to professors from a huge range of fields. You can get access to speedy computers on university servers. You can take a range of classes about all kinds of interests, in addition to your coursework in your major. But most importantly you have TIME, plenty of time to learn, read, and explore your interests-- time that is dreadfully short once you get a full-time job and have to attend to real-life tasks like paying your bills, cooking your meals, etc.

I didn't feel I learned a lot FROM college but I learned a lot while I was in college.

On the other hand, I don't agree with the stereotype that geeks only know computers and screen out the rest of the world completely. Some of the most hardcore debugging-code-for-three-days-straight-without-sleep-or-food geeks I've known have also had a broad range of interests and talents, from getting involved in progressive politics to writing & drawing comics to learning how to play mandolin and bagpipes. Some even spend their free time pondering the sociological construct of geekdom. These geeks (2 of whom never went to college) were some of the most broadly self-educated folks I've known, much more personable and widely knowledgeable than, say, your average marketing executive...
posted by wiremommy at 7:57 PM on September 10, 2000

Sorry to get kind of off topic!
posted by wiremommy at 7:59 PM on September 10, 2000

I still remember one of the most prominent things my senior year high school teachers stressed to us about college was that you don't learn a whole lot from college. A degree does, however, show employers that you have people skills and know how to learn. Many jobs are going to show you what you need and don't need to know during training anyway. Granted, you're not going to apply for a sysadmin job without ever operating a computer, but it is true to a certain extent.
posted by tomorama at 8:34 PM on September 10, 2000

> not everyone needs a college education, i certainly didn't
(sawks)

Of course, a college degree may have prompted you to capitalize and punctuate your sentences better.

No one _needs_ a college education. But college prepares you for a host of situations that you will encounter later in life, be they educational, social, structural, political, economic, or almost anything else. The old adage, "College teaches you how to think," rings true regardless of what you "learn."
posted by werty at 3:40 AM on September 11, 2000

Lirp sez: "Their site doesn't take itself seriously enough. It sounds like something a couple high school kids would do as a joke."

Actually, I thought they did a great job affecting a consistently cheesy "Old Navy"-esque tone. The goofy, toothy smiles and Ken-doll poses in the photos, the repetitive promises that "We'll [blank] your [blank]"... brilliant...
posted by Tubes at 8:20 AM on September 11, 2000

I'd rather pay for my education, it means quality. (Well college that is.) And why should I take handouts from the government? That's why money isn't available for more important things. And why shouldn't a company pay me, I've been giving them free advertising for years..
posted by thirdball at 12:44 PM on September 12, 2000