I'm wondering where you get this information. I guess I could believe that you guys have "a high rate", but that's really misleading as it's not a very well sought after major. A lot of people choose to go into biology with the intent to go into medical school, however, most people are really really really really really stupid and didn't stand a chance from the get-go. Philosophy majors also have probably a higher acceptance rate than biology majors, and if I'm not mistaken, they have the highest rate. The reason is they knew what they were going to school for and they fought for it, not because their program necessarily prepared them for it the best. To the contrary, I think medical school is quite a bit harder if you don't some of the recommended classes such as microbiology, parasitology, immunology, pathophysiology, etc.
You are right that Vet School is the hardest school to get into in the country, that I won't argue with you on.
Vet techs don't make 100k? I don't know any vet techs that even make 50k/year. It's a pretty low-paying job actually. If I am not mistaken they get paid like 12-17$/hour.
Of course success is possible with college, it's seen continuously. However, I'm could very well argue the point that college isn't the reason people are successful, or at least not nearly entirely. Those who go to college are generally those who were more motivated to succeed in life, especially if you do well in college. I believe it is this determination that is what leads people far in life.
The whole point of this thread wasn't for me to complain about failing. In my opinion, I haven't failed at life yet. My point was to bring the issue of the seeminly impossible to get out of bubble that is completely destroying our generation, and even if you think that it is each individuals fault for failing, it's something that is going to effect every single one of us when people are unable to pay their loans. Because regardless of whether or not people take out 150,000$ in loans and fail, they won't be able to pay them back, and who will have to?? That's right, you..
that is a good point on the statistics of the matter. hadnt considered that.
philosophy majors having the highest acceptance rate to med school doesnt sound right to me... googled and found this:
http://www.oswego.edu/academics/col.../Pre-health_Careers/major_admission_data.html
its lumped in with the other humanities, but in that regard, math and stats placed highest. which does make sense.
i dont know their exact salaries. but all salaries have a LOT of geographical variation. under 50k here, and you have a hard time affording rent.
hell, at my university job i get 12.50 and hour.
i just have trouble grasping the whole "destroying a generation" concept. i see the world as zero-net-gain. there are X things to go around. the less others are capable of getting, the more that are left for me. it sounds almost evil. but i do care for my friends, and them i would gladly help. but those i dont know, are just statistics and competition.
well... the idea is that they are supposed to pay them back. and even if they default, they will likely still pay back the majority. and then if the government does a bailout, then yes, i have to pay a portion. but if not, then the banks take the hit, which limits there investments and does eventually make its way to me, but in a more diffuse pattern, and im better off than with a bailout.
I'm aware. I was stating that something vague, like "animal biology", is not going to be top tier for something outside of your school...a lot of studies have shown the aforementioned majors I posted above are the highest scorers. I'm not bitter, though. Just annoyed. I wanted to stay in Toronto. My university's medical school has the highest median GPA in NA, so I doubt my current choice of degree program would matter anyway. The likelihood of me getting in is slim (I'm only 3.86 when the average is 3.92) unless I take a MSc, score publication credentials next term. We'll see.
Anywho, way off track. I don't disagree with you, njcollegekid. I've already stated much blame should be placed on the student. But, we also need some sort of sweeping reforms. I don't know how we should go about reforming, though...although I would imagine a stimulus wouldn't work. Do American student loans exist after the graduate declares bankruptcy (dunno the financial term, ha)?
you are less than .1 off. idk how it works in canada, but here, thats not necessarily that big a deal. your gpa is weighed against which school you are from, if you are from a good school, your score is better than a slightly higher score from a worse school. then standardized tests, letters of recommendation, experience, and interviewing all play their part.
you know your situation better than me, but from the little i know, your chances dont look like a sure thing, but not something id call slim either.
im a (neo)malthusian. decrease population, and problems solved. too much competition. but some people have ethical issues with euthanizing every 3rd person.
other than that, there really isnt an instant fix. and im very much against the idea of "sweeping reforms" and prefer slow gradual changes where you can analyze the effects and rethink things as you go. i have kept reef aquariums, and people in that hobby have learned that "nothing good happens fast in an ecosystem". the rapid change, even if toward the better, can be more dangerous than the original problem.
I've never personally paid for courses individually, though. You select your entire September-April timetable in July, pay/defer 65% of the cost by August. Each university is different. 
