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"Their parents then fork over tens of thousands of dollars for these same students to sit in assemblies of 200 to 300 or more."

Actually, I can defend that one. College students are expected to be more mature than HS kids. You know -- in college they are supposed to be there to . . . well, learn. They are not there because their 'rents or the state insists they be there. (Some are, I know, but we are talking the intention of college.)

OK -- you have a prof that knows a subject inside out and gives a lecture. Why not have 300 people listen to that lecture. They are all *supposed* to be mature college students that know enough to attend, take notes, and (if they are confused) write down questions to ask in the recitation sessions.

Those are classes of 20-30 people where you go over the material in the lecture. You (theoretically) develop a rapport with the instructor, get your questions answered and have the type of intellectual exchange that is supposed to be the hallmark of a university.

It is not a bad system when you have students willing to step up to the responsibilities. Of course, HS kids in public schools today really are not taught that kind of responsibility, so they crash and burn in their hundreds. OTOH, that self-study mode is the norm for home-schooled kids, which is one reason they blow the socks off their public school counterparts. It is not that home-schooled kids are smarter -- it is that they know how to study.

OTOH, that self-study mode is the norm for home-schooled kids, which is one reason they blow the socks off their public school counterparts. It is not that home-schooled kids are smarter -- it is that they know how to study.
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Also...colleges have discovered that homeschoolers are very LOW maintenance.

They are less likely to be involved in binge drinking, fraternity assaults and hazing accidents and deaths, have unwed pregnancies, skank around, and many other debilitating behaviors.

OK -- you have a prof that knows a subject inside out and gives a lecture. Why not have 300 people listen to that lecture.

Perhaps I misunderstand you. Are you saying college -is not- about classes of 200-300 or more?

IT MOST CERTAINLY IS!

At least in the public university I attended. Not only that, but there were weed out classes where they intentionally tried to get rid of half the class before major sequence.