I only know about it because the (quite nice and updated) campus is near my house 
Is that so? I had thought that students were required to live on campus for the first year. That’s good news, then.
Lol that’s very true. I’m just worried what might happen to her were I to suddenly pass away. It would be hard enough without having to stare down the barrel of either grinding poverty or moving back in with her parents.
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It’s good that you’re thinking about the future, but this kind of thinking is how they sell you on life insurance policies.
In reality, she would just move back in with her parents and continue with her life as if she was never married. I don’t think you have much to worry about.
Now, if she was 45 with 3 kids and her parents were both retired, that’d be a different story.
I’m going to be a bit direct, so please forgive me.
I don’t think you know very much about the postsecondary system here. There is nearly universal acceptance of all young people into a university now if they so desire. Holding a degree may help unlock future earnings and opportunities, but at the same time a degree can basically be held by any young person today, so obtaining a degree (unspecified) would not likely change much. It would be important to find a specific path, and to do this your partner (or you, or others around her) will need to know much more about the postsecondary system than it appears you know right now.
I hope you are not offended by any of this. And I hope things work out.
Guy
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Not offended. It’s true I don’t know much about the undergraduate system here. I studied for a Master’s in Taiwan, but the system is very different for a 30-something international student compared to all of the Taiwanese undergrads I met, most of whom seemed to me to be slightly larger high school students. (I now teach in a high school and see all the same attitudes as I did working as a TA while still studying.)
But you are making my point for me. Taiwan is a society where something like 96% of all students go on to gain an undergrad degree. Without one, it’s like not having a high school diploma in the States; sure this person might be fine but let’s not risk it. In this light, it doesn’t really matter what your degree is in so long as you have one.
If you’re gonna be a doctor or engineer or something, sure, take the relevant courses, but I truly believe that degrees in other, softer, ‘liberal arts’ subjects are just basically pieces of paper to get interviews. You do all your real learning on the job.
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An online bachelor with a US or UK university might be an option. Having said this, I imagine university study in Taiwan is much cheaper and could be done in person (could be an advantage, or not).
Exactly!
If she just wants the intellectual and knowledge, it’s easy to pay out of pocket and join in on classes without a degree. Depends on how full obviously, but quite doable. I have done it a couple times for English botany/agriculture programs. They weren’t ultra popular, so it was easy to buy a seat and learn. The education quality was horrendous and I soon “dropped out” haha. But it was easy to attend.
Alternatively, networking and getting paid at a job while being trained might be another course of action, depending on her actual goals.
Universities for me are more useful for networking with companies and governme ts for consulting, grants etc etc.
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