Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2009 November 14

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November 14

Town

Why does the town of Fucking have that name? jc iindyysgvxc (my contributions) 03:46, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

The second section of the article goes into that quite extensively. Did you have a more specific question that isn't dealt with either by our article or the references therein? Dismas|^(talk) 04:15, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

More importantly, because the entire world does not have English as a native language, and cannot be expected to name their places with the idea that the word may have a "naughty" meaning in English. --Jayron32 16:13, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

See http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004295.html etc. AnonMoos (talk) 21:43, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Greek/Roman statue copy?

Who is the figure in this statue? I saw it in the Trend campus pub at Trent University; it's about 1m tall. Is it a copy of an ancient statue, or is it entirely modern? NeonMerlin[1] 10:41, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

The first thing I thought of when I looked closely at the sculpture was French, not Greek. 75.41.110.200 (talk) 22:16, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Neoclassical certainly. A 19th-century Hebe? --Wetman (talk) 08:26, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

What percentage of people stopped from committing suicide make a second attempt?

My question is this. Among people who attempt suicide, but are stopped by some one else, what percentage attempt suicide again? What percentage go on to live happy lives?

It is going to depend massively on how close they got to committing suicide. "Cries for help", where someone "attempts" suicide but would never have actually gone through with it (they may have thought they would, of course), are very common and it is very common for someone to make that kind of attempt at a low point in their lives, recover from their depression and never actually kill themselves. On the other hand, if you stop someone that really was going to kill themselves if you hadn't intervened, then there is a good chance they will try again. I don't have any numbers, but they will be completely different in those two categories. Is there one of those categories you are particularly interested in or would you like us to try and find numbers for both? --Tango (talk) 20:12, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

It's hard to say how many go on to live happy lives, which is not a well-defined term, but about one-third will attempt suicide again within one year, usually unsuccessfully, according to the linked source (I'm not sure what its source is). A great many suicide attempts are impetuous and the individual, if prevented, will not make a subsequent attempt. John M Baker (talk) 02:14, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

This will be completely unsorced and possibly untrustworthy, but I recall reading an article or interview or something a long time ago about the time they put safety nets around the Eiffel tower - a well known suicide point. The article said that the safety net saved a lot of the jumpers, and of those, a very high percentage "changed their mind" mid-air, i.e. decided they wanted to live after all at a point where they were already falling down. How this affected the numbers of repeat suiciders I don't know, but I suspect a considerable number of these jumpers with a change of heart would not attempt another suicide. TomorrowTime (talk) 09:20, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

american college costs

how much does it cost on average to go to college in the states? $100,000? $400,000 for places like harvard or yale? how do you pay that off? you're in debt for the rest of your life. just wondering because in canada at my local uni its about $20,000 but its not very prestigious and i hear its more expensive in the states.--Uponneeds99 (talk) 21:23, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Well, I just got accepted at a (mildly prestigious) public university, and the tuition is less than $10,000 per year, so I don't know. Usually, if you are going to a public university, it depends on whether you live in the state or not. Private universities are often significantly more expensive. J.delanoy^gabs_adds 21:31, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

The cost can vary a LOT, even for public schools, from state to state. For example, the University of New Hampshire costs in state students $10,080 per year, and out-of-state students $24,050 per year in tuition. For comparison, the North Carolina State University costs in state students $3,953 per year and out-of-state students $16,438. --Jayron32 21:55, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

The most expensive U.S. college charged $40,400 per year as of spring 2009: [2] Of course, many students get scholarships and state or federal grants but very few leave college without some loans to pay off. Attending a community college for the first two years then transfering to a four-year can often save some money. 75.41.110.200 (talk) 22:15, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

According to a recent story in The Brown Daily Herald, five U.S. colleges now charge more than [US]$50,000 a year for tuition and fees. Brown University didn't top that line, but came close. —— Shakescene (talk) 07:55, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

The tricky thing about high-end colleges (e.g. Harvard, Yale) is that a lot of students' parents are in an income bracket where they earn enough that it is not a big problem, and a lot are in a bracket where they are totally covered by financial aid (the high-end schools can afford to be fairly generous on this front, more so than state schools and less prestigious schools). The tough ones are those in the middle -- not "poor enough" for financial aid, but not really "rich enough" to swing $40K a year very easily. These parents and/or students take out loans, do "work-study" jobs on campus, and apply for grants and etc. to help defray costs. Many leave college very much in debt. That being said, a degree from a very prestigious university can pay for itself over time if you can parlay that into a good job (or a good law/med/business school), which is an advantage over a cheaper but less prestigious institution that doesn't have the same name recognition. --Mr.98 (talk) 23:01, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

From the research I have done (I'm off to college in a couple years), I have found that most public universities (like University of Oklahoma or Kansas State University) typically cost between 5,000 and 15,000 a year for in-state residents and between 15,000 and 25,000 for out of state residents. Not fun when I am looking to go out of state. Ks0stm ^(T•C•G) 23:55, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

It's worth researching what goes into becoming a state resident for the purposes of tuition. In California, for example, it is not actually that hard (live in the state for a certain amount of time, basically)—which can save you a LOT of money on UC fees, if you are going to a school there. I know a lot of people who are "out of state" for only a year or so under these fees. --Mr.98 (talk) 19:38, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

Everyone answering this question so far seems to be concentrating on tuition fees. There are many more costs involved in university that just your tuition. You need somewhere to live, food to eat, electricity, gas, an internet connection, a phone... The list goes on and on. At least for the cheaper unis, those costs will massively outweigh the tuition fees (but probably won't reach $40k!). --Tango (talk) 02:04, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

True, but many of those costs tend to be fairly consistant across the board. Campus tuition itself is the most variable cost when comparing one university to another. Everyone pretty much has to buy the same books, pay the same phone bills, etc. etc. --Jayron32 05:24, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

Cost of living can vary widely from place to place, even within the same country. --Tango (talk) 09:24, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

Ha! No. American education depends on three factors. State/private, Scholarship/Not, and Cost of living. Private schools in the U.S. are generally the same price, no matter the quality. Yale costs roughly as much as a mid-range liberal arts college. Of course, getting into yale is a bit tougher. Graduate schools work the same way. State schools skew things because if you're in state they discount tuition by a substantial amount, typically about 50% (feel free to disagree with me on this number), and then states differ, but most state schools are going to be less than most private schools. In the U.S., of non-instate tuition, expect between 8-35 thousand a year for tuition, then add on cost of living. Instate tuition will knock a lot off the low end, but less off the high end (because few state schools go above 25k). Shadowjams (talk) 10:51, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

Since Yale has come up a few times, the current term bill as of 2009/10 is $47,500 (which includes tuition of $36,500, and room and board of $11,000). 50% of undergraduates receive financial assistance from the university based on need; the average award is $32,336. The average net cost for financial aid students taking all aid into account is $14,021/term. See the ref for details on who qualifies for assistance: [3] - Nunh-huh 15:04, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

Again, the top-tier may not be the most representative, either. They often have more money (and more PR incentive) and can thus offer much better financial aid possibilities than schools with less dough and clout. --Mr.98 (talk) 19:38, 15 November 2009 (UTC)