It always bothers me to hear of some celebrity getting an honorary degree from a university. It seems misleading to me. The point of using alumni to promote the school should be that so-and-so learned everything they know at this school and if you come here, you'll learn it too. If it ends up that the alumni member didn't even attend the school, how does that prove anything to current students about the quality of education they'll receive? It seems to discourage people from going to that college, saying "Go out and work in the field, become successful, and then come back here and get your degree for free! No need to spend all that money on tuition and books!". I would be much more impressed with a university if their noted alumni did actually attend the school and their education did attribute to their success.
In a way it's like giving immigrants (or their children) citizenship rights if they manage to get into our country illegally. True, you could go the long way and fill out the necessary applications, take the required tests, and wait for months or years to become a naturalized citizen, or you can jump the gun and sneak over here by crossing the border and if you gain enough public sympathy, citizenship will be given to you on a silver platter. Hey, it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission, right?
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