Arthur C. Brooks' $10,000 for a College Degree
analytical Essay
974 words
Arthur C. Brooks presents his opinion on an idea gaining prevalence across the United States in his published article, “My Valuable, Cheap College Degree.” This new idea is a college degree which costs the student a total of $10,000, also known as the 10K-B.A. Inspired by a challenge to educators from Bill Gates, governors in the states of Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, and a state assemblyman in California have recently made efforts to make this idea a reality.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2011, the average tuition for just one year at a four-year private university was nearly $33,000. While the median inflation-adjusted household income fell by seven percent between 2006 and 2011, the average real tuition at public four-year colleges increased over that period by eighteen percent (1). To prove how rapidly the cost to attend college rose, researchers compared college tuition to the increasing cost of healthcare. Research showed that college tuition increased at twice the rate of healthcare costs over the past twenty-five years. While college tuition rapidly increased, average income fell, which left families in deeper debt with each upcoming year. High tuition costs make getting a college education unattainable for many low and middle income students. Luckily, thanks to an up-and-coming alternative to the typical college experience, there is now a chance for some of these students to pursue their dreams of higher education.
“The 10K-B.A. rethinks the costliest part of higher education – the traditional classroom teaching” (1); instead, there is a higher reliance on online and distance-learning alternatives to make the cost of higher education more affordable. Prior to publication of “My Valua...
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...song adds to the overall experience of going to college. However, Brooks’ argument reflects that not everyone is looking for that experience.
Society should not look upon the 10K-B.A. as a negative option. There are many positives that come from earning any college degree. “The entrepreneurs who see a way for millions to go to college affordably are the ones who understand the American dream. That dream is the opportunity to build a life through earned success. That starts with education” (3). In reality, not all Americans can afford a brick and mortar education, but as Arthur Brooks demonstrated in his article, the 10K-B.A. provides an alternative way for students to earn a college degree and start their way to the American dream.
Works Cited
Brooks, Arthur C. “My Valuable, Cheap College Degree.” The New York Times. The New York
Times, 31 Jan. 2013. Web.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that for-profit universities print useless pieces of paper and call them diplomas which will be granted to those who have not put the effort in.
- Analyzes brooks, arthur c., "my valuable, cheap college degree." the new york times.
- Analyzes how the 10k-b.a. rethinks the costliest part of higher education, comparing it to the increasing cost of healthcare.
- Argues that the 10k-b.a. provides an alternative way for students to earn a college degree and start their way to the american dream.
Related
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- In contemporary society, the need to acquire some form of higher education has become almost compulsory to leading a successful life. While this does educate society and allow people to be well equipped for higher-level jobs it comes with definite negative aspects. The largest of which is the cost of attending these institutions. Unfortunately the prices of colleges and universities cause major debt and financial problems for the people attending, in some cases the price alone deters potential innovators. These places of higher education expect to be paid tens of thousands of dollars for tuition from their students but in reality only an extremely small portion can pay this without some form of assistance. This unrealistic expectation of pricing comes not from the necessity for money; instead it arises from interests that are purely for the sake of monetary gain. Essentially these institutions are taking advantage of the fact that their system is needed to achieve a better life and in doing so set the prices at which one can attain this at exuberant amounts. It is the view of Andrew Delbanco that college tuitions are vastly overpriced and that it is merely a system put in place to glorify some institutions over others. It is the belief of many, including Delbanco, that the system is unfair to those of low incomes and tough situations, that there needs to be some form of alternative payment method if the system is going to stay the same way, and that the current financial and post secondary educational system is broken and requires a complete overhaul.
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