Cover Letter
I received fantastic peer feedback on the rough draft of my essay. One of the overwhelming topics of the feedback was the validity of the topic I chose. All of my peers were interested in the validity, cost, and value of a modern college education and found my thesis statement and support on point. One of the problems noticed was my lack of support for my claim that Christian universities provide a better education than the alternative. I have provided an example supporting my claim that Christian Universities provide a better education than other colleges. The peer reviews informed me on the points in which my essay was deficient and I used the knowledge to build up support.
I will be informing my audience on the validity
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In his article, The Idea of a University, Scruton describes the classic idea of a university that has since been abandoned by most universities today saying, “the university is a society in which the student absorbs the graces and accomplishments of a higher form of life. In the university [,] the pursuit of truth and the active discussion of its meaning are integrated into a wider culture” The Idea of a University Scruton 2010 The benefits of a modern college education no longer outweigh the drawbacks of cost and quality. A college education should not be a download of information into the students brain, …show more content…
The cost of a typical four year degree has increased tremendously in the past forty years. In 1976 the average four year degree with room and board cost $2647 in current dollars. In 2006 the average cost of the same program was $19,232 –National Center for Education Statistics table 320 The cost of a college education has skyrocketed in recent years. This needless raising of cost makes a college degree almost impossible to pay for without going into debt. “At public four-year institutions, students now pay between 50 percent and 60 percent of the cost of their education—an 18–22 percentage point increase over the decade.” –Delta Cost Project Trends in College Spending 2001-2011 This increase in the cost of education for the student is due to the funding of non education related divisions and projects in the university. “Increases in the proportion of spending devoted to student services during this period were largely offset by declines in the share going toward “overhead” expenses; however, the share of spending going to instruction also declined at private institutions and public research universities.” –Delta Cost Project Trends in College Spending 2001-2011 These expenses have increased in recent years and are not necessary to a college education. On the other hand, Christian Universities offer more scholarships to make a college degree more affordable. “One of the things that has long been true of private universities,
Since the 1980’s the cost of attending colleges have increased rapidly. Rising costs of for Medicare, highways and prisons have caused many states to reduce a percentage of their budget for higher education. Colleges and Universities currently face a very serious challenge:
Lankford, Ronald D. "Chapters 2 and 3." The Rising Cost of College. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2009. N. pag. Print.
Anyone can see that over the past number of years, college tuition and overall costs to attend a university have skyrocketed and is at an all-time high. Although, most people are not too sure why this has happened. According to authors Robert B. Archibald and David H. Feldman in the article, “Explaining Increases in Higher Education Costs,” there are two opposing arguments as to why this has occurred over the years. These include the Cost Disease argument, which was William Baumol and William Bowen’s view of the rising cost of education and the other was the Revenue Theory of Costs, which was Howard Bowen’s view of the topic. There are multiple goals throughout this article. A couple of the goals include explaining the two competing arguments
Community colleges and vocational tracks are not wrong about the high cost of traditional higher education. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, one year at a public, four-year institution costs upwards of $23,000 on average, while private institutions will cost nearly $10,000 more on average. Coupled with the fact that prices at public institutions rose 42 percent and private institutions rose 31 percent between 2001 and 2011, it’s not a shock that parents and students alike worry about paying for college. However, this won’t always be the case, as this rise in prices simply cannot continue the way it has. Eventually, people will be unable to pay the price that colleges charge. They will either settle for com...
Education comes at a high price for this generation and not just financially. Going to college can give students plenty of debt with no promise of a job in return, which can set a student father back on their course of life. Young adults trying to start their lives by going to college encounter many setbacks. Today the average cost for a private university is $25...
The price of a four year institution has soared over three hundred percent in the past twenty-five years or so. We would have to factor in general inflation numbers in order to figure out the real significance. After that, we see that in those twenty-five years, tuition has risen at a rate of two to four times that of the national inflation. That has not been the case with college, however, as enrollments only continue to go up. Ultimately this means that families are paying for a luxury they can no longer afford with money they don’t have. Families are looking at an expense that is thirty-eight
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, college tuition and relevant fees have increased by 893 percent (“College costs and the CPI”). 893 percent is a very daunting percentage considering that it has surpassed the rise in the costs of Medicare, food, and housing. As America is trying to pull out of a recession, many students are looking for higher education so they can attain a gratified job. However, their vision is being stained by the dreadful rise in college costs. College tuition is rising beyond inflation. Such an immense rise in tuition has many serious implications for students; for example, fewer students are attending private colleges, fewer students are staying enrolled in college, and fewer students are working in the fields in which they majored in.
Graduating from high school is a proud moment in every student’s life. They must prepare what comes next for them whether it’s to get a job, start a career, or pursue continuing education. The cost for a college education can be overwhelming. There are many factors that play into the cost of going to secondary education. College tuition, fees, books, supplies, transportation, personal expenses, room and board. These expenses can vary for public community colleges and four year universities, public or private universities, and state residents or out of state residents. Community college tuition can range from $1,000-$12,000 for state residents and $4,000-$30,000 for non-residents. Four year college tuition can range from $4,000-$16,000 for state residents and $10,000-$35,000 for non-residents. Private four year institutions can cost as much as $25,...
Rep. Dick Zimmer predicts that at the current rate of rising college costs, by the year 2000 the average price tag for attending a four-year public university will be over $50,000 and the average four-year cost at a private university will exceed $104,000. (College costs continue to climb, 14) During the years between 1970 and 1994, the consumer price index increased just under four times, but the average cost of tuition, room, and board at four-year public colleges went up nearly five times, and private college costs rose almost seven times, from just under $3,000 to over $20,000. According to the U.S. News Cost of College Index, the average middle-class worker must now labor 95 days to pay for a year at an average private college. Two decades ago, it took slightly more than half as long to pay for the same education. (Elfin, 90) By 1994, the average four-year cost at a private college was over three times the typical family's annual income. (Reiland, 59) However, The College Board recently announced that US college tuition and fees for 1996-97 increased at nearly the same rate as they had in the previous year, adding that the more than $50...
Studies have shown that college graduates on average earn more money in their lifetime than non-college graduates. But college grads who didn’t have scholarships spend years paying off student loan debts. Ronald D. Lankford, an editor and writer for the journal The Rising Cost of College, and Richard Vedder, a writer and economics professor at Ohio University, have written articles on their views of college costs and the reasons they think why it is so steep. Lankford, author of Introduction to the Rising Cost of College, explains why he thinks college costs are so high and how it affects people. Vedder, author of Pell Grants Raise the Cost of College and Cause Education Inequality, cites Pell Grants and financial aid as important factors in the rising cost of college. Although both authors offer strong arguments, I think Vedder presents the stronger argument because he has more credibility, being and economics professor.
Steve Cohen shows the disparity between the rising cost of college and a family’s capability to afford it. Cohen explains “Tuition has risen almost 1,200 percent in the last 35 years, and the sticker price for many four-year private colleges and out-of-state public universities exceeds $250,000.” Moreover, he goes on to say that even at public universities, it is about $80,000 for four years for tuition and other college related expenses. Later in his article, Cohen explains how this leaves middle-class families in a very uncomfortable situation. The parents or other money-making entities in the household want their student to go to college and earn a degree, but now there can be an element of stress in figuring out how the fees will be paid for. Furth...
As McArdle points out, the cost for a college education has gone up over the years, leaving students in debt. I agree with this statement, because a college education was more affordable years ago and now it has doubled it’s cost. According to the article, McArdle states “The average price of all goods and services has risen about 50 percent. But the price of a college
Students differ in shape, size, color, and age. From kindergarten to college, many students are expected to follow a linear educational path regardless of life obstacles and other hindrances. Unfortunately, judgmental and oppressive eyes often intercept any deviation from this path. Lailah Gifty Akita once said, “You are never old to begin self-seeking.” A college education immediately after high school is not the correct path for everyone, as adult students have taken a rise in the collegiate atmosphere. This increase has intrinsically changed career options locally and globally.
...order to get better jobs and earn more money, to get to the good life, yet influenced by what colleges want them to learn and what employers want them to know: these all may or may not be the same thing. What employers want out of college graduates is also based on money: who can do the job the fastest and best, who can save or make money for the business. What is clear is that the university or college which is purely a "meeting of the minds," a place for people to gather and learn for the sake of learning, seems to be becoming a thing of the past. It is being replaced by an increasingly commercialized system of higher education: one that costs more and more each year--with the cost rising much faster than the rate of household incomes, and one that is being altered by the needs of an increasingly diverse student population and the needs of the business world.
A college education has become the expectation for most youth in the United States. Children need a college education to succeed in the global economy. Unfortunately for the majority of Americans the price of an education has become the equivalent to a small house. The steep tuition of a college education has made it an intimidating financial hurdle for middle class families. In 1986-1987 school year the average tuition at a private university was $20,566 (adjusted to 2011 dollars) while in 2011 the average cost was $28,500 for an increase of 38.6%. Similarly in public universities there has been an increase in tuition: in the 1986-1987 school year the average tuition at a public university was $8,454 (adjusted to 2011 dollars) while in 2011 the average cost was actually $20,770 for an increase of 145.7%. Most families who are able to save for college try to do so, therefore their children are not left with large amounts of debt due to loans. Nevertheless, families are only able to save on average around $10,000, which is not enough to pay for a full educ...