As the old adage that I was constantly told by my parents as a mischievous teen goes “There is a time and place for everything and it is called college”. The problem surrounding today’s youth is the fact that the “everything” referred to by the former is now too often not only encompassing the mischief performed by young adults but also the unrelenting stress of affording a higher education and the mountain of debt that is smothering young Americans seeking a better future. Despite arguments that providing free college provides more benefit to rich students than poor ones and that free education would make a degree worthless, free college educations is the best tool to close the income gap plaguing this country and revive the American Dream. …show more content…
Education Planner, an online tool to help parents plan and budget to send their children to college, says,” Historically, college costs double every ten to twelve years, and the cost of college usually rises at a rate faster than inflation and family income.” With the rate of college rising faster than family income, paying for higher education becomes a burden to lower income households. Following suite with Germany, Finland, Norway and many other countries around the world, Bernie’s plan if elected is to make college tuition free at all public colleges and universities. This would make a college education attainable to those hurt most by expensive college education- the lower …show more content…
Though, I believe, that in actuality the statistics of who is going to college merely solidifies the idea that something need to be done to make educating attainable for all, and that the poorest people of this country are suffering due to the high cost of education. The Washington Post spoke to some lower-income college students to figure out what keeps them from starting college and finishing it as opposed to their higher-income peers and a re-occurring theme even when financial aid covered their tuition was stress from financial situation and not having the time due to having to work jobs to keep their families above water. Bernie’s plan would allow these lower income students to have the financial aid available for living expenses since there would no longer be a need to pay tuition with it, and this could increase their likelihood of being able to start and graduate college. Also, in Bernie’s plan the richest percent of Americans would be paying for the free tuition, so it would not be a problem and it is actually fair that they be entitled to it as
While his plan is not well defined, according to USA Today, Bernie Sanders plans to pay for “free tuition” with tax increases specifically at this time under consideration: .5% fee on stock trades, .1% fee on bonds and .005% fee on derivatives. One problem with this plan is even with
people agree with the state that Liz borrows from Thomas Jefferson, "Everybody should have an education proportional to their life,"(Addison 256). Unfortunately, the average income between rich and poor in America is not accurate, everyone supposed to become somebody in life; college gives opportunity to everyone who wants to do so, to become whatever they want, and at any age with a low cost. as much as the income level between rich and poor in America stays unbalanced; college will always be there to gives opportunity to people who want to learn, but cannot afford to attend university. Liz Addison points out an example in the article.
Going to college and getting a degree is a very important factor in succeeding in the 21st century competitive world. Nonetheless, many people do not go to college because of how expensive col-lege has become and the fear of being in debt. Sometimes college does not work out for every-one. President Barack Obama has proposed a plan to make the first two years of community col-lege free to encourage people to go to college, get a degree, and make the United States the most educated country or at least catch up to the rest of the countries like Russia and Canada. Howev-er, Obama 's action of reducing the costs of community college will not significantly increase the number of students who will graduate with degrees. Instead of making college
As Bernie Sanders, a presidential candidate for the 2016 presidential elections, claims he can make college free, the subject of tuition for secondary schooling has become a “hot” topic. The New York Times, on January 20th, released a “Room for Debate” titled “Should College be Free?” where many journalists such as Andrew P. Kelly and Sara Goldrick-Rab voiced their opinions on college tuition. “Just one-third of students from the bottom income quartile, who started at a community college in 2003 finished with a degree or certificate by 2009,” wrote Kelly, showing that the poorer find it hard to finish college with a degree. He believed that indigent students would likely not graduate with a degree due to college cost and because they are not motivated enough to get through six years of college. Although it is unpractical to create an educational system where college is absolutely free, creating organizations dedicated to encouraging the needy to get through
When hearing the words “free” and “college” in the same sentence, that is exciting to anyone who is interested in not paying those thousands of dollars for their pursued education. However, when it comes to Obama’s free community college idea, for the first two years, many people skip over the many factors that go into this issue. Some may agree with President Obama’s plan fighting for a fair chance for all student to get a degree and not go into debt receiving an education, and others argue that community college already being inexpensive will only make the system difficult to work with. While making community college free for everyone is considerate, the students with low incomes already get the aid they need without this program and the
For the past decade, The United States has stressed the importance of college education, to those seeking employment, and better careers. For most people, college is the logical next step in education, as it provides a working knowledge of a desired field and opens the door to many opportunities, but college has become increasingly more expensive as time goes on. Many people feel that college is no longer an option financially. Even with financial aid and scholarships, the cost of a college education can still be very taxing. This is due to massive price increase across the boards, but the main issue on most people’s minds is the debt that will be acquired from higher education.
There is no escaping the fact that the cost of college tuition continues to rise in the United States each year. To make it worse, having a college degree is no longer an option, but a requirement in today’s society. According to data gathered by the College Board, total costs at public four-year institutions rose more rapidly between 2003-04 and 2013-14 than they did during either of the two preceding decades (Collegeboard.com). Students are pressured to continue into higher education, but yet, the increasing costs of books and tuition make us think twice. Sometimes, some of these students have to leave with their education partially finished, leaving them with crushing debts.
In Jim Crammers opinion he states, “That would simply pour money onto failing diplomas” (Crammer). That is what the workforce is for. If every student goes to college for a degree with the idea to become rich, then who will work at restaurants, go into the air force, or even stay at home in order to take care of kids or love ones. Life would be totally different. How life is right now is how it will always be due to the economy and the odds of being raised in a family surrounded by lots of money or not is just life. Everyone has their own role and everyone is different, so Obama should not be trying to spend all of America’s money in order to make everyone equal. Students would be better off knowing the situation as to why they live in a poor family due to economic issues or financial needs. But money should not be the reason students go to college or not, so this proposal is not worth the time. There are plenty of scholarships and loans out there that are given to certain people for certain reasons and the only reason someone should have to turn down a community college would be because there is a lack of effort on their own part. They make a community college inexpensive as a way to invite the public to come get an education and if they fail or drop out then they are not out a ton of money. College weaves out the students that do not belong there or want to be there, so forcing them to go with the intentions of telling them it is
For most young Americans, college has always been preached to them as being a vital part to their success in the adult world; but as they reach this educative rite of passage many find they must take out inflated loans, work part time jobs, or even become dissuaded entirely due to the exorbitant costs of higher education. We must forsake this current antiquated system in favor of government subsidized tuition. Therefore, college education must be free because of its benefit to the economy, creation of equal opportunity, and the resolution of the student loan crisis.
Going to college has been getting more expensive every year since colleges started. Going to college gives a student a chance to find a career in their major of choice. The only problem is that it isn’t always guaranteed. There are millions of graduated students that can’t find jobs in their major. Most of those students have student loans that they still owe and can’t afford to pay off. The average student with student loans owes over $25,000 and that doesn’t include all that interest that piles up every month. The United States should make college tuition free for everyone that has a high school degree. That can be achieved by making colleges give free tuition, changing the way interest piles up, and by lowering the military budget.
Higher education costs have been increasing at a rapid pace, faster than inflation for the economy as a whole, for the past fifty years. It started in the 1960’s when the federal government passed the Higher Education Act to increase the amount of people able to afford and attend college. Regardless of the Unites States Government efforts to increase the affordability of college, federal aid programs have not risen to expectations due to the ever-increasing college prices. To lower the price of college, the government needs to cut back on student financial spending to go only to the lowest income families and create tax incentives for families to start saving up on their own.
Consequently, lower, regulated tuition will make college more accessible for those who are worse off. College should not just be limited to the wealthy. Senator Bernie Sanders once said, "Education should be a right, not a privilege. " We need a revolution in the way that the United States funds higher education. " Sanders, Bernie.
Bernie Sanders said “The cost of college education today is so high that many young people are giving up their dream of going to college, while many others are graduating deeply in debt”. This statement is a great representation of the way many students feel entering college. Furthering your education is something that an individual must work for, however it should not leave a person in debt for life.
Having a college degree is more important now than ever before as there are fewer and fewer high paying jobs available to those with just a highs school diploma in America. This may sound like a good thing as it incentivizes more people to obtain at least an associate’s degree, but in recent years we have seen a steady decrease in college enrollment from its peak in 2010. This decline is focused mainly in community colleges where there were over 800,000 fewer enrollments according to government data (cite 6). The number of students that enroll in community college is particularly telling as these campuses cost far less and therefore draw heavily from low-income households. This data shows us that those in the poor of our country are increasingly less likely to get an education that would get them into the middle class or above. The brunt of this downturn can be blamed on the ever increasing price of a college tuition and the perceived lack of social mobility in America. The costs of a college education would be impossible to pay for most Americans without getting into student load debt that averaged $37,000 for the graduating class of 2016 and is only increasing (cite 8). As inequality grows there are more and more Americans for whom these staggering costs keep them from pursuing a degree. Furthermore, research by
For many years, higher education has been a helpful tool for those looking to have a professional career, and now, it seems that getting a degree is almost necessary. In our present day it is nearly impossible to get a job without graduating college and that is why a higher education is considered to be the most valuable investment for Americans. College is so valuable because it lowers your risk of unemployment while giving you the opportunity to have your future potential earnings increased. Many Americans don’t go to college because they can’t afford it or they fear that college just isn’t the right fit for them and others don’t’ enroll because they are lazy. These problems could possibly all be erased by making all citizens in America legally required to move on to at least a two year institution at the very minimum upon the graduation of high school. Having community college tuition-free will eliminate any financial excuses against college being required for all US citizens. Alan Bloom believes “Education is the movement of darkness to light”. Bloom is trying to convey that education can help you get through the roughest of times and to help make something of yourself. College is a place for exploration and finding out who you are and what you want to be.