Everybody should go to college for free because most people want to go to school but can’t afford it. The government should pay for open public university, and the government should help young people get into college, and need to stop buying any tuition. Paying college for a free can work well in American because […]
“A child without education is like a bird without wings.” quote by Tibetan Proverb. College students have a choice to go to college or not. A college student in Kansas pays about $12,000 per year for tuition. To stay in college students are trying hard to pay their tuition by working part-time and taking out […]
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Get startedWhy college is not for everyone, people should have the choice of being able to decide if they want to attend college or find a job. Instead, most teenagers are pressured into college without all the information. College tuition must be paid before attending a class, but how can a student pay for tuition when […]
Every year, thousands of student graduates high school on Guam alone. They spent 12 years of their life going to school. Yes, it is worth it because you will have a chance to meet new people, make friends, learn new things, and learn new ideas. They spent 5 years in elementary, 3 years in middle […]
Many young people as well as non-traditional students desire to improve their education by attending college; however, with tuition becoming more exorbitant, many students do not have the opportunity to do so. With free tuition, more aspiring individuals would receive the chance to go to college. Students would be able to focus more on their […]
A college education has become a necessity today. Students throughout the country are concentrating on their academics and are endeavoring to receive perfect grades. Financing each student’s education has become difficult in today’s economy. Thus, many students, teachers, and people wonder if free college tuition should be granted. I believe free college tuition should be […]
An Education is an important fundamental to most success and in depth cognitive knowledge. Over the course of educational history, going to school was not always mandatory by the Government. Kindergarten through twelfth grade was a luxury not everyone could afford before the laws of Compulsory Education required kids to attend school for a designated time period. It has benefited society as a whole to have everyone at least meet halfway in a sense of basic knowledge, but is it enough?
In today’s society, it is difficult to go above and beyond a minimum wage job without a college degree. Yet going to college is a luxury today because tuition rates are higher than they have ever been. Lower classes in the economy sometimes do not get the option to decide if they are going to attend college due to financial stress. The question is inevitable, should college be free? Can it potentially enhance the quality of life for the majority of the people in the U.S who are suffering from poverty and health issues because of the lack of resources and money? A college degree can help millions of people with opportunities to not just obtain better jobs, but to expand their perception of the world and progress their cognitive skills that will ultimately fulfill their goals and needs.
The density of intellectuals in the world are is constantly increasing in numbers and it is who powerful businesses search for due to their work ethic and extensive knowledge. Furthermore, it is almost fundamental that when applying to a high paying job, you must obtain at least a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject. Kenneth W. Warren, an English professor at The University of Chicago wrote an article,“Why College Should Be Free – For Rich and Poor Alike.” examining the presidential proposals by Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Warren exclaims that they have similar goals, but not intactly. The proposal by Sanders is free college tuition for everyone in the country however, Hillary opposes to that idea only because she does not believe privileged students of high income families should be granted that opportunity. Warren goes on to explain that Clinton missed Bernie’s transformative social idea to help society.
Warren speaks with a tone of justice and equality as he clarifies Sanders goal of free college tuition, “His idea is that everyone in this country, regardless of background and status, should share fully in the benefits and responsibilities that come with living here. The commitment to tuition-free public higher education is a central component in building a new social compact.” and continues by supporting the idea with the facts of inflation and college prices. Inflation in the U.S is a major deficit impacting students who desire a degree.
In his article it is stated that the cost of college tuition accounts for fifteen percent of a family’s income, as where four decades ago, it was only at four percent. Fees at public schools have increased by three hundred and fifty percent since 1970, so what can that indicate about the value of an education? It is constantly increasing yet becoming even more difficult to obtain. The prices are resulting in student loans and leaving the country of U.S at about one trillion dollars in pure student debt. Kenneth W. Warren is a credible source who is a Stanford graduate with a Ph.D and is part of the Center Study of Race, Politics, and Culture Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities.
The Washington Post Newspaper also included Bernie Sanders Argument for free college tuition. Historical contexts were utilized to backup Sanders proposal. One of them being that in 1877, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to take action in creating a strong case towards achieving free education universally. Bernie expanded, and advocated this mutual idea that Hayes expressed, “Education was the basis for full economic and political participation, and full participation was the basis for all prosperity.” meaning no one falls behind, even the individuals that can afford to pay for an education. Another point being that in the 1960’s a highschool diploma would get some people through a good paying job, with benefits, and maybe even a house. Unfortunately today that is far from possible.
Furthermore, Sanders retreats to his argument by talking about life in the U.S after World War II occurred. The GI bill was passed and two million veterans had the opportunity to be granted free college. This lead to phenomenal economic growth in the U.S and that was only after two million veterans. If the government won’t take in consideration how many people suffer from lack of higher education, it is at least in the country’s best interest that the economy continues to grow or be at a constant rate because of college degrees. At this rate, the advanced economically developed areas in the U.S might be a few years away from being unable to attain a good paying job without college. A minimum wage job will not be sufficient enough to maintain home in a safe neighborhood, muchless an income to sustain a family. Bernie Sanders is the Senator of the United States and was an activist during the Civil Rights Movement while he was in college. He has continued to strive for free education for the country’s greater good.
As opposed to college being free, Tressie MCmillan Cottom gives some insight on the opposing argument in quarterly Dissent Magazine. Dissent Magazine expresses politics and ideas and is established as “ America’s Leading Intellectual Journals.”, as where Cottom is an assistant professor of Sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University. She received her Bachelors of Arts in North Carolina Central University. Cottom brings indirect yet, valid points to the counter argument on why college should not be free. She Speaks about the difficulty of not just going to college but finding the way to getting a degree. She states that people are not going to college not just because of the insufficient financial funds, but because it is a complicated and extended process.
Cottom exclaims, “It takes cultural and social, not just economic, capital. It means navigating advanced courses, standardized tests, forms. It means figuring out implicit rules.” and further supports this idea with the eventual devaluation of free college tuition. Prestigious schools would lose much of their value, if money were not the issue to be granted admission. As her argument was not to oppose the idea, she pointed out the the few reasons on why first generations do not even attempt to go to college. As the majority of the people in the U.S are in the middle and lower class, it leaves a large number of immigrants who do not have any experience with the school system in the U.S. That results in millions of families who have little to no knowledge about being guided into the right path to and through college.
Through personal experience, I am a first first generation attending community college. In the beginning of my journey, it was incredibly hard for me just to get through a Free Application for Federal Student Aid due to my lack of knowledge on taxes forms. My parents could not assist in anything related to school anymore and I felt discouraged and lost motivation. Through time I persevered and have made it through two consecutive semesters with help of the BOG waiver, which is eligible for California residents. It took many trial and error situations to make me realize the importance of having a degree. It was an aimless cycle of working minimum wage jobs just to pay a few bills and a unsecure future where I could end up homeless any day. My ultimate goal now is to be a Physician’s Assistant in Surgery and it is always frightening to be aware of the amount of loans I will have to take out to reach my goal.
As a working student, I can assume the system is built for minorities to fail. Working a full time job leaves little to no room for a proper education and will take twice as long compared to someone with financial stability. It truly would be a blessing to make my academic goals my only concern but I also need to remember my survival is a priority. It is encouraged to do whatever it takes to obtain a degree, even when it means hundreds to thousands of dollars to your name. It is the price you have to pay in this country to get above the lower and middle class and to surpass physical labor jobs that will leave your body deteriorated in countless forms. In conclusion it is very important for our Country to take steps towards affordable college education, since aiming for free tuitions is a outstretched. It would be for the greater good for every single person who could improve their life quality just by having the opportunity to further their education. America is not only the land of liberty, but of justice.
