Argument Analysis: High Cost Of College Tuition
Jonny Hernandez
ENG 101
Andrea Lochen
16 December 2014
College is too expensive
College is the key to success or is it the key to being in debt for the rest of your life? College tuition is one the biggest investments one makes and its one the most expensive ones as well. But college wasn’t always that expensive. When applying for college many take in consideration if what they are going to major in will pay off their student loans after they graduate. Or sometimes the price of college scares people off and therefore they don’t apply to college and work instead, to not be in debt. Should college debt stop people from getting a college degree or should they invest all that money into the education? Staying in debt is one the biggest problems and concerns for many graduate and undergraduate students. College tuition is a serious problem for many, and the price of our education shouldn’t be a reason as to why so many students should not attend college.
As we might all know college doesn’t come cheap. School tuition has been skyrocketing rapidly in the last few years. How did college get really expensive? The reason why the tuition has increased is because many realized the value of a college degree. Bill Zimmerman in his article …show more content…
stated, “Middle class families had come to understand that a degree meant greater earning power. Their children flocked to college and quickly increased total enrollment from 8.5 million in 1970 to 13.8 million in 1990” (Zimmerman). So is this the reason to say why the cost of college is expensive? Not necessarily, what Zimmerman is implying is that the middle class started realizing the value of an education. By them realizing that an education was important campuses began to expand and the cost of college increased. The demand for a college education has increased because we all want that job we desire.
According to Derek Thompson the author of, “Why are colleges getting so expensive?” tuition for public schools is rising rapidly because many states are cutting education spending (Thompson). As several states cut the spending on education we as students are the one that pay the price. We pay more for our education, and we take out more loans that leave many of us in debt for a long time. Some of those loans are government loans. Government loans are there to help students who can’t pay for college, but they are actually one of the reasons why tuition in college has gone up. Daniel Lin in his article “Why Is Higher Education So Expensive?” states the effect of student government loans, “Although many believe [that student loans] will make college more affordable, government [loans] actually contribute to rising costs. When you subsidize something, it’s cheaper for people to consume. So people consume more of it and demand rises” (Lin). Many of us get students loans because it helps out paying our books and tuition, but what Lin is saying is that by doing that we are also increasing the cost of college.
With the middle class needing a higher education and the demand for student loans, the price of college keeps rising, causing problems for students. One of those problems is that many students are afraid to stay in debt after college so they don’t apply to college. The first of many problems before applying to college is trying to figure out how to pay for college tuition. College tuition scares many people off because they know they can’t afford to pay the cost of it. Not only that less students are applying to a four year college. A group that is really being affected by the cost of college is low-income students. Emmeline Zhao discover that, “Among the students surveyed who had parents “very concerned” about higher-education finances just 66% applied to a four-year college. Some 90% of respondents with parents “not concerned” about finances applied to college” (Zhao). The survey done by Zhao shows that college is truly scaring students with great potential off from even applying to a four year college.
The second problem is that many students have are dropping out or taking a break off from college because of money situations. When loans aren’t there to help out, many have to balance school and having a job too pay off tuition. But as many of us know that isn’t always possible, and many students are choosing their jobs over their education. According to a study done Jack Cody and Andre Damon, “Seventy-one percent of students who dropped out reported needing “to go to work and make money” as one of the reasons for leaving, while 52 percent reported that they “just couldn’t afford the tuition and fees”” (Cody and Damon). This study is shocking is shows that a lot of students are in need of money, and all college is doing is taking their money away.
Being in debt does sound like bad thing, but there are always alternatives to not stay in debt and still get an education. Some of those alternatives are applying for scholarships or grants, attending a 2-year college, or simply barrowing government loans if you really need the money. Here are some of the solutions available that might help along the way to not stay in debt for such a long time.
Scholarships are money that you don’t have to pay back. But one thing that we should keep in mind is that when applying to a scholarship so are thousands of other people therefore you are competing to win free money. Most of the time many students don’t even apply to scholarships because many of them require an essay or others require for you to have a talent and students get lazy. Not only is laziness involve but there is so many scholarships to pick from that students don’t know which one to pick. Now a grant is money that does not have to be paid back as well. Grants are usually awarded by government agencies, so again not everyone gets a grant because it has certain requirements. One of the biggest requirements for a grant is to provide information that shows that you are in need of financial aid.
Another alternative to not stay in debt is attending a 2-year education school. At a 2-year college tuition will be lower then a 4-year college. One example of a cheap 2-year school is UW Waukesha. UW Waukesha tuition is around $2,550 a year. Not only is tuition cheap but it also allows student to prepare for the financial demands of 4-year college tuition. The major back down from attending a 2-year college is that you won’t get the same experiences as a 4-year college student. Some of those experiences include parties, dorms, and football games. Not only will students that attend a 2-year college be excluded from fun college activities, but a 2-year college will also offer less courses and less major compare to a 4-year college.
Student government loans, reason why the cost of college is going up but it is still another option for many who are in need of money. With student loans you do have to pay that back after dropping out or after graduating. Student loans also have an interest that is a very low interest so students can pay back. After either dropping off or graduating there is also 6-month grace period, which gives you 6-months of not having to worry about paying back.
So, is college even worth it even if some of these options are not available to you?
The answer really varies. The cost of tuition is not going down any time soon. The reason why it is not going down is because the benefits of college degree are greater now in days. What is my solution or solutions to those who want to attend college but have little no help financially? Attend college but do some research before committing to a college that has a higher cost, there could a cheaper school that offers the major you want. Not only does doing some research on the cost of different schools matter but also look into how much you’re going to be in debt after graduating and see if your future job will pay enough for you to pay you’re debt
off.
All in all the cost of college isn’t going to go down anytime soon, but that shouldn’t mean that you shouldn’t attend college. There are many solutions available for students who need financial needs. For example, grants, scholarship and even government loans those are available to help you pay for college and get the degree you want. But before attending any college do some research on the school and the major you’re going into. College will probably be one of the best investments someone makes don’t let the cost of tuition scare you off.
Works Cited
Cody Jack, and Damon Andre. "World Socialist Web Site." Economic Difficulties Force More Students out of College in US -. N.p., 15 Dec. 2009. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Lin, Daniel. "Why Is Higher Education So Expensive?" Learn Liberty. N.p., 5 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
Matthews, Dylan. "The Tuition Is Too Damn High, Part II: Why College Is Still worth It." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
Thompson, Derek. "Why Are Colleges Getting So Expensive?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 04 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
ZHAO, EMMELINE. "Fewer Low-Income Students Going to College." Real Time Economics RSS. N.p., 7 July 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Zimmerman, Bill. "How Did College Education Become So Ridiculously Expensive?" Alternet. N.p., 10 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
ENG 101
Andrea Lochen
16 December 2014
College is too expensive
College is the key to success or is it the key to being in debt for the rest of your life? College tuition is one the biggest investments one makes and its one the most expensive ones as well. But college wasn’t always that expensive. When applying for college many take in consideration if what they are going to major in will pay off their student loans after they graduate. Or sometimes the price of college scares people off and therefore they don’t apply to college and work instead, to not be in debt. Should college debt stop people from getting a college degree or should they invest all that money into the education? Staying in debt is one the biggest problems and concerns for many graduate and undergraduate students. College tuition is a serious problem for many, and the price of our education shouldn’t be a reason as to why so many students should not attend college.
As we might all know college doesn’t come cheap. School tuition has been skyrocketing rapidly in the last few years. How did college get really expensive? The reason why the tuition has increased is because many realized the value of a college degree. Bill Zimmerman in his article …show more content…
stated, “Middle class families had come to understand that a degree meant greater earning power. Their children flocked to college and quickly increased total enrollment from 8.5 million in 1970 to 13.8 million in 1990” (Zimmerman). So is this the reason to say why the cost of college is expensive? Not necessarily, what Zimmerman is implying is that the middle class started realizing the value of an education. By them realizing that an education was important campuses began to expand and the cost of college increased. The demand for a college education has increased because we all want that job we desire.
According to Derek Thompson the author of, “Why are colleges getting so expensive?” tuition for public schools is rising rapidly because many states are cutting education spending (Thompson). As several states cut the spending on education we as students are the one that pay the price. We pay more for our education, and we take out more loans that leave many of us in debt for a long time. Some of those loans are government loans. Government loans are there to help students who can’t pay for college, but they are actually one of the reasons why tuition in college has gone up. Daniel Lin in his article “Why Is Higher Education So Expensive?” states the effect of student government loans, “Although many believe [that student loans] will make college more affordable, government [loans] actually contribute to rising costs. When you subsidize something, it’s cheaper for people to consume. So people consume more of it and demand rises” (Lin). Many of us get students loans because it helps out paying our books and tuition, but what Lin is saying is that by doing that we are also increasing the cost of college.
With the middle class needing a higher education and the demand for student loans, the price of college keeps rising, causing problems for students. One of those problems is that many students are afraid to stay in debt after college so they don’t apply to college. The first of many problems before applying to college is trying to figure out how to pay for college tuition. College tuition scares many people off because they know they can’t afford to pay the cost of it. Not only that less students are applying to a four year college. A group that is really being affected by the cost of college is low-income students. Emmeline Zhao discover that, “Among the students surveyed who had parents “very concerned” about higher-education finances just 66% applied to a four-year college. Some 90% of respondents with parents “not concerned” about finances applied to college” (Zhao). The survey done by Zhao shows that college is truly scaring students with great potential off from even applying to a four year college.
The second problem is that many students have are dropping out or taking a break off from college because of money situations. When loans aren’t there to help out, many have to balance school and having a job too pay off tuition. But as many of us know that isn’t always possible, and many students are choosing their jobs over their education. According to a study done Jack Cody and Andre Damon, “Seventy-one percent of students who dropped out reported needing “to go to work and make money” as one of the reasons for leaving, while 52 percent reported that they “just couldn’t afford the tuition and fees”” (Cody and Damon). This study is shocking is shows that a lot of students are in need of money, and all college is doing is taking their money away.
Being in debt does sound like bad thing, but there are always alternatives to not stay in debt and still get an education. Some of those alternatives are applying for scholarships or grants, attending a 2-year college, or simply barrowing government loans if you really need the money. Here are some of the solutions available that might help along the way to not stay in debt for such a long time.
Scholarships are money that you don’t have to pay back. But one thing that we should keep in mind is that when applying to a scholarship so are thousands of other people therefore you are competing to win free money. Most of the time many students don’t even apply to scholarships because many of them require an essay or others require for you to have a talent and students get lazy. Not only is laziness involve but there is so many scholarships to pick from that students don’t know which one to pick. Now a grant is money that does not have to be paid back as well. Grants are usually awarded by government agencies, so again not everyone gets a grant because it has certain requirements. One of the biggest requirements for a grant is to provide information that shows that you are in need of financial aid.
Another alternative to not stay in debt is attending a 2-year education school. At a 2-year college tuition will be lower then a 4-year college. One example of a cheap 2-year school is UW Waukesha. UW Waukesha tuition is around $2,550 a year. Not only is tuition cheap but it also allows student to prepare for the financial demands of 4-year college tuition. The major back down from attending a 2-year college is that you won’t get the same experiences as a 4-year college student. Some of those experiences include parties, dorms, and football games. Not only will students that attend a 2-year college be excluded from fun college activities, but a 2-year college will also offer less courses and less major compare to a 4-year college.
Student government loans, reason why the cost of college is going up but it is still another option for many who are in need of money. With student loans you do have to pay that back after dropping out or after graduating. Student loans also have an interest that is a very low interest so students can pay back. After either dropping off or graduating there is also 6-month grace period, which gives you 6-months of not having to worry about paying back.
So, is college even worth it even if some of these options are not available to you?
The answer really varies. The cost of tuition is not going down any time soon. The reason why it is not going down is because the benefits of college degree are greater now in days. What is my solution or solutions to those who want to attend college but have little no help financially? Attend college but do some research before committing to a college that has a higher cost, there could a cheaper school that offers the major you want. Not only does doing some research on the cost of different schools matter but also look into how much you’re going to be in debt after graduating and see if your future job will pay enough for you to pay you’re debt
off.
All in all the cost of college isn’t going to go down anytime soon, but that shouldn’t mean that you shouldn’t attend college. There are many solutions available for students who need financial needs. For example, grants, scholarship and even government loans those are available to help you pay for college and get the degree you want. But before attending any college do some research on the school and the major you’re going into. College will probably be one of the best investments someone makes don’t let the cost of tuition scare you off.
Works Cited
Cody Jack, and Damon Andre. "World Socialist Web Site." Economic Difficulties Force More Students out of College in US -. N.p., 15 Dec. 2009. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Lin, Daniel. "Why Is Higher Education So Expensive?" Learn Liberty. N.p., 5 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
Matthews, Dylan. "The Tuition Is Too Damn High, Part II: Why College Is Still worth It." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
Thompson, Derek. "Why Are Colleges Getting So Expensive?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 04 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
ZHAO, EMMELINE. "Fewer Low-Income Students Going to College." Real Time Economics RSS. N.p., 7 July 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Zimmerman, Bill. "How Did College Education Become So Ridiculously Expensive?" Alternet. N.p., 10 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.