Argumentative Essay: Should College Education Be Free?
Should College Education be Free?
Imagine if you could save thousands of dollars a year and still receive a college education. How nice would that be? As someone who personally struggles with finding money for their higher education, I would love to take advantage of free college. There are many people for and against this cause. Many supporters believe that free education will create a better lifestyle for students by having stability after graduation. With a college degree they can get placed into better jobs with higher paying incomes. This also leads to fewer people using welfare programs. Supporters also believe it will have positive effects on the economy. With college graduates earning higher wages, there would be more money circulating …show more content…
throughout the economy. We have all heard the expression, “make more, spend more.” There are U.S. States that have proposed free college before and believe this will benefit their whole community. Some countries have already adopted free college, including Denmark, Sweden, Turkey, and Germany.
Non-supporters of free college believe it will have negative effects on the economy. Many agree that taxes would need to be raised and the taxpayers will be supporting the next round of college dropouts. Those opposed also argue that free college isn’t actually free. With the need for books and supplies, living expenses, and miscellaneous purchases, student may still need a loan. Non-supporters have also voiced their concerns in believing that since their education is now free, students will not take it as seriously and the dropout rates will plummet even further.
Another large item to consider when it comes to free college is the availability of grants. The Pell Grant has lost political support and the students who do qualify are often looked down on. It has become harder for the lower-class to get financial aid. This is important to consider as we discuss the benefits and the downside to free higher education.
While there are a few small points that non-supporters make that I can agree with, I believe free education is the way to go. Free college would allow more people to pursue the career path they prefer. I think this will lead to happier people overall. There would be less financial stress as well, letting college graduates focus on their careers, family, or personal interests. I will support my claim by covering how free education is beneficial to our community, would produce a better educated population for all income levels, and create a healthier life after college graduation.
Clawson, Dan; Page, Max. “It's Time to Push for Free College.” NEA
In the article, It’s Time to Push for Free College by Max Page and Dan Clawson, they argue that higher education is good for the individual and the society. They mention how college graduates generally smoke less, commit less crimes, and depend less on welfare programs. These graduates also generate more taxes than non-college graduates. There are other countries who already offer free higher education. The states of Georgia, Oregon, Mississippi, and Massachusetts have made free college proposals as well. Max Page and Dan Clawson feel that, as educators, they should stand with their students and fight for the opportunities they deserve. They feel people who oppose free college argue that it’s not the right time. Their response to this is that “it’s never too early or too late to fight for one’s principles.” For the authors, free is not enough. They want free quality education for all and believe if faculty and teachers K-12 stand united with the students and parents this can be achieved. In the article it states that to accomplish this goal we will need better pay, benefits, job security, and more support services for the teaching staff and faculty. Page and Clawson feel that people who don’t agree are worried about more students and less money, that staff will be fired, and it will be a hardship on the campuses. They countered this argument by explaining how Tennessee’s free community college has had to hire more staff. The author’s end their article by encouraging readers to join national and state-based groups like Higher Ed, Not Debt and Campaign for the Future of Higher Education. I intend to use this information to prove a point. Other states are pushing for free education and Tennessee has already adopted free community college.
Goldrick-Rab, Sara. “The New York Times Company.” The New York Times, The New
York Times, 20 Jan. 2016, 3:21 AM
In the article by Sara Goldrick-Rab, she believes targeted financial aid is not working and that it’s time for universal public higher education. She says it’s hard to find American families who would disagree. When a student fills out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid they are separated into two groups. Ms. Goldrick-Rab says that the first group qualifies as needing aid but the amount falls short of what would be needed to effectively graduate. The second group is middle-class students whose family is presumed to be able to manage with only loans. The article comments on how students who don’t receive financial aid are resentful towards students that do. It also states that students who receive the Pell Grant are compared to welfare recipients. This grant has lost political support, unlike programs such as Medicare and Social Security. The author says, “how we finance public higher education is a matter of political will.” She feels that is college was affordable to all it will help our economy and democracy. If students don’t have to worry about where their financing is coming from, then they can focus on learning, which will lead to getting their degrees faster with more skills. I intend to use this information to prove a point that Pell Grants and other financial aid is more difficult to qualify for.
Norton, Vince. “Why Free College is a Bad Idea.” Norton Norris, 29 Dec. 2017, nortonnorris.com/free-college-bad-idea/ In the article Why Free College is a Bad Idea, written by Vince Norton, he states that it would be unfortunate for New York residents if the state offered free college.
The New York Times reported that Governor Cuomo proposed to make most four-year state schools free for residents. There would be a specific income level qualifier. Mr. Norton feels that schools that are already crowded and show poor results will now be overrun. He feels that free college would encourage students to attend even though only a small amount of them get a degree. He also mentions that there is nothing prohibiting these students from taking out student loans. This leads to students attending a free college but using loans to cover the cost of attendance. The article suggests these additional costs come from room and board, transportation, and more. The author feels these same students will drop out, owe student loans, and have no skills. The article states that free college isn’t really free. The property taxes would have to be raised whether the home owners has someone college age living there or not. Plus this will affect all taxpayers when the students dropout and default on their loans. The article states that one of Governor Cuomo’s reasons for wanting free higher education is because of crippling student debt. No one is addressing the main cause of student debt, which is that schools can’t limit student loan amounts. This leads to students getting money even if they don’t need it to cover tuition. I intend to use this information to disprove the author’s main
argument.
Reed, Adolph, Jr; Szymanski, Sharon . Academe ; Washington Vol. 90, Iss. 4, (Jul/Aug
2004): 39-43.
In this article written by Adolph Reed and Sharon Szymanski, they feel today’s financial aid policies are creating a gap between those who have a higher education and those who do not. With free tuition, they believe it will stop this current trend. According to the article, when these issues are brought to congress the Democrats’ proposals are over-complicated and expensive. One the other side, Republicans are more disciplinary towards colleges. The author’s solution to these problems are to have the federal government pay tuition fees for all students enrolled in two and four year institutions. This includes full and part time students. The proposal is modeled after post World War II GI Bill of Rights. The article states that higher education after World War II is what closed the space between being on the top or the bottom of the economic ladder. As tuition increases, it limits those who can afford to attend because the loan debt increases as well. This debt gets transferred to financial and credit card companies. The authors feel there is a misconception in thinking that financial aid makes college affordable. They believe these programs help reduce the price for higher income families since they rely on interest-bearing loans and not on need-based grants. More than 10 years ago grants covered over 50% of financial aid, but today, loans surpass grants by 54%. Due to a new formula 85,000 students could lose their Pell Grant. On top of this hundreds of thousands will get less financial aid. I intend to use this information to help make major claims that our financial aid has changed drastically over the years.
Imagine if you could save thousands of dollars a year and still receive a college education. How nice would that be? As someone who personally struggles with finding money for their higher education, I would love to take advantage of free college. There are many people for and against this cause. Many supporters believe that free education will create a better lifestyle for students by having stability after graduation. With a college degree they can get placed into better jobs with higher paying incomes. This also leads to fewer people using welfare programs. Supporters also believe it will have positive effects on the economy. With college graduates earning higher wages, there would be more money circulating …show more content…
throughout the economy. We have all heard the expression, “make more, spend more.” There are U.S. States that have proposed free college before and believe this will benefit their whole community. Some countries have already adopted free college, including Denmark, Sweden, Turkey, and Germany.
Non-supporters of free college believe it will have negative effects on the economy. Many agree that taxes would need to be raised and the taxpayers will be supporting the next round of college dropouts. Those opposed also argue that free college isn’t actually free. With the need for books and supplies, living expenses, and miscellaneous purchases, student may still need a loan. Non-supporters have also voiced their concerns in believing that since their education is now free, students will not take it as seriously and the dropout rates will plummet even further.
Another large item to consider when it comes to free college is the availability of grants. The Pell Grant has lost political support and the students who do qualify are often looked down on. It has become harder for the lower-class to get financial aid. This is important to consider as we discuss the benefits and the downside to free higher education.
While there are a few small points that non-supporters make that I can agree with, I believe free education is the way to go. Free college would allow more people to pursue the career path they prefer. I think this will lead to happier people overall. There would be less financial stress as well, letting college graduates focus on their careers, family, or personal interests. I will support my claim by covering how free education is beneficial to our community, would produce a better educated population for all income levels, and create a healthier life after college graduation.
Clawson, Dan; Page, Max. “It's Time to Push for Free College.” NEA
In the article, It’s Time to Push for Free College by Max Page and Dan Clawson, they argue that higher education is good for the individual and the society. They mention how college graduates generally smoke less, commit less crimes, and depend less on welfare programs. These graduates also generate more taxes than non-college graduates. There are other countries who already offer free higher education. The states of Georgia, Oregon, Mississippi, and Massachusetts have made free college proposals as well. Max Page and Dan Clawson feel that, as educators, they should stand with their students and fight for the opportunities they deserve. They feel people who oppose free college argue that it’s not the right time. Their response to this is that “it’s never too early or too late to fight for one’s principles.” For the authors, free is not enough. They want free quality education for all and believe if faculty and teachers K-12 stand united with the students and parents this can be achieved. In the article it states that to accomplish this goal we will need better pay, benefits, job security, and more support services for the teaching staff and faculty. Page and Clawson feel that people who don’t agree are worried about more students and less money, that staff will be fired, and it will be a hardship on the campuses. They countered this argument by explaining how Tennessee’s free community college has had to hire more staff. The author’s end their article by encouraging readers to join national and state-based groups like Higher Ed, Not Debt and Campaign for the Future of Higher Education. I intend to use this information to prove a point. Other states are pushing for free education and Tennessee has already adopted free community college.
Goldrick-Rab, Sara. “The New York Times Company.” The New York Times, The New
York Times, 20 Jan. 2016, 3:21 AM
In the article by Sara Goldrick-Rab, she believes targeted financial aid is not working and that it’s time for universal public higher education. She says it’s hard to find American families who would disagree. When a student fills out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid they are separated into two groups. Ms. Goldrick-Rab says that the first group qualifies as needing aid but the amount falls short of what would be needed to effectively graduate. The second group is middle-class students whose family is presumed to be able to manage with only loans. The article comments on how students who don’t receive financial aid are resentful towards students that do. It also states that students who receive the Pell Grant are compared to welfare recipients. This grant has lost political support, unlike programs such as Medicare and Social Security. The author says, “how we finance public higher education is a matter of political will.” She feels that is college was affordable to all it will help our economy and democracy. If students don’t have to worry about where their financing is coming from, then they can focus on learning, which will lead to getting their degrees faster with more skills. I intend to use this information to prove a point that Pell Grants and other financial aid is more difficult to qualify for.
Norton, Vince. “Why Free College is a Bad Idea.” Norton Norris, 29 Dec. 2017, nortonnorris.com/free-college-bad-idea/ In the article Why Free College is a Bad Idea, written by Vince Norton, he states that it would be unfortunate for New York residents if the state offered free college.
The New York Times reported that Governor Cuomo proposed to make most four-year state schools free for residents. There would be a specific income level qualifier. Mr. Norton feels that schools that are already crowded and show poor results will now be overrun. He feels that free college would encourage students to attend even though only a small amount of them get a degree. He also mentions that there is nothing prohibiting these students from taking out student loans. This leads to students attending a free college but using loans to cover the cost of attendance. The article suggests these additional costs come from room and board, transportation, and more. The author feels these same students will drop out, owe student loans, and have no skills. The article states that free college isn’t really free. The property taxes would have to be raised whether the home owners has someone college age living there or not. Plus this will affect all taxpayers when the students dropout and default on their loans. The article states that one of Governor Cuomo’s reasons for wanting free higher education is because of crippling student debt. No one is addressing the main cause of student debt, which is that schools can’t limit student loan amounts. This leads to students getting money even if they don’t need it to cover tuition. I intend to use this information to disprove the author’s main
argument.
Reed, Adolph, Jr; Szymanski, Sharon . Academe ; Washington Vol. 90, Iss. 4, (Jul/Aug
2004): 39-43.
In this article written by Adolph Reed and Sharon Szymanski, they feel today’s financial aid policies are creating a gap between those who have a higher education and those who do not. With free tuition, they believe it will stop this current trend. According to the article, when these issues are brought to congress the Democrats’ proposals are over-complicated and expensive. One the other side, Republicans are more disciplinary towards colleges. The author’s solution to these problems are to have the federal government pay tuition fees for all students enrolled in two and four year institutions. This includes full and part time students. The proposal is modeled after post World War II GI Bill of Rights. The article states that higher education after World War II is what closed the space between being on the top or the bottom of the economic ladder. As tuition increases, it limits those who can afford to attend because the loan debt increases as well. This debt gets transferred to financial and credit card companies. The authors feel there is a misconception in thinking that financial aid makes college affordable. They believe these programs help reduce the price for higher income families since they rely on interest-bearing loans and not on need-based grants. More than 10 years ago grants covered over 50% of financial aid, but today, loans surpass grants by 54%. Due to a new formula 85,000 students could lose their Pell Grant. On top of this hundreds of thousands will get less financial aid. I intend to use this information to help make major claims that our financial aid has changed drastically over the years.