Is College Tuition Really That Much Duncan Hood Analysis

Is College Tuition Really That Much?
A Response to Duncan Hood College debt is pretty much inevitable for anyone wanting to have an education after high school. I, and most teenagers, do indeed want to go onto college but are scared away by the high cost. I know my family and I are definitely freaked out about the high cost of college. These students, including myself, shouldn’t be scared away so easily, as the high tuition isn’t so high at all. Colleges now have what would be called a sticker price. The first number you see is the sticker price, and what you don’t see is all of the deductions you can make to it. In his editor’s letter “The Out-of-Control University Tuition Hoax,” from Canadian Business 2013, Duncan Hood compares the tuition
of college in the past to the present and how the present tuition numbers are deceiving. First, Hood states that when his father went to college, it was free. When Hood went to college in the 90’s, tuition was only around $2,000. Hood points out that in the present day and age, tuition has been reported to be “an astounding $6,610 a year.” Second, Hood goes on to report that he has done his own research on the matter of high college tuition. Within that research, Duncan found that most students aren’t paying full tuition. With all of the financial assistance opportunities that are offered in college now, students are paying less than he did in the 90’s. Some of the opportunities available include grants, financial aid, tax breaks, and scholarships. Hood states that overall, “the sticker price for tuition has shot up dramatically…” All of the financial assistance has also gone up in price, matching the rising tuition. Third, Hood points out that with all of these forms of financial assistance, many more students are getting a college education that those back in the 90’s and earlier. Students that are considered average are now being able to attend college because they have close to the same financial opportunities as the ones who are considered above average. These students being able to attend college now is mainly because of the rise on scholarship funding. Hood notes that “Yes, tuition have tripled, but scholarship spending went up by seven times.” Finally, Hood states point blankly that “Universities are better funded than they’ve ever been….” Although Duncan Hood effectively states research done on the actual price of college, I believe he is being too presumptuous that all students have the same financial opportunities and that all colleges are spending their money on the same things. The purpose of Hood’s article is to inform and explain about the real cost of college because he is bringing in a detail that most people are aware about, and breaking it down into different points. While most people do believe that students going to college are paying that sticker tuition price, Hood brings in the points that show that a lot of them are not actually paying that price. The genre of Hood’s article is an editor’s letter within the magazine Canadian Business. I believe it is this genre because he is the editor of Canadian Business and is writing these articles within the magazine. Hood’s audience includes Canadian students, students to be, and also the parent of those students because he is writing about the cost of college tuition and who it would be affecting the most. Hood effectively states research done on the price of college, bringing in Alex Usher who is the president of Higher Education Strategy Associates. Both men have research that point to the fact that the high tuition of college isn’t very high at all. Hood explains “the university tuition crisis is hoax….” Further into Hood’s research, he shows that many students aren’t paying anywhere near the college’s listed tuition price. Hood brings in User to help support his own findings. Usher brings in many points that showcase colleges are getting better funding than they have before. Usher states “the truth is that between 1992 and 2010, total inflation--adjusted per-student university funding in Canada has steadily risen, from about $24,000 to $33,000.” I believe that there are many colleges getting this addition al funding for certain activities, such as research, expanding campus, and many other projects. As the years go on, there seems to be more and more opportunities to gain a scholarship, grant, or some other kind of financial assistance. Although Hood does back up his points on tuition not being as high as people think, I feel he doesn’t take the emotions of his entire audience into consideration.
Throughout the majority of the article, Hood leads the reader to believe that the majority of students in Canada that are going to college have equal financial opportunities one way or another. Within his article, Hood states that “almost no one is actually paying the sticker price.” I for one know that there are many more kids that are, or will be, paying closer to that sicker price, myself included, than those who aren’t. I feel that if parents and students read this article that feel the struggle of having to pay very close to that sticker price, they would be very offended. Yes, there are many scholarships out there that are very easy to attain, such as being a feminist, a jock, an egghead. There is also a scholarship out there for being able to make a duck call, which could get you up to $2,000. Hood also brings in an example of a grant, where he states “the Ontario Tuition Grant, which is available to all students with a family income under $160,000….” There are also very reputable scholarships available that are harder to attain, but result in a larger monetary amount. For example, the Buick Achievers Scholarship could land a student over $100,000 over four years. This shows that there are many different opportunities available, and that they all aren’t equal. In my personal life, many people assume that my family and I are living the high life financially simply because we own horses and my dad has his own trucking business. What they don’t realize is that these things cost a lot more money that just being an employee of someone else’s business or owning a dog. My example is different than being categorized for college expenses, but still has the same concept within it. I find my situation offending, which is why I firmly believe that these students would also be offended. Towards the end of his
article Hood finally categorizes the students into different categories based on their intelligence and financial status, clarifying who is in what group and that they don’t all have equal opportunities. No one really enjoys being categorized into a group, especially when it comes down to money. Hood is also being overconfident that all colleges and universities are spending the money they receive from tuition and other funding on the same exact things. Obviously, all colleges are not the same. Each and every one has its individual needs, which could be the same, or completely opposite. Hood states “Universities are better funded than they’ve ever been, allowing them to put more dollars into the research and development we need….” One college may indeed be putting those dollars into research and development, amongst other things, while another college could be using it to update their books, technology, or campus buildings. Again, I think Hood is being very overconfident with his opinions. Even though Hood shows very precise points of how college tuition isn’t what they say it is, I believe he is being too presumptuous in the rest of his article. I think if Hood really wants to get his point across to his audience, he shouldn’t be so overconfident with his opinions. At first, it seems as if Hood is pointing his fingers directly at colleges for making up the sticker price and seems to be giving praise about all of the scholarships out there, including the ones that just these average students are able to attain. After Hood puts his opinions in the article and brings in Alex Usher, we then learn that even though tuition has gone up, so have scholarship funds.
Work Cited
Hood, Duncan. “The Out-of-Control University Tuition Hoax” Canadian Business Sept. 2013. Canadian Business. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.