_THOMAS, DAMIELA OP-ED (1)

Damiela Thomas 

Professor Katie 

English 160-28

11/6/21

COLLEGE TUITION SOARING HIGH

Figure 1: After college students graduate, they are drowning in a huge pool of debt.

(Cooper, Preston. “College Tuition Is Too High.” Forbes, 8 Mar 2021,  www.forbes.com/sites/prestoncooper2/2021/03/08/college-tuition-is-too-high-but-competition-can-fix-it/.

The U.S. is an overall country that is known to be full of great opportunities and education is one example of it. Education is what shapes us into becoming successful. The country stresses to push for children to strive and set standards to achieve. From daycare to high school, we learn and develop important skills that are beneficial to us in the real world that is college. It is every child’s dream to get their degree in what they want to become in the future but money is seen to be this strong brick wall that prevents them from accomplishing that dream. The controversy between whether college tuition should remain expensive or lowering the costs has sparked over the years. College Tuition in public state universities should be free for the first two years and also more affordable for the last two years between 5,000 to 10,000 per year because it would allow more students to attend college, it would reduce student debt and students are focused on their education rather than the money which would increase the number of students with degrees.

Figure 2: A 2020 report shows the cost of both private and public college tuition. (College Board, Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid, 2020 www.collegedata.com/resources/pay-your-way/whats-the-price-tag-for-a-college-education) 

As high school seniors apply for colleges that are suitable for them and their career, the smell of the amount of money for college tuition is unbearable. Dickler gives a short anecdote of a high school senior, Jason Neuharth who is adamant on going to college. “I grew up with not a lot of money and that was a fear of mine — the money,” he said. “I would not be able to feasibly pay for college.” Many young people are focused on the main ingredient of college which is the money that they put aside the other ingredients that college comes with such as distance from home, activities and clubs that the college offers. The college tuition is so outrageously high (figure 1) that many don’t bother wanting to attend college. And so, lowering the cost of college tuition between 5,000 to 10,000 per year after the first free years of college will drive more young people to attend college and pursue their career. 

Figure 3: This shows student debt has dramatically increased from 2000 to 2010. (Mother Jones: College Tuition and student debt charts and graphics, www.faireconomy.org/charts_student_debt_as_a_percentage_of_gdp) 

The rise of college tuition pushes the debt load for young people which deeply affects them in the future. According to these statistics from February 2021, “forty-five million Americans hold student debt totaling approximately $1.7 trillion. Each year more than a million student loans go into default, meaning that the borrowers have not made payments in at least 270 days. In 2020 the US Department of Education found that 20 percent of borrowers were in default on their student loans.” (College Tuition and Student Loans.) This leaves young people to become overwhelmed and fearful by the student debt of not paying or late payment of student loans and having to battle this for probably a lifetime. This will affect young people in the future. According to Hess, “The Federal Reserve estimates that student debt shaves roughly 0.05% off GDP per year. While the current impact may appear relatively small, as borrowers struggle to buy homes, save for retirement and invest in the stock market, the impact may become more significant.” This not only affects college students but also negatively affects the country’s economy. Student debt falls heavily on the shoulders of young people. 

On the other hand, many argue that college tuition in public state universities should be more affordable between the range of 5,000 to 10,000 per year after the first free years but others may disagree because doing so makes the college less competitive. According to Mr. Davis,  “College leaders know that lowering prices isn’t making them more competitive.” Every college whether it’s private, public or community is competitive with one another. It’s a competition between who can recruit more people than the other which makes the college shine. And so, if every college becomes more affordable then what’s the purpose of having so many colleges provide the same amount of cost towards college tuition? However, many can argue that it’s not best that colleges are competing with one another for fame rather than caring about hurting young adults’ pockets. It is selfish and cruel that colleges only care about reaching number one on charts that they forget about whether their students are financially stable or not. Public state universities fail to understand that the majority of their students that they are recruiting come from a poor or middle class household so they don’t have much and/or are struggling while wanting the best for their child. They also forget that money doesn’t grow on trees where young adults could simply just walk outside to a tree full of money and pick from it and hand it to them for their tuition. Furthermore, young adults are more focused on money than getting a higher education. They find themselves working while attending their classes which can cause them to become stressed and exhausted. After my last class one day, a group of girls were walking past me at Starbucks. I overheard one of them saying, “I have five classes and worked two jobs. I won’t be able to have dinner with you guys tonight because I have to go back to my dorm and get ready for work.” This illustrates how most young adults who go to work don’t get to spend time with their friends because they are balancing their academics and work life. This affects their health because they are mentally and physically drained. Most professors give their students a lot of homework, a lot of reading assignments plus papers and exams which makes it hard for them to maintain good grades that it flies over their heads that most students work while in school. While some may disagree, college tuition in public state universities should be free for the first two years and also more affordable for the last two years between 5,000 to 10,000 per year. 

College Tuition has become outrageously high and so many young adults are graduating from college full of excitement but in reality drowning themselves in huge college debts. It is amazing to see how costly it is to get an education. But what can we do in order to fix this crisis that the country faces every year? Many policy makers and organizations should come up with proposals that are designed to make college more affordable and allow students to earn degrees without accumulating debilitating levels of debt. In addition, even though former President Barack Obama didn’t get the bill for the first two years of community college free, why can’t President Joe Biden and Congress urge to continue to push for a bill that makes college as a whole free for the first two years? It would be a great idea, don’t you think!

 

WORK CITED PAGE

“College Tuition and Student Loans.” Gale Opposing 

Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.

 

Davis, Ben. “Why Should College Prices Not Be Lowered?” MV Organizing, MV Organization, 30 Apr. 2021 

             www.mvorganizing.org/why-college-prices-should-not-be-lowered

 

Dickler, Jessica. “Fewer  Kids Are Going to College.” CNBC, CNBC Headquarters, 

    14 March 2021, www.cnbc.com/2021/03/14/fewer-kids-going-to-college-because-of-cost.html 

 

Hess, Abigail. “Three Ways Student Debt Impacts the Economy.” CNBC, CNBC Headquarters, 2 July. 2021, www.cnbc.com/2021/07/02/3-ways-student-debt-impacts-the-economy.html