Truth Of College And Value Of College Education

College is the stupidest education scheme that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, so why go? Gaining a college education allows people the advantage to start themselves on any path they want to see themselves take on in life. It also allows the opportunity to become more independent and to take on new responsibilities. This opportunity allows people not only an education but also time for students to truly find themselves. There are many bonuses of a college education which can include a taste of stability and grounding, much higher self-confidence, and freedoms that were not allowed in lower grade levels. This is a period for which students do truly become individuals and set a path for their future in the world. Higher education whether it be a trade school, community college, or a traditional university seem to be a great decision for many career paths in today's world. Higher education will allow students to see things they would never imagine themselves doing. The college will also allow for meeting new people, studying abroad, gaining new learning techniques, as well as grasp topics that would never be within the curriculum in high school. There is, however, always room for improvement and our traditional college education could be better. It should be better. The prices for education have skyrocketed within the past 10 years making a higher education harder to grasp for the middle class.

It is not a secret that today’s economy is drastically suffering. The effects are quite apparent within a variety of aspects of life. Dealing with financial hardships, however, is not new to Americans. By cutting back on more things we desire, having a daily budget, and often selling a few items in our homes we get by. Undoubtedly if the economy keeps going the way it does, what is to happen to the generations to come? One thing that must be guaranteed for generations is available to higher education. Higher education is an important step into adulthood, although there have been those that have had large amounts of success within higher education, it has been found that statistically speaking, it is difficult to find a position in a career of work because of competition. Additionally, it is becoming more and more difficult to inquire about a job because many college students are grasping the same field of work. Over the last 10 years colleges have seen quickly increasing rising tuition costs within many economies’, and also, massive spending by the Universities is not helping. As tuition costs are rising the fewer success students are having in today’s education system. These rising tuition costs are also rising the cost of food, books, and housing to say the least. “Ten years have passed since the 2008 financial crisis, and the effects linger. For one thing, the crisis produced a significant shift in American higher education.” (Kopf, para. 1). So, although the status of the economy within our nation is suffering, steps must be taken within the higher education system to allow for the continuing of higher education, as it is one of the few things that overall help fulfill the economy - speaking long term.

The United States financial aid program FAFSA provides today’s students with; scholarships, financial aid, grants, and loans to help the high price of college become more affordable. These types of aid are given to students to allow for more and more Americans to become educated in specific fields leading them to contribute to society. The issue, however, is that the middle class is applying for this aid they only mainly receive loans, meaning that the majority of students are paying for school out of pocket as well as paying back loans with interest.

Students are struggling more and more every year to pay for the expense’s life has which include housing, food, transportation, technology, books, and college loans (as well as fees), and this list does not begin including the cost of things that life throws a student’s way. It has been found that “The paradox of undergraduate education in the United States… is the envy of the world, but also tremendously beleaguered… The average U.S. college graduate in 2014 carried $33,000 of debt” (Wood, para. 10). This stress students feel from the pressure school costs takes a toll on the education of the student. Talking from experience, trying to balance going to school and taking care of myself is costly. It doesn’t help that housing near campus is often more expensive than regular housing. This doesn’t stand for all the states in the U.S however, some have a lower cost of tuition because the living costs are lower. For example, “Today, in-state tuition in Wyoming is about a third of the cost of Vermont. In places where higher education has not been gutted and the cost of living is low (Ripley, para. 24). Many students also don’t mind living at home in many states, but it would seem in states like Texas, students want to feel more independent.

To help with the cost of higher education many colleges could be rid of out of state tuition, allowing for more students to spread out across the country. This could allow colleges to not feel as if they have to drastically expand every year allowing them to save money for more aid or a lower tuition rate. Budget cuts that are even throughout all the states would also help with the money that the government acquires, allowing for more money from the government into education systems. Additionally, many of the government programs provided for Americans is not consistent. If we were to figure out a good health care system, for example: lowering costs or providing more in some areas it would save money in other areas. An issue that could be solved with better familiar with how the system is run. For example, a middle-class student would likely get more aid from a richer private university than from a 4-year public university because it would seem as if the student had a lower income than the others. This would also contribute to spreading students around to allow for more funding in the system. If the people who make these decisions sat down and took the time to find a way to decrease the price of higher education so that it becomes more attainable, it would make a difference. Not only would students be saving money, but money is detrimental to today’s society and the stress money brings to students can most definitely put a toll on how they respond within a classroom, their grades, and even how they act in their free time as well as workplace.

Everyone deserves an education, and an opportunity to gain more knowledge whether it be in a traditional university, a trade school, community college, or others. A gain for more knowledge should not be something that seems impossible when it comes to affordability. Being able to learn in an environment that is unhectic as well as steady, leads to the attainment of successful college education, and if it gets accomplished without debt can ultimately help a student achieve a healthy start in adulthood. College is one of the most important parts of a young adult’s transition into society, however, with the way our society is going the grasp of college seems to become farther out of reach and fewer and fewer people think it is the right path to take.