Argumentative Essay: America's College Promise

People can’t afford to go to college. For example, they can’t go to school and still make the money they need to support them and their family. Nikki Edgecombe is a senior research associate at the Community College Research Center at Columbia University Teachers College. Nikki says, “Free tuition will increase college enrollments, as shown by Tennessee Promise, particularly at open access institutions and among students with more challenging educational histories.” If college was more affordable people would want to continue their education. Instead of paying for tuition these students could, with some possible financial cuts, afford the hours of pay missed.

If we had free community colleges we could then have more students coming through the door advancing careers. The President wants more students to go to college so he made a proposal that all students who want to go to

Achieving a college degree is worth the time and effort as well as the financial struggle because there is more to be gained besides context knowledge. College is something that has dropped in importance as less and less people attend every year. These students are unsure as to whether it is worth it.Parents push their kids towards college and some even tell them not to go because of financial problems. This pressure students to make a life changing decision. This is all things that may keep a student from a secondary education that could kick-start a new and better life.

The debate of whether community college should be free or not has been going on for many years. For the most part, many students have been able to have free education even if the are low income or high income. Most students are able to have equal educational opportunity to be able to learn for around 12 years. If it has been going on for 12 years, then why not make higher education free as well. In the article written by Joanne Jacobs titled, “As He Promotes It, Some Question Obama’s Free Community College Idea” discusses the main arguments on whether Obama’s plan of making community college free plan can be a benefit or a waste of money. Community college offers the ability to be able to finish one’s first 2 years of their general general education plan at a free or reduced price compared to completing general ed a a 4 year institution. Community college should be free because it allows lower income students the ability to have their tuition paid as well as their books and it allows students to be able to earn their bachelor's at a better rate.

When people talk about college, they are often talking about typical four year colleges and universities, but there’s another option. One that’s less talked about. Maybe because it’s viewed as less prestigious or maybe because it’s just not that common of a choice. Except that it is. Students from across the nation choose to attend Community Colleges for a myriad of different reasons. So why is Community College often viewed in a negative light when so many students are attending them? Why are so many students looked down upon for choosing Community College if it helps them achieve their goals in life? Your choice of college doesn’t diminish your achievements unless you let

I am writing to you in regards to the blog you posted “The Case Against College Education.” You mentioned, “It is absurd that people have to get college degrees to be considered for good jobs in hotel management or accounting…” It is crucial for an individual to acquire a college degree, however, the American education system is unfair. By attending a college, students have a higher chance of economic success in the future and undergo opportunities to explore a wide variety of possible paths. There are various ways to get a college degree but in the end, there needs to be a lot of reform around education. The question remains, should we help more kids go to college or make it easier for people who did not attend college.

“There’s something about free that’s very clear to everyone.” (Joanne Jacobs) says Halley Potter a Century Foundation fellow, and everyone can agree with this statement. In the article “As He Promotes It, Some Question Obama’s Free Community College Idea,” by Joanne Jacobs, it explain how a student from Rio Hondo College (community college near LA) are “uncertain about President Barack Obama’s free college plan,” (Jacobs, 1). Free community college is a bad idea because community college is already almost free as it is with all the grants you can receive and financial aid or even scholarships. It is also a bad idea because even though it can be a powerful impact on lower income students it won’t be as beneficial because the colleges will become overpopulated and they would have to make waiting lists for you to get in and that will waste your time and you might get behind on graduating.

“The Debate Over Free Community College” is an article published in The Atlantic by Emily Deruy on July 27,2015. Which discusses the Tennessee Promise program and the Oregon program which offers the first two years of community college at no cost for it’s students if the requirements are met for each program. It also brings up different perspectives on the outlook of the overall program and things it would affect in either a positive or negative way. Also including some statistical and demographical information on the state of Tennessee and Oregon.

Many people believe that making community college free is a step to bettering the country. The article “As He Promotes It, Some Question Obama’s Free Community College Idea” by Joanne Jacobs, gives us insight on both sides of the argument and allows us to form an opinion based on what we read. After reading this article, I had to agree with not making community college free. Although it sounds nice, and other world countries have free college at the price of higher taxes, I feel it best to keep it at a tuition basis. Instead, I believe that we should work towards lowering the costs of private or public four years for those low income students, and also think about how making community college free could impact the enrollment at these campuses,

America’s community colleges are highly valuable for many reasons. They enrich the lives of students by raising their lifetime incomes and helping them achieve their individual potential. They benefit American businesses by increasing consumer spending and supplying a steady flow of qualified, trained workers into the workforce. They benefit society as a whole by improving the economy and providing a variety of savings through the improved lifestyles of students. They benefit federal, state, and local governments through increased tax revenues across the U.S. and a reduced demand for government-supported services. Obama’s plan to make community college more accessible is a great investment in America’s future.

Alan Greenblatt also examines the effects providing students with two free years of community college tuition. While Cubberley believes that students need to be provided two years of free tuition, Greenblatt believes students are still advancing in life just fine, even with their debt. “graduates with high levels of debt are still reaching their major life milestones, although students who dropped out without completing degrees are struggling” (Greenblatt). Community colleges are a wonderful resource for many students. They provide them with the ability to explore their dreams, have less worry about their finances, and are a stepping stone into better opportunities. While two free years of community college may sound like a wonderful investment,

I believe we should always be optimistic when regarding the future of American education. Yet, as we continue to grow further apart as a nation, it will have a negative effect on education. We are not safe, and for many students there is no security, so when you are fighting to survive, education is pushed further away. We already know that the family, the home and the neighborhood affect a student's cognitive abilities, so what's next?

Is college valuable? Some people say it is, some people say it isn’t. A college education is valuable because one can have better wealth, be more successful, and have a higher education.

If someone were to ask me if I wanted to go to college for free, I wouldn’t even think twice about my answer. In 2013, seven out of ten graduating seniors had student loans for non-profit colleges. An average of $28,400 for each graduate to have to worry about while trying to find a job (Thompson). Imagine if that number could be cut in half. President, Barack Obama, introduced a proposal to allow the first two years of college to be free for students who attend community college. Of course, the program will have requirements for students who want to waive the tuition costs such as maintaining a 2.5 GPA, make steady progress towards completion, and be enrolled at least half-time. Also for his plan to work, states must supply ¼ of the necessary funds as well (Dash). The project is predicted to cost about sixty billion dollars throughout the next ten years. The White House claims that the program could help nine million students a year. Whether the student is trying to transfer to a four year school or is a mom who wants a degree, the program has the potential to help anyone who meets the requirements.

“70% of Americans will study at a 4-year college, but less than 2/3 will graduate” (Beckstead np). In light of this staggering statistic, we are shown that maybe college should not be a thoughtless choice. Having many interests myself, I have looked at several options to further my own career path. Upon much deliberation, I decided that best past for me is to attend a state university, After my own research, I realize that a four-year degree is not for everyone. My personal belief is that everyone needs to further their education in some field of study after high school; however, I do not think that college is the only option. Although society today will heavily push the idea of college, a college degree is a great choice but not the best choice for every young