College Education Barriers

Recently there has been a lot of debate about the importance of college education. Students are asking if it’s worth the debt to attend a four year university or community college. Some are thinking what are the benefits of a degree is in the workforce. With college tuition increasing and state fundings lowering, low income students are struggling to attain a higher education. College institutions should have a role to provide students higher education and equal opportunity to students to increase social mobility yet intergenerational reproduction of privilege has produced inequality in education.

Have you ever just stopped to think about what it must be like to be “qualified” for a job yet be unemployed and homeless? Starving on the streets because you paid everything you had to an institution that was supposed to guarantee a better life, a more stable and successful career. Obviously this is an extreme case, not everyone who pays for college ends up living on the streets and broke, but almost every college graduate is in debt. For as long as college has been around it has always meant a better life, it’s always been that people who went to college were more successful, smarter, and would make way more money than someone who didn’t go to college ever would. Lately, however, college has become so expensive that going to college will more than likely leave you in debt working for years upon years just to pay back what you owe and then start making money for yourself.

In their article “Should everyone go to college?” Stephanie Owen, Senior research assistant, and Isabel Sawhill, former Vice President of the Brookings Institute, argue that many factors lead to individuals not being able to attend college. They go on to claim these factors to be school choice, career field, graduation, and area of study. The article states that while on average the rate of return is usually positive, there are cases in which it is negative. One of their focal points is what it cost to attend college and its affordability. Claiming that with the rise in the cost of college, which progresses at a faster rate than that of the job wage increase, that college is becoming less affordable. In their conclusion a three step policy plan is included for individuals who plan to attend college. While realistically I agree that yes, some individuals should not go to college, my optimistic side would like to believe that everyone should and can go to college without it becoming a sour investment.

College graduates can pull in higher paying employers, therefore the states can benefit by earning money off of these employers. Some children’s families cannot manage to help pay for the fees, housing, meals, books, supplies, and personal/transportation expenses, even with the pell grants and other scholarships being offered to them. Sixty percent of college students stress about not having enough money to pay for school, the other percentage are worried about not having enough to pay their monthly expenses on top of school (“College”). This in return may put a burden on society from becoming booming with well advanced and bold civilians due to the lack of interaction with college level wisdom. Student’s should all have a chance at further promoting their lives to flourish at what they believe they want to become, without having to deal with the later emotional struggles of money. Although graduates may pull in higher paying employers, the

In the fall of 2017 about 3.6 million students were expected to graduate from high school in the United States. In the same year, 20.4 million adults in the United States were expected to attend an american college or university (NCES fast facts tool). Almost five times the amount of students expected to graduate high school were attending a source of higher education. From these statistics I came to the understanding that there are many people who don’t go to college right after high school or who are going back to college after a break. A big reason behind taking some time between highschool to college or not going at all can be due to the high price for higher education, “For the 2015–16 academic year, the average annual price for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board was $16,757 at public institutions, $43,065 at private nonprofit institutions” (NCES fast facts tool). For some this may not be difficult to afford, however the national average income for Americans was $43,642.15 in that same year (2016)(Sue Kunkel). Consider a family of five who makes the national average of $48,640, trying to put three kids through college at the same time. It would be difficult to successfully put all three kids through unless they were given scholarships or financial aid. I think that it is misguiding to reward only successful high schoolers with higher education opportunities because then we aren’t making education a priority

The articles also argue on how the most expensive education is the one that does not lead to a degree. While graduating with high levels of debt, it does more damage to a student that takes on a debt but never graduates. Time after time, students always look for ways to pay for college and try to manage to have good grades in order to stay and graduate. Information and facts support throughout the article on how there needs to be more access and more affordability to students who want higher education opportunities. Reasons that include affordability are either lowering tuition or making college free, having more students in 4 year universities and focusing on the outcome of student entering college for the first

Evidence shows that education is vital to increasing students’ chances of financial stability in the future; however, because of the cost of college, it is out of reach for many, or leaves students in debt after graduation; threatening countless young adults’ futures and continuing to marginalize low-income families. According to the US Department of Education, an approximate two-thirds of jobs in 2020 will require a post-secondary education (“College Affordability”). As more and more jobs require a college education, the range of jobs prospective high school graduates can enter without a college education is severely limited. In addition, there is almost always a wage gap between those who have a college education and those who do not, meaning that those who are employed in jobs without a bachelor’s or higher degree rarely earn as much (“College Affordability”). For an individual seeking a larger range of stable jobs in the future, attending college is usually necessary. However, the price of college often puts it out of reach for many students, even in middle-class families. US Census Bureau data shows that the median income of US families in 2014 was $53,657 (meaning half the population earned below this amount and half above) — but according to national educational statistics, the average cost of attending university in California, including room and board and typical fees, was $21,029 in 2013 (“Regions by Mean”; “Average Undergraduate Tuition”). For

The expanding gap between the cost of college education and the growth of household income is also putting a restraint on the higher education ambitions of many American families. Amid 2000 and 2013, the average level of tuition and fees at a four-year public college rose by 87 percent; during that same period, the median earnings for the middle fifth of American households grew only 24 percent. That's a tendency that education researchers predict isn't sustainable. This gaps represents a a variation in the idea of college education from a social to an individual

“Education should be a right not a privilege. We need a revolution in the way that the United States funds higher education.” Senator Bernie Sanders. When graduating from high school most students plan to go to college. In today’s society college tuition is important to the U.S. economy. Higher education is the door for a better lifestyle and higher pay. In 2015 over 20,000,000 students were enrolled in American post-secondary schools. In the fall of 2015 , which was almost 5 million more than in 2000. Roughly 7 million of those students attend 2 years of college (Redd). Lowering college tuition by at least 50% would lead to less student debt and allow more students to attend college.

Tuition prices are rising exponentially and the current student loan system claims to make college more accessible, yet it is often at the cost of subjecting one's self to crippling debt for the rest of one's life. The unrealistic price of tuition is quickly becoming a moral issue that is poised to destroy the lives of an entire generation. College is, once again, becoming a right reserved only for the wealthy, which will inevitably perpetuate the ever growing chasm between the rich and poor. Poverty exists in the united states on a level that is nearly unparalleled when compared to other first world countries. In terms of both wealth and income distribution we have far more in common with Russia than we do with European nations. The affordability and accessibility of a decent college education plays a pivotal role in attempting to reduce American poverty and various other human rights issues. It will also allow us to remain more competitive in the global market as robotic technologies take over unskilled labor positions. No one should be disqualified from receiving an education and humane existence solely because their parents are not

Our economy has been on a roller coaster going down, but many people seem to believe education can solve our problems. In “A Matter of Degrees”, written by Clive Crook, there are many key points as to why college is not a cure-all. Crook mentions, “To rest the case for improving schools and colleges largely on economic grounds is a mistake” (25). There are many reasons as to why education needs to improve, but one of the most important is that tuition is too expensive for many families who are in poverty. According to Families USA, in an article about income, the poverty line sits at 20,160 dollars (USA 1).

To flourish in America today, the average student will have to go to a high-quality college, earn a degree and land a successful job to eventually support a family. However, success is easier said than done, because all of those steps are vital. The step that many Americans struggle with is affording a high-quality college, not because they aren 't smart or skilled enough, but because Americans cannot pay for the pricy tuition and additional expenses. The rising of college tuition scares many, even though they yearn for a college degree. Two reasons for this struggle are that college costs are taking a monumental percentage out of Americans salaries, and most importantly the large amount

There are many reason to how free tuition for the first two years of school is good and should be put in place. One reason is that free college for the first two years would entice people to go back to school if they never finished, or if they never went at all. Another reason why it is a good idea is because it would encourage students to work harder to maintain the free tuition requirements which are maintaining a 2.5+ GPA and taking at least 6 credits. A third reason to support free education for the first two years is it helps people with financial trouble to get a degree. Due to the first two years of college being free it gives people a better chance of getting a degree and those who were in financial trouble are more likely to be financially

Attending college is a necessity today; however, the United States has become a luxury rather than a right. While it is true that this country has some of the best universities in the world, so is the fact that the cost of tuition is extreme. Of course, this is no problem for the upper class; however, for those belonging to the middle and lower classes, it makes it increasingly difficult to afford. What 's the score? A national debt amounting to 1.2 billion dollars in college, same loans to those who are forced students and / or their families to use so they can access higher education.

For the time that the change was a failure, briefly remind us what the change was and identify the key barriers that you identified in the obstacle course. Knowing what you know now, how would you have overcome these barriers?