College Should Be Their Main Priority

The standard way of thinking about college has often given the impression that education will open doors. College is foretold to be the wisest choice a student can make to better their future with a successful, high-paying job. Yet Charles Murray, author of the article “Too Many People Are Going To College,” introduces a controversial side to the argument, believing that the decision for students to attend college is one of great importance, but the choice may be made too soon. Murray emphasizes the reasons why this situation exists and continues to be proven true in today’s society with factors such as the misleading statements to students about college and the high academic standards students must conform to.

By 1897, financial aid was created and by 1921 an “incidental fee” was established to cover services related to instruction, and tuition for nonresidents is $75 per year (The History of UC Tuition since 1868).

Each year, college tuition increases more and more, which makes getting a higher education almost impossible for some people. According to Pay it forward written by Catherine Morris tuitions and fees at public four-year institutions has been increasing an average of 3.4 percent each year between 2005 and 2015.

Most colleges bundle their prices in terms of tuition and fees. In 1995, tuition for private colleges was around 14k, for Public out of state it was around 7k and for public in state it was around 2k. (usnews). According to the College Board, the current average cost of tuition and fees for the 2015–2016 school year was $32,405 at private colleges, $9,410 for state residents at public colleges, and $23,893 for out-of-state residents attending public universities. Tuition reflects the overall cost of a college providing instruction and usually incorporates a college 's costs for staff, faculty, grounds maintenance, buildings, computer systems, and libraries (Dominique).

The average cost of public college for one year is approximately $9,650. Therefore to attend a four year college the cost is about $38,600. That’s not including fees, books, supplies, housing, meals, personal expenses and etc. Some students may also have to pay comprehensive fees. Of course going to a private college or even college out of your

Tuition rates have been on the rise since the start of colleges. In 1988, the average college tuition was about $2,800 for a year of schooling. In 2008, that number had risen 130% to nearly $6,800 for one year; according to Annalyn Censky of CNN Money, if the average income had raised the same amount, median family earning would be roughly $77,000 a year, instead of the current $33,000. Americans are making $400 less on average than they did in 1988 says Censky. Over the past twenty years, college has risen 5% of the median family income from 12% to 17%; private colleges went from 27% to 47% says Economist.com. (1 SV; SV.) Tuition isn’t the only thing rising at colleges: room, meals, books, and other fees are rising as well. (4 SV: A,B,C,D.) This also takes its toll on families as well as the students themselves. Many students

Imagine, it’s 1974. The average family in America earned just under $13,000.00 a year. College wasn’t too expensive. It was $2,000.00 for private, and $510.00 for public for a year's tuition. Now come back to 2017, where the average family income is $64,000.00, and the price for a private university is $20,160.00. 10 times more expensive than it was in 1974. And that’s not even including room and board.

“In fall 2016, some 20.5 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities, constituting an increase of about 5.2 million since fall 2000” (National Center for Education Statistics). That number seems to be rising each and ever year, and it almost seems as students feel like they have to go to college directly after high school. Maybe it is because they feel that they have to fit in, even if college is not for them. Although some students attend college for academics, sports, and other reasons, some students attend college for no apparent reason; with that in mind, students should take into consideration the time and money that is put into going to college.

Over the last few decades, our society has become much more advanced. College is important because our technology has improved rapidly and we need education to continue to grow with our developing economy. We can't expect that tomorrow’s cures will be discovered if the minds of today aren't receiving enough education to flourish. One way this generation of high school students can be successful is by attending college, as a college education allow them to be ready for our progressing community.

There are many factors that contribute to student loan debt some of which are, increase in tuition, out of state fees and private colleges. In fact, the cost of education always rises faster than inflation. The cost of operating a college is getting higher and at the same time, governments are contributing less money. State support for public colleges and universities has fallen by about 26 percent per full-time student in the last 20 years. (Luzer) For the 2011-12 academic year, average tuition and fees range from $2,963 per year at public two-year colleges and $6,604 at public bachelor’s colleges, to $35,195 at private doctoral universities. In 2015-16 the cost of a four-year private school was $32,405, and $43,921 if you add on fee, room and board. (Tuition and Fee) The cost of tuition will inevitably raise due

The costs for student’s college continue to rise at a higher rate than the cost of living by the average American. .for instance we see on Butler, “The College Board notes that between 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 academic years, 4-year public universities raised their tuitions another 2.4% and community colleges increased in cost by 2.3%,” said Butler

In 2009-10, the average cost of tuition, room and board for undergraduates at public four-year institutions was around $15,000 and 8,000 for two-year public colleges. When you multiply the number of students in each segment by the average total cost, it amounts to a price tag of $127 billion for free public higher ed. That same year,

Researchers found that with all these expenses, colleges are not spending roughly the same amount of money resulting in the rise of tuition cost. For example at public research Universities, spending increased close to three thousand dollars per full-time students (Matthew, 2013).

Today, many students are settling for jobs immediately out of high school instead of furthering their education in college. Students should consider how necessary college actually is for their lives in the future. It provides one with a significant amount of opportunities, a greater knowledge about their career plan, and a better sense of responsibility.

In the past decade, college tuition has risen three times as fast as the consumer-price index and twice as fast as medical care. (Lewin, 2012) According to the U.S. Department of Education, the average annual tuition, fees and room and board at a public college or university in 1964-65 (the first recorded data) was $6,592, in 2011 dollars. By 2010-2011 that cost had increased to $13,297 which is a 101.7 percent increase. The increase for private schools was even more dramatic. Average tuition, fees and room and board in 1964-65 was $13,233 a year; in 2010-2011, it was $31,395 which is an 137.2 percent increase. The rising cost of higher education is becoming too difficult for low-income and middle-class Americans,