Exemplification Essay: Should College Be Paid?

State colleges in the United States should be tuition-free for everybody. Everyone deserves a chance to have a higher education than high school. Many other countries in the world already use this method. Germany and Norway both have tuition-free public colleges and it’s working fine for them. Even some states in America use the free community college program. Giving people a chance to go to college tuition-free will help everyone in our country.

What is usually the next step after a person graduates high school? Going to college opens up more opportunities for high school graduates and those looking for a higher education. But what about the people who are looking for a higher education and just cannot afford it? Many say that not everything in life is just handed to you on a silver platter, you’ve got to work for what you want. Yes, that is true, but when it comes to education there should be an extent to where you get some help, especially if you are seeking it in your own state. However, if college was entirely free, things would not get paid like the government or professors. When it comes to money for college you have to think about, tuition and fees, room and board, books and

As it is, there is about $1 trillion in college debt in America. A Philadelphia Enquirer article warns that, “The average debt owed per person is $25,000 -- the highest level of student debt in the nation's history,” and that the number is increased by tens of thousands of dollars for those who go on to get higher degrees. $25,000 is a lot but the reality is that a lot of people have even more than that. For example, what if someone goes to an expensive private college and their tuition is anywhere between 30 and 70 thousand per year. In total they could be paying between 120 and 240 thousand dollars per year. The majority of the country is most likely unable to easily pay for that and could end up with extensive amounts of debt just because they went to the college that they wanted to. Student’s education shouldn’t be compromised just because the school they want to go to has a high tuition. Alarmingly, “Study after study has shown the number one barrier to attending college is the published rate of tuition.”(Lowe) The amount of student debt as a result of a school’s high tuition should decide where people should go to school. If tuition is decreased then simultaneously, student debt would be as well.

American students owe a total of 1.3 trillion dollars in student loans, and about 44.2 million students are in debt. Colleges all over the United States require a tuition for students to attend, which is detrimental to families with low incomes. As a result, students from low income families opt to not attend college. A solution for this problem would be to institute tuition free colleges. Advocates for free colleges state that it would enable students to achieve their dreams, regardless of their monetary situation. Proponents against free colleges say that the public would have to be taxed too much to cover the expenses. College should be free because it would help the country economically, allow students to be more focussed, and it would let students to pursue any career that they would like.

For many in the middle class student debt has a strong and relentless grasp on their economic future. In their article "Why Free Higher Ed Can't Wait" Jeje Biola and Belinda Rodriguez state that, "Student debt has reached a record total of over $1.3 trillion" (6). This has left many people wondering where this is coming from and wanting change. This number is just too high in the minds of the average American. In the last few years free college tuition has been a hot topic in American politics, as recently as the 2016 presidential race. Candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton proved to be a huge push for free tuition. The raising college tuition rates effect all Americans in some form or fashion, so support is quickly rising especially

College is something everyone should experience. Even if it is for just for a year in the least. Not everyone gets to experience the ‘real world’ effects as the ‘real world’ slaps us in the face. We hear when we are small that college is what we all should do but, what if you can’t do it by means of expense? There are so many things that need to be paid for. You may ask; “What about scholarships?” Not all schools let you stack so you still end up with expenses that range from class supplies, books, and all the way to room and board. With all these items that need to be paid for and more, college just isn’t an option most of the time.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (Strauss). Free college tuition can be education funded through taxation or charitable organizations rather than tuition funding. There are other countries with free college such as; Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, and Slovenia; consequently, Norway has a higher graduation rate. The reason America does not have this system is because, they are having the debate on if the United States should have in or not due to the fact that if it is free, where will they get the money from, people do not want their taxes to be higher so someone else can have free schooling. Therefore while the debate continues, Americans are suffering. Even though many are against free higher education; subsequently it can help society by decreasing student debt, increasing education rates, and allowing students to have more freedom to choose their major.

One often overlooked point about “free” college tuition is that it is not ever free. The money does not just appear out of nowhere. What people normally mean by the statement of “free” college, it means free college for students. If the students are not paying than who would have to pay? The only other option would be the federal government. Right now, Americans owe more than $875 billion dollars in student loans. If the cost of tuition continues to grow at the rate it is, that number is only going to grow. If the federal government were to pay this, it would only further the country in debt.

In order to alleviate the problem, many politicians have proposed plans to make all public college tuition free for students under a set income threshold. Although it may seem like just the solution that is needed, making college tuition-free, even for a select group of students, is not the best option and would fail to solve the fundamental cause of the student debt crisis in the first place.

Just about everyone agrees that college should be more affordable. A century ago high school was becoming a necessity, not a luxury; today the same is happening to college. If college is essential for building a career and being a full participant in our democracy as high school once was, shouldn 't it be free, paid for by public dollars, and treated as a right of all members of our country? The average college graduate comes out of college with at least $60,000 in debt and if they went to an Ivy League should that shots up to upward of $100,000 all this debt before they even get their first real job (“Fast Facts”). This is the burden that students have to worry about and then they only have six months to find a job that can cover they loan payments, which can be as much as a couple thousand dollars a month and most working people can’t afford that. These days it is highly emphasized that the responsibility to educate the poor lies on the shoulders of the government. It should be, considering the significant hike in the tuition fees worldwide. In such circumstances, many intelligent and hardworking students miss out on studying in a university due to lack of funds. This not only demoralizes the student, but also has a negative impact on the society as it loses out on its future professionals.

To let in some light about the topic; Average debt in the US is at very high rates. “Studies show that there is no better short-term or long-term investment for the rest of society than higher education” (Page). College is expensive, let's make it more affordable. “This topic Deserves an open mind and a balanced exploration of the potential benefits, drawbacks, and alternatives” (“Should”). No matter the topic there is drawbacks. With free tuition there are not many to talk about. “As of the 2013-2014 school year, the countries with tuition-free public higher education included: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, The Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Turkey and Germany. Free college, in Europe especially has proven to be a popular idea” (“Should”). Other major countries are successfully improving with free college tuition. US students want to add America to that list.

If one applies for financial aid than that is wonderful because its free money, but one would have to qualify and one of the qualifications is low income. For those people who are not low income but still aren’t in a state in which they have wealth turn to loans. People apply for loans to help pay for their tuition, books, dorm, etc. and end up having to pay $30,000.00 in student loans after they graduate from college. If the tuition proceeds to increase than people will continue to borrow more and more money in which they’ll be paying off for the rest of their life. People are going into debt because their monthly student loan payment is too much and they are not making enough to pay it off. LA Times did an article which featured a man who have a wife and two children and owe $158,000.00 in student loans. The Man doesn’t have a nice enough job to pay off his loans and provide for his family. In the same article LA Times claimed that the amount of student loans expanded 76% or rather 1.2 trillion since 2009. According to the institute for college access and success site there was a two present growth rate from 2012 to 2013 from the graduates who were in debt after going to public and nonprofit colleges. Also 7 out 10 graduates from public and nonprofit colleges in 2013 ended up being in debt because of student loans. According to the presented site above New Hampshire’s average debt is $32,795 and state wide ranks #1 with a portion debt of 76%. If the

A recent study done in 2012 has shown that about 1.3 million college students are in debt, that is a rise from 2008 study with only 1.1 million students in debt. Throughout our country's history, education has always been important and we have always allowed and pushed every citizen to get an education. Of course, some will argue that college can be affordable due to scholarships, choosing to work before going to school, or going to a community college. The reality is, most high school seniors who want to pursue college want a real education and want to go away to study without the weight of knowing they will be owing thousands in loans. As an American citizen these students have the right to being able to attend their college of choice and

Most students wake up as early as 5:30 am , and are really tired because of how early they get up. Students body are loosing exercise when they sit down from 5:30 to 3:30 and it cause also hurt your legs. Students listen to the teachers , do their work , and get good grades. Some students just come to socialize, and play games but the ones who are actually doing there work should be able to go outside for at least 10-15 minutes. When you sit down for a long period and you don't move , your legs can cramp up or loose feeling. Students need at the least some type of break during classes to either walk , jump or go outside. In my opinion I think a little walk around the class would be fine but for lunch , we go outside for just about 10-15 minutes.

Many students don’t get the chance to further their academic career after high school. Some aren’t able because child care is too expensive or they have to work to support themselves. Everyone should get money for school if they need it. Some parents can’t afford to help the students pay for college, while others can. Money should be given for need rather than want. But I believe there should be stipulations to getting the free schooling. College should be free to those who want to get a degree and need the funding.