For years adults have been questioning whether or not college is worth its cost. Over time the price for college has increased drastically and the potential income of a college graduate is barely following that trend. As colleges become more wealthy and powerful, they’re too pricy for someone to afford without help and debt.
The cost of going to college is one of the first things that people think about when applying to their favorite college. If this price is too high or unaffordable to a person, many people choose to just ignore education and find a normal job that they will most likely not enjoy. Excessive prices for the college tuition can also stay with the student throughout a long period of their life. The debt that they will have ultimately change their way of living and cause them to not live their life fully.
Now that I'm a senior I guess college is right around the corner, along with the dreaded expenses. Paying for college can be a stressful experience or a walk through the park. For most it's a mightmare, because of the debt they are or will be in. I've always been concerned about how my family and I were going to pay for college. Fortunately there are many options I can take advantage of to avoid a horrible financial fate.
For most students, finding the right college is hard, there are all these different things that need to be right. What majors do they have, how far away is it from family, does the campus a nice feel to it, and probably the most thought about question among students and their parents, how much is the tuition. According to the Department of Education, the tuition for a four-year college in the eighties was around nine-thousand dollars, now tuition has gone up to almost forty-thousand dollars. Many students, who are unable to pay for the tuition usually take out a student-loan, which helps them in the short run but later in life can become a big burden. especially if you're someone who has an average salary of fifty-thousand
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.
In many concepts college is expensive. when your thinking about going to college, you have to consider your current financial situation.
Moreover, most students who rush into college unprepared end up incurring debt and dropping out without a degree- eventually becoming worse off than those who didn’t go to college at all. Over 54% of Americans who enroll in college eventually drop out (Mian). College is difficult enough as it is for those who are motivated and excited to be there, so for people who don’t really want to be there, it is almost impossible. It makes little sense for anybody to attend a university unless they are fully committed to getting a college education, especially when you consider the average cost of tuition for a four-year college. According to College Board, the average cost of college tuition and fees per year range from $8,893-$30,094, and this number is only rising. This doesn’t take into account room and board which, according to ranges from $9,500-$10,830 per year. In sum, a four-year college education could cost you $80,000-$160,000 leaving students with thousands of dollars in debt if they drop out or even if they graduate (CollegeData EFC Calcuator). Rising costs and declining benefits mean the rate of return on a college investment is starting to fall for many
A 529 plan is a college savings vehicle, known as a qualified tuition plan, that allows you to save money for your child’s college education. By doing so, you get to have your money grow without paying taxes on it (no capital gains tax and no tax upon withdrawal).
They also have to worry about paying for a room and board. It doesn’t make much sense on why they wouldn’t include these things in the college tuition. It would be a helpful factor for students to think about as well before going off to look at colleges and not just be blindsided by needing more money to get into the college. In a research article, it was said that, “Although the value of college is apparent, deciding on whether it is worthwhile means weighing the value against the costs of attending. Indeed, much of the debate about the value of college stems not from the lack of demonstrated benefits but from the overwhelming cost.” (Is It Still Worth Going to College?) This research shows that money is one of the major factors keeping students from attending college. That most of the students have to rethink their future because of the overwhelming cost of attending certain
Not long ago, my parents received an endless amount of criticism, similar to the Walls’ family, for their decision to homeschool my siblings and me. Many “feared” for us, because according to them, there was no way we were going to learn effectively at home, what we could in a formal school. My mom tells me stories of how people she’d known expressed genuine concern over the idea of educating children in a different way than what is deemed “normal.” I do not blame these people for their concern, as they were raised in a society that emphasizes a single approach to learning. Although there were definitely times growing up when I wished to attend a brick and mortar school like “normal” people, after a certain age I genuinely appreciated my parent’s decision. Being home-schooled has taught me so much more than just the basic principles of education. I grew up being highly self-reliant due to my online school requiring students to be almost entirely responsible for keeping up with their work. Similar to college, I had a syllabus provided to me, and had no one other than myself to make sure I was on top of everything. This helped me to become a responsible and well-organized individual. I also gained a quality education, despite all of the fear and concern of those around me. I still have to answer the questions, “Why were you homeschooled?” and, “Didn’t you want to go to regular school?” more
College becomes an experience where a person has to depend on him or herself and get a feel of the independence granted by the “real world.” While they might still be dependent upon them financially, a lot of students choose to dorm on campus and are no longer living under the direct supervision of their parents. Decisions they make are on their own prerogative, and the consequences of mistakes or ill-informed decisions are to be dealt with alone. The hope is that college will provide a student with the proper tools to gain employment after his or her stay, but often parents and students pay thousands of dollars to attend college, and taking out loans without absolutely no guarantee of knowing if the college education will result in sufficient employment in the future. There is much reasoning behind my opinion that college should not be as expensive as it is, and should be made more affordable for a larger amount of people. Elaborating on what was previously mentioned, there is no peace of mind when it comes to getting a successful job after college, and a person will be stuck paying back loans for the rest of his life. This will perpetuate a vicious cycle, as a person will be paying loans back, not being able to afford school
With the increase of students enrolling you would think that the cost of college would decrease, but this would be totally false. For instate tuition at a public institution can range from state to state, some states are as low as $9,000.00 annually to close to $30,000.00 annually in other states. For private nonprofit institutions one can expect anywhere from $30,000 to upwards of $50,000 a year. For the average income family this is a huge undertaking to finance, there are scholarships that students can be awarded however the fine print and total amount of tuition is usually a shock to most parents. Most colleges require freshmen to live on campus, which adds room and board and food service to be added to the already enormous cost of the first year of college. If the average working family cannot afford the cost of
College can be looked at as a life investment. It is an investment for the future of your life in hopes that it will pay off later in life. College is expensive, but can be affordable for all of those who try. In 2008, Students who applied to attend a four-year college received an estimated average of $5,400 in financial aid and state grants (“Trends in College Pricing”). With this estimated $5,400, this can reduce any students’ price of college to around $1,000 to $3,000 per year! This is an
Many colleges are not exceedingly expensive, once financial aid is taken into account (Leonhardt). Financial aid varies for everyone, but colleges usually offer a fair amount to those who need it. Three decades ago, it was recorded that full time workers with a bachelor’s degree made 40 percent more than those with only a high school diploma (Leonhardt). Although the loans and debt may seem never-ending at the beginning, it is proven that you will make more than those who didn’t attend college. College is an investment for a graduate’s future, they pay for their education that will later make them more valuable to the work field. Adults who graduated from four year college believe that they are earning around $20,000 more annually because of their degree (Pew). The extra money a graduate is making can be used towards student loans for the first few years to pay them off, and then they can enjoy the money they are given due to their college education. A concern of many is that students are leaving college with a substantial debt burden (Pew). This tends to vary for everyone, depending on what college one goes to. The advantages of a college education comes with a price but there are many things students can do to cut down the debt, like getting a job, working hard to get scholarships, and
In primary schools children begin questioning the need for education. It is a questions that continues to plague them even into high school. Upon entering high school, the need for education becomes more apparent. High school guidance counselors help correlate the reality of becoming a successful adult and the life decisions one makes. As high school comes to an end some choose to go straight into the work world and others choose college. Many factors play into the decisions of furthering one’s life endeavors, many students have been pounded that college is the only option, parents install this concept into their children from birth. Why? I personally believe that there are many benefits of going to college, but it is not as necessary as everyone