So the right question is free college will be free to who?
College was free to me because I was prepared to lay down my life for this country and in exchange the federal government, with the support of American taxpayers, provided me with the GI Bill. Part of the GI Bill was money that covered most of my tuition, books, and other costs.
So, if you want a free ride, all you have to do is follow my lead and join the Army. Although the Marines, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard will do, I suppose.
The other option is to have some sort of civilian federal service for those who wish to obtain a free college degree without joining the military.
Students borrow money from the federal government. Those who do not obtain their terminal degree or certificate must pay back 100% of the loan. Those who who obtain their terminal degree or certificate can enter into federal service.
There needs to be a formula. Depending on the type of work performed for the federal government, the government will forgive a certain amount or percentage of the loan. Military work will result in the loan being forgiven at a quicker pace then say working for the Parks Department as a docent in Yellowstone. Hazardous versus non-hazardous duty.
Someone else can figure it out. I'm just the idea man. The devil is in the details, which I have none at this time. A CCC or WPA for the 21st century.
I agree with your view on free or as you stated, “freer college.” Everyone wants a handout. I mean, who wouldn’t? I would love to not have to pay my tuition every semester and I’m sure there are those who wish they didn’t have to get student loans. With tuition rising, it’s getting more expensive to achieve our individual academic goals. People forget that nothing in life is free. As my economics professor told us, “There is no free lunch.” Government already digs into taxpayers’ pockets for things that are necessary – as well as things that are not. It is not fair to take from those who are working and going to school just to have them pay for the education of someone who realizes they can get a free ride without anything in exchange, e.g., high school graduates who live with mom and dad. I also understand that there are some people who truly wish to study above high school education and just can not due to financial reasons. As you said, a program for people who would like to work in exchange for a free education could possibly work. That is why I agree something can be done, just not a free ride.
ReplyDeleteI agree, i am sure no one wants to pay for college. My teachers from high school told me that they still haven't pay their college loans yet and they are like 50 years old, that's just crazy. I personally do not agree with free college for everyone, that's why there is scholarships and financial aid. There is other ways to get a full ride in college but nothing is given it is a reward for your hard work. Free college won't be fair for those who didn't work hard enough through their way through high school just so that they could get free college. If a person wants something bad enough then they will work with any obstacles that come their way. College may not be free but there is payment plans that one can do so that those people won't go to any debts and have no hard time.
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DeleteI agree with all of you, but with receiving financial aid college still isn't free. Just like the "free lunch" scenario it is still being paid with taxpayers money. The only free option seems to be by joining the military, but then again you are paying with your life. I must say nothing in life is truly free. We all have to pay in some way. Obtaining student loans will keep you in debt. Susan your teachers at the age of 50 still paying for college is crazy. They are working just to pay debt. Scholarships are the only way a person can get a "free education" and that student must study hard from high school to the college graduation. College is not for everyone and college will never be free for everyone. Although most people do deserve some financial help to better themselves, other people have to pay for them to do so. Is it fair, no, but it is a part of life.
DeleteI believe everyone deserves some type of financial help for college because not everyone has the accessibility to pay fully for classes, like me for example. It would be great to have “free college,” we would not have to worry about being broke all the time and would not have to work as much. The problem with this would be that we would get too comfortable and not work as hard in our courses. We would probably be slacking with assignments and would have the mentality of “what do I have to lose”. When it comes to “free college” for military people, it is not really free because they sacrifice their lives and their family in order to be able to go to college. Even “free college” has to maintain itself from somewhere, which would most likely come from taxpayers so in reality nothing is free. Something that would help college students a lot would be free books, scantrons and the essentials for a class.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that people need help financially for college. I do not agree that it should be free. You said if people had more financial help for education then they would have to work less. I don’t believe that is true. Yes, they will be getting financial help, but that would basically be coming from their paycheck. So, if you work less not only will your income decrease due to less hours, but it would decrease because more taxes will be taken to help pay for the education you are thinking is free. Even after you are done with your education, the tax deductions wont stop. You will still have to pay for the education of others. My question to you is, would you rather pay your own education loan, or would you rather receive help from the government and end up paying for the education of others for the rest of your life?
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ReplyDeleteI think that is a sweat deal really. Free college just for serving a bit of time can really set a person on the right path plus there are a bunch of other benefits you can get. But doing this Civilian Federal Service, this fifty fifty chance of being drowned in this big federal government loan. I'm not down for that because of two reasons. One, I don’t have the money in case I mess up. Two, I'm human and I do mess up. Plus, I like the slow life I'm in no rush because I'm on A and strolling on down to B just to make my way to C. And the system can always use improvements, it's just the government. It likes to work at the pace of snails on most things so what of this matter. It's just in a long line going nowhere fast any time soon.
ReplyDeleteAs far as free college goes, I don’t think it should be a reality. If it were free, and that’s a strong if. At what point would it no longer be free? I mean, free education isn’t always the best. Coming from an inner city public high school, id say that if your college education is free its probably not going to be the best experience, but that’s just me. I DO however think that doing a bit of service in exchange for free education is a pretty good trade off. My biggest question concerning that though is, what type of service determines the level of education you’re able to pursue? What kind of commitment would you have to make? Even then, you’d have to actually do well in your classes, or risk being indebted to the federal government. As you said, there should be a formula. One that would determine at what level you can and cannot have free education. Really, I think college should only be free up to an associate’s degree level, if that makes sense. That way you can have free access to a higher education and secure better chances for better paying work, I just think after that paying your way seems like the best system.
ReplyDeleteHi Devin,
DeleteI think that you are absolutely right. Free college is a great thought, but like you said at what point would it not be free, and what will happen to those who did not get that opportunity to go to college free that are still paying for student loans? I like your idea of having a college student do some type of service in exchange for their college degree. Maybe, they should pay for the first two years of college, and then when they get into their major classes, do some type of internship that will pay for that college. I don’t know, but just a thought.
I strongly believe that free college should be offered to all and not just people who serve for our country. Every single person has the right to an education and in the long run it helps our country. Other countries can offer free college education to their people. So, why can't the USA? We already pay a lot of taxes and give away money to social security. Yes, nothing is “free in this world”, and it must come from somewhere. Where? My suggestion is each person that works and doesn’t collect assistance already pays taxes. Taxes are increased numerous times and for dumber reasons. Why not increase a set tax to educate our country just like other countries and allow our kids to have an education? This would allow our country to have a higher number of educated people which can decrease the amount in unemployment as well as poverty. How do other countries offer a free education? Can this be something implemented in the United States? We should be known for more than “The land of the free and home of the brave”. Just food for thought.
ReplyDeleteFree college sounds like a good idea because it gives everybody the opportunity to thrive. Everybody has the potential to be good at something. For example, there might be someone that is really good with computers and would want to get out there and dedicate their life to working with them but they aren’t able to get hired from their dream company. The reason why they aren’t able to get hired is because they don’t have a degree. The reason they don’t have a degree is because they can’t afford to go to college and there you go, if only college was free would this person be able to obtain the degree they need in order to work their dream career. If this person had a degree and was able to work for their dream company that would make them a good functioning citizen in society. Some people don’t end up doing anything with their lives because they aren’t given the opportunity to thrive and do what they desire. A huge factor why is financial problems but if that wasn’t holding people back, there would be an abundance of opportunities. Another good thing about free college is less stress. A lot of students work full time jobs and are full time students. Having to work to pay off your school can be stressful and eventually lead to mental health issues which in some cases lead students to drop out of college. If college was free, not a lot of students would have to work to pay off their classes which means they can fully focus on their education. Fully focusing on your education will just make you better and stronger in your career path.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that college should be free but should also require a financial necessity from their students. College is a priority to many employers these days and having gone is a big steppingstone because they've put money and time into their education. Having the students pay college out of pocket or with scholarships gives a sense of responsibility on the student to work hard in order to put in the money’s worth into their education. Having a full ride or help of financial aid also allows that responsibility but I think it also gives the students some room to not take classes as serious because they have it covered. If it were decided that college were free it would increase taxes for people who will or won't take college seriously. I don't mind paying college out of pocket because I know I won’t happy to worry about debt. However, I do believe that any financial aid should take into consideration everything instead of just the average salary the household is making. Overall, College shouldn't be free but offer free expenses such as books. Isn't enough that we are paying thousands of dollars for classes but colleges can't offer simple things to their students?
ReplyDeleteCollege is a great opportunity for students to become what they want to be in life. So, if college were free there would be many options for students to become what they have always dreamed of doing. Students would treat free college like high school; they would not care as much about getting their degrees. and think it not affecting them because they are not paying it out of their pockets. In addition, I think just because you are not paying it for yourself right now the next generations will be paying for it in the future. We also have to think about the taxpayers would have to be paying for others free college .If it were to become free you may enjoy the free education, but you must remember what happens after you graduate you get a job, and then you pay taxes. Part of the money you are going to be paying to the government will be going to the education that the Government had given you. Over your lifetime, you will not only have paid for your own education, but for many other's as well.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think college should be free. College isn’t for everyone and if everyone went to college for FREE they would just be wasting time and money. I really do believe if college was free we would all take advantage of it like a lot of us did in high school , and we wouldn’t be able to be the best that we could be because we would just settle. Although there are students who can’t afford college l, there are definitely ways to get grants, scholarships and things of that nature. I feel like if you know that you want to go to college and go to a big university, you should probably start by doing good in high school and start saving little by little to get to where you want to go. I know saving isn’t the easiest , especially under certain circumstances but it is possible. And if you simply just don’t have the money then they are just going to have to settle going to a community college. And even though some people cannot even pay for that , there are still other ways to pay for it.
ReplyDeleteCollege being free can be a good thing, also can be a bad thing. The issues would be money taxes which'll go up, jobs requirements would go up and some people would attend it like high school, by that I mean they'll half-ass it up like they did. People that don't want or care about education would just attend and school would just become a public place; meaning that it's gonna turn into the state or government problem, also some classes would fuller than what they are now. Which'll cause a problem for those who want to go class or who're are busy with their personal life. Free college is a good concept but it wouldn't really happened due to income and other perilous things.
ReplyDeleteI personally see that college should be free for students, especially first year students. I wanted to attend school at LSU last fall post graduating high school, because I was a first generation it was harder. I was short a good amount of money and couldn’t get a loan even though my heart was sold on attending this University. Loans trap students into committing their life into the government in return giving you this amount of money to get a degree. Schools like UT-Austin and Rice are giving free tuition which probably won’t cover books, and housing but the direction is moving. UT and Rice can do this, because they get donations and allocate those resources for the betterment of their students. If more schools used donations giving by the “wealthy” it can decrease the amount of loans being taking/ stress of paying them back. For example, UT and Rice have million-dollar athletic programs that get money from Alumni that go on to represent their schools. Then that money is now being used to award first generation students and the result is increased admissions and the circle continuing. So, the resolution to loans is to offer free college funding by donations that are directed to areas of free tuition.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that college should be fee to a certain extent. For example, community colleges can be free its really cheap but still can be a little expensive. Many immigrants believed that coming to the U.S. would have better opportunities in both for themselves and their children. I have 2 friends that they are not from America but at this time they are attending HCC but they were close not attending school over their financial status. They have tafsa but it gives them the bare minimum to at least take some classes. Many people want to attend colleges and universities to further their knowledge but the obstacles is whether they have enough money to pay for it. Community colleges can be free but universities can be understandable to pay to enroll. The government will see a growth in people attending colleges and increase percent of people working at better jobs.
ReplyDeleteI disagree, if people were given the opportunity to attend college for free then their possibilities of graduating are low and be unsuccessful. I read an article, "Success by design" by Tiffany Dovey Fishman, Allan Ludgate, and Jen Tutak explaining the obstacles scholars go through in college/universities, give resolutions, and give you tools to use in the future. I understand that money is a big problem but if the government isn't making enough money then I believe that they would find new ways to take our money. For Example, raising up taxes or increase the prices on products we use in a daily basis. This would create a big impact for the public and even those we are preparing for the future. You mentioned that your friends barely got in and were able to attend HCC but know this we do have programs that help increase the student knowledge, help them in their career path, and it’s very cheap to attend the classes. If someone really wants to learn they would research these programs and take advantage of them because there are no excuses to not learn. But also think of how the classes would run if you have students that don’t want to learn then they would influence others, cause distractions for those who want to learn, and not worrying about paying for classes since its free, right? They can just come next semester and retake the course instead of caring about their education, putting effort in their courses, and making a schedule to keep up with.
DeleteCitation: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/public-sector/improving-student-success-in-higher-education.html
The idea of “free” college is one that I personally like because it would open opportunity to people that don’t have the financial ability to pay for their own education but it shouldn’t be completely free, I do agree that there should be a tradeoff for this “free” college. The help from the government and ultimately tax payers dollars should be earned in a way to help the country itself, some type of federal service is an idea that makes complete sense to me because it’s the country that will pay for the education and it only makes sense to get something in return. Nothing can be completely free because people will always find ways to exploit free money, but a tradeoff of military service or some type of federal job can be the perfect exchange for a struggling student that needs financial aid. Two of friends are currently enrolled on the military and have been there for about 4 years each and one is even going to Afghanistan late this winter. I have seen the sacrifice that they both have done for these past years and federal help of any kind has been earned by the time they have served this country. I believe that ultimately the people that will pay for this “free education”, the tax payers, should be able to decide what type of service is worth the financial help. Completely free college although an ideal idea should be earned not just given. Free college should be for the people who are willing to work and earn the financial help.
ReplyDeleteYour response does present an excellent point on what entails 'free' college. The trade off you talk about is of course very reasonable especially in building a workforce that has goals for the community. In order to provide free college to people, i.e. those in the Army, there is an exchange going on. Service for college money. A regular Joe would have to commit to be part of the workforce in order to obtain assistance for their education. It only makes sense because there would be no consequences if everyone just received assistance without committing any time or services. It is only fair for taxpayers and the citizens in order to provide these kinds of benefits.
DeletePublic college should be free,because every student has a chance to succeed. Being the first college student in my family,its hard to explain to my parents the extensive process of financial aid/scholarships. If college were free I would be able to major in criminal justice or forensic anthropology. Since these require a higher level degree how would I pay for this? With college being free no student is left behind and no student will graduate with student debt. For example, my high school forensics teacher owes $54,000 in student loans. Some students have to balance work and school in order to pay for college. These students face difficulties because they have to make a schedule that best fits them. In order for free college to work, there needs to be programs that students would agree to work at after they graduate. Students can work in developing new ways to help colleges serve their students.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you on being the first in your family to become a college student.
DeleteThis whole topic on free education has both pros and cons. You have the positive of more people going to college but the downside or negative is the money has to come from somewhere and if it were free, the lack of motivation.
At any rate, wishing you a well and successful journey in school. Blessings.
I don't know how to change the unknown to my name but this is Carlos Medrano from history 1301 Tuesday and Thursday class at 11:00am -12:20pm.
ReplyDeleteIn my eyes I agree and disagree with college being free to students. One of the reasons why it should be free is, people who are undocumented don’t received the same benefits compared to those who are born here legally. They must pay out of pocket to attend college and its hard for them since they don’t have a social security number to work, so how are they expected to pay college? Even DACA students don’t received the same benefits as a U.S citizen; if you’re a DACA student you must rush to apply for TAFSA since they only have money for certain number of students. I don’t find it fair for students that desire to study and are not able to simply because of their status. With that being said I also disagree with college being free, some us of don’t know how to value something that is given to us for free. Missing class, homework not getting done, books not being bought simply because it is free. On the other hand, if we know we are paying for college we are obviously going to take it more seriously and put effort to going to class and learn.
ReplyDeleteI think that college should be free, for a two year degree at a community college. College degrees are often needed for jobs that pay above minimum wage, which sits at an embarrassing $7.25 an hour federally. I often hear the argument that minimum wage jobs are not meant to live off of, and that if you want a better paying job, you should go get a degree. This is correct to an extent. When a person is making minimum wage, it is very hard to afford the cost of living, let alone extra things like tuition. Yes, there is financial aid, but because people are considered "dependent" on their parents income until they are 24 according to FAFSA, not everyone qualifies. Of course, they can get a loan, but voluntarily committing yourself to be thousands of dollars in debt, in order to make more money seems counterproductive. It is unfair to tell low-income populations to get a degree in order to make more money, while simultaneously limiting their ability to pay for those degrees. Of course, someone has to help pay for all of this free tuition: someone meaning the taxpayers. Taxes are taken for far more stupid reasons than education. We as a country already pay a large amount of our incomes to fund various programs that in my opinion are less beneficial to society than education. If everyone pays a small portion of taxes, instead of thousands for their tuition, we as individuals could save money.
ReplyDeleteIf You dot plan on joining the military in order to receive free college, or you are unable, there are hundreds of scholarships and grants available for students of all social, ethnic and economic backgrounds. There is also Federal student aid that many low income students may qualify for. One of several major factors that is never discussed but plays a key role in student debt is laziness. Scholarship and grant applications are often a lengthy process and since they require a little bit of effort and determination to complete, they often get pushed aside and forgotten about. These scholarships and grants also tend not to be surface level information. Since they are not being advertised and marketed in mass, many students don't even know they exist. If students put more time into research and digging for helpful resources, they would realize that crippling amounts of student debt is not the only option. Also, there are a handful of studies that show college students choosing degree paths from expensive universities that yield low entry level salaries. If you choose to put yourself into $50-100k worth of student debt for a degree where you might earn a $40k salary, it is no ones responsibility but your own to pay your debt. Plenty of college students will complain about having to work full time and still not be able to afford college tuition, but drive $30k-$40k new cars that cost $400-600 monthly. Its a matter of priorities and accountability, not affordability. With that being said, I believe tuition cost should be lower, but not free.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree that college should be free, but it should be reduced significantly. Having free college would devalue the education, as students would not take the curriculum as seriously. This would then turn into a similar situation of our current public school system. By this I mean that students wouldn’t have the mentality of knowing the worth of their education. This would give the students the sense of them having nothing to lose. By creating a so-called “free college”, you would have to take into consideration of how professors, school staff members, and school necessities are all going to be paid for. Raising the taxes of hard working citizens is what comes to mind at first, but there is potentially another way around this. I believe that if you reevaluate the way the government spends taxpayer's money you could find a better solution for the high tuition cost in colleges. By investing more into our education department rather than more areas. This gives a realistic view of reducing college tuition, rather than a free college system.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think College should be free , and theres a few reasons why i think shouldn't be free, one of the reasons why is because if college was free, Most college students wont even try , not care about it and having expectations of having free things like free school supplies ,pencils ,books ,etc, not only that they could decide one day to skip class because they are not paying for it ,in my opinion if i had to pay for college out of my pocket i wouldn’t have the mind set i would attend every day and pay attention because it cost me my money. The second reason why i think college shouldn’t because the Government would raise the taxes , prices effecting the economy , people that live the U.S because the people would pay even more tax money because the free college . The third reason , Most students from high school that are working hard in class attending AP classes for a great GPA , or good resume for good Universities , and they wouldn’t like just anybody to attend the college or university without trying in high school and for free , not having the same mind set as the hard workers wouldn’t be fair in my opinion . The classes capacity would be a problem as well with the result to more people attending and taking up room .
ReplyDeleteI do not believe college should be free. Nothing in this life is free. If you want something, you must work for it. Tuition cost is incredibly high, yes, but there are a multitude of resources out there intended to aid with the cost. Scholarships exist. Grants exist. Work-study programs exist. It is up to the student to utilize said resources to make their life easier. Free college is easier said than done. Most proponents of this idea overlook the important questions. Who will pay for college to be free? Will it be the taxpayers or the government? If it is the government, will they raise taxes, in order to afford supplying the country with free education? These are the questions that need to be analyzed. If either of these parties were to pay to make college free, it would more than likely destabilize the economy. Taxes will be raised, and consequently taxpayers will be left with fewer money to spend. Less spending money means not as many goods are bought. When the demand for products is low, the supply decreases. Ultimately this would result in an economic inflation. Is what we want for our economy, more importantly for our country? The advocates of free college should study their decision very carefully.
ReplyDeleteHaving personally gone through the military to get my "free" college I think that doing your four years is a great way to pay for school. Not only do they pay for school but allow you some money to be able to support yourself with so you can better focus on school and not have to worry about working a nine to five if you don't want/need to. On top of all that it gives you four years to decide what it is exactly you want to study because let's face it, being eighteen years old and deciding what career path you want to take is a little bit ridiculous. When you get done with your four year contract you most likely also have something school alone won't provide you with and that's a trade. Being an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Navy I'm certified to work on Boeing aircraft, preform structural and hydraulic mechanical maintenance on different platforms, whether you want to continue in that field is also entirely up to you so you have options when getting out.
ReplyDeleteWho should free college apply to? I believe that it should depend on the persons economic state and IQ in most scenarios. For example, your IQ is high, and your economic state is high meaning your wealthy, so your able to pay for your own schooling. No free college for you. But if your IQ is high but your economic state is low meaning, you’re not rich than I believe you should get free college. But let’s say that your IQ is low and you’re not wealthy enough to pay for college, but you really want to better yourself, than college should be free to you as well. Once you slack off than maybe they should take that privilege from you and start having you pay. I believe that no money should be spent on people that have the privilege to have that money themselves. Leave it for people that have the same inspirations as them but don’t have the same privilege of having that type of money like them.
ReplyDeleteI think IQ is an antiquated way of measuring ones knowledge or capacity for knowledge. People are not created equal and therefore should not be assessed equally. I do however highly agree with evaluating a persons economic state.
DeleteLand of the free, home of the brave. America has made many names for itself. It is said to be the ‘Land of Opportunity’. America is the most technologically powered country in the world with the most dominant economic and military power. It would be safe to contribute such achievements to education. People spend thousands of dollars to receive an education that, no matter how you look at it, will end in somehow benefiting the country anyhow. Yes, there is much discussion about free college lately. Every other year or so, American students learn of another European country that has decided to offer its students free college. Any countries economic or technologic state is based on the intellect of the people that reside there. Even with a 2.7% decline in the number of international students from just last year, 1,169,464 students have still come to America to indulge in the American education system. Many argue that our education system is failing, and while that is a matter for another time, the fact of this matter is that America is still the most economically powered and technologically powered country, and this number of parents all still decided to send their children here to study. The point being, for the hundreds of thousands of students currently studying in America, who will go on to contribute to the advancements of this society, college should be free.
ReplyDeleteI believe that serving your country for a few years in exchange for the GI Bill is a risky option, I used this option, but in hindsight for me it was not worth it. Without going into detail, the mental price I paid while serving supersedes the benefits. I don't think I would have served if I was made aware of the scholarships and grants that I could have applied for. The counselors at my high school would talk to you about college if you had an interest in attending, but they were not hunting anyone down about it. I believed college was for the kids that had a stable home environment and their parents would be paying for their education. I personally don't think that by using the GI Bill my education was free, I have paid a price for it. As far as college costs, I think it should be paid for in some kind of way, but I’m not sure about "Free College". I believe it would help people, especially families that have a lot of children or one income households. Maybe your college loans should be reduced if you use your degree to help your community in some way within 2 years of graduating.
ReplyDeleteI believe that college should be free in certain circumstances. We know that when a student first starts school college is a topic that is brought up from elementary all the way up to high school. Through the high school years students are informed about different ways to pay for college. With the information provided students have the opportunity to learn about FASFA, grants, programs, scholarships or serving in the military are ways to help them succeed. I believe that it is the students responsibility to take action if they are interested in furthering their education. For example, I knew that the best route for me was to attend a community college instead of going to a university. By me attending a community college I was able to apply to programs and scholarships that the college provided that would cover more of my education than a university would. In my situation I applied for the Eagle Promise program and was able to get my associates free even through I didn’t qualify for Financial Aid. If college was free who would cover the charges? Tax payers already pay for elementary schools through high schools and other requirements. How much would paying for colleges bring up our taxes and our admission prices? Once logistics are figured out, I believe each institution should provide financial aid programs that are easily accessible and presented during orientation and admission process to through who qualify through financial and academic merits.
ReplyDeleteIn a perfect world, yes, college would be free. Unfortunately, that is not a card that many Americans have in their hands. There are other budget options that can be more obtainable for the average student. Some enroll in the military, apply for a scholarship, or receive a government funded grant that gives aid to the high cost of enrolling in classes. The idea of a free education sounds alluring, but like most free things, it is too good to be true. Roughly about half of my problems would be solved if my education was free. Even though it would be a dream come true for my education to come at no cost to me, I still would rather pay for it. Free does not mean quality. College professors and the teachings of the class would become affected. With college also being free it would become too overpopulated and the quality of the college experience would lack. Not to mention that our taxes would skyrocket due to the cost of maintaining the school systems. So, in the long run a “free education” would end up costing you.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it's clear, crisp and precise: no, university should not be free. It is perfectly normal for students to pay reasonable tuition fees to fund an education they will receive first.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, free education is an illusion: neither schools, hospitals, roads, nor any public service are free. You have to pay the teachers, the doctors, the libraries, the operating theaters, the rents, and so on. The people people who are paying for all those their things are indeed the taxpayers. And it is normal that this is so.
None of the arguments in favor of free tuition fees at the current level convinces me. We want to make us believe that free education would make the university more accessible to young people from modest backgrounds. It's wrong. For instance, In Canada, Quebec has by far the lowest tuition fees, but there is the same proportion of children of rich and poor on their campuses.
The reason is because the sorting has already been done, unfortunately, at the secondary level. It is high school dropout rates. The fact that also, the United States have over 1.2 million students drop out of high school shows that without a high school education, you cannot go in college. The real keys to university are to have parents who believe in the importance of education and have had proper grades at previous levels.
Free education means subsidizing the education of children, mainly from the middle and upper classes, by taxpayers, some of whom are unlikely to see their children go to university. Instead of this vast hypocrisy that would be false gratuitousness, why not real scholarships for those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and a relentless fight against dropping out of high school?
If college was completely free, then a degree will just lose its value, such as a high school diploma. In the United States, children are in school from K-12th and everybody is capable of earning a high school diploma at the end of their high school year. Nowadays, many companies and particular jobs aren’t looking for new potential employees with just a high school diploma. These companies are looking for people who achieved earning a bachelor’s or a master’s degree. Also, there wouldn’t necessarily be a free college to begin with. The money would have to come from somewhere, and that would come from the taxpayer’s money. Someone has to pay the professors that teach at the university, the technician that fixes any technical problems that the school may have, and the janitors that keep the school clean. This would ultimately just lead to an increase in tax because nothing in this world is truly free. If college was accessible to everyone, some students wouldn’t even take the class seriously. Some students will just treat college like if it was high school. Such as showing up late to class, not listening to the professor, and retake the class if they ever failed. By implementing this payment method, this will show which students are truly taking their education seriously and committed to furthering their education. For the students who are willing to pay for their education, this puts them above other students since they are the ones who put their time and effort into earning their college degree.
ReplyDeleteI support the free college though is not for every American. There are private and government jobs in which required a bachelor degree. There are many things you can do after graduation such as you can apply for a job basis on your bachelor degree, you can participate in HAS/IAS competitive exams. You get admission in post-graduation programs. Well, the degree is not enough in the private sector but it is required as an eligibility criterion in many government and private jobs. So, it’s not a good idea to ignore college education and at the same time, it is a good idea to make it affordable and free for all Americans regardless if one is in military service or not- Chinyelu Okoye
ReplyDeleteFREE COLLEGE
ReplyDeleteI support the free college though is not for every American. There are private and government jobs in which required a bachelor degree. There are many things you can do after graduation such as you can apply for a job basis on your bachelor degree, you can participate in HAS/IAS competitive exams. You get admission in post-graduation programs. Well, the degree is not enough in the private sector but it is required as an eligibility criterion in many government and private jobs. So, it’s not a good idea to ignore college education and at the same time, it is a good idea to make it affordable and free for all Americans regardless if one is in military service or not. College build sense of responsibility and sense of duty in students which is the way of human development. When someone responsible for their own works and duty it will help a nation to build a social and economic development environment. And it starts with a college education. In which they find that professors are not that much worry like school teachers. They don’t force you to study, take a lecture, and do that or this. They just teach you the lessons, after that it’s your duty to learn it or not. They don’t care. This are the positive qualities that prepares you to adulthood, but if you cant afford the fees; you loose the benefit. So I strongly advocate for free college to all American.
I don’t think college should be free just for the fact that a college degree would lose its value. When people graduate from high school no one sees it as a big achievement. Everyone says, “It’s what you’re supposed to do.” Sometimes students are the first ones to graduate from high school in their family because others focus on working instead of getting their education. If college were to be free it would be the same thing as graduating from high school. I do believe however that FAFSA should take into matter the expenses of families instead of just asking how much one family in total earns. A family could be making 75k a year, but they don’t take into consideration how many family members they also must provide for or how many bills do they have to pay monthly, etc. If that was taken into consideration, I’m sure we would be able to take off a lot of debt from students. I also think we shouldn’t have to pay for access codes, books, parking, or lunch because we are already paying for the classes each semester. It doesn’t make sense to still pay an extra to be able to obtain the full potential of the class. Without books nor access codes you’re pretty much fried.
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DeleteI agree with you about a lot of what you’re saying. Although free college would awesome, nothing in life is free. The money will come out of taxpayers pockets. I also agree that FASFA should take families situations into consideration when dispersing money. For example, in my household there are a total of 6 people including myself. My parents make decent money but a lot of it goes to medical bills. My youngest sister has a bad heart so she has to attend many doctors appointments and even surgery in the future. All the devices we have to purchase to keep her monitored, all the medicine she needs, and even special foods she has to eat all adds up to a lot and it isn't taken into consideration. That's just one of the many expenses they are covering. I am not the only one who is going through this situation and others even have it worse. Parking passes, access codes, and books should be free or at least more affordable. Paying $100 plus to do homework is honestly unfair. If you do not do the homework or have a specific book, you basically already failed. Paying to park is unfair especially if tuition is already crazy high. Not only are students paying for a class, we pay for books, access codes, parking, eating, and home expenses. This should be taken into consideration by FASFA.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with freer college. No necessarily free just more accessible. In other countries such as Sweden, Germany, and France college is not something for the privileged but for everyone. The USA operates in a different market and our social institutions are not yet prepared for what free college would entice. Having it available to everyone will decrease the value a degree holds with it and it would be an obligation not something that is wanted. It goes without saying that in our lower socioeconomic areas it is much harder to attend college because of social and financial factors. As some of my other colleagues pointed out not everyone meets the requirements for financial aid and where does this leave them? Struggling in a low wage job trying to keep up grades that can only lead to burn out. Allowing flexibility to exist in college tuition is a must. I believe the plan Dr. Jnr offers is the start of finding a balance.
ReplyDeleteim pretty sure everyone here, including myself included, would love to have free college. having my tuition paid for is a dream come to every college student in america.but thats simply not the case.now, would i want it to be free? yes, but i wouldnt value it as much. for instense, in high school, since it was free, i didnt take it serious.i barely went to class and did half my work. now that im in college and much more mature, i take my work serious. so i do not believe college should be flat out free of charge. i would agree on lowering the cost of tuition though. lowering tuition and with the help of the government would make it easier for lower income families to send their beloved kids off to college without having to worry much on the student debt. so basically if college was free, people wouldnt value it as much. instead of making it free, lower the cost. that way it would still be valued, without making the student pay back loans for the rest of their lives.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, college shouldn't be free because then every student would get the same opportunities that a good scholar would get and that isn't right. We need students to reach for greatness and to have that determination to reach their goals. We shouldn't just hand out degrees because we wouldn't have enough jobs for everybody and that would create chaos. Everyone in this world is trying to find their dream job but how would they get their if they don't go through obstacles. For Example, managing their time, focus, and growing as an individual. These are big factors because if you have students that don't want to learn and just want to party, drink, and do illegal things than how would they accomplish that. I could see this happening because most students would like the experience, but I mean who doesn't? That is just not the case, a college should be a learning environment that has boundaries and requirements. Such as GPA, SAT or ACT scores, and Tuition. But I also think that they should evaluate the requirements so that more students who want to change their future are able to get that chance.
ReplyDeleteStudents who show their effort should be given the opportunity for free education. A Lot of people can't afford school but everybody should be given the opportunity to expand their education. Students who hold over a 3.5 gpa going to school for their associates degree should receive free tuition, and students going for their bachelors degree should receive free books and 50% off tuition. But you don't need a degree to be successful in life but it can be used as guaranteed status and used as a conversation piece. The scholarship would only be given to students who won't waste the money because the opportunity shouldn't be taken for granted. There's programs to receive free tuition, a lot of them ask for commitment and requirements that might stop students from qualifying. Students receiving a free education will work harder because the student wouldnt stress over student debt. School should be free for the ones who desire it.
ReplyDeleteCollege should not be free.I personally think that if college were free people would not take it seriously or just take it for granted.paying for college teaches people the value of financial responsibility and the value of getting your moneys worth i know that because i am paying for college i am taking it more seriously than I did in high school and knowing the financial pressures i face motivates me to do better and to earn that degree like i should.However, i do think that everyone should at least have an equal chance of being able to afford it there should not just be one focus group considering that fafsa only looks at a certain group of people.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, “freer college” means more freedom to present and express your opinions about something rather than freedom about the tuition. Many people think that the tuition would be exempt when they go to college, but, everything is different. In college, tuition will depend on the taxpayers for the GOV, if the taxpayers pay more tax costs; the tuition seems to be zero. Everybody can make rights for themselves; they want pay less for everything in their life. But, the life is not. If you pay more, you will have more. For example, you need to pay $2,000.00 for this semester, instead of paying $2,000.00, you should pay $1,000.00 and you will supported another one by GOV, that would be better for students and GOV because GOV needs to pay for salary for professors, costs of school’s supply. On the other hand, in the US, students can borrow the loans from the GOV and you can pay back after you graduated. From FIFSA, you can pay less for the tuition or you can borrow it, it doesn’t mean the tuition is zero. If everybody thinks that school is “freer college”, the economics would be decreasing. So, in my opinion, “freer college” means you are free in both the tuition and the speech in college.
ReplyDeleteAn education has always been free because it started at home. As we grew older the search for more knowledge got established in free public schools. After attending this educational establishment for twelve free years of public school, you are rewarded with a diploma certifying that you have met the standards. Now, when it comes to college, I think that the first degree which for some is an Associate's degree should be free and if you choose to continue your educational career that some incentives should be established as a means to encourage others to continue to go to college. There are scholarships, and grants that don't have to be paid back if you go to college. I really don't like the idea of going into the military in order to attend college for free due to war or rumors of war. I have family who went to the Armed Services and after their life experiences, post traumatic illness from foreign lands, many wished they had just went to college without using the military as a financial means. Our country need to do research on how other third world countries pay their citizens free college expense and try to implement what was learned.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of free college sounds amazing like who wouldn't want to go to college for free But can it really be done?. It could be done but technically free isn't really free for there to be free college education it will have to come from taxpayers and not everyone is on board with paying for other's education. Like, let's be honest nothing in life is really free there's always a price to be paid even the things labeled “free”. The best thing to do create more financial aid and scholarship programs so there are more opportunities for people to continue studying and pursue a career. Plus it helps motivate students to do well in their classes instead of falling back into the that it's free and it doesn't matter how many times they can fail a class because it's free and they can simply retake it as many times as they want.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you college should be free for people in the military, because serving in the military like putting their life in a scale of life and death and it cost them that much to able to get the free college so why the other can received the free too? And if free college applying to all American it will make the students lower their motivation and their responsibility to graduate. According to https://nces.ed.gov. In 2017, there were 2.1 million status dropouts between the ages of 16 and 24 and the overall status dropout rate was 5.4 percent. Why did that happen? Because high school students don't pay for their tuition, all they have to do are eat, study and sleep. They have no care for the world around them. Compare to the college student, we are adults, we have to take care of our life by ourselves, no support and no help. That's why we know how hard it is to make any cent of money worth and if the free college applying for the college student, we will forget about our duty and lost our motivation. Usually, people don't respect what they have, same thing here when we pay for our tuition that means we have the duty to graduate because we pay for it. And I like the way it is right now, the Financial Aid helps students pay for their additional fees or if students want more money they can apply for the scholarship. That what it means "give and get"
ReplyDeleteand yes I agreed that Free College is good but it should giving to those who deserve it.
I strongly agree that free college should be offered to all people, that are willing to get an education. Not only the people that are serving the country should have the benefit of getting a "better education." Everyone has the right to an education. In comments like this there is always that saying of “ nothing is free in this world, you have to work hard to get what you want.” For some students it’s hard to pay for an education, in my case I didn't qualify for financial aid so I did have to pay out of pocket and it gets expensive. With books and the classes for one semester it’s about $2,000 or even more. I could have gotten loans but for what???, so i would be paying them when I graduated from college. I rather not be paying off loans and having to work harder to get where I want to be. Many students do work full time jobs to pay for their classes and they are full time students as well. That can be so stressful in the case if college was free so many students would be so much better at getting their education and only worrying about accomplishing their goals. There are so many students that work so hard in high school to try and get a full ride to college or even try to get into a college that worked for them. It’s only fair for those who what an education and are willing to do anything should have the benefit of having a free education.
ReplyDeleteI believe that college tuition should be free. The stress of making ends meet is one of the biggest concern of the today society. Therefore, when college is added to that only few people can turn the situation and use it as a fuel to continue with school. This way they could achieve a greater future and they do not ever have to struggle again. But on the other hand, it could lead many people to dropping out of school. Because there is additional financial stress caused by attending college. It is viewed as luxury in some cases. They rather pick up extra shift or get additional job rather than add more bill. If college is free to the students; I believe that the maintenance fee and employees’ salary could come from tax money. In my home country Ethiopia that is the method that is being administered. The tax rate is slightly high, but more and more people are with education as a result of that. The only time you could end up paying for college is if you decide to attend a private institution. But as long us you have a qualifying score you are not going to miss a chance at a better tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThe idea about having “free college” will never be entirely true. I believe that everything has a price, even though education should be a right and not a privilege. Perhaps college should be more affordable because it would generate more opportunities for people to get their degree, but it can’t be completely free. Scholarships and student loans may work for some but, in other cases, it could make it worse. Why? My response will always be the same: when you get such a privilege of having free college, sometimes you don’t take enough responsibility and could think like “oh, it doesn’t matter if I don’t pass this class. I can take it again next semester at no cost”. The U.S. would have some graduates who did not learn much while studying because they just did not try to make an effort to pass some classes in their first chance. That would bring a bigger issue to the country when these graduates get a job or open their own business, and they do not know how to succeed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, students have great facilities and services in the U.S. (libraries in the majority of campuses, air conditioners, great infrastructure, educated and well-prepared professors, as well as good maintenance and administrative employees). Then, who will pay for this if the students get free education? Let’s suppose it is the government who pays… Wouldn’t that money come from taxpayers (a.k.a. students who work or their parents/guardians)? The IRS would collect more money from everyone who must pay taxes.
Free college would be everyone's dream. Is it possible? Probably not because someone is going to have to pay for the professor’s salary, the upkeep of the school, the staff, and everything else that is needed to run a successful college. As much as I want to say I wish college was free because it would help out tremendously, I just don’t think it should be. Here is why, if college was free a lot more people would want to go. Meaning it would raise the acceptance rates and it would probably be harder to get accepted in a certain program due to a high demand. I understand that not everyone can afford college but there are other ways of getting an education. I used to work for an urgent care that paid for me to go get my RT all I had to do was work for them for two years. That saved me so much money. If you’re wanting to work in the nursing field there are so many hospitals that will pay for you to go to school as long as you sign a contract and work for them. I don’t think college should be free because I don’t think people would take it seriously it would just be another high school. Another reason why more people is go to college more people would be in demand for a job. Everyone is already freaking out about not being able to find a job well this will increase as well.
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DeleteI see what you are saying about finding programs in their field of study, but I feel that it's more than just getting a specific degree. It to make a basic living. Trying to find jobs without a college degree has gotten much harder over the years because everyone is competing to be the best. I remembered when Matthew McConaughey gave a speech at the University of Houston the year my sister graduated and he mentioned how before, going to college was mainly to specialize in something specific but other than that it wasn't deemed necessary and that practically anyone could make a living right out of high school but now its not the same. Many students who have graduated from college are still living with their parents because living alone is so expensive and about 69% of graduates have accumulated student loan debt over the past 4-years they have attended college with an average being about $29,800. Why must there be such a deep financial crisis in student debts when majority of these graduates are just trying to make a decent living for themselves.
I somewhat agree with your idea. I do think people that have joined any branch of the military should automatically get free college after they served their required number of years. I do not want it to stop there because I believe that all public universities should, at least, be tuition free. I find it crazy that we are forced to pay thousands of dollars just to be able to enroll there, but then it double dings us by making us find hundreds of dollars to pay for classes and textbooks. I hate the argument that if college was free, then no one would take it seriously and it would be another high school. I do not think this is true because college is a *choice*, not a requirement. People who choose to go to college do so because they want to get a higher education. Those people want to put in the work as well. Another argument that I detest is, "well if university were to be free, then degrees would be worthless." Which again, goes back to my first point. Those degrees are not worthless because it means the people who has them actually put in the work to get one.
ReplyDeleteOverall, public universities should be free to everyone who CHOOSE to enroll in one and want to put in the extra work to get a degree.
Free college isn’t actually free, but I believe that the money paid by taxpayers towards college would be beneficial to society as a whole, as it would raise the overall population of people with higher education and in turn could allow for more specialized fields of work, innovations in technology, and economic growth. I do admit, however, that you must work for free/reduced college, and that standards such as gpa limits, drop counts, and academic behavior should affect the amount of financial aid that is given. The money should be used on people who put in effort and diligence, and don’t want to go broke or join the army just to get higher education.
ReplyDeleteCollege should only be free for those who work for the government, have proven to be academically capable, or are not able to afford the cost of their education. Recently, across the nation and even within the government there has been talk of providing free public education for all. This idea has grown strength and public support over the years by many students and politicians, and they are not met without resistance. The federal government has become the one we look to when it comes to basic needs such as health, education, and welfare; furthermore, the future seems to be dependent on our government when it comes to topics such as these. As Americans we pride ourselves on freedom and equality for all, but we must be able to practice equity in order to have full equality. For example, if the United States hopes to have more innovative and intellectual minds to truly make this nation one of the best, we must be able to provide for those in need. We must provide our services for those who are less fortunate and wish to further their education as well as those who prove to be successful in their academics. The United States should help these students by providing need-based grants and loans, as well as offering loan forgiveness for those who contribute to the government or make full use of their degree. We should not revert to times when only those with money and power could obtain higher education. As for those who offer their services to the welfare of the nation, they should continue to be taken care of and given higher education at no cost.
ReplyDeleteI Do not believe college should be free just because it would damage our economy in the long run, But we should continue to make it free for the people who have earned it meaning they have been granted scholarships of some sort or financial assistance, we could talk about lowering the prices of college but not making it free all together. Although the government does hand out free education to people who decide to serve the country no one should be pressured too in the sense that recruits show up to highschools every year making this offer to students who know they can not afford the cost. There can be many setbacks to this as well, being away from home and family putting your life at risk and many others we wouldn’t even know about looking in from the outside. I know some of my fellow classmates do not have to pay a dime for college due to the fact their parents where in the military but the thing is they actually grew up without their fathers or mothers around and we all know how much of a toll that can have on a child just to present free education.
ReplyDeleteI think your idea that there be some federal program like the military would be an effective solution to helping more people get their college paid for. College can never be truly free, because like you said somebody has to pay to run the school. The federal government would be the best option to pay for tuition, but they need something out of it. For you it was military service, but other federal jobs could offer tuition coverage, with differences in payment corresponding to the difficulty or danger of the job. I see the problem with this being how the scale of how much the government is paying will be created. For instance, how do you compare an active duty member of the military who has been deployed to a government desk worker who didn’t have to leave their town? Until there is an equal and fair plan for how much student debt would be covered by the government for each job, I think that the government can’t get involved in paying for college education much more than it does today.
ReplyDeleteThe high cost of tuition in colleges across the United States has necessitated the debate on whether the government should invest more funds in educational budget with a view to creating free college education to enable individuals achieve their dreams of going to college. Proponents of this idea like Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a Democrat and currently a presidential candidate under the democratic party have argued that making college free for low- and middle-income students will benefit the nation. Buttressing this notion, lawmakers in 23 states are trying to float “free college” bill.
ReplyDeleteHowever, college tuition is expensive based on so many reasons, such as the need to pay lecturers, workers, and maintenance of the entire college environment to an acceptable standard. Despite this, there are ways one could pay for college such as through grants, work-study jobs, tax credits or even enrolling in community colleges which is cheaper.
For the college to be free for an individual, its either you get enrolled in a tuition-free college such as Barclay College, Berea College, College of Ozarks and others that offer free college education.
Finally, of note is defining what “free College” means because overcrowding lecture rooms with too many students will reduce the quality of education because the lectures will not have time to evaluate each student properly.
When I heard Free College, I understand by Free Education (no need to pay for tuition in college), but the term “Free College” really means “do not pay any tuition, but when you get your degree/ certificate, you will enter a federal service”. The contrast of this definition is that those who do not enter a federal service will pay back 100% of the money they own for the tuition. Is this still a Free College? NO. When we heard Free College, everyone will jump on it without knowing that is a trap for those who do not want to work for a government after school. The government implemented a Free College because they know that many students will be glad to school without giving any penny for tuition. According to this jargon, “nothing is free in America”, nobody will be happy to pay for your tuition, your education or to help you assure your future without nothing in exchange if is not your “parent”.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea and view of a "free college tuition country". In my opinion, it would motivate and encourage more Americans to go to college and to finish their degree, without the hassle of having to pay off some major debt after they graduate. I feel if our country would invest more money into us students, it would benefit society more in the long run because more intellectual educated people would contribute to the country's welfare and economical growth. There are already some countries in Europe like Germany and Denmark that believe in free college tuition, regardless of family income level. I know this because I'm from Germany and attended college there for three years and didn't have to pay a dime after I graduated. Me, not having to pay off any debt, helped me get on my feet better financially and mentally because I was carefree without any money issue. It helped me focus on what was most important...finding a job!
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with this notion. College is extremely expensive, with hundreds of rooms to maintain, thousands of square feet to clean, and of course, the staff that has to be paid. Making it free means that the government will have to pay for it. The primary way that the government makes money is through taxes. Their money comes directly from us, meaning that we would be forking over for everyone's college. The people of America are already $36,714.69 in debt. We simply cannot afford to pay for everyone's college. That is not even mentioning the corruption and bureaucracy that would result from that. Sinking the already bureaucratically encumbered college system into Washington would be the equivalent of killing a fire with gasoline. Cases of corrupt politician and board member giving out additional funding or bonuses for favors and people bribing professors and admission staff to get their children in college will be rampant.
ReplyDeleteThe alternative is not that much of a choice either. You willingly become property of the US government and have to serve for four years, going through a conditioning process designed specifically to make killing an instinctual response. If, for some miraculous reason, one does not get deployed during their service and possible injured or psychologically scarred, the earliest one might get into college is twenty-two. A Bachelor's degree will add another four years onto that. The earliest one will be able to join the job-market is twenty-six, no job-experience, very limited interaction with the business world, and an oversaturation of young candidates all looking for the same job. Not a very good outlook.
The answer to the problem of expensive college is found in the cause of the disaster: government student loans. The fact that the government can give anyone, regardless of credit score or ability to pay the money back, a couple dozen thousand dollars to go through college is a recipe for disaster. Of course, the big colleges and universities took advantage of this. If every student is capable of getting a thousand dollars in loans, why not make it a little more expensive? With more expensive college came larger loans, which made colleges raise their prices even higher, until we have a student debt crisis in 2019 is nearly 1.56 TRILLION dollars. The class of 2017 has on average a debt of $28,650. However, the price of college has only risen since then.
In conclusion, neither of those options are good. Colleges still need to charge a price, or else the rooms, buildings, and lawns will become dilapidated. Serving in the military will at best give you a free degree by 26, possibly physical and psychological damage, and no job experience. The real crux of the problem are unlimited student loans for everyone, given out by our government on a daily basis.
Colleges should be available for everyone who want to pursue their higher education after High School. In America, total number of students going to college after high school are only 69.7 % of total high school graduates as per the report published in 2016. Rest 30.3% of total students are still not going to college due to different reasons. But among all, high cost of tuition is the most common reason for them not going to college. I believe that everyone should at least get a college degree to get a good job for living because nowadays there is an extremely high technical competition in a market where just High School education is not enough. Among those 30.3% percent, there are thousand of smart and talented students who really wanna pursue their carrier and their higher education but just their willingness is not enough to achieve their wants due to expensive tuition. People pay taxes for their better facilities and growth of the their nation's economy and investment in development but billions of dollars Aid are given to other countries every year instead of using those taxes money in our own educational funding and supporting students who cannot afford their education. Only if education standard increases, manpower of the country rises and new skills and technology will develop.
ReplyDeleteAs radical as this may or may not sound, free or discounted higher education should be a right rather than a future financial burden that is sadly a reality for most of the population. This is because higher education can lead to one’s happiness, thus making it a pursuit of happiness which is one of the inalienable rights of the people of the united states. The fact that education is so wildly expensive I the U.S is proof of a classist divide, in fact, that purposely prevents the poor or less fortunate from elevating themselves within society. Those that do step forward and bury themselves I det are rewarded but the reward is slow ad those individuals are stuck I unnecessary det for the majority of their lives. This is not to say that money or higher societal status is the only way to achieve happiness; however, the fact that people are taught this as a way of accepting their status as someone who could ever achieve certain things without a degree that would surely open doors of opportunity for them is proof of a classist divide that is engrained within our society that grooms people to stay where they are or bury themselves trying to climb up. Thus essentially, the question of whether or not college should be free is really a question of whether or not those who are in charge are willing to grant Americans their right to a better life. This is just an idea, but maybe if all me were created equal the we would all have the opportunity at a better and more fulfilling life.
ReplyDeleteI know all students and even parents dream of tuition being free, but I agree on there being a “formula” or system on how to achieve free tuition. Realistically, it would not be beneficial for everyone to just hand out free tuitions for numerous reasons. One, if we all had free tutions the need to thrive may not be present anymore. I mean if it doesn’t cost us anything would we still want it that bad? If we flunk a class, then we’ll just easily retake it without worrying about possibly spending hundreds of dollars more. Secondly, blue collar careers can decrease. Sometimes people are put in a position where they cannot afford to go to college for four years, so instead they follow a path that takes less time and cheaper to get there. However, if college is now free then most people, I would think, would take the opportunity and time to go to college for four years or more. What would we do if all the sudden blue collar jobs such as custodial work, food processing, and construction are no longer being practiced? Finally, free college wouldn’t really be free. Someone has to pay for it even if we do not realize that we are paying. It comes down to one thing, taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with free college, the reason behind it is because college is very expensive and not everyone gets the same opportunity as others. Most students don’t receive the same financial support as many others. For example, some receive financial aid from the government but not the full amount due to their family contribution, but the problem with this is that the goverment doesn’t see what the parents have to pay or any minor details that makes the EFC go up. This affects the student needs and aren’t able to get the full amount and many students use this help to pay off their classes and without it they have no money to afford college. Yes I believe theirs other ways to try and recieve scholarships or even join the military and theirs no reason why people shouln’t because it is the best option when money is the problem. The only thing is not everyone can join due to medical issues so that becomes a problem and can’t attend college. When students hear the word “free” they are more motivated to actually succeed and become someone in their future and that makes them want to attend classes and want to be there everyday they can, to do better for themselves. Another big problem of why free college should be set is because most students who actually want to have a good education go into debt with all these loans they have to take out and usually “the average student today graduates from college $37,172 in student loan debt.” This shows how students would do anything in order for them to get an education and I believe that if our country would at least invest more for education expenses it would benefit later on in life because most people would have an education and will help out increase the country’s economic growth. Also, I believe that the government should put in more money for military expenses and cut off money from other expenses that aren’t really needed or are given a little more than it should. The reason why is because when serving the country it shows a lot from that person meaning they are willing to put their life in danger just to have a better life, most military people go through a lot while serving for their country and its not fair enough.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the idea of free college sounds good in theory and may have worked in other countries, in my opinion, converting to a free college education system may cause a negative domino effect in the United States. Starting with the idea that not everyone believes in a college education; not all Americans may agree with paying more taxes for someone else’s college education. This might cause this idea of free college to not even come into effect. A positive impact on free college might be that there will be a higher percentage of college graduates, but this will cause a negative effect on the economy. For example, having more engineers in the community will cause a decrease in blue collar workers, causing too much competition and not enough workers to fill necessary jobs. College graduate jobs might also be worth less because there is a higher supply of workers and not a high enough demand for them. An example of this would be having 200 dentists in one block and only 50 people that need dental work. Some dentists might even be unemployed and other might be trying so hard to get work that their prices will decrease in order to cause competition.
ReplyDeleteThis is a bitter sweet topic to me, because of the fact that in a perfect world free tuition is a must so people won't have excuses to not attend college right? Okay so that being said first of all free tuition is a good idea for those people who say that they can't afford college won't have that problem anymore. And I also think its great cause college will not have you in debt for a long period of time because of a loan. With a higher education there maybe less poverty and more people who are actually are happy to work their jobs and not hate them. People have other payments and pay taxes, take care of their home and kids and on top of they are worrying about paying off student loans. Because of that I do strongly agree that we should all be treated the same and be given the same opportunities when it comes to free tuition, it shouldn’t have to be paid for if you graduated high school.
ReplyDeleteI think free college is a positive and a negative idea at the same time. But it seems like a bad way more than good way, it could lead to a negative domino effect between different classes in population, between the rich and the poor. In my opinion and in my situation, I didn’t grow up in here. I am international student from Vietnam, I have different view. In my country, we had to pay from a -z for my education since I was in kinder garden to college and master (if I want to obtain it). I am saying to let people know that we had to suffer with so many things, and I know different country with different things to worry and suffer. All thing I want to impress is everything has its price. We have to pay for education back in my country, and I think that’s a main reason why we appreciate the chance to go to school. In here, we talk about free school. Free school is good if government have a right policy for who should get free school, who have to pay 30% or 50% of tuition. Because I knew a lot people take advantages of what government offer for student. They go to school without paying anything and still get extra money per semester for going to school. For me, I feel like they have a very easy job to make money and get paid by government. The only thing they need to be done is passed at least 12 credit per semester, and I know it is a super easy job. It is hard to get straight A, but it is easy to pass the class. School is not for everyone. Free school is right for those who really want to go school and know the reason why they are going to school. I also know some people have to suffer with tons of things in their life while they still obtain the college for better life. I appreciate these people. The main thing is free school is good but we have to do its right by right and fair policies.
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing everyone’s responds on whether college should be free or not, I have come to the sense that college shouldn’t be free because when some one works hard for something, they appreciate it more and they take care of it. When people are giving something free, they are reckless and Irresponsible because it doesn’t affect their economy in any way possible. People that work hard for their future appreciate and are more great full for what they have in the other case when we get something for free we tend to just don’t care about it and lose the opportunity that we had gotten free shouldn’t be a thing, we should work hard for our future and our future decisions and help others but not in the sense of giving them everything for free we have to work hard for everything and appreciate it. We should really take it in consideration in making thus chance in the system
ReplyDeleteThe idea of free college is one many people find quite appealing. Colleges and universities have characteristically shown themselves as an expensive investments for the average person. Parents save up hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of their child's life to pay for a quality education debt free. Many times the cost of college for an individual encompass and more than grounds care and staff salary. From personal experience universities have up charge and add countless fees in order to make more money amounting to hundreds of dollars a semester from one student. The idea of free college free college might be a solution for some in order to get a quality education through government service but for the public a college education is much more expensive than it needs to be. I attempted to be a student at the University of Houston Main campus and was charged for not only the class tuition but the cost of the class. I was charged for "student fees" just by being an official student. I was charged fees that I was required to pay in order to attend certain classes in addition to the cost of the class itself. Other "student services" are charged on all students whether or not they use those services. All in all, I was expected to pay over $5000 for one semester of education and did not live on campus. Most people are not able or willing to sacrifice their time and life for the government in order to gain a college education of a lower cost. Free college seems like a good option from a simplistic perspective, but it is not the solution to the difficulty of gaining a high class education.
ReplyDeleteFree college sounds like a dream. No applications for financial aid, no working late night shifts to pay for classes, and no loans. Obviously, if college was free for us to attend, it would not be full of rainbows and unicorns as it seems for everyone. Someone has to pay for the classes, and that is something I realized within our class discussion over this topic. Taxpayers would be responsible and most people will not be the happiest about it.
ReplyDeleteSome people believe if you really want to go to college, then you should earn the money yourself. While earning the money would be more commendable, everyone’s life is different. We all have different struggles and sometimes having a job is not possible. If taxpayers were to pay, everyone would have an opportunity to attend. Maybe graduation rates would increase and debt would no longer be a crisis. Who knows, but no solution of mine makes both parties happy.
In reality, I do not think there is a solution that makes everyone happy. Perhaps helping each other rather than complaining about paying extra money is the best option. That is easy for me say, because I’m not the one paying taxes. Maybe by miracle, one day free college will be free to all parties.
The debate about “free college” is ever increasing as confirmed by this post. However, the big question is who benefits from this free education and yet students are required to pay for different expenses such as salaries to the college employees, expansion, repair and maintenance of ground and building among others. The writer of this blog post argues that free college happens to some and not all people. It appears that there are some fields in which free college benefits most. According to the author of this post, the college was free to him as it prepared him to lay down his or her life for the country and was provided with the GI Bill with the support of the American taxpayers. From the narration of how he used the GI Bill, it is true he benefited from free college.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that for one to benefit from free college he has to join military or civilian federal services. This is evidenced when the writer to this post claims that if we want to enjoy a free ride we have to follow his lead or if not so, look for an option of civilian federal service. What about if one is not interested in one of these? A formula needs, therefore, to be established to determine the payment of the loans obtained from the federal government to cater to those who perform poorly hence failing to be selected for military work and those in one way may not be interested in working in the military due to the involved risks. Overall, the ideas in this post are constructive, have a flow and depict the reality as far as free college is concerned.
When discussing over free college, many parents and students have their bias belief whether or not college should be free or remain how it is. As a college student, a free education would help many individuals remain more financially stable and also allow them to have something less to worry about; however, With free college education, many of the college professors may not have the same ranking in degrees compared to the private and universities due to the lack of income. Personally, I think having a free college education would not benefit either the professors or students. The professors will not be receiving the income deserved, while the student will not receive the best education possible. However, if students want a free education, then there will always be the option of joining the military or have any civilian federal service. The conversation of free college will always remain; however, there will be many complications along with free college education. If any individual needs free college, there will always be two options available for them.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, besides people who work for the government, college should be free to students who are financially struggling and who are at the lowest of the bottom class. That being said, to prevent an abundance of students from using up college resources or for the college to have a wait list to attend, there should be requirements such as a GPA limit and a certain amount of credit hours that one must take per semester. I also believe that community service hours should be an option for people wanting free tuition. For example, having people do about 100-150 hours of community service (like the Houston Food Bank or Student Conservation Association) for a 3 credit hour class at a university would seem reasonable and beneficial to society. For the general population, I believe that college should not be free because it could decrease the value of a degree and make public schools favorable against private schools like Yale. Private school’s rely on endowments, tuition, and donations. If public college was to be free for everybody, then there is a chance that private schools would have to be forced to compete with them—professors could possibly lose their jobs and programs could lose their fundings.
ReplyDeleteFree college for all. This is a topic that I could go either way on. I mean the idea of a free ride to college is good. It would eliminate debt for a lot of people. The trouble is, where will the money come from to fund the college? The government is already into so much debt, adding college as a non-profit would not be good for the economy. If I were to be swayed in one direction, it would be that college should not be free. College is definitely costly, but as mentioned in the article, there are ways for people to go to college without paying. I know that joining the armed forces is not something that most people would want to do, but it is an option for those who can’t afford college. Other avenues that people should explore are scholarships. Scholarships are readily available, and good for those who are serious about competing to obtain their college degree. Otherwise, I would say that college would put a bigger debt on this nation that we can’t afford.
ReplyDeleteFree college, two words that could make any college student happy. Everybody would love a one-way ticket to a free college ride without any outstanding debt following them around for the rest of their lives. This country it is known that if you want a good life, then education can be a way to it, but also costly. With tuition rising each year, it seems as though people are becoming less motivated to going to college because some just don’t have the money or are in a financial crisis and they don’t want to burden themselves no more.
ReplyDeleteBut there are some who are lucky enough who achieve this goal by having a free ride to college with scholarships. Not everyone as the same luck. Some still study, graduate and work for what, to pay those drastic student loans.
I do agree that everyone should deserve some type of financial assistance while in college. Basically, the law of” equivalent” exchange, where you provide a service for the government and they assist you in return for your labor/ contribution. Since veterans put their life on the line to defend this country, it is just right for them to have their education paid for almost entirely.
It all depends on what kind of service you provide. Have a program in which people can choose what job to do and in exchange see how much of their tuition that specific service it will help them in bringing their debt down. How much community service will it take to pay a full four-year college tuition? How much in return for volunteering at the homeless shelter or the food bank? Is it a dangerous task like being in the military?
Because at the end of the day, “free” college would just mean taking more taxes from the people. Sure, some wouldn’t mind while others would riot saying why do they have to pay for someone else’s education, a total complete stranger? The degree would lose its value if someone just had an easy ticket. People wouldn’t take it seriously since it won’t be coming out of their pocket and could just “skip” one class and it wouldn’t hurt. It would be best if the one paying for the education would put their back into it and figure out a way to earn their degree. Make it a worthwhile goal. Maybe not all by themselves, at least have help from the government.
I believe that college can be more affordable but i certainly don't think there can be such a thing as "Free College". Many students finish college only to find themselves in debt. Having to work after college and half of that check going towards the student debt sounds horrible. College didn't use to be this expensive this is because college tuition is raised every year. College classes themselves are very pricy, and to add to that we must buy books to do the homework required to pass those classes. I strongly disagree with having to buy books separately because if the class has been paid for the books should be provided. A way to fix this would be providing ebooks for students who already paid for the class. This needs to happen in the future, because many students will not find the need to go to college if they are going to be in debt after finishing college. I know i'm not looking forward to pay off my debt in the future. I would certainly consider joining the army but my legal status doesn't allow me to. I'm grateful i can attend college and will do my very best to get through it.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think college should be free, but I do not think that it should be so costly. College is simply not for everyone, and if some decided to go and drop whenever they felt like it, it’s a waste of everyone’s time and money. If students pay money for education, they are more likely to work harder at achieving good grades and finishing. For myself, I work a full-time job, and a part-time job while going to school, so I’m definitely working hard and concerned about doing well in school and am not trying to waste my time or anyone else's. I think it’s insane that going to school to better yourself must be financially draining, however. I also think that due to the costs of college, less people attend college even though the desire to do so is there and that’s sad. I am thankful for the financial aid that’s available to help students like myself pay for college expenses but I am not looking forward to the debt accrued while doing so.
ReplyDeleteI don’t agree on the consensus of making college free, but I do not think it should be as costly as it is right now. I think making college free would make it lose its value and would not be seem as that much of an achievement. I think making college cheaper would benefit both new students and schools in the long run. Making college and higher education cheaper would greatly help students in low income households, by giving those students an opportunity to succeed in life. I also think it would educate a lot of the population and change the world for the better. I think we also must understand that college or higher education is not for everybody, and I do feel that if people do not go to college it would be a waste of time, money, and other resources. Currently there is a lot of presidential candidates that want to make college free, so we will see what will happen.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, “Free” College is not a good idea, even if it creates new chances for one who could not afford his study payment. In my opinion, it will violate 2 important factors: the finance and the responsibility. The first problem, the finance, is that there must be a fund to pay for facilities, equipment, staff. If we do “free” college, we have to take money form other sources. It could be tax, different funds. Then the tax increases or we may support to raise another fund. Basically, we have to pay it anyway. Nevertheless, this problem was not as important as the second one: the responsibility.
ReplyDeleteThe college should not be free because the cost of study forces student to work harder. Government gave opportunities for student, though study loan and financial aid. However, they want to make sure that students really consider of studying. If the government do the “free” college, the quality of study graduated from college will decrease. Student will put less effort for their study, because they don’t need to pay money for it or they were not in debt as study loans. With loan, student have to think more careful about their study plan. They work more and they consider college to be in their study progress or not. Student have to be responsible for their study, because it is their money to study. Government use this method to control the quality of student, both in college and university.
In conclusion, we surely have to pay for college studying, directly like now or indirectly though tax or new kind of fund (directly is better cause there are a lot of people who choose not to study college). Secondly, although payment for college maybe a difficult problem for someone, however, if he achieves the government financial aid and really want to study, he will be fine after he gets his job and pays the debt.
College is optional to everyone but it’s sad to know that there are some who feel like they won’t have a successful future because they do not have the funds. I don’t think that all colleges should be free but I don’t think they should be as expensive as they are. It is such a punch in the gut to know that in order to be successful (and that’s not guaranteed) you have to go to a university, pay ridiculous amounts, get students loans just to get into a good career to pay off your school. I personally think that community colleges are a great start for anyone who can't financially afford to attend a university as well as be introduced with basic classes. Going from a private university to a community college has been so helpful financially as well as making me become more comfortable with college.
ReplyDeleteAs a college student, I’m granted a Pell grant, a subsidy the U.S government provides for students with financial needs who need it to pay for college. Which means I attend school for “free” without having to pay the government back. Though I agree that there are students that take advantage of the privilege of receiving a “free” education and fail their courses. In these situations they are at risk of losing their Pell grant. However, there are students, like myself, that take school very seriously and do very well in college. Since I’ve enrolled in school, I’m determined to do my best in each class; therefore, I will be passing with honors this coming May. If college was only for those who could afford it, such as a higher income, then those living within a lower income bracket would never be able to excel because they would not have the opportunity to get the educational requirements for a better paying job. Let’s consider the college admissions scandal involving Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman in which they are charged with fraud and bribery for paying thousands of dollars towards a scheme that altered standardized test results in order to get their kids in elite colleges. This is a prime example of income inequality and how the rich stay rich and the poor would always be poor.
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