By Abbey Van Hulle
The common phrase the “starving college student” is no joke. A majority of students across the United States are faced with the unavoidable high price of getting a college education. The small minority of those unaffected by this problem are those who have received full ride scholarships for academics or athletics. College tuition has been skyrocketing for years, preventing all of America’s youth an equal opportunity to receive higher than a high school diploma. While college is not a requirement, it still should be possible for everyone. Money should not be the reason why certain individuals are hindered from a brighter future. The question remains for who to blame about this situation?
State schools in particular blame recessions that hit the economy. A recession is “a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced”. When a recession hits, the state legislators are faced with making budget cuts. An article in the NY times explaining why tuition costs are rising claims that “states have to prioritize other mandatory spending, like Medicaid. Higher education usually falls under the “discretionary spending” part of the budget — and in fact is often one of the biggest programs, if not the biggest, in the discretionary category.” (C. Rampell) The blame for tuition increase is because of state funding. Even states who are not struggling economically because of a recession, still charge an excessive amount for college. The out of state tuition is ridiculously high as compared to in state tuition. There is no easy way out of student loans unless you come from a family made of money.
The United States is obviously behind the ball in terms of paying for education. Top Universities around the world have hardly any tuition, if any the cost is very reasonable. USN author Kim Clark shared, “ Frugal Finnish speakers, for example, who gain entry to the tuition-free University of Helsinki, ranked 75th in the world in 2010, can survive on less than $1,000 a month for living and travel.” A four year bachelor’s degree at the University of Helsinki comes out to be about $40,000 dollars. One year at Marquette costs about $42,000. If schools in the United States were able to improve the education funding, a positive result would be the only outcome.
I am fortunate enough that my parents will be able to help me pay for my tuition at Minnesota State University Mankato next year. However, my plans of becoming a pediatrician are being hindered because of the high cost of medical school. It frustrates me deeply that my dream job may be kicked completely out of the picture because of financial reasons. If the US wants to promote students going on to get a higher degree, they need to do something about budget cuts. State budget cuts in particular. While costs to maintain health care are extremely important, health care would not be possible without educated doctors and nurses. In conclusion, the rising cost of education in our nation will decline if state legislation can focus their budget cuts on something other than the source of student’s future.
Sources:
"Why Tuition Has Skyrocketed at State Schools." Economix Why Tuition Has Skyrocketed at State Schools Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/why-tuition-has-skyrocketed-at-state-schools/>.
"US news on Education ." Education . N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/college-cheapskate/articles/2010/09/21/some-top-international-colleges-offer-free-tuition>.
Abbey,
ReplyDeleteI applaud you for following your desire to go into such a noble occupation...helping sick kids get well! My sister-in-law, also a pediatrician, took on significant debt to pay for her medical schooling here in Wisconsin. Fortunately, the need for skilled doctors should remain fairly strong for some time!
Thank you!
Mr. Batterman
I think that education should be one of the top priorities as it really can help so many different aspects of the economy, however in the society we live in now, many people may not agree with that. It really is truly amazing/horrible how much of an emphasis other societies put on education, whereas the U.S. is severely lacking.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Abbey in that the cost of college shouldn't be a reason for a child not to go to college. Today in society to have a good life you need to have a college degree and the rising costs of college make that impossible for many people. I do think that the government should make education a priority and change the budget to make college costs a little bit more affordable for the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the cost of attending college has really gotten out of hand. I liked how you brought another country to the table and compared them to a college in the US. In our age, it is nearly impossible to finish college without boatloads of debt, and that is not right. Something certainly needs to be done, and pushing budget cuts would certainly be a very important factor, along with increased funding to education. After all, a good education is the key to success, and we need to ensure that it is affordable not only for our generation, but for generations to come.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that the "Starving College Kid" stereotype is very accurate, theoretically money should not inhibit potential students from coming to college. In state tuition, financial aid, and student loans already let even very poor students attend college. You might end up with crazy student loans, but in theory the education you receive should allow you to compensate for that.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this statement. So many college students are going into college expecting to have a job and then graduate and end up being unemployed. They have a huge amount of debt and major that cant even get them a job. While some may view college as a ticket into getting a job, others may perceive it as a way of getting in more debt. Unfortunately, college is a requirement these days that most businesses expect for you to attend if you wish to have the job. Plus, if you were wanting to pursue in a marketing job, but have a art background, they won't be able to actually get the job because their major doesn't match up exactly. It's a touch world for most college students and it probably will get even harder in the near future.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main factors contributing to the high cost of college education is the relatively low tax rate that we have here in America. Other countries have comparatively high taxes, which gives their own government more money to spend on things like the education of their population. If we were to raise the taxes here in America, the price for college should in theory go down, assuming the government doesn't waste it on one of their useless programs.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who is most likely going to Twin Cities next year, I can agree that the tuition prices are outrageous. If there wasn't reciprocity between the two states, I would be paying way more than necessary. Even as it is, I'm still going to have to give out over $20,000 a year. Then there's my brother and sister who are in college as well, so my parents are paying for them, and are going to try and support me as much as they can so I don't get loaded with college debt. Simple to say, is that we're getting overloaded, not from anything besides college fees at that.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the government will have to do something about the cost of tuition at colleges. Everyone is going to college now, it's become the new high school and just because someone may not be wealthy doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to go to college. I suppose only time will be able to tell what happens with this situation, but it is definitely not something to forget about for too long.
ReplyDeleteCollege is expensive, we may not know exactly how we're going to pay for it now. The most important thing is that everything will pay off in the long run by, having a good job, being successful in life and living well. We can all figure something out to help pay for college. Scholarships is what I look forward to.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that college expenses are a huge problem. The US encourages kids to get a college education, but it ends up leaving kids who don't get a job right after college in trouble. They have no money, actually less than no money, and no job. What can they do. Move in with their parents, but what if they don't have parents to count on anymore. What happens then. With lowered college costs it wouldn't be as much of a problem
ReplyDeleteThe price of college nowadays is something that scares a lot of kids away from getting the education that they wanted to begin with. People that were looking at major universities such as UW-Madison or Marquette just can't afford it now so they end up going to a smaller school. Even in those smaller colleges students are coming out with a lot of debt and a low paying job.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you that the prices of education are getting way too high—it’s stopping many people from going out and getting an education. Is that really what our government wants, a less educated population? Scholarships do help some, but not everyone is able to get good scholarships and they end up taking out crazy loans that will take them forever to pay back. It’s not right, considering many of our parents didn’t have to take out loans at all.
ReplyDeleteI find it ridiculous how expensive college has become. It is now more of a money maker than a focus on creating the best education for our future. I am also going into the health field and need a masters degree, and will be thousands of dollars in debt. There is no reason college should be this expensive. I think it is very unfair for students without the possibility to get an education due to these expenses. We are the future of America, and some of us will not be getting the education we need due to the expenses it takes. I, luckily, have parents willing and able to help me pay for my college education, and I appreciate it greatly. However, I am quite honestly scared to pay for my children's education if it just becomes more expensive by then! Hopefully our government gets this under control so that we can continue education of our country's young population.
ReplyDeleteWell I agree with them and how the government will have to do with tuition's and I find it crazy that the tuition of college is the price it is today. To people that want an actual future and the longer they are in college, then the more debt they will have. In reality, there is no reason an education in college should cost this money in college. Loans are crazy and as things progress I'm scared of the amount of money my children's college expenses will cost me.
ReplyDeleteThe costs of getting into a college is one of the biggest problems people face today. I believe that the prices for getting into a college are so high because the demand for getting into college is inflating and the supply is dropping and in turn, that makes the prices go up! Graduates are so scared of the expenses of college, that it makes them not want to go anymore. But technically, its other graduates faults. Their demand for getting into college is so high that the supplies of a college are lowering and the prices are getting pretty hefty because of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, that the the price of college tuition is getting outrageous. With more and more students wanting to get a higher level education, the price certainly isn't helping. While there are certain colleges that are more affordable than others, a degree from one school may take you further than another school. And yes scholarships do help, however they can only go so far, and only to certain students, who some don't even need a scholarship with the income of their parents. Something needs to be done within the next few years to make college more affordable.
ReplyDeleteI love this topic because it relates to everyone our age if they are looking to continuing their education. I agree with you that the United States is behind when paying for education. One of the reasons why state funding is so high because of the state funding. Yeah college is expensive but I guess we have to overcome the obstacle. Scholarships and loans would help when getting through paying for college.
ReplyDeleteAs we are growing up, we are beginning to understand more and more just how much money is of importance to our lives, and at some point it is quite restricting. Growing up in Pewaukee, we may not always understand just what a great opportunity it is to go to college because it is sort of just a the required thing to do. As college becomes more and more of a reality, then we are finding just what a struggle it may be. I know from my older siblings who have gone through college, is that they are still paying off their loans. The problem you are speaking of Abbey is completely spot on, and completely relevant to most Americans, and perhaps it should be something more deeply considered by our state government and the schools themselves.
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