As we begin yet another academic year, we attend our new classes, meet our professors and…..receive our tuition bills. Like many of you, I attended a private, catholic high school and this is not my first year at Saint Xavier University, so those bills and fees are nothing new.
However, this year, for the first time ever, I experienced a problem that millions of college students face every semester, college became something I could no longer afford.
Like many students, I have received several scholarships and grants which do lower the cost, but rarely cover it completely, so it’s up to the student and their family to make up the rest.
So that got me thinking, what if I can’t? Thankfully, I was able to find the money I needed, but many of students in the U.S. are not as lucky.
In this generation, college has become not only something that we want to do, but something we almost have to do.
It is both a societal expectation and more importantly, essentially a requirement in the workforce.
With more and more workplaces hiring primarily people with college degrees and the tuition prices of these colleges and universities skyrocketing, I, and many others my age, am forced to ask myself “What am I supposed to do?”
I either go to college and emerge with my degree, but owing thousands of dollars to my school and the government in an economy where jobs are scarce.
Or, I do not attend college and struggle even more intensely to obtain those already scarce, high or even moderately salaried jobs due to my lack of a college degree.
In many ways, those who find college even slightly beyond their grasp financially are simply stuck. So, if a college degree is something that we need to be successful, shouldn’t it also be something that is within reach for all students? I certainly think so, and according to thebussinessinsider.com (which compared the costs of education in 15 countries in 2010), other countries are making that a reality for their students.
The average education cost in the U.S. is $13,856, in Canada it’s around $5,974, in England and Wales $5,288. It is true that one of the reasons behind these low tuition prices is higher taxes, but I would certainly be in favor of higher taxes if it meant that higher education would be a realistic option for more students in the U.S.
In an article for the Washington Post, Dylan Matthews notes that the annual cost of tuition and room and board fees at a public college or university has increased by 101.7% since 1965.
Yet, despite the enormous cost, we’ve seen a 70% rise in college enrollment since that time. So this sparks the question, if the price of college is rising much faster than earnings, how are students and their families paying for it?
The answer, according to Dylan Matthews, by going into debt. This issue really hits home for me because, like millions of students across the country, I will emerge from college with a significant amount of debt.
Higher education is supposed to help promote our success and give us the means to create a comfortable life for ourselves and it does that, to an extent.
But here in the U.S. it also somewhat sets us back as we start our adult lives, and for those of us who find college to be out of our reach financially, it could potentially set us back for the rest of our lives.
I strongly believe that making higher education affordable for anyone who wishes to pursue it is something that is certainly worth paying more attention to and working towards.
After all, our nation could only benefit from putting more college degrees in the hands of its citizens and ensuring them a happier and more successful life.
Bridget Goedke
Viewpoints Editor
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