The Importance Of College Tuition In The United States

During the 1950's the cost of gas in the U.S. was approximately 30 cents per gallon. According to EIA’s weekly survey, in 2008 the U.S. highest monthly average cost of gas was $4.43 per gallon. (U.S. Energy Information Administration). Subsequently, gas is not the only item that has accelerated in cost due to inflation. As the economy continues to downfall and inflation continues to rise, the cost for many valued goods and services have also escalated. College tuition, a common expense for many families has skyrocketed. “Over the past two decades, they’ve risen roughly twice as fast as inflation” (Vogelstein & Toch 68+). Due to rapid college financial increases, families have been reevaluating the benefits of college before spending thousands

This abrupt career decision is made without proper guidance and foresight, which results in students working toward a degree that they are not interested in pursuing or they drop out of college. College professors said: “I find my colleagues around the country deeply concerned about students assuming vast debt burdens and about those parents who respond to the financial pressure by urging their children to make career decisions at just the wrong stage in their development” (McPherson). Students are too young and uninformed to be making crucial decisions about their future alone. In order for students to succeed after college with the littlest amount of debt possible and a profession that they enjoy, they need to have a precise path to follow while obtaining an education. Having a plan and guidance allows students to determine the pros and cons of each field of study and the opportunities that are available. This instruction guides students to obtain a degree that offers a variety of stable jobs. Therefore, this process is an efficient way to help eliminate unemployment, and massive amounts of debt for college graduates. Many students assume that by going to college they will come out with a bachelors degree. Without having the navigation skills to pursue a degree, students will fall flat. According to a study by Avery and Turner “Of everyone who enters college expecting to get a bachelor’s degree, more than half leave with no degree and average of $7,413 in debt” (Haltom 14). This problem occurs because students don’t have any specific person guiding them to make sure they reach their goals. Before college, students would depend on their parents to keep them on track and get things done, but now they are forced to manage themselves. Therefore, if students had someone overseeing their progress and