College Expense

1207 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: International student experience personal

Congrats! You’ve been accepted to the college of your choice; now all that’s left to figure out is how you’ll pay for college. Unfortunately, college costs don’t end at tuition and room and board you’ll also have to pay for textbooks, meals, transportation, and a computer with working internet. We have been told that we live in a free country, but if our country is so called “free,” how come paying for an education isn’t? The most important in my case and many low income students is trying to attend college and being able to pay without going into debt. I find myself, since 2010, hearing the same stories of previous college graduate, who have gone into debt by the time they reached their sophomore year of college. Excited to venture out into the “college life,” I begin to notice that paying for college isn’t like paying a couple of fees in high school. Although college has brought many advantages to our society, paying for it hasn’t.

By the age of fourteen we enter a whole different atmosphere, to than find out that right as we’re getting comfortable we have to leave our high school life and start fresh in college, but we notice that college is just like high school, except this time around we have to pay to get an education in a “free” country. We’re told, by our parents or administration, “Don’t mess up, it’ll cost you in the long run,” do we listen? Some us do, some of us don’t, than we realize when senior year comes around, that we literally my actually have to pay for college. The cost of attending college has become 500% more expansive now then it was in 1985. By the increase in college tuition and the income of low income families causes daily less and less students to achieve a college degree, unfortunately having to...

... middle of paper ...

...ips, but only 2,000 out of the 40% admitted are awarded scholarships. Someone is winning those scholarships and it could be you for just applying early, but the odds of winning however, remain limited, sounds more like winning a scholarship? Not much chance of that.

Works Cited

Cohn, Scott. "The Debt That Won't Go Away." CNBC.com. N.p., 20 Dec. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Sheehy, Kelsey. "Pay for College Without Taking on Student Loan Debt." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Hero, Martin. "Construction of New Dorms, Parking Garage Begins; Make Note of Road Closure." News at FIU Florida International University. N.p., 09 Mar. 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
Mosbergen, Dominique. "Cost Of College Degree In U.S. Has Increased 1,120 Percent In 30 Years, Report Says." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 Aug. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • Summary: The Imperiled Promise Of College By Frank Bruni

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bruni begins by describing the golden promise of college as it appeared for baby boomers. In that time getting into college and completing a degree was enough to be successful. He acknowledges that this idealized vision of college may be inaccurate, however, he asserts that the issue is far more “complicated” than it once was. Bruni makes use of a recent (2012) debate over student loan interest rates in the U.S. to explore the issues surrounding college education today. While rising student debt is certainly part of the problem he suggests that the issue extends beyond that. College is now a “luxury item with newly uncertain returns” (Bruni). While rising costs make college a luxury item that not everyone will be able to afford, even those who can and do manage to go to college are not guaranteed success.

    Read More

  • Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?

    4200 Words  | 9 Pages

    Community colleges and vocational tracks are not wrong about the high cost of traditional higher education. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, one year at a public, four-year institution costs upwards of $23,000 on average, while private institutions will cost nearly $10,000 more on average. Coupled with the fact that prices at public institutions rose 42 percent and private institutions rose 31 percent between 2001 and 2011, it’s not a shock that parents and students alike worry about paying for college. However, this won’t always be the case, as this rise in prices simply cannot continue the way it has. Eventually, people will be unable to pay the price that colleges charge. They will either settle for com...

    Read More

  • Why Is College Worth It?

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    The argument about if college is worth it or not has been one of the biggest arguments throughout the media for decades. Students suffer a lot from the debts that they get from college and also the amount of studying that they do in college and when they graduate they ask themselves “is graduation from college really worth all the money that we paid and all the work that we have done?”

    Read More

  • Why College Should be Cheaper

    1910 Words  | 4 Pages

    College is one of the most fundamental institutions in our modern world. It is a place where most of our future politicians, doctors, scientists, and leaders are made. Though, it seems that the price tag that comes with a college education is something that is too hefty for some students. Countless debates go on about whether the price of college should be abolished or whether the cost still is on the students to pay for.

    Read More

  • Summary Of College Is A Waste Of Time And Money

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Caroline Bird’s “College is A Waste of Time and Money”, it’s argued that there are many college students who would be better off if they were to begin working after high school graduation. Colleges and universities can no longer ensure that one will go on to get a better job, getting paid more than they would have without a higher education. However, high school seniors still stress about where they will be attending college, how they’re going to pay for it and what they’re going to study for the next four years. Bird points out how college has changed over the past few decades and how, in turn, it has set many young adults up for disappointment, if nothing else.

    Read More

  • Community College: The Beginning of a Success Story

    948 Words  | 2 Pages

    Society puts too much pressure on high school students to attend a 4-year college right after graduation. Though this is an attainable goal for some, a great majority of students are not fully prepared for the demands of college. 4-year schools require an incredible amount of maturity and preparation, leaving very little room for mistakes. Schools often overlook this aspect because their main goal is to get as many students into 4-year college as possible. This is a great goal to have however they send students off to college who aren’t ready to be handle the difficult of their courses while being away from home. My senior year of high school, my family and I came to the conclusion that we were not going to be able to afford four-year college tuition. This upset me at first because I felt like all my hard work and good grades went to waste. I dreaded the thought of going to community college because my who...

    Read More

  • International Students and the Right of Working While Studying in USA

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    In all colleges in the United States, students are required to pay for their classes’ tuition either by themselves, their parents, guardians or a scholarship that they may have. The average tuition fee for an individu...

    Read More

  • Student Loan Debt Should be Forgiven

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    Denhart, Chris. “How the $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis is Crippling Students, Parents, and the Economy.” Forbes. 7 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.

    Read More

  • The Alternative to College: Trade Schools

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    Education comes at a high price for this generation and not just financially. Going to college can give students plenty of debt with no promise of a job in return, which can set a student father back on their course of life. Young adults trying to start their lives by going to college encounter many setbacks. Today the average cost for a private university is $25...

    Read More

  • Negative Effect On College Debt

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    When starting college every student must make a very important decision. Whether if they want to get financial aid or to pay the money up front. Having college debt will not only ruin their credit, but he or she may also have to pay off their tuition for the rest of their life. Research says, “According to the College Board, which tracks students’ financing of higher education, undergraduate students in 2013 through 2014 borrowed in the aggregate nearly $63 billion and received $33.7 billion in Pell grants.” By this quote from “Debt, Merit, and Equity in Higher Education Access” it clearly shows the effects College Debt has on their society, but also on their educational future. Every paycheck they receive, a small portion goes toward paying

    Read More

  • Need to Stop the Tuition Inflation in the US

    2338 Words  | 5 Pages

    A college education has become the expectation for most youth in the United States. Children need a college education to succeed in the global economy. Unfortunately for the majority of Americans the price of an education has become the equivalent to a small house. The steep tuition of a college education has made it an intimidating financial hurdle for middle class families. In 1986-1987 school year the average tuition at a private university was $20,566 (adjusted to 2011 dollars) while in 2011 the average cost was $28,500 for an increase of 38.6%. Similarly in public universities there has been an increase in tuition: in the 1986-1987 school year the average tuition at a public university was $8,454 (adjusted to 2011 dollars) while in 2011 the average cost was actually $20,770 for an increase of 145.7%. Most families who are able to save for college try to do so, therefore their children are not left with large amounts of debt due to loans. Nevertheless, families are only able to save on average around $10,000, which is not enough to pay for a full educ...

    Read More

  • The Higher Education System or Lack Thereof

    1952 Words  | 4 Pages

    The higher education system (or lack thereof) is not serving the country and its citizens. The increasing number of admission standards, exponential tuition increases, the financing of the cost through loans, and the boasting of turning students away all contribute to rising disparity between the quality of education that upper class families can afford compared to lower and middle income families. The rising costs of higher education in this country are problematic in that they fuel a disparity between economic classes. Capitulating the problem is the amount of debt college graduates have accrued at the time of graduation. The Institute for College Access and Success (2013) reported that 70% of graduates had and average of $29,400 of debt. This number primarily focuses on non-profit and private institutions. The average annual salary of a college graduate is $57,616 (United States Department of Labor, 2014). So many college graduates have accumulated a debt worth half of what their starting salary may end up being. The Institute for College Access and Success (2013) reported that 20% of that debt “is comprised of private loans, which are typically more costly and provide fewer consumer protections and repayment options than safer federal loans3” (p. 1). This is an oversimplification in that it is looking at a very general population. Based on the degree and the subsequent employment, income will vary as does the institution attended and the student’s economic status affect the overall individual debt.

    Read More

  • Rising College Tuition

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, college tuition and relevant fees have increased by 893 percent (“College costs and the CPI”). 893 percent is a very daunting percentage considering that it has surpassed the rise in the costs of Medicare, food, and housing. As America is trying to pull out of a recession, many students are looking for higher education so they can attain a gratified job. However, their vision is being stained by the dreadful rise in college costs. College tuition is rising beyond inflation. Such an immense rise in tuition has many serious implications for students; for example, fewer students are attending private colleges, fewer students are staying enrolled in college, and fewer students are working in the fields in which they majored in.

    Read More

  • Education Debt: The Problem and Solutions

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Debt Burden: Repaying Student Debt.” American Council on Education. One Dupont Circle NW. Sep. 2004. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.

    Read More

  • College Education Should Not Be Free

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    As of 2016, American students have accrued a massive 1.3 trillion in student loan debt. Just 10 years ago, the nation’s balance was only $447 billion (Clements). This ever-present cumulative burden has caused many post graduate Americans to delay important life events such as marriage, homeownership and children because of this substantial encumbrance (Clements). The debt will only continue to grow with neglect, so the most effective action to take would be eliminating the cost altogether.

    Read More

More about College Expense

Open Document