Going (to College) for Broke

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Going (to College) for Broke As soon as I started kindergarten, my dad opened a bank account in my name and started saving money for my college fund. Despite his efforts, our family still cannot afford the unreasonable price of a state university, which leaves me with a scholarship as my last hope. Because of the government’s higher education spending cuts, students like me must choose between going into debt to get a degree, or skipping college while robbing themselves and the nation of their potential. Although many politicians believe that students must pay for the costs of college, the federal government should fund public higher education because it will aid the students and the US economically, benefit American society, and provide graduates with necessary skills for the future. Free higher education has several economic benefits for students and for the government. According to Thomas Mortenson from the American Council on Education, tuition has risen 230% at state universities and 164% at community colleges since 1980. Student loan debt has reached 1 trillion dollars. As stated by Scott Hines, the founder of the World Education University, “the return on investment just isn’t there.” Many students choose to drop out or skip college altogether because of the high costs. These issues will be resolved if the government funds colleges and more people will be able to graduate. Currently, the government spends billions of dollars on academic programs with very low graduation rates, around 30% (Samuels). This is because colleges spent too much money on luxuries and amenities, and as a result, they raise tuitions while the quality of instruction remains the same. If higher education were government funded and caps placed on tuitio... ... middle of paper ... ...US government must act quickly and start funding our colleges so that we can compete intellectually with the rest of the world. Works Cited Baum, Sandy, Kathleen Payea. “Education Pays 2004.” College Board. The College Board, 2004. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. Baum, Sandy, Kathleen Payea, Jennifer Ma. “Education Pays 2013.” College Board. The College Board, 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. Cohen, Howard. "Who Should Pay For Higher Education?" The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 2003. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. Hines, Scott. "Why Education Should Be Free." Getting Smart. 15 Feb. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. Mortenson, Thomas. “State Funding: A Race to the Bottom.” American Council on Education. American Council on Education, 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. Samuels, Bob. “Why All Public Higher Education Should Be Free.” Huffington Post. The Huffington Post Inc., 18 Nov. 2011. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.

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