Advocating Tuition-Free Schooling: A Game Changer

Nothing in life is free, including college. Many people feel that by offering tuition-free schooling we are not only creating another financial strain for our nation but we are also taking away the motivation students need to obtain a higher degree. Neither of these things are true. Bernie Sanders believes that it is a "national disgrace that hundreds of thousands of Americans don't go to school not because they aren't qualified but because they cannot afford it”, and Mr. Sanders is right. Tuition free schooling would be beneficial to thousands of students; it would be an absolute game changer—especially in the Yakima Valley. Our students would be given the opportunity to learn more than they ever thought possible due to free schooling (given

Whether it is to learn something new or to re-learn something we’ve already learned in life. The answer to endless learning is higher education—higher education becoming free means thousands, if not millions, of students being able to learn endlessly. By offer tuition-free college to students in the Yakima Valley we are giving them the chance to learn how to learn. Author of “The World is Flat”, Thomas Friedman wrote, “It is not only what you know but how you learn that will set you apart” (TWIF, 309). What we learn, and how we learn these things is how we are weeded out from the others. We are living in a world that is constantly becoming flatter and flatter—it is a world where in order to survive we must make higher education a top priority, which can easily be done thanks to free tuition. The knowledge we have already obtained is crucial, but continuing to learn and how we continue to learn will keep us above the rest of the competition. In this new world, we should be continuously expanding our minds to their maximum capacity. Friedman also points out that, “so much learning is about being motivated to teach yourself” (TWIF, 310). The biggest thing about higher education is that you have to be motivated to go the extra mile. You have to be beyond self-disciplined. Yes, each class has a professor, but they do not care whether you attend class or whether you produce quality work or work that is nightmarish—that is all up to

I can understand why many people feel differently, but I feel like pros that come along with free schooling outweigh the cons. This opportunity would be allowing students to learn in ways they never thought possible, they’d have the ambition to put themselves out there and get the education they’ve always wanted, but most importantly so many more students would be allowed the opportunity to get a higher education. Frankly it comes down to this: tuition-free schooling would be a blessing for all the students in the Yakima Valley—it would be the breath of fresh air that they all desperately