Granting Free Tuition: Reasons Why College Students Should Not Pay For Their Tuition
Bernie Sanders once said, “The hardest thing about going to college should not be paying for it.” Students are already under a lot of pressure by having to decide their future career by the time they are a Freshman in College, so why should they add more stress and prioritize work over their education? We, the people, need a job in order to live a comfortable life and in order to get hired we need a degree. Yet, we need money to pay for our degree. How is this reasonable?
Why am I Interested In Granting Free Tuition?
I am interested in this topic because I am currently a college student and from my experience this topic is very critical! This is a critical subject because not a lot of people understand the financial struggles a student has to go through. We have to not only struggle with financial issues, but with living issues, issues with classes, transportation and family just like any other adult. However, people believe that since we are students we do not struggle with other problems and that we only stress over schoolwork. Therefore, I believe that people should be informed about this particular issue and not disregard the fact that students are struggling with their tuition.
What’s The Problem?
The issue is that college tuition has increased over time and it is starting to affect adults that truly want to obtain a degree. In the article, “Is College Tuition Really High?” by Adam Davidson, Davidson explains how life of a college student was 40 years ago statistically and how tuition has increased over time. In addition, he states that, “Tuition at a private university is now roughly three times as expensive as it was in 1974, costing an average of $31,000 a year; public tuition, at $9,000, has risen by nearly four times.” The essence of Davidson’s argument is that college tuition has definitely increased and that it is remarkably difficult for anyone that does not receive a lot of financial aid to pay for their tuition.
How Does This Issue Affect The Student’s Education?
College tuition is very expensive! The only way a student is able to pay for their college tuition is by getting one or two jobs. There are thousands of students that have no other choice than to get a full-time job while they still attend college. You may ask, how does getting a job affect your education? Well, working at a full-time job will definitely take most of your time from school and in college, time is very important! Imagine being a full-time student and having a full-time job, when are you going to have time to do 5 sets of homework or projects? Would you miss your 8 A.M class to get more sleep? College students have to face this dilemma every day and it is not fair. They worry about how much money they have to save up in order to pay for their tuition and other bills than worrying about a class they have to pass to graduate.
For instance, Rainesford Stauffer is a full-time graduate student that also works at a full-time job. On August 28, 2018, she published an article called, “College vs. Paycheck.” In this article, Stauffer expresses the fact that students should not choose between a full-time job and their education.
According to Stauffer, “The double life of a working grad student is filled with guilt. Guilt that [they are] constantly ducking out of extracurricular benefits like seminars, workshops and office hours to get to [their] next shift. Guilt that [they] need to complete a paid assignment on time before [they] can focus on [their] thesis….” In other words, Stauffer believes that students who have a full-time job and are full-time students always prioritize their job and not their education. She further explains that as a result, many students miss huge opportunities that might have improved their education. Stauffer lastly makes a statement that it is completely true, she states that, “If I hope to complete my education, I can’t ignore paying for it.” In making this statement, Stauffer urges us to understand that college tuition is very expensive and that something should be done so students should not be prioritizing anything over their education!
Why Is This Issue Important?
Education is a very important subject. Not everyone in the entire world is able to get an education. Therefore, we are lucky to have an opportunity to enhance our education, embark in new ideas and demonstrate our knowledge to the world. One of the tools we might need to succeed is, attending college! However, how can a person be able to use this tool, if it is very expensive? By granting free tuition, students will be more successful in their education without constantly worrying about paying their tuition! In addition, this issue is important because if we grant free tuition to students, we will also see how this will affect other aspects of a student.
Works Cited
Stauffer, Rainesford. “College vs. Paycheck.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 Aug. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/opinion/working-student-college-paycheck.html.
Davidson, Adam. “Is College Tuition Really Too High?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Sept. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/magazine/is-college-tuition-too-high.html.
