Should Universities be free for Students?
In the united states many students find college as an expensive thing to get which would not be worth it. These students don’t go to college because they don’t have enough money. For example, going to a four year college like San Francisco State University in state tuition is $6,468 per year, and $17,636 for international students or out of state tuition. As an International student, it is impossible for me to afford a four year college such as San Francisco State University. I only have been two years in this new country and there is no way I can afford SF State. As a high school senior, one of my dreams is to go to college.but how am I going to reach my dream when I don’t have enough income to afford it.
Financial aid is not a good enough solution for college students; tuition should be freee. Have you ever thought how do the high college costs affect many students in this country? Well, one of the candidates for US president named Bernie Sanders said for the Washington Post, “More than 4,600 students leave the United States and enroll in German universities per year just because those universities are free”. Why would a country with the highest income in the world would make their students leave to go and get education out of the country? I think we should make the college free so that way students don’t have to seperate from their families to go and get education in another country. Being to another country is not easy; you face struggles such as new language, new people, new culture, and new environment. I do not think there are parents that want their children to go to another continent of the world to get education.
On the other hand, there are people who say that free tuition is not the right answer. According to the article New York Times with the title Free Tuition is not the Right Answer, Catherine Hill says, “Rather than free tuition, we need targeted policies that result in more money for need based aid, from both public and private institutions”. I respect Hill’s quote but I disagree with what she says. In my opinion, money should not be the reason to affect students grades. Deeply I mean that students who are rich will get the get the better grade easier than a student who pays using financial aid. In my country, Albania, people who go to college get an A easier if they are rich. If students with low income would get financial aid it would be helpful. However, a professor or a college would give a degree to a student who pay from their pocket easier than to a student that gets financial aid because of a phenomenon called corruption. Also, a student who needs financial aid has more work to do. I am applying for financial aid and the government needs me to fill out many applications and give lots of information. These application make students feel more stressed out. Basically. I am saying that if we should not make college free but give financial aid instead, that means we are giving more extra work and extra stress to students with low income.
There are more reasons that show why the college should be free for all. For instance, according to the article Washington Post with the title Make College free for all, Bernie Sanders says, “After World War II, the GI Bill gave free education to more than 2 million veterans, many of whom would otherwise never have been able to go to college. This benefited them, and it was good for the economy and the country, too”. This is a great example that shows how the free college would help the students, the economy and the country. We should give this opportunity to many genius students outhere that are not able to go to college. Some of these students think that working and making money is better than going in college and spending lots of money. I think the 2 million veterans’ case was a good experiment to see if making college free is a good idea or not. It turned out that this helped with the economy of the country. So, Why don’t we do the same thing for the future students?
There are other people who also think that college should be free. Bernie Sanders is not the only one who thinks college should be free. The Trade Schools, Colleges and Universities wrote in their website www.trade-schools.net, “People would have more freedom to contribute their talents, try new ideas, and pursue the lives they want if they didn’t have to start off in debt or stay stuck in a low-wage job. That could lead to happier people. And happier people could lead to a happier, more prosperous nation as a whole”. Basically, this pro free college alternative matches with my opinion. If the college is not free it would be hard for me to go there and show my skills. I do have friends who have really good talents on fields such as art, or sports. Instead of going to college and show their talent, they work right after high school because that is what they can afford. Back to the peoples feelings, if a person follows their dream and get their dream job is going to make them happier.
If we think about the relationship between the economy of the country and the colleges, we should say that the student loan debts also negatively affect the economy. According to the New York Times, The Editorial Board says, “After decades of rising college costs and tepid income growth, student debt has become a drag on graduates’ hopes and a threat to economic growth”. This means that the students debts are hurting the economy because for them it is hard to build a life that they want such as having a family, doing different activities because they are thinking on how to pay off the debts. If you owe money to the government, you are not helping the economy grow because the government is not getting any extra money, they are just getting back what they gave you.
In conclusion, let’s get together and create a change that would affect my generation’s future and the next generations’ future as well. Let’s make college free for everyone and see who can really get through it without thinking and worrying about money. We have to fight to reach this dream, we have to sacrifice and work hard to make it happen. Making college free will make so many people happier and our communities will be happier. If we solve the problem of the money that means one problem less for us and a new light of hope turns on.
