The United States is really the land of opportunity. Anyone can study what they are passionate about and build a career. However, to have a real opportunity to land that dream job, earning a college degree is more important than ever. It is not to say that one cannot be successful without a college degree because they can, but the chances of being hired for a coveted position over competition in the same field and earning a higher salary are far greater with one.
The cost of higher education continues to rise substantially each year and it should be the other way around. Education should be affordable for everyone so each individual can have the same opportunity to attend college. All colleges should be made more affordable, but I would like to emphasize the need to lower public school costs, since these have risen faster than private schools and community colleges.
With rising costs, lower-income students may not have the chance to go to college. It would be disappointing to see higher education only go to those who can afford it when every person deserves to expand their minds.
The median income for students with only a high school diploma compared to the median annual income for a student with a bachelor’s degree is 80 percent lower, according to The College Board’s annual report. Students who are able to complete college deserve a high salary for the hard work they put in, but if the cost of education was more affordable, an even larger amount of people could attend college after high school and earn just as high of a salary. More people attending college would be positive because less people would struggle financially, the unemployment rate would be lowered, and there would be more educated, productive members of the community.
Incoming college students should not have to take out student loans just to pay for an overpriced education that may not get them jobs they expected. If higher education costs were lower, there would be fewer students taking out these loans and fewer in debt immediately out of college.
Not only is it difficult for parents to come up with the funds to help put their child or children through college, it can be difficult for the student as well. I cannot imagine having to pay for tuition, along with rent, car payments, gas, cellular telephone bills, and countless other expenses that need to be paid on a monthly basis. College as a whole is far too expensive.
Textbooks, which are most likely not read in their entirety, cost a fortune, but can only be sold back for a small portion of what was initially paid, or nothing at all. Book buybacks should not be called book buybacks because a lot of the time, I am not able to return the book because a new edition is being used. Paying $150 for a textbook I will probably never open again is not affordable for the average college student.
To actually lower the cost of college, tax cuts would be fine if they were not given to the wealthier class, since they are most likely not having as much difficulty paying as the lower and middle-classes. Instead of tax cuts, however, which is one reason for the substantial budget deficits, I think students should be given an education without the high costs – similar to high school and all schooling before that. Also, financial aid should only be given to students who really need it. Instead of loans, they should be given grants or scholarships so repayment is not necessary. If they must receive a loan to go to college, subsidized loans are better so they do not have to worry about interest until after graduation.
For a more affordable college education, it should only take four years to earn a bachelor’s degree. I often times hear about fifth or sixth-year students, which is understandable at Cal Poly, especially if you switch majors, but it should be able to be completed in four years to save students from having to pay for an additional year of school.
Samantha MacConnell is a journalism senior and Mustang Daily reporter.