Is a college education needed these days? Do students in the state of Texas have the ability to attend a public university after they graduate from High School? Both should answer yes however; sadly for many students, college might not be an option due to tuition rates. Due to the bad economy in the past years and harsh budget cuts Texas Universities and Universities around the United States are raising their tuition rates up to 20% a year. With rates that high how is it possible for any average joe to attend college? Fortunately students today have options. Many students attend their local community colleges, Jr. College, join the military, and or work out of high school until they can afford higher education. Even though these are great options it is sad that some students will never have the chance to live the "college experience".
Is there something that the state of Texas can do to fix these tuition raises? For the past years many states funding for higher education programs have been fought off by elementary and second education programs because higher education is a choice. Even though higher education is a personal choice, in todays world with out a degree, finding a job is almost impossible. The average Texas college student attending a university pays on average around 9,000$ a year. Texas is hurting from money but soon so will many prospective students.
Is there something students can do to avoid this? Well parents can start teaching their children at a young age and cross their fingers and hope for their child to receive a full ride. Unfortunately, that is not practical and most students have to attend college by taking loans and hopefully graduating with a job in line to start paying off their student debt. Once again that is sadly unpractical. Tuition rates may be increasing but bank accounts have begin decreasing.
My classmate Megan Harlow writes on higher education tuition in her blog entry titled “Tuition Raises.” She comments on the decision many universities in Texas and the nation are taking to raise tuition. Through questioning, Harlow arrives at the conclusion that raising tuition in high education will discourage many prospective students from even considering attending a university. A solution, she says, rests in the students and their parents; rather than attending a four-year university upon high school graduation, it is possible to join the military, work until enough resources are gathered, or transfer from a community college. Even so, many students are left without the opportunity to live the college experience.
ReplyDeleteI agree that tuition raises may discourage many students from continuing in higher education. This week a tuition advisory panel at the University of Texas at Austin has recommended a 2.6% tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students, while out-of-state students may face a higher percentage. The news has unsettled many students, among them the “Occupy UT” group, who has voiced their concerns in the general assemblies. Though scholarships, grants, and loans are available, these options are not the first to present themselves to many of the already disadvantaged students. Often, students resort to a more available option, which for many happens to be meager paying jobs that frequently prove to be insufficient for a decent survival. While higher education is promoted without end, obtaining it has become a challenge for many, and surely increased tuition will have many thinking in a different direction.
My fellow classmate, Megan Harlow wrote an interesting blog on the current tuition raises in Texas. She states that "due to the bad economy in the past years and harsh budget cuts, Texas Universities and Universities around the United States are raising their tuition rates up to 20% a year." This issue concerns a lot of parents and students who cannot afford to send their young adults to a University. An alternative to attending a University, numerous students attend community colleges, Jr. Colleges, join the military or they just work right out of high school until they can afford to take classes.
ReplyDeleteThe sad part about raising tuition is that for those who cannot afford to attend college most likely will not be able to find a good job because it is nearly impossible to get a great job with benefits without a college degree. On the other hand, it is said that someone who graduates from a University has a better chance getting a job than someone who graduates from a community college. This is a sore subject for me because I will probably be one of those students. My family is not poor but I am not about to expect my parents to fork up a bunch of money for a University when I can take the classes at ACC. It is really quite upsetting that people look down upon those who graduate from community colleges. Is it their fault they could not afford to to go a University? I don't think so.
Megan suggests that we can avoid this by "teaching their children at a young age and cross their fingers and hope for their child to receive a full ride." I agree with her because really, the only way to go to a University is to get a full ride scholarship. She also makes a good point when she talks about bank accounts decreasing due to so many loans being given out to pay for tuition. If the only way we can go to school is by taking out loans, then the banks will soon run out of money which will result in no loans being awarded and students not being able to attend college. ACC has actually already changed their financial aid application and put restrictions on it to prevent just anyone from getting a loan.
I am not really sure what the government can do to fix this tuition crisis but they need to do something fast. I also think that employers need to change their standards when it goes to applications. Who is to say that someone who graduates from a community college can't do whatever a University student does? It makes me so mad because you pretty much learn the same things, the only difference is that it says "University" rather than "Community College" on your diploma. We have enough to worry about with the budget crisis, why do they want us students to suffer from tuition raises too?
Megan wrote a very nice article on this issue and I agree with her argument: "Texas is hurting from money but soon so will many prospective students." It is a chain effect, if students can't go to school, they can't get a good job, if employers hire only college graduates, they will not have many employees. I do agree that employers should hire college graduates because they do have more experience and education. I am just thinking about hospitals...If they have two application...one saying they graduated from UT and one saying they graduated from ACC, they will most likely chose the applicant from UT. All I'm saying is that I think it is wrong to choose someone based on the school. Both applicants have to take the nursing exam, I don't see the point.
My colleague Megan Harlow wrote an interesting entry on the recent higher education tuition raises. Because of our hurting economy, Universities around the United States including Texas have raised their tuition rates up 20% a year. This increased tuition rate has devastated many, especially the lower and middle class citizens. Harlow points out that there are other opportunities for those struggling to afford these new tuition prices such as community colleges or junior colleges. People could also go straight to the military or simply save money after high school. Unfortunately these options aren't appealing to most.
ReplyDeleteHarlow makes a good point when she states that funding for higher education from the state has been shot down because higher education is a choice. In my opinion higher education shouldn't be a choice because to be hired for any decent paying job you have to have a degree, and most jobs will take a degree from a university over a community college. Higher education is essential for most people, so many are going into debt having to pay off all of the loans they had to take out just to earn a degree. For many years people will have to pay off these loans, so they need a good job to do so. But to get a good job you must earn a degree...its a never ending vicious cycle!
Most students aren't going to receive full ride scholarships, so hoping for a full-ride scholarship your entire life just isn’t practical. Like Harlow said, a solution to this could be attending a community college or a junior college. I can relate to this personally because I attend a community college to complete my basics in hopes to transfer to a university. While this decision saves a good deal of money, it has left me without the "college experience" as Harlow stated. Because I can't afford the going tuition for a university I have had to live at home and take classes at a community college, which has made it difficult to feel like I'm even experiencing college. I'm sure many others are going through the same situation. Texas needs to do something about this. It needs to make higher education a priority and somehow help students that aren't able to afford tuition. If we want our state to prosper I think we need educated people to run it, meaning people with a college degree