SHOULD COLLEGE BE FREE IN AMERICA 1

Should College be Free in America

Elijah E. Calma

Nevada State College

Should College be Free in America

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College is one of the most expensive investments a regular person will spend money on

in their entire life. The question that most college-bound high schoolers have in their minds is if

it is worth the time, the energy, and most especially the money invested on it. This topic is very

relevant to this generation that many presidential candidates have included it on their agenda.

Some politicians are proposing for a free secondary education in the United States. Is this

realistic or just one of those broken promises that political candidates make during their

campaigns then forget about it once they are in office?

Diploma Cost

Despite the staggering costs of higher education, college experts still agree that having

a college degree far outweighs the benefit of just having a high school diploma. Studies show

that high school graduates make an average income of $36,000 per year compared to $60,000

for

those having a bachelor’s degree. That is a difference of $25,000 per year and if you multiply

that by forty years, that is $1,000,000 in difference. According to Horowitz, “Educational

attainment signals to employers that a job-seeker is desirable.”(Relative Education and the

Advantage of a College Degree, 2018). Just looking at these numbers alone, one can easily

conclude that having a secondary education far outweighs the benefits of just being a high

school

graduate. Thankfully, politicians are looking at how college can be made more affordable or

even free in this country.

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Free College

“Free college” has emerged in some states as a new approach for increasing educational

attainment. But, these and other states have long had initiatives designed to improve college

affordability. To inform how state free tuition programs may improve affordability, increase

attainment, and close gaps across groups in attainment, this article begins by providing an

overview of the role of state policy in promoting attainment, with particular attention to higher

education finance policies.(Perna, 2017). States like Oregon, Tennessee, and New York all had

recent initiatives because they recognized the benefits of having free college education. More

states are following their suit. The government is beginning to see the advantages of making

higher education free. “People who support the idea of free college education in the United

States point to other countries that do not make students pay for college. These countries

including Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.” (Hamilton,2019).p.6 These first world countries

are able to provide this great benefit to their citizens, so there is hope to high schoolers in

America who are about to embark on a very interesting time of their lives. Now, here are some

of the reasons why these particular countries are able to make this a reality in their countries,

but it is still an idea in the United States.

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Free Education

Typically, countries with free higher education have higher tax rates. In Germany, for

example, very high income earners are taxed at a very high rate of 45%, compared to just 37%

in

the United States. That is actually lower than 57% in Sweden and 60% in Denmark. Also, in

Germany, there is a lower percentage of students who go to college compared to America. This

is one of the down side of not having to pay for college. Yes, you do not have to pay for your

tuition fee, but the amount of taxes that you will pay the government your whole lifetime will

be

more. If you do the numbers, it will be way more than what you have paid for college anyways.

People are already feeling the burden of having to pay taxes at our current rates, let alone

make it

almost double that rate. Politicians need to tell the public exactly where they are planning to

get

the money, instead of merely making promises that they can not fulfill. Having a free college

Education does sound good, but in the end, you end up paying for it your whole lifetime.

People

tend to work less and not harder when they know that most of the money they worked hard for

will go to taxes anyways. If that happens, what happens to self- productivity? How about our

economy? People will have less to contribute to the government. Some will tend to be lazy
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because they will not get much out of their hard work. The purpose of a college education is

not

just to earn better money, but to have a more enriched and meaningful life brought about by

various experiences in higher education. Our system of public and private higher education

differs from other countries that provide free tuition fees. For one, college students here tend

to

have more flexibility, more student services, and a far more array of campus activities. Those

are reasons that make college education in America very expensive.

Is College Worth It

While higher education can be expensive, there are many ways on how to pay for it that can

make it more affordable. So how can one make the most of their college education? In the

book, “Making College Worth It”, Oreopoulos, P. & Petronijevic report that students are more

likely to benefit from postsecondary education the more informed they are about the expenses

associated with college and the potential options for financial aid. A student is likely to be

more

responsible if they know they have to pay back their loans.( Oreopoulos, P. & Petronijevic,

2013). P. 22. There are alternative ways on how to pay for college which can make borrowing

the last resort. For example, in the state of Nevada, people can avail of the Millenium

scholarship if obtaining at least a 3.0 on core classes, so maintaining good grades are a must to

save money. There are also need and merit based programs if their parents’ income qualify or

grants from the government and private companies.

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Pay For College

There are other ways to pay for college. If a student is good in sports, there are several

colleges and universities who will be interested in offering a scholarship. The cost difference

between going to in state college versus out of state college is significant so staying at home

will not only save money on tuition, but board and lodging as well. In addition, the idea of

online learning is not bad, considering the cost effectiveness of it, compared to traditional

classroom learning. For those who will have a student loan, the future does not seem to be

grim. According to Douglas Webber, in his book” Are College Costs Worth it”, he stated “

Assuming low to average college costs, most degrees pay for themselves by their early to mid

thirties, regardless of degree”. (Webber, 2016). P.16.

Benefits of College

As mentioned earlier, an increase in salary is not just the reason to pursue college after

high school. Having a college education for the most part will most likely get one better

benefits on the job, such as better health and dental insurance and an improved retirement

package. Studies show that people with college education have better self- esteem and are less

prone to develop depression and anxiety their lifetime. The quality of life will be more likely to

be better when you do not need to worry about unemployment because you have better

education. Education may lower the probability that an individual commits crime. As

highlighted in Lochner and Moretti (2004) , education may raise the opportunity-cost of crime

by raising the value of not being incarcerated. Education may also have a direct impact on

individuals’ risk preferences and ethical considerations of crime. The paper finds that

graduating from high school leads to a 0.61-0.97 percent reduction in the probability of
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incarceration for whites and a 7.23-11.40 percent reduction for blacks. (Heckman, 2017).p.17.

College educated people also are less likely to use the welfare system because they have more

career choices in their lifetime.

Based on this research, having a higher degree of education has greater benefits over joining

the workforce right away after high school.

Mental Illness

The other thing to consider if the proposal to free college in America will be a reality is

the effect it will have on students psychologically and emotionally. One of people’s reasons to

have a better paying job is so they can pay off student loans. If there are no student loans to

pay off, the motivation to do good after college sometimes diminishes. Having to pay off debts

after college gives one a sense of accomplishment. It gives one confidence, increased self-

esteem and sense of purpose.

Cons Of College

While there are disadvantages to having a free college education system in America,

there are definitely pros to it. For one, you are not shouldered with huge student debts.

According to Paula Johanson (2018), the cost of attaining a college degree has increased more
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than 1,000 percent in the last three decades. A college student will graduate with an average

loan of $25,000 for a four year undergraduate course. The total student loan debt stands at an

all time high of $1.5 trillion and counting. There are also other expenses to consider such as:

books, transportation and cost of living. Imagine having to worry about these things while you

are trying to concentrate on your education? College is already stressful enough with all the

academics and other extracurricular activities surrounding it, let alone being burdened with all

the expenses that you have to deal with. If college is free, one can concentrate on studying

alone instead of working extra jobs to make ends meet. Emotional stress and anxiety will be

higher and you will have less time to spend with your family and loved ones during these

challenging times. College should be a positive experience and should be spent creating

lifelong relationships. It is that four years of independence where one starts to find themselves

and start to work on their careers.

Some people have a hard time recovering from the emotional stress and trauma from their

college years which eventually hurt them throughout their lifetimes. Some loose connections

from their loved ones because they are just too busy studying and at the same time working.

Other College Route

Due to some of these reasons, there are other high school graduates who end up

choosing the road less traveled. They prefer to join the workforce right after high school

graduation. College is not for everyone and some people know that early on and are smart

about it. They are practical and do not want to waste their time, money and effort in the next

four or so years. There are some jobs out there that do not require a college degree, so long as
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you have skills in those particular fields that you are interested in. These include jobs such as

being an auto mechanic, plumber, a cosmetologist, a real estate agent and many more. These

are good paying jobs that you can apply right away as a high school graduate. Studies also

show that with the advent of technology, having those necessary skills is more important than

having a four year college degree. People like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Mark

Zuckerberg, and many others dropped out of college, yet became enormously successful than

most college graduates.

Conclusion

In conclusion, students need to be smart in their decision after high school. While a college

education is very important, there are numerous responsibilities attached to it- the costs, the

effort and time that one has to put in. The cost to attend a four year college is very expensive

so one has to work hard to make sure the money is worth it. Many politicians are promising the

students the world. They are proposing free health care and education for all. These are all

good, but hopefully these are achieved, not at the expense of the taxpayers. They need to

inform the public of the pros and cons of having a free college education. Some just want

people to vote for them so they make all of these promises that they can not deliver. What

they need to focus more on is how to make college more affordable instead of the big

institutions making so much money out of the students. There should be a cap on the tuition

fees charged by different schools. Also, the interest rates on the college loans should be looked

at by the government. There should also be more options on how to pay for college, like more

incentives and scholarships available from the government so the students can focus more on

their studies.
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