Argumentative Essay: Should College Be Free?

Currently, America offers free college tuition, but this is only to those that have served in the military. Not everyone wants to serve in the military and because of this one question that has launched to the forefront of America’s thoughts in the past decade is whether or not college should be free for everyone. The biggest argument for why college should be free is that in its current state it is unaffordable. I believe that this argument is due to financial ignorance and just untrue. Many in America, parents and children alike, do not understand the basics of finance and therefore do not understand how affordable college truly can be. If parents and teens became better educated and informed about these matters than there would be fewer
The primary misconception of college is that it has to be completed at a 4-year university far away from home, within a 4 year time period, and that is the only way you will ever be successful in life. This is just not the case. Firstly, college does not have to be out of state at the most expensive college. Many people have become successful by utilizing the option of going to community college first and then transferring to a 4-year college to obtain their Bachelor’s Degree. Secondly, college does not need to be rushed through in 4 years. For many, this is just not practical for time management reasons, while others find the financial burden overwhelming and impossible as it leaves student loans as the primary option to afford college. If we are able to get past these barriers we are able to learn how affordable college really can be. Lastly, a lot of the most successful people today never went to college, or if they did they never finished. Many people would rather learn a trade by entering the workforce immediately as an apprentice than obtaining a degree at a
Teens can save money at an early age by getting jobs around the community by walking dogs, cleaning up after dogs, mowing lawns, or even babysitting. Once they reach the legal age to work in a business a part-time or even full-time job can be obtained. While attending college there are work-study programs or you can obtain a job independently. Sometimes businesses offer tuition reimbursement if you agree to the terms of those programs. Usually, you are required to work a certain amount of years for that company after obtaining your degree. Grants and Scholarships are other options. You might need to write 100 essays and apply to at least 50 different scholarships each week in order to see the results of being awarded scholarships, but most things in life require hard work and dedication to obtain your goals and scholarships are no exception. Going to an in-state college is almost always the most affordable route, and being able to keep it close enough to still live at home will save on living expenses. I feel that most parents would be willing to allow their children to continue to live with them for free so long as they remain respectful of the living arrangement and continue to be diligent with school. By utilizing all of these options one might still find college to be completely unaffordable. For these