Argument Paper on College Costs

The cost of college tuition and fees has surged 1,120 percent since records began in 1978.(Ferguson) Soaring tuition and shrinking incomes are making college less and less affordable for people. For millions of young people, rising college costs are putting the American dream on hold, or out of reach. Colleges are always being supported by everyone and have said that it is the best option if want a new job or career. It is getting harder and harder to get into a great college, and high school graduates are getting stuck in low wage jobs and saving money up for school and taking twice the time to finish their schooling on their way into a new career. The cost of tuition has nearly doubled since the new millenium and is not stopping yet. Students are racking up on loans and aren 't being able to afford a 4-year state college even though they have worked all summer and are working part time during the semester to pay for everything. The economy is still very shaky so it 's harder on your parents to help you out with the situation at hand. Because of this, two out of three undergrads are coming out of college with debt.
They say that college is better in the long run but when you have majored in English Literature and beer pong for four years and come out of college at the same point you were when you went in, then you start to question what it has done for you. They always put out huge and overexagerated statements like "college graduates make 80 percent more than someone with just a high school diploma", which may be true at one point but it doesn 't include what percentage of those college graduates will be making 80 percent more than those with only high school diplomas.
Now as Thomas Toch stated, "Some schools have even managed to CUT tuition. The University of Massachusetts-Amherst has reduced its tuition and fees by 4.4 percent since 1994, eliminating 28 programs out of 233 - under enrolled disciplines like Russian and plant pathology." (Toch) While this is true and schools are trying to reduce tuition to make it more affordable in this economy, this statement is only about 1 percent of colleges all across the U.S. that have cut tuition because of cutting classes. There have been even more colleges that cut classes but don 't cut tuition to save themselves money and not give back to the students. Many have asked that since the tuition has almost doubled since 1995, have students been getting an education that is twice as good as the students in 95 '? Most would say that it has gotten better since then but not to the point where the prices for it need to skyrocket as well. Students have been asking colleges these questions but they just brush them off and go on their way making more money. They have been saying that they are lowering the tuition across the country and are putting out names that are but they are really only 1% of the colleges across the United States that are doing it this. They are doing by dropping classes that people aren 't going to and are lowering tuition. They would say that would be the solution to just drop classes, but most colleges that are dropping classes aren 't lowering the tuition and are keeping the extra money into making the school more pleasureable or appeasing. Students aren 't interested into the school that looks the best, but for school that gives them best opportunities towards a future in their professions. Another place that the money is going is the pockets of the faculty and especially the Dean or Presidents of the instituition. It has been said that some of the Dean have doubled their salary from ten years ago. They are making more money but tuition is still getting raised year by year. As Megan McArdle said, "Salaries have done pretty well. Look at the president of Yale. Compare his salary now with his salary in 2000.” In 2000, Richard Levin earned $561,709. By 2009, it was $1.63 million. “A typical university today has as many administrators as faculty” (McArdle). They need to find a way to regulate the money throught out colleges and they seem to have been doing that through college boards that decide what goes on in the college but they are also professors and adminstrators that want to get more as well so the balance may be tipped in their favor. I 'm not saying that all institution are crooked and are out to get our hard earned money but there should be a fine line in the situation. "Promotional literature for colleges and student loans often speaks of debt as an 'investment in yourself. ' But an investment is supposed to generate income to pay off the loans" (McArdle). The colleges are pushing on the statement that college is necessary to have a successful career and job. Do you really want to waste your time trying to perfect and learn your craft and end up with stress, a pile of debt and a bad image? If you aren 't making enough money with your profession and not being able to repay your loans then it will haunt you for the rest of your life and always stay in the back of your mind. Colleges are always telling you what your average wage will be after you finish with your degree as if it is a guarantee that you will end up with that job let alone that high of an expectation for a salary. It 's like sending a teenager with credit card with no limit into a mall and expect them to get back with everything being paid off. They are raising the room and board prices because the needs of college students are getting met without regard of how ridiculously insane the request might be. They want the best from the college and they aren 't saying no, but they are making everything more expensive. Students go to college to find a job or career to grow in and excel. They want a job that will stay with them for the rest of their life and push farther to create a bigger salary. If you don 't guarantee that then you are dropping the expectations of your students if you don 't tell them what might happen and what chances they have in that field. Being able to stick with the same career is the financial security that everyone wants and it gives them the thought safety they need to do their work without any stress. Money really does equal happiness and we are learning that hands on from all of the colleges that keep pushing up tuition. The government need to jump into action with the education that is going on in the United States. They are stable with high schools because they are treated the same way and have no problems, but colleges have their own ways of doings things and it needs to be regulated so it 's actually fair to residential students that have no where else to go. Community colleges are often overlooked even though fifty percent of their students end up in great colleges that have had great praises. "About 80% of firefighters and law enforcement officers and 70% of nurses embarked on their careers in community college" (Rivera). This statistic shows that these high careers can be made and started in community colleges which are always underrated and unthought of at most times. It 's just another reason why the government should transition their focus to them since they are the foundation to great careers.

Works Cited
Ferguson, Niall. "Who Needs College?." Newsweek. 03 Sep 2012, lat ed: 2+
McArdle, Megan. "The College Bubble." Newsweek. 17 Sep 2012: n.p. Web. 22 March 2013.
Rivera, Carla. "Community Colleges Fall on Hard Times" Los Angles Times. 23.Sep. 2012 lat ed. : 1+

Cited: Ferguson, Niall. "Who Needs College?." Newsweek. 03 Sep 2012, lat ed: 2+ McArdle, Megan. "The College Bubble." Newsweek. 17 Sep 2012: n.p. Web. 22 March 2013. Rivera, Carla. "Community Colleges Fall on Hard Times" Los Angles Times. 23.Sep. 2012 lat ed. : 1+