Is Higher Education Worth The Price?

March 04, 2023

I chose the image above because in a way it connects to the articles I read about how college has increased overall. There are four different categories where it shows the percentage of how many students feel college was a good investment, how much students are worried about how much they have to pay for college, a certain percentage of americans who say that college is just too expensive to afford and lastly the average amount student were debt in back in 2015. I feel like it gives a good representation of what also is occurring nowadays. For example, many students don’t have the money to afford college which plays a big role as to why some kids after highschool just decide to work or do other activities than attend college. College tuition has increased a lot throughout the years that it makes it harder for students to continue onto college. Many people do receive financial aid which helps students out either fully or part of it. For instance, in the article “Are Colleges Worth The Price Of Admission” it states “and if parents can’t or won’t pay, young people often find themselves burdened with staggering loans” which proves a big point of how it is nowadays.

Many parents can’t afford tuition because of how expensive it is and also depending on how they are economically. Students decide to just keep taking out loans in order to get a degree without realizing how hard it’ll be for them after graduating, having to pay it all back. For the most part, students work and attend school, managing that lifestyle that can also become overwhelming for them. Speaking for myself, it can get a bit out of hand and on top of that of us being good mentally. It proves a good point of how professors should become more caring and attentive to every person in their classrooms and I agree because it shows that professors genuinely care besides doing their job. Professors who care about their students' health give their students motivation to go to their class everyday and also be open minded with their students opinions and feelings. In the second article “Kenyon Commencement speech” shows how sometimes professors say certain things towards students that can be misinterpreted and seem rude. For example, some professors say “ I'm here to teach you how to think” . It can be a bit offensive to their students because in a way it makes students feel as if they’re being downplayed and aren’t smart enough or capable enough to be in college.

Many students have been in situations where just the thought of having to get through college can drain their heads and create many doubts within themselves. Moving forward, the third article of “ The New Liberal Arts” which I found interesting because of how it connects to the first article of financial issues with families. It also connects to real life after college where even while having a college diploma they struggle to find a job within their career. It’s very stressful because most jobs require experience but most students don’t have any. Most jobs require a BA degree and some MA degrees which can hold back people who may not have either or. Sometimes it also depends on the opportunities there are in the area someone lives in. It’s many obstacles students face after graduating. Lastly, the documentary “Ivory Tower” provided a lot of information about the school system and how it works. It spoke about Harvard which is known as one of the best colleges but it mentions a little bit of colleges overall to see their benefits and downfalls. I noticed how the documentary points out how to receive an education is becoming a privilege only to the ones who can afford it when in reality it should be something everyone has a right to no matter what. Overall, education shouldn’t be so much because of how many people out there who may not meet the financial requirements for it.