Project 3 Rough Draft
P3 Rough Draft |
College tuition is on the rise and is that for the better? Where does the student tuition money go to and what does it do to benefit the university? Students pay so much money and almost receive nothing back. For a student you pay tens of thousands a year to get an education, then once you get out into the real world and finally get a job you are expected to give thousands back to the school. The average tuition price in the United States is about $26,000. However, the average in state tuition price at MSU is $14,460 which is lower than the national average; while the average for out of state tuition for MSU is $39,405. This is without counting your room and board. Who can really afford college? The way colleges take your money is outrageous and after paying all of this, is the process necessarily fair. As a group of students we all know the struggle of trying to find money to pay for college. Michigan State University needs to do better in finding ways to give more money back to students in financial aid, or trying to find ways in making tuition cheaper. There are plenty of ways to make college more affordable for every student. The cost of getting an education should never be an excuse.
Paying for college is not easy for anyone. However, some people do have the upper hand when trying to financially pay for it. There are 3 social classes in the United States: Upper, middle, and lower. The upper class makes enough money to afford college almost out of pocket. They do not need to receive financial aid while being financially stable to pay out of pocket. The lower class does not make a lot of money; they would not be able to pay a lot of pocket towards their tuition. The lower class usually receives government funding, more scholarships, and more money through financial aid. Then there is the middle class, the class that is in between. According to CNBC, 70% of Americans consider themselves to be in the middle class when the actual percentage is just over 50%. That is a large portion compared to the upper and lower class. The salary to be considered in the middle class is $40,500 to $122,000. The middle class are the ones to have higher student debt and struggle more to find funding. In the eyes of the government and school a majority of the middle class is considered stable enough to find a way to fund college on their own.
Besides giving college students more aid there is another way to change the price of college tuition. Students go to school for 12 years learning the basics of life and a short overview of all the different types of studies that are out there. Why is that once you get to college you still have to complete prerequisites? Many students feel that these classes are a waste of time and money. As a student you go to college to further your learning skills in a way that will benefit you in your own future. At college you pick a major, and then with that major comes a set of classes you have to take that will prepare you for the world of your degree. Michigan State University has guidelines and these guidelines must be met by each individual student to allow them to graduate. Credits aren’t cheap; and also why force a student to take a class that they will not enjoy only to have a chance of hurting their GPA. Michigan State University preaches a set of goals that will create students for the future. That is true but MSU also looks for things in a return. EVERY UNIVERSITY wants to have the best numbers and statistics across all categories. Ex. Universities thrive on having high GPA averages and well test scores. By taking out prerequisites it will benefit both the University and student body more. I understand in some circumstances prerequisite classes may be beneficial. If you are an incoming freshman and choose no preference for you major, prerequisites will deeper you education in a broad spectrum allowing you to truly find you likes and dislikes. A frustrating aspect out of this is that why would a University charge you thousands and thousands of dollars for something you may never use again in your lifetime.
I understand that a bachelor's degree is on the standard 4 year time scale and that has always been the case since our parents where in college. However, it does not have to be that way. There is no need to have students wasting more and more money. The goal is to spend as little as possible to get the best education as possible. If the modern bachelor degree will take 3 years instead of 4 years that is okay. Back when all of our parents would college it would cost them about $45.00 for 1 credit while today it will cost you $482.00 per 1 credit.
Paying for college is not easy for anyone. However, some people do have the upper hand when trying to financially pay for it. There are 3 social classes in the United States: Upper, middle, and lower. The upper class makes enough money to afford college almost out of pocket. They do not need to receive financial aid while being financially stable to pay out of pocket. The lower class does not make a lot of money; they would not be able to pay a lot of pocket towards their tuition. The lower class usually receives government funding, more scholarships, and more money through financial aid. Then there is the middle class, the class that is in between. According to CNBC, 70% of Americans consider themselves to be in the middle class when the actual percentage is just over 50%. That is a large portion compared to the upper and lower class. The salary to be considered in the middle class is $40,500 to $122,000. The middle class are the ones to have higher student debt and struggle more to find funding. In the eyes of the government and school a majority of the middle class is considered stable enough to find a way to fund college on their own.
Besides giving college students more aid there is another way to change the price of college tuition. Students go to school for 12 years learning the basics of life and a short overview of all the different types of studies that are out there. Why is that once you get to college you still have to complete prerequisites? Many students feel that these classes are a waste of time and money. As a student you go to college to further your learning skills in a way that will benefit you in your own future. At college you pick a major, and then with that major comes a set of classes you have to take that will prepare you for the world of your degree. Michigan State University has guidelines and these guidelines must be met by each individual student to allow them to graduate. Credits aren’t cheap; and also why force a student to take a class that they will not enjoy only to have a chance of hurting their GPA. Michigan State University preaches a set of goals that will create students for the future. That is true but MSU also looks for things in a return. EVERY UNIVERSITY wants to have the best numbers and statistics across all categories. Ex. Universities thrive on having high GPA averages and well test scores. By taking out prerequisites it will benefit both the University and student body more. I understand in some circumstances prerequisite classes may be beneficial. If you are an incoming freshman and choose no preference for you major, prerequisites will deeper you education in a broad spectrum allowing you to truly find you likes and dislikes. A frustrating aspect out of this is that why would a University charge you thousands and thousands of dollars for something you may never use again in your lifetime.
I understand that a bachelor's degree is on the standard 4 year time scale and that has always been the case since our parents where in college. However, it does not have to be that way. There is no need to have students wasting more and more money. The goal is to spend as little as possible to get the best education as possible. If the modern bachelor degree will take 3 years instead of 4 years that is okay. Back when all of our parents would college it would cost them about $45.00 for 1 credit while today it will cost you $482.00 per 1 credit.