College Tuition

College Tuition In today's society, the idea of a college education has become less of an option and more of a necessary requirement and is commonly considered the only way to acquire a successful career and life. There are many careers, in which a college education is not technically necessary, that can often be just as or even more successful. With the cost of college tuition increasing with every passing year, the controversy of whether college is really worth the cost and burden is growing too. If our society wants to continue displaying a college education as somewhat of a necessity for success, I believe the cost of it should shift to being a more realistic price, suitable for the majority of students striving to go to college. Most high school students feel pressure by not only the family, but also peers and teaching faculty to go to college because it’s “the smart thing to do”, but some may be hesitant to choose the college route because they believe their experiences will be different and the benefits of getting the job and making all their money back won't apply to them. Economic research concludes that more students would gain from college rather than opting out from it, and choosing a different route. Yes, there are many careers that require little or no further education after high school that may be considered successful jobs, such as construction and more hands on jobs, but it is averaged that over a lifetime those who attend college make about $500,000 more than those who do not. “Seven out of ten college seniors (71%) who graduated last year had student loan debt, with an average of $29,400 per borrower. From 2008 to 2012 debt at graduation … increased an average rate of six percent each year.” (The Project of Student Debt). With all of the debts, not covered by either scholarships or financial aid, accumulated over the course of an individual’s schooling, the amount of additional money made becomes less substantial; if the tuition and fees were

Cited: Page: Greenstone, Michael, and Adam Looney. "Regardless of the Cost, College Still Matters." The Brookings Institution. The Hamilton Project, 05 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. <http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/jobs/posts/2012/10/05-jobs-greenstone-looney>. "Student Financial Aid and Scholarships." Cost of Attendance. University of Oregon, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. <http://financialaid.uoregon.edu/cost_of_attendance>. "Financial Aid and Scholarships." Cost of Attendance. Oregon State University, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. <http://financialaid.oregonstate.edu/review_costofattendance>. "State by State Data." Project on Student Debt:. The Project on Student Debt, 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. <http://projectonstudentdebt.org/state_by_state-data.php>.