Is College Worth the Cost to Attend - Essay Example

Is College Worth the Cost (Investment) to Attend? Introduction Very often education has been positioned as one of the most privileged occupations for different people around the world. Nowadays people’s perception of education has changed greatly. Modern students do not want to spend much time on their education. They do not think that it is worth being invested and they want to save their time and money. The American President Barak Obama propagates higher education expansion. His government worries about financial issues for every college or any other educational institution. The “higher education bubble” is often compared with the housing bubble. People believe that their investments would be returned to them in spite of high price for education. People dream about numerous chances and opportunities of having higher returns after their investments into education. At the same time, there are different political parties, which, on the one hand, promote their social shifts through educational institutions, but, on the other hand, do not want to make reliable investments in education. Argument 1 Different prospects of higher returns are often misunderstood by people and they are often concerned about financial side of education and its high financial returns. Quality of education and personal striving in this process is often omitted. Education requires a high emotional and mind contribution. Different studies of the past years summarize the following assumptions about education: “the idea that college is an excellent investment paying a high return in terms of lifetime income has been buttressed by numerous studies over the years purporting to show that college graduates earn a large premium over a lifetime in comparison to individuals who earn only a high school diploma or who attend some college without completing a four-year degree” (Wood 210). Again the matter is about financial and material side of the education. There is no word about qualitative and emotional load of education. A high intellectual attainment is very much required from the students in the process of education. Educational institutions are on the way of improvement of their potential goals. A marketplace credential and a diploma of higher education are two different things. There is no way to compare them. A student’s wholeness and intellectual attainment are proved by the diploma. Intellectual maturity and mind’s ability to produce emotional and creative power should be the main points for confirmation in the process of higher education. Argument 2 The University has often been positioned as a strong and a reliable basis for further advancement in life. A price for education has become very high and it is of great relevance to find a perfect balance between an opportunity of further self-development and resources required for investment in this process. Enormously high price for education can be hardly justified. A student can and will pay for education unless it is above his possibilities. Education should be affordable and available otherwise there is no need for a separated existence of this vague investment into the future. Moreover, there is a need to pay for nutrition, room and cover much other expenditure. Less and less students are interested in academic rigor. They want to live an easy life, to get their education without any investments and they prefer to choose the easiest forms of education, such as remote education or online education. Colleges and higher educational institutions are interested in having students, who are greatly inspired. In that case the University would have a perfect opportunity to promote its highest moral principles and values. Those students, who are not really interested in the essence of education, would be hardly interesting for the universities and colleges. Only financial motivation and future material gains are not enough for a sound education. Argument 3 One should always know that he/she needs education for himself and not for potential financial gains. A feeling of herd is bad in this case…Every individual should choose education, which is closer to his own heart and mind and not to follow fashion of education promoted by the majority of people. Life of every individual is a long road and education is a strong and a supportive vehicle to move along it. There is a great responsibility of educational institutions too. Thus, it cannot be denied that: “colleges need not just to attract but retain these marginal students, and that means easing course requirements and inflating grades. More ambitious students can be segregated into honors courses and a handful of rigorous majors where they pose no threat as rate-busters” (Wood 212). In other words, these are opportunities for the outstanding and extraordinary students, but what about the rest? Counterargument Nowadays the young generation is growing on the examples and templates from media. They can perfectly see that good guys earn money hand over fist by illegal methods. Why to spend his own money or money of parents if he can just do some cheating and be happy all his life…Sometimes young people just do not understand that they need a strong basis and intellectual background in their lives. They prefer physical labor or easy- going job, which does not require education. Of course, in their early years they can think so, but it is very difficult to work as a waitress, a builder or someone else all lifelong. It is better to invest in making a good life start and have one’s favorite job. A good start for all, who decided to obtain a higher education, can be interpreted in the following way. From the very beginning, a student should understand that a way to a free society is education. This is a thorny path, but it was admired by ancient philosophers and modern thinkers. Thinkers of the modernity want to approximate education to its initial goal. Politicians, on the other hand, are using universities for their own greedy for covert goals. Political interests of certain interested groups are very often promoted in the universities. The most specialized goals of education and innovations from scholars are expected by the modern society and modern educational institutions, but in reality are often challenged by the politicians. There is no strong correlation between the centennial principles of education and slight attempts of social transformations exposed by the modern educational institutions. So, why to make personal investments in education of this type? The greatest expectations nowadays are that colleges will be able to shape the minds of the students and return to their initial goals. Nowadays the students report that they spend only 5 hours per week for studying. This is a very disappointing figure. It is hard to comprehend this change in the society and colleges would be unable to deal with these changes themselves. The modern society undermines initial purposes of education. There is a need for the American government to invest into education, because the essence and the destiny of the sound society depend on the level of education obtained by the nation. First of all, it is relevant to distribute financial resources with respect to the economic conditions of certain groups. Children from poor families and ethnic minority groups do not have a fair opportunity to invest in their education. Moreover, an introduction of a fair budget policy and a great respect towards essential contribution of these people to the economy and the development of America should be taken into account in education investment policies (Shireman). In case a student cannot afford education, it is necessary to rely on government of the country and the local government. Funding data is the following: “more than $2,000 per student; in Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas are among the states with funding gaps greater than $900 per student” (The Education Trust). An individual funding should be properly developed with respect to personal needs and potential. In accordance with the modern American sociologists: “failure to invest in the education of minorities – who are currently more likely to drop out of school and less likely to get a university degree than whites – could yet have a catastrophic effect on the competitiveness of an American workforce already under pressure from the emerging Asian economies of China and India” (Foster). Conclusion Financial aid in education is a perfect way out for the majority of students from poor families and ethnic minorities. It is appropriate for the students to decide whether it is beneficial or not to attend colleges and the financial support of the government should be positioned as first and foremost link to success. Poor students require monetary support and different governments should be interested in helping their future generation in their development and perfection, because the benefits of the nation depend on this type of support. There is a need to choose the most appropriate institution, which is able to help and sustain the students from different social classes. The students should be focused on finding the most perfect balance between their own benefits and benefits for the society, which depend on them. Therefore, the challenge of the modern education and investment in it should be considered both at personal and governmental levels. There is no doubt that the government should promote a fair and high-quality affordable education, while the students should guarantee their hard work and realization of the initial and final goals of education. Works Cited Foster, P. More Children Born to Ethnic Minorities than to White Families in US. 17 May, 2012. Web. 31 Aug 2012. The Education Trust. Funding Gap States Shortchange Poor, Minority Students of Education Dollars. Oct 06, 2004. Web. 31 Aug 2012. Shireman, Robert. “College Affordability and Student Success.” Change, March/April 2009: 54-56. Print. Wood, P. W. “The Higher Education Bubble”. Sociology 48 (25 March 2011): 208-212. Print. Read More