Higher Education

Besem Etta-Ashu
Contemporary Literacy
Is Higher Education Worth the Price?
February 24, 2020


There are several decisions in which college students, as well as seniors in high school, have to decide on. One of the most important decisions in which they all have to face is deciding which college/university to attend for the next four years of their lives. I can remember when I was a senior in high school, one of the most important decisions I was constantly facing was deciding on which college to attend and if I would be able to pay for the tuition. Most importantly, I wanted the education I will be receiving to be worth every penny I was paying for. I applied to several schools and thankfully I got accepted to all my schools but then the problem of choosing the perfect school for me to attend which was not too expensive and also had good education became the main focus.

        



I do think that people should pay for higher education but not at drastic unbelievable prices. Schools expect us to pay for education at extremely high prices but students are not receiving the full education in which they are paying to receive. The deal is not equal on both sides of the spectrum because when people enroll in school, they agreeing to pay for a certain amount of education. Back in the days, it was more about education and less about the money but now it is more about money and less about education which is not right. We all know that education is the key to success, but with these drastic prices for education, people are not able to succeed in life. Most people are faced with the decision of having to drop out of school, not because they want to but because they just can not afford to stay in school.


    


Schools such as Drew University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Rider University, Rowan University are one of the most expensive schools in New Jersey where students are paying almost $60,000 a year. In order to continue attending schools, students are encouraged to take out loans and receive just the bare minimum of education. If students are paying and taking out loans of thousands and thousands of dollars then they should receive the maximum amount of education, not the bare minimum because they are not paying the bare minimum to attend college. Teachers should be paid more so they will be inspired or at least interested in devoting knowledge into their students' lives. Another problem is too many benefactors donate to institutes that are already well provided for such as Ivy leagues and technological schools. That is absolutely not fair because small schools such as NJCU and Kean University are left with no choice but to fund for themselves.


   

 

 

My final opinion is higher education is not worth these unbelievable prices because people are not even getting the education they are paying to receive. The prices for colleges needs to be reduced and the quality of education needs to be increased, not the opposite way. The amount of college loans that students have in total is greater than the amount of credit card debt in America.