Do you think college should be free?

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Never free. People need to have some skin in the game, otherwise they won’t take it seriously.

Reducing cost, I think we can all get behind but it’s just a matter of how.
 
  1. On the job training where applicable.
  2. Internships connected to a college to get real-world experience.
  3. Trade Schools connected to a college where completing a one year program (for example) gets college credit.
Most of what I know about computers I was shown how to do on the job.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
If it’s free, then it should only be offered to the academic top 10 percent of students. Which will never fly in USA, so I say nope, it shouldn’t be free
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I would mostly agree with this. The problem is we have tons of students that go to college that either shouldn’t because they are not academically prepared for it or get a high cost education for jobs that really should not require a college degree.

Really what should be done is to shift the focus on most kids taking trade or certification focused training while in high school. Let them then enter the work force with some level of skills. Once they work in a field for a few years then let their employers pay to send them back for specialized training. That would obviously require a shift in businesses that say every entry level position requires a bachelor degree.

How the US system is setup now, it really only benefits the colleges and student loan companies. I have people in entry level positions with tens of thousands in student loan debt and still have to turn around and train them for the job. I could take someone out of high-school with a 6 month certificate program and be in the same position.
 
PeterT said:
Right now colleges are abusing the student loan system increasing tuition far faster than the rate of inflation knowing that students can currently pick up the tab by taking out huge student loans.
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Bingo, that’s the answer! And I don’t even want to say the colleges are being abusive; the federal government is pretty much guaranteeing them free money, and they’d be stupid not to take it.

Personally, I’d prefer to see colleges forced to quit federal student loans cold turkey. But there’s probably room for compromise here and limiting the loans to a small amount.
 
On your “trades” point, one problem with countries where everybody gets free college is a lack of skilled trades.
I was in Iceland a few years back and was told that due to them providing college for everyone, they now had more lawyers than they could possibly use, but were having to import plumbers from Poland.
 
No. I believe that my labor is worth something, and I extend that principle to those from whom I am asking for goods and services. Because I would not work for free, I do not expect others to provide their labor at their expense. That is what we call slavery. Their labor is worth something, and since I am consuming a good or service that involves their labor, I expect to have to pay for that service. I consider it an investment in my future earning potential. I think the big question that needs to be asked is why has the cost of education risen so dramatically over the last 40 years. Much of that is because artificial demand has been created by providing so many subsidies for education.
 
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Usige said:
I would mostly agree with this. The problem is we have tons of students that go to college that either shouldn’t because they are not academically prepared for it or get a high cost education for jobs that really should not require a college degree.
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Or they are getting a “follow your bliss” degree that does not prepare them in any way to earn a living in a way that suits their actual aptitudes.

Do not get me wrong. People who go get history degrees often translate their education into self-supporting careers after college. I only mean that too many high school students think that this equation actually has a high propability of working:

Very High Grades + Anxiety → “Best” College + Study Area You Love → High Paying Job You Love → Contented Life

It does not work that way. Most of the work that needs doing in this world is not the kind that people would do if no one paid them to do it. Most of the time, even the right job, the job that lets you contribute and be productive and give people something they really need is still mostly a job.

The other problem, of course, is that high school students and their parents don’t value the work of people in the trades nearly enough. College isn’t a ticket to either wealth or happiness for everybody.
 
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I don’t know whether it should be free. I do think people have to make better decisions. I absolutely don’t want to burst anyone’s bubbles, I don’t want to dampen young people’s excitement and enthusiasm for pursuing their dreams. That kind of joy of exploring life’s opportunities doesn’t happen later in life. Humans simply aren’t wired for that joy when we’re older.

The unfortunate reality is that people who take out huge loans to major in French Literature have
no one but themselves to blame when they can’t make ends meet after graduation.

My high school senior daughter had planned to major in Psychology. My wife and I were somewhat leery of it: a degree in Psych is, for most people, not a worthwhile expense. Through connections, we were able to have our daughter spend some time with a retired Psych professor with a long vitae of working in a variety of capacities with students. He explained to her that Psych is only worth pursuing if one approaches it from a research perspective. Math. Statistics. Research methods. That’s not what she wants. She’s probably going to head a different direction.

There are those who can graduate with an English degree and find good employment–but that’s got nothing at all to do with the academic course material and everything to do with their own personalities, their job prep, their career networking skills, etc.

In short, the debt problem is a real problem, but it’s not altogether the colleges’ fault, not altogether the lenders’ fault.
 
on_the_hill said:
The unfortunate reality is that people who take out huge loans to major in French Literature have
no one but themselves to blame when they can’t make ends meet after graduation.
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High school guidance counselors typically do not advise students to consider the financial implications of their college choices. It is all about whether they have the academic capacity to get into such-and-such a school and into such-and-such a career field. It’s as if looking at the return on investment is too gauche to talk about or something?
 
Taxx said:
Do you think college should be free?
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When I lived under communism, college education was not only free, but they paid you a certain stipend each month. The meals were free to most students. You were required to do a small amount of patriotic work, once a month. It was usually one Saturday per month of gardening or such. And after you graduated, they guaranteed you a job. Depending on your academic standing, and your choices, you would be offered anywhere from one to three different jobs. You had the freedom to choose another job if you wanted to. Of course, at the university, there were certain restrictions with the living quarters being fairly crowded and hot water was not available all day long, only at certain times.
 
No.
Instead, let’s cap the salaries of school administrators and executives.
 
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Anything of worth should cost something.
But a college education should not cost so much that kids spend 10 to 20 years trying to free themselves from debt.
For those who do not have a lot of money, perhaps some sort of voluntary work after a degree is achieved.
Like health care, I do not thing it should be free, but on the other hand, it should not be a for-profit situation. Health care should be affordable.
 
AlNg said:
When I lived under communism, college education was not only free
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For it to be free, that would mean that not only did the students not have to pay for it, but neither did anyone else.
 
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No, it should not be free. However the cost should come down to reality. Also student loans need to be capped. Many students are graduating with more than $100,000 in student debt, but their degree really only cost $50,000. They borrow like they don’t have to pay it back. No one tells them they will struggle with that debt for many years, that it can effect their ability to buy a home or even possibly a new car.

When I went to college I went using some scholarship money, I did work study, I worked part time, and for what was left I borrowed. When I graduated I had $10,000 in debt and I was so worried about how I was going to pay that back. I did pay it back and own my education free & clear. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to add a zero to that number.

I did borrow with paying it back in mind. I set a goal to complete 4 years of education in 3, which I did, and I only borrowed for tuition, books, or fees. I worked weekends, 32 hours, and had my work study job, to support myself and my kids while going to school. We lived poor, qualified for housing assistance, food stamps, and medicaid for my kids. I was willing to be humble in order to get my education. In the 25 years since I’ve graduated I have long since paid back in taxes any assistance I received and I value that piece of paper very much. Had it not cost me, if I had not had to work for it, it wouldn’t mean as much.

No college shouldn’t be free, it should cost something to go.

The expectation that all kids have to go to college needs to be looked at also. There are many trades that make good money that do not require a college degree.
 
YourNameHere said:
Anything of worth should cost something.
But a college education should not cost so much that kids spend 10 to 20 years trying to free themselves from debt.
For those who do not have a lot of money, perhaps some sort of voluntary work after a degree is achieved.
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There are a number of programs that do this now, mostly in healthcare and education.
 
tl; dr
but:

College should be reasonably priced.

I spent many years working in academia and I can tell you this: Every fall the campus newspaper would run this headline: Tuition Will Go Up 10% Next Year, with the sub-headline: But It’s Not That Bad, Because 95% of That Rise Will Go Into the Financial Aid Pool

Which raises the question: Why not raise tuition ½%, and leave financial aid alone?
Obviously because that would not result in a license to print money!
 
Isn’t that a little unfair to people that are currently paying for college or have already paid for college?

I never went, for the record.
 
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I’ve never understood this logic, what difference does it make to you?
 
DeniseNY said:
For it to be free, that would mean that not only did the students not have to pay for it, but neither did anyone else.
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The government paid for almost everything, except that you had to buy your own books, pencils, pens, and paper. Students did not have to pay tuition or, in most cases, room and board.
 
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