Posted on Nov 2, 2014
Should college tuition be free or nearly free in America?
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Many nations in Europe and South America offer free or nearly free degree programs--and advanced degree programs-- that are taught in English. Germany, Finland, France, Sweden, Norway, Solvenia, and Brazil are current examples. Americans can attend and earn degrees there without speaking host nation languages for many degrees or courses. Even without tuition, costs of living can be high, but still may be a better bargain for some degree seekers....maybe universal service is the way to help pay for education--give your country a few years of service not necessarily in the military, you get most of your tuition paid....
Tuition assistance
Education
College
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 12
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Maybe not free, but how about we at least allow students to refinance their loans - or provide all loans through the public sector at, say, 1-3% interest. The banks get to borrow at near 0%, so why shouldn't we subsidize students the same way? I'm fine with having to pay for college, I'm not fine with students getting stuck with 6-9% interest rates that make it near impossible to pay off those loans unless you immediately walk out into a great job.
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SSgt (Join to see)
Major dews, here here sir! I actually avoided completing college before joining due to that pitfall. I had a full ride for 2 years, got an associates, and decided not to continue due to cost.
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PO2 Jonathan Scharff
Agree with MAJ (Join to see). I have paid for three kids to go through college and one has finished his masters and another finishing his law degree this year. They did the graduate work on their dime. My third is just beginning his masters on his dime. I think we should provide very low interest loans to students.
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When I was going to school, I would have liked tuition to have been free or nearly free. Now that I am at a point in my life where I will not attend any further degree programs, my thinking has changed.
First, there is no such thing as free or nearly free college tuition. Someone pays for it.
Second, formal education is highly overrated, and is often times a monopoly of various educational institutions that do not necessarily invest in the education of students. Many institutions have huge endowments, yet strap young college graduates with enormous debt burdens. You wonder why our docs have such terrible bedside manner? They're too worried about how they're going to pay their student loan debt back.
Third, if I had it to do all over again, I would have sought out someone who had what I wanted, asked them how they got it, and gone after the prize in the manner they suggested. I would have invested in a classical education by reading books about entrepreneurship, philosophy, history, and the lives of our founding fathers.
First, there is no such thing as free or nearly free college tuition. Someone pays for it.
Second, formal education is highly overrated, and is often times a monopoly of various educational institutions that do not necessarily invest in the education of students. Many institutions have huge endowments, yet strap young college graduates with enormous debt burdens. You wonder why our docs have such terrible bedside manner? They're too worried about how they're going to pay their student loan debt back.
Third, if I had it to do all over again, I would have sought out someone who had what I wanted, asked them how they got it, and gone after the prize in the manner they suggested. I would have invested in a classical education by reading books about entrepreneurship, philosophy, history, and the lives of our founding fathers.
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I don't necessarily think that college should be free, but I do not think that it should be as expensive as it is for no reason. I think that people need to work for it, and at the end you will appreciate it much more. In our Country people already have this sense of entitlement that is out of control, let them now all have a degree and they will without a doubt think that they are owed the World.
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SFC(P) (Join to see)
It is so hard to try and tell someone that getting a degree is going to be the determining factor in giving them a happier life; especially if everyone would have a degree. If we are making College free, then it would be on the same level as Grade School, where everyone would have a chance to go. We would then have to create Private Colleges just to differentiate, just as we do with Public Grade Schools now.
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SSgt (Join to see)
SGT Maxwell, completely true. If you make it free, it becomes the standard, and then everyones expected to have one. I think it works as is, its just overly costly. The markets already flooded with degrees as it is.
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SFC(P) (Join to see)
Very true, then everyone would need to get a Master's or PhD, which would then be just like Bachelors and a Master's. In terms or rarity at least, this argument would then be made for the Master's then in time for the PhD as well. People need to earn something for themselves and work for it. I truly appreciate my Degree because I worked for it, not just in class, but also with still paying off the student loans from it.
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SSgt (Join to see)
Very true, and I applaud those whom have earned their degrees, especially while in the service. I'm working for my Bachelors currently and its incredibly hard. But its not truly "expected" of me, though EPR's say otherwise...
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