The left in this country is fixated on eliminating student loans. According to at least one member of congress, you're not anti-racist unless you're anti-student loans. The Biden administration wants to do massive debt forgiveness, ignoring people like me and many of you who were responsible and paid back our loans.
Right on the money Erick! I paid my student loan off and back then, a college education was still reasonable. What college costs today is out and out GREEED! There is no excuse for this and YES the conversation needs to be "why are tuition and fees so expensive?". Not everyone needs a college education and with a small limited government, the cost of living wouldn't be so damn high so students could make good livings with other educational opportunities besides college. But then the greedy leftist wouldn't have their Marxist factories cranking out good little snowflake leftist voters! It's always about power and control!
You hit on the real point: "follow the money" - when colleges can charge crazy tuition prices, have to convince folks that it looks "affordable" as an investment. It's kind of like salesmen pitching that a Lexus is "affordable" at $500/mo rather than dropping $60k right there. It's a combination of brilliant marketing by Sallie Mae, et al, saying "*YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL*...and we'll sucker-punch you for 15 years after school ends or you stop attending". That has created opportunity for post-HS education to charge crazy prices for same training I got 40 years ago ("learn how to learn" has been the mantra from the engineering world, anyway, content less critical than ability to absorb and make use of new info out in the world).
IMO, that allowed weed-like growth of "Studies" programs that really do nothing for the student or society, but is "interesting and exciting" to young folks. The lie that "Everyone has to go to college" is not balanced by "...for a marketable skill-set when you graduate". The weeds continue to grow, tuition for meaningful education (Physical/Social Sciences, true Liberal Arts and Humanties, etc.), subsidizes administration and these "Studies" program that have "Would you like fries with that" written at the bottom of the sheepskin.
Many have also lost track of the true value for a college education - critical thinking. Given what we are seeing all over, that guided group-think is the priority, critical thinking has no place in that marketplace - exactly the opposite of the origin of the term "University": Unity coupled with Diversity (of thought rather than the NewSpeak definitions.
Ditto on the bloated college administration issue. The number of "staff" administration people at a university has more than doubled compared to educators. And that is not saying the educators are all that efficient either. Great idea to kill student loans.
I had this very conversation with some friends just last week. A few quick points:
* FREE = WORTHLESS. If college degrees, many of which already over-saturate the market, become free, then the value of that "higher education" goes in the toilet. They become the new high school diploma, which then mandates a masters or PhD in order to elevate one's self above the masses.
* COLLEGE DEGREE = HIGHER SALARY. Let's not kid ourselves here, elevating one's self above the masses is THE REASON why people attend college. A good college combined with a good degree and good grades equates to higher earning power, regardless of race or gender.
* SKILLED TRADE SCHOOLS. Because so many are focused on a college education, the skilled trades are sorely hurting. Good welders, plumbers, electricians, etc. can earn a VERY good living, yet that job market is highly under-served (just ask Mike Rowe). This lightbulb will eventually come on for many young people and parents considering college.
* INDEBTED FOR INDOCTRINATION. I hope that the pendulum will swing the other direction as parents begin asking themselves just WHY they or their child should support an institution (college) that so radically defiles the ideals upon which this country was built.
Part of this equation is that colleges and universities have become bloated with so much "administration." It's mind boggling and costs the student, their family and the taxpayers. I went to a private college by choice. I knew what the cost was per semester, room and board, books, etc. I weighed my options at state institutions. Applied for every type of aide and scholarship. It seems many don't do this anymore. The number of people who have defaulted on student loans makes it more difficult for those coming afterwards. Then there is the concept that not everyone has to attend college or university to get a really good job/career. Ask Mike Rowe about the tens of thousands of jobs in the trades that go unfilled. There are many opportunities out there, we just have to make them for ourselves.
Someone please explain to me why the government gives any money (our money) to any college. Instead give it to qualified students before they get to college. Am I missing something here?
One of my pet peeves! I sacrificed and worked to pay off my loan...I watched what I borrowed to start with. Anyone who raises or has raised children will tell you that children appreciate something far more that they paid for as opposed to something that was given to them.
In addition to subsidized student loan, programs like the HOPE scholarship in Georgia also fuel college spending. That program changed the landscape and created an influx of people going to college. This influx created a huge increase in cash flow and...schools spent the money building more infrastructure. Once that infrastructure exists, well, you've got to support it, so yet another excuse to raise tuition.
It is a complete mess (says the guy with 1 just out of college, 1 in college and 1 about to go to college).
Why not "tax the rich"? If a school has millions in endowments, they shouldn't receive any tuition via FAFSA Student loans and 28% of their endowments should be taken from them and given as grants to local poor colleges and tech schools for scholarships. : )
Why? Well, this is old, from 2013, but...I think it explains it fairly well:
https://www.higheredjobs.com/salary/salaryDisplay.cfm?SurveyID=22
Right on the money Erick! I paid my student loan off and back then, a college education was still reasonable. What college costs today is out and out GREEED! There is no excuse for this and YES the conversation needs to be "why are tuition and fees so expensive?". Not everyone needs a college education and with a small limited government, the cost of living wouldn't be so damn high so students could make good livings with other educational opportunities besides college. But then the greedy leftist wouldn't have their Marxist factories cranking out good little snowflake leftist voters! It's always about power and control!
...and the explosion in costs isn't going into better instruction....
Its going into college administration as what is effectively graft
You hit on the real point: "follow the money" - when colleges can charge crazy tuition prices, have to convince folks that it looks "affordable" as an investment. It's kind of like salesmen pitching that a Lexus is "affordable" at $500/mo rather than dropping $60k right there. It's a combination of brilliant marketing by Sallie Mae, et al, saying "*YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL*...and we'll sucker-punch you for 15 years after school ends or you stop attending". That has created opportunity for post-HS education to charge crazy prices for same training I got 40 years ago ("learn how to learn" has been the mantra from the engineering world, anyway, content less critical than ability to absorb and make use of new info out in the world).
IMO, that allowed weed-like growth of "Studies" programs that really do nothing for the student or society, but is "interesting and exciting" to young folks. The lie that "Everyone has to go to college" is not balanced by "...for a marketable skill-set when you graduate". The weeds continue to grow, tuition for meaningful education (Physical/Social Sciences, true Liberal Arts and Humanties, etc.), subsidizes administration and these "Studies" program that have "Would you like fries with that" written at the bottom of the sheepskin.
Many have also lost track of the true value for a college education - critical thinking. Given what we are seeing all over, that guided group-think is the priority, critical thinking has no place in that marketplace - exactly the opposite of the origin of the term "University": Unity coupled with Diversity (of thought rather than the NewSpeak definitions.
Ditto on the bloated college administration issue. The number of "staff" administration people at a university has more than doubled compared to educators. And that is not saying the educators are all that efficient either. Great idea to kill student loans.
Mike Drop!
I had this very conversation with some friends just last week. A few quick points:
* FREE = WORTHLESS. If college degrees, many of which already over-saturate the market, become free, then the value of that "higher education" goes in the toilet. They become the new high school diploma, which then mandates a masters or PhD in order to elevate one's self above the masses.
* COLLEGE DEGREE = HIGHER SALARY. Let's not kid ourselves here, elevating one's self above the masses is THE REASON why people attend college. A good college combined with a good degree and good grades equates to higher earning power, regardless of race or gender.
* SKILLED TRADE SCHOOLS. Because so many are focused on a college education, the skilled trades are sorely hurting. Good welders, plumbers, electricians, etc. can earn a VERY good living, yet that job market is highly under-served (just ask Mike Rowe). This lightbulb will eventually come on for many young people and parents considering college.
* INDEBTED FOR INDOCTRINATION. I hope that the pendulum will swing the other direction as parents begin asking themselves just WHY they or their child should support an institution (college) that so radically defiles the ideals upon which this country was built.
Did not get a loan but hate the fact that young people are tied to these crazy things.
Part of this equation is that colleges and universities have become bloated with so much "administration." It's mind boggling and costs the student, their family and the taxpayers. I went to a private college by choice. I knew what the cost was per semester, room and board, books, etc. I weighed my options at state institutions. Applied for every type of aide and scholarship. It seems many don't do this anymore. The number of people who have defaulted on student loans makes it more difficult for those coming afterwards. Then there is the concept that not everyone has to attend college or university to get a really good job/career. Ask Mike Rowe about the tens of thousands of jobs in the trades that go unfilled. There are many opportunities out there, we just have to make them for ourselves.
Someone please explain to me why the government gives any money (our money) to any college. Instead give it to qualified students before they get to college. Am I missing something here?
One of my pet peeves! I sacrificed and worked to pay off my loan...I watched what I borrowed to start with. Anyone who raises or has raised children will tell you that children appreciate something far more that they paid for as opposed to something that was given to them.
In addition to subsidized student loan, programs like the HOPE scholarship in Georgia also fuel college spending. That program changed the landscape and created an influx of people going to college. This influx created a huge increase in cash flow and...schools spent the money building more infrastructure. Once that infrastructure exists, well, you've got to support it, so yet another excuse to raise tuition.
It is a complete mess (says the guy with 1 just out of college, 1 in college and 1 about to go to college).
Amen, Amen and Amen!
Why not "tax the rich"? If a school has millions in endowments, they shouldn't receive any tuition via FAFSA Student loans and 28% of their endowments should be taken from them and given as grants to local poor colleges and tech schools for scholarships. : )
Standing ovation for keeping this question alive.