Cost of College Synthesis Timed Write

Society can all collectively agree that education can be one of the most crucial foundations towards a successful society. This begs the question, how much should one be spending for education. Specifically, are the higher costs of college justified? With some private colleges charging close to $80,000 per year as of today, this leaves Americans with about 1.3 trillion dollars in student loans. Is the education that college provides valuable and worth it? The higher costs of college are justified: the education and environment which college provide and offer can often be priceless to individuals and students.

In the United States, public schools began to become free of charge (paid by our American tax dollars) with the progressive movement beginning in the 1890s. This led to radical change of education levels across America. In fact, by 1940, half of the young people were graduating from high school (Source D). Now, that 50% of the population has become 81%. As time has progress, society has shown that people value education within one’s lives. Because college is the next line after high school, the college degree is often described as “the new high school diploma”, emphasizing the importance of a college degree within one’s life. According to a survey conducted in 2015 (Source C), 49% strongly agree that the college education is valued, with a total of 78% strongly agreeing or agreeing. College education has defined itself as a critical and foundational role within society.

So, why have college degrees become so valued by society? A response which Source G provides is that “education makes individuals richer.” This has been proven from time to time with more statistics - the idea that a college educated individual will lead a more financially successful life compared to an individual with just a high school diploma is widely recognized to be correct. College education remains an investment for students - the end goal is to use the education gained to become bigger and more successful. Kamenetz describes college education not just “as a service or a good”, rather education is “the process… where the learner takes an active role in creating its value.” As a student interested in computer science, the nations top Computer Science programs offered at different universities, such as at UC Berkeley, Harvard, or Stanford will provide you with the same raw education. I can promise you that they will teach you the approximately same fundamentals. But what makes the price difference between the two schools so different though? Other than the simple answer (public vs. private institutions) the difference comes with the connections one would make during the school. The idea of networking is incredibly useful, powerful, and encouraged within STEM fields. Therefore students at “more prestigious schools” will have the opportunity to network with more “prestigious students”. Referring back to Kamenetz, “A college education may never be free, but for many people it will remain priceless.” You cannot simply slap a monetary value to connections with different people, relationships are something that has be to take time, requires investment, etc. The student has to bring their own value with the education that is given.

In conclusion, the higher costs of colleges can be justified. Society has shown the increase of the value of a college education - it leads to higher paying jobs, a more financially stable life, better socioeconomic status, etc. But most importantly, the student needs to take initiative and be apart of the active role, to get that return on investment - it be the student who will determine the value of their college education. It is this active role that the student partakes in that is priceless and justifies the higher costs of college.