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College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S.

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posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 11:02 AM
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Funny this article showed up today. This morning I was thinking about how the "troubled assets" in our economy are effecting some many realms of life. Granted college has been a hose job for a long time, My university has a hiring freeze started because the school funds were probably invested in the markets.
My books cost me $500+ this semester--HA!

What I want to know is if colleges are these centers of all these smart professors and such why can't they brainstorm and make it Way cheaper.
And I love the empty Obama promises of free college--- to some dumb punks who are only literate with street signs and menus? That'd be great, let's water down college classes with the bottom tier of our high schools.
I live in the city and most of these inner-city youths are near hopeless.

Welcome to Post-Bush America folks:



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 11:06 AM
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Well, to be perfectly honest and more than a bit selfish, I say "Good!" Maybe now we can start seeing careers that require a college degree like engineering move back up the salary ladder as the market won't be oversaturated with new engineers. I have no idea where the concept that college was a right or should be available to everyone regardless of qualifications came from anyway. Those who excel and apply themselves in high school will still get their scholarships and those who are determined will still get their student loans and grants. The difference is now maybe the dullards who only take up funding and drain the student to teacher ratio won't be able to justify taking out huge loans to attend a program they have little intention of applying themselves to in the first place.

I'll tell you something else, colleges wouldn't be hurting so much right now if they'd simply learned to prioritize years ago. There is no reason whatsoever for art classes and humanities to be taught above the community college level. Programs like that are resource black holes for state level colleges, yet they continue to be budgeted because they're considered liberally progressive and socially positive.



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 11:11 AM
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reply to post by burdman30ott6
 


Agree with you 100%.

The college I graduated from applied a very large portion of it's budget to those same liberal studies. The art department was gigantic, the theater was monstrous and well funded, and the business and science buildings I was in were falling apart. We used old texts and outdated materials.

But hey, they did some great art!




posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 11:13 AM
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Originally posted by burdman30ott6
There is no reason whatsoever for art classes and humanities to be taught above the community college level. Programs like that are resource black holes for state level colleges, yet they continue to be budgeted because they're considered liberally progressive and socially positive.


I'm still trying to find a way to sue for a refund for the time and money wasted taking garbage like that. You're in school for four years and more than half of that time is spent wasted on subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with what you came there to study in the first place.

How they can arbitrarily require you to take finger painting then demand you pay out the ass for the privilege is beyond me.

My dentist cant demand I pay for gold crowns and my auto mechanic cant demand I pay for spinning rims so why can college demand I pay for the privilege to waste my time? It's a damn crime.



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 11:19 AM
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College is already unaffordable by many.
That is why loans exist. I am currently enrolled in a 6 year program for my Pharm-D. So far I am in my 3rd year and each SEMESTER after grants and scholarships costs me 11k. It's pretty pricey which is why I have to resort to loans. I am looking at 150k+ in loans that I will have to pay off by the end of 6 years.

It's pretty sad that America has stripped the privilege of education from it's citizens and awarded it to those who can afford it.

-Ign0RanT

[edit on 3-12-2008 by Ign0rant]



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 11:36 AM
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This is good business for banks and lending offices, they are the ones that will be making the most out of those that can not afford education.

Then before the students graduate they are already in debt and owned by the banking system.



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 11:45 AM
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reply to post by Ign0rant
 


Its Inflation and another way for the banks to strap us over a barrel in debt unfortunately.

Another way to propagate the economic disparity of the United States.

If state Universities are indeed public, then why do we have to pay to attend them when we are residents and tax payers ?

I used to live and work in Germany and their college education is as our high school is , its FREE !

We've got our country headed in the entirely wrong direction if we can afford to spend $3 Billion per week on undeclared wars and meanwhile US citizens are becoming more uneducated as well as becoming poorer by the day !






posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 11:56 AM
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Originally posted by Total Reality
Glad I'm eligible for complete financial aid. I love it that because I'm poor the government will pay the full tuition and then some.


Don't count on it. My fiancee and I are definately poor, as are our parents, but we happen to slip through the cracks, know how much "Free" schooling she gets? couple hundred a year to cover like 2 books. The rest? loans with crappy interest. Being poor does not mean free money, in fact, being wealthy eans more free money fromhe system cause those are the people they want to appease



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 12:12 PM
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reply to post by marg6043
 


Here in the UK the annual loan/grant funding offered to university students is barely enough to live on, whilst at the same time, high street banks set up their stalls at the fresher's fairs at the start of the year touting all manner of credit cards and loans with the knowledge that students will be racking up the debt to meet the shortfall

The total loan funding which has to cover all expenses of books, materials, rent, food and bills comes to just over 5,500 a year, which works out less than state benefits (housing benefit+dole).


[edit on 3-12-2008 by citizen smith]



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 12:56 PM
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Originally posted by nyk537
It's been headed this way for decades now.

At a certain point people will stop attending colleges and they will be forced to either drop their tuition or shut down. I think we have just about reached that point.

Of course...I guess we could always just ask the government to take care of us and provide for us.



I have to agree with you here. As long as people find the means to send their kids or themselves to college, nothing will change. When the tipping point is reached, colleges will only have few options to stay in business. By the time my two year olds reach college age the entire system will be completely different. I imagine a huge increase in virtual learning in the coming years. Oh, but where will I send the kids when they turn 18. We might have to rethink that one.

I would love to see stats on salaries and perks at some of the larger schools. Tenured professors making 6 figures utilizing grad students to do most of the work for them. Many of these fat cats only care about writing research articles and getting research grants. They are as good as gold.

I went to a midsized state university back in the early 90's. Back then our president was pulling in about $225K plus a 5000 sqft. house and expenses. Additionally, she sat on the board of several area companies making even more money.

Major universities have such large endowments that they have money to burn on new stadiums and fitness centers etc. Heaven forbid that they lower tuition. It is extremely frustrating.



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 01:00 PM
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college has been unaffordable for me since i graduated 16 years ago...
i'm 42 and am still paying on my student loan, and i make good money as a professional...

got locked into a sally mae interest rate of 9% in 1992... and the interest rate is not negotiable...

yay.

(by having less educated people isn't going to help our country at all. just continue the dumbing down of the US)

[edit on 12/3/2008 by zooplancton]



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 01:06 PM
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I have been blessed by my youngest daughter in college. She had good to excellent grades in high school and talked to her counselors about college. She had offers of partial scholarships at several private universities. She sat down, did the goes-into-yas and decided to go to a local state university. Around $17k to $18k a year with a single dorm room. With a couple of meals a day thrown in, it cost a little more than $800 out of pocket her freshman year. I think she has done fairly well.

She's carrying a 3.8 GPA and expects to do the same or better next year with scholarships and awards.

I see the need for change in college expenses. What I base this on is part of the state university has one department of over 1000 people just for doing nothing more than paperwork. This is addition to several thousand jobs that support the professors and teachers in the learning process. Too me, with an uneducated eye for efficiency, see's this as a waste in manpower with large overhead driving up college cost for paper pusher type work.

I also met kids last year, with my daughter, in high school that won full scholarships to large IVY league colleges/universities that were in the hundreds of thousand category. Talk about taking the burden off the parents. These were exceptional kids, to be candid, but the cost of those schools are outrageous.

Free education, no I don't think so. I think the kids need to make an investment in themselves to take proper advantage of the opportunity to go to college.



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 01:15 PM
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I always had the idea back in college of a locked tuition rate. You sign a minimum 4 year commitment and lock in the current tuition rate. Any tuition increases would be applied to new incoming students. This would have certainly helped my family budget more efficiently. God bless my parents for sending three of us to college at the same time. My mom worked solely to pay tuition. I took out small loans and worked to defray the burden on my folks.



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 01:16 PM
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Originally posted by hinky
Talk about taking the burden off the parents.


I have never gotten this. I do not believe it should be a parent's responsibillity to pay for their kid's college. I attended a local state university, which allowed me the luxury of staying at home while I was in school. My parents fed & housed me while I was in school, but I was the one who got the grants and supplemented them with some student loans. I plan on doing the same with my kids when they reach college age. I have no problem continuing to provide a roof over their head, meals, clothes, etc, but my wife and I will NOT be paying for them to attend college, that's their responsibillity, not ours.



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 01:28 PM
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I can't believe the BS of some of the people complaining.... This is America, nothing is Free. The education system is a test of will, intelligence and perceverance. Whether your rich or poor, you have to deal with the hand that you are dealt, no one is stopping you from accomplishing your goals... no one except yourself.

I know because I was racially discriminated against when I went to school, although i scored higher than many classmates I was still put into regular classes as a kid. I hated school with a passion, but I realized that those that strive to succeed have to overcome obstacles, no one has it easy, and life doesn't get any easier.

If you want the American Dream, consider the fact that its on you and your parents to try to get you the best education, whether poor or rich. ignorance is something that you can escape, poverty is something you can escape.

You choose your own path, rising cost in college does sucks, but its up to you to find a way to mow through. If you can't it's because the excuses you gave got the better of you.

Fox



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 04:39 PM
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reply to post by nyk537
 


Look why don't you try to put forward solutions rather then just a beat up ?
Personally I think that university's(SP?) have an undeserved monopoly on to many areas of education . There needs to be more private training providers where the likes of future doctors and engineers can attend . I don't know what things are like in the US but locally a return to more focus on " the job " training would be beneficial.

Also there is a trickle down effect even when you have a more student loan friendly scheme like we do in NZ . People spend there income on paying off there student loans rather then buying a house for the first time . Sure other factors effect housing affordability just remember if people don't buy there first home they never build . So an affordable higher education is sort of like Henry Ford giving his workers a pay rise which in turn meant they brought cars from Ford .



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 05:07 PM
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reply to post by TheWayISeeIt
 


oh man. this stresses me out. i do not want to be a server for the rest of my life. i already have a 15,000 dollar loan taken out and i don't even have my associates yet!! i am going to donate eggs to pay for school and have my DNA running around randomly.... but hey at least i'll have a degree...


a bachelors degree is becoming a high school diploma; soon you won't be able to find a job without it. I don't understand why the cost of tuition has risen so much.

::sigh:: I try to stay positive but this is distressing... I'm going to go buy a lottery ticket!



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 05:08 PM
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reply to post by xpert11
 


We have those type of programs already. Places like ITT Technical Institute. The problem with them is this, what employer in their right mind would pass on a qualified prospective employee who just graduated from an accredited university to hire an individual who just got a certificate of training and is asking for the same salary and/or cannot achieve the same licensing as the college grad?

I'm sorry, I know how much work I put in to get my degree, my intern certification, and then my professional license 4 years later. I know the exams I took, I know the amount of study I had to do, and I know the value of what I gained from a traditional classroom setting in addition to real world, hands-on learning during my engineer in training run. Doctors and engineers are among a handfull of people who we, as a society, place a tremendous amount of faith in. We depend on their judgement and their qualifications and, when those fail, they frequently fail with catastrophic results. I will admit that even some of the engineering courses I took taught me many things I have never once used, some of the classes I despised, viewed them in much the same way I would view getting a root canal or lancing a boil on my ass. That said, I have since come to recognize they were put in place to separate the pretenders from the contenders. I have taken theorhetical math classes that I highly doubt most high school math instructors with math degrees have even imagined, let alone gone through. I have taken hydrology classes and thermodynamic classes which I have never once had a single reason to call upon. I took upper level chemistry classes that had accompanying labs where we had to go to a sewer treatment plant, collect a sample of effluent, and then add a little drop of this and a little drop of that to produce a technically clean sample of H2O even though I have no intention of ever working in wastewater treatment design.

The more I read about how a college degree is today considered to be on par with the previous generation's high school diploma, the more steadfast I am in my belief that we should have fewer people attending and graduating from college. We shouldn't ever live in a world where a college degree isn't an honor and a privlege. I was the first member of my family to graduate from college. I did it in 2001. It was the second time in my life I'd ever seen my dad shed tears. That type of response to a kid graduating college is getting lost right now and that's a freaking shame. When you have thousands upon thousands of kids graduating with crap degrees like hospitallity, personal training, art, political science, music appreciation, art history, creative writing, etc, it lessens the perception and value of all graduates. Seriously, even in a robust economy, what the hell kind of career does a person think a BA in communications is going to lead to? The only way to add any sort of real world value to these degrees is going to be to make them more difficult to obtain. As many of these degrees are not what I would call "challenging," the only recourse is to make them more expensive. Sadly, that also means that the degrees which require you to bust your butt and have a built in level of difficulty associated with them that acts as a natural measure of attrition will also become more and more expensive.



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 05:15 PM
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It’s mainly unaffordable now. People get into so much debt that it really isn’t an affordable education, though they have horrendous means of getting that education through that debt. This is another way of turning America into a nation of idiots. We can’t afford health care or schooling, but we can manage to buy the distractions that are marketed to us on a daily basis, so we feel comfortable. We’re a very “comfortable” “tame” bunch of sick idiots. Hurray America.



posted on Dec, 3 2008 @ 05:15 PM
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Originally posted by Seekingmyself

a bachelors degree is becoming a high school diploma; soon you won't be able to find a job without it. I don't understand why the cost of tuition has risen so much.


It has become so expensive because they're trying to restore some balance. If a bachelor's degree has become a high school diploma, then that means with said bachelor's degree you should only be entitled to a comparable career and salary that the previous generations high school graduate recieved. Welcome to the career of ditch-digger, twenty-first century style, in other words. Like I said above, it used to be an honor and a rarity for a family member to get a college degree. We need to return to those days ASAP. Cheap higher education is one of the primary reasons inflation has outstripped the growth of personal income. Back in the day middle class kids could have a prayer to lift themselves out of middle class by getting the college education which made them a valuable commodity and provided them with a better salary. Unfortunately, once that degree is no longer an exception, but has become the rule amongst young people looking for employment, the employers have a larger crop to choose from and do not have to pay the better wages anymore to lure the once-rare college grad into their fold.



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