Is College for Everyone? In 2013 nearly twenty million students were enrolled in one of the 6,900 colleges in the United States. This number has increased dramatically since 1949, when just 2.7 million students were seeking a college education. Every decade since the end of World War II has seen an obvious increase in the number of college graduates produced (“Is a College Education Worth It?”). What has caused this peaking interest toward a higher education? What has this growth led to? College has altered the course of young American life. It has become a necessity rather than an option. However, not every eighteen year old should be destined to spend the next four years sitting in classrooms, stressing over exams, and learning in a field
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At that time, only about one percent of Americans attended college, all Caucasian males, and many of these only attended one year. Most families could not afford sending their sons away to study. After the Revolutionary War, many colleges closed due to lack of funding from the mother country. Gradually over the next century, more universities were built and more students enrolled (“Is a College Education Worth It?”). Eventually the value seen in a college degree and the ability to reach for one took a sharp upward turn after World War II. More and more people began to enroll. However, during the 1960s and 1970s, a generation of college graduates went to work and did not reap the benefits promised due to the vast number of baby boomers flooding the job market. Over the next ten years, wages increased for graduates. Seeking a degree looked like a good idea once again. The topic was pulled back into questioning at the close of the nineteenth century and is debated to this day (Levy). Paying for the upkeep of a twenty-first century university is expensive. The nice gyms, new buildings, plethora of clubs, and free parties, while great features of college life, must be paid for; these features are covered by tuition money. However, sixty-nine percent of students seek loans to cover some or all of the cost of tuition (“Project on Student Debt”). Student loans can be helpful, but borrowed money
At that time, only about one percent of Americans attended college, all Caucasian males, and many of these only attended one year. Most families could not afford sending their sons away to study. After the Revolutionary War, many colleges closed due to lack of funding from the mother country. Gradually over the next century, more universities were built and more students enrolled (“Is a College Education Worth It?”). Eventually the value seen in a college degree and the ability to reach for one took a sharp upward turn after World War II. More and more people began to enroll. However, during the 1960s and 1970s, a generation of college graduates went to work and did not reap the benefits promised due to the vast number of baby boomers flooding the job market. Over the next ten years, wages increased for graduates. Seeking a degree looked like a good idea once again. The topic was pulled back into questioning at the close of the nineteenth century and is debated to this day (Levy). Paying for the upkeep of a twenty-first century university is expensive. The nice gyms, new buildings, plethora of clubs, and free parties, while great features of college life, must be paid for; these features are covered by tuition money. However, sixty-nine percent of students seek loans to cover some or all of the cost of tuition (“Project on Student Debt”). Student loans can be helpful, but borrowed money