Imagine a world where furthering an education after high school was simple and obtaining a degree was free. That would be every college student’s dream, right? Unfortunately, today colleges do not just let students walk out clear from any debt. Whether an individual is going to a four-year university or a two-year school, it is going to be rather costly in the end. Before deciding to go to Rowan College at Burlington County, I had hopes of attending a regular four-year school. That all changed after looking at the cost: nearly twenty thousand dollars per year and that is just tuition alone, not including room and board, fees, books, etc. Even with financial aid applied, it would still be way too much to handle and I have no intentions of leaving college in that much debt. After seeing how much RCBC costs, being at a reasonably better price, I still cannot wrap my head around why it has to be over a thousand dollars each semester. There is no reason why community college should cost money and charge students so much for essential supplies like textbooks. The unnecessary expenses of trying to obtain an education should be a concern to the executives here at RCBC. Each year a large percentage of the population do not attend college specifically because of the cost; in turn, this decreases a number of students that could potentially enroll. There are many controversial debates on whether community college should be free or not.
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Boen Wang, a sophomore majoring in engineering science at Penn State who was featured on The Daily Collegian’s Wednesday column, wrote an article called Reasons to make community college free. He insists that making community college free is possible and could potentially reshape higher education. He pinpoints one of the effects of high tuition and presents, “Lack of financial resources is one of the major reasons for such low graduation rates” (Wang). This should worry the college’s staff simply because one of the school 's purposes is to get everyone to graduate. With these low rates, students wanting to apply for the school will not feel confident and are going to assume the institution cannot deliver academic support. Wang believes the solution is making community college tuition-free for those taking at least six credits and maintaining at least a 2.5 grade point average. His explanation is fair; students who concentrate on work and uphold their grades should have this privilege. He states, “The White House claims if implemented nationwide, the plan could benefit roughly 9 million students per year, saving them an average of $3,800 annually in tuition” (Wang). He also added that “Federal funds will cover three-fourths of the expenses, and states that choose to participate will cover the remaining quarter” (Wang). Knowing that a resolution is attainable keeps me hopeful for the future. While there are those with no problem paying for tuition, others have different circumstances. Wang acknowledges, “Because of external pressures, it can be difficult to concentrate on classes, and as a result many students are forced to retake classes or drop out altogether” (Wang). In other words, working late hours to make money for school then not having enough time to get assignments done is unjust. This is generally what brings on great stress and anxiety, which is a common theme in college students. In fact, research has shown that in 2012-13, approximately forty-nine percent of students under pressure attended counseling for mental health concerns (Novotney). To help eliminate these problems, Wang suggests easing financial burdens would allow community college students to spend less time worrying about their next paycheck and more time preparing for their futures. Worrying about how to pay for everything in college is quite overwhelming. Even though financial assistance can be provided, it does not cover all of the costs. Other than tuition and books, transportation is another big factor. Instead of my simple five-minute drive to my old high school, it takes twenty-five minutes to get to the Mount Laurel campus. Nowadays gas does not come cheap so that is even more money added to the list of daily expenses. Also, that twenty-five minutes does not include the time it takes to drive around the campus to find parking. While the school is constructing a new building, more parking space should be
Boen Wang, a sophomore majoring in engineering science at Penn State who was featured on The Daily Collegian’s Wednesday column, wrote an article called Reasons to make community college free. He insists that making community college free is possible and could potentially reshape higher education. He pinpoints one of the effects of high tuition and presents, “Lack of financial resources is one of the major reasons for such low graduation rates” (Wang). This should worry the college’s staff simply because one of the school 's purposes is to get everyone to graduate. With these low rates, students wanting to apply for the school will not feel confident and are going to assume the institution cannot deliver academic support. Wang believes the solution is making community college tuition-free for those taking at least six credits and maintaining at least a 2.5 grade point average. His explanation is fair; students who concentrate on work and uphold their grades should have this privilege. He states, “The White House claims if implemented nationwide, the plan could benefit roughly 9 million students per year, saving them an average of $3,800 annually in tuition” (Wang). He also added that “Federal funds will cover three-fourths of the expenses, and states that choose to participate will cover the remaining quarter” (Wang). Knowing that a resolution is attainable keeps me hopeful for the future. While there are those with no problem paying for tuition, others have different circumstances. Wang acknowledges, “Because of external pressures, it can be difficult to concentrate on classes, and as a result many students are forced to retake classes or drop out altogether” (Wang). In other words, working late hours to make money for school then not having enough time to get assignments done is unjust. This is generally what brings on great stress and anxiety, which is a common theme in college students. In fact, research has shown that in 2012-13, approximately forty-nine percent of students under pressure attended counseling for mental health concerns (Novotney). To help eliminate these problems, Wang suggests easing financial burdens would allow community college students to spend less time worrying about their next paycheck and more time preparing for their futures. Worrying about how to pay for everything in college is quite overwhelming. Even though financial assistance can be provided, it does not cover all of the costs. Other than tuition and books, transportation is another big factor. Instead of my simple five-minute drive to my old high school, it takes twenty-five minutes to get to the Mount Laurel campus. Nowadays gas does not come cheap so that is even more money added to the list of daily expenses. Also, that twenty-five minutes does not include the time it takes to drive around the campus to find parking. While the school is constructing a new building, more parking space should be