College: thought as a necessity, priced as a privilege

Stephanie White, Entertainment Editor

A college education is a strange topic if you really think about it; employers and parents think of it as a necessity of life but the price of it makes it a privilege.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have help from their parents to get them through college or even can go to college right after high school.

That goes for both community college and a university, even though most universities are more expensive than community colleges.

Some people receive scholarships, which make it easier to get through college, but not everyone did well enough in high school to get those scholarships. 

Even then not all scholarships will help students get through college, causing the students to have one or more jobs.

Many people do not even go to college after they are done with their high school career. They just get a part-time job, or a couple of them, to save up money so they could maybe afford school in the future.

However, there are some solutions for this.  One is to make school cheaper, which is a topic people have been arguing ever since I was looking at colleges near the end of my junior year of high school about six years ago.

Recently President Barack Obama gave a speech about making community colleges free as long as the students follow certain requirements. 

My biggest problem is why do people think and stress about going to college because they believe it is necessary to continue in thrive in the “real world” when most people cannot afford it on their own until they are older.

If people want college to be a necessary step for people to experience, then the price should match the mindset.

Yes, it is true many people do not go to college because they simply do not want to, but a big percentage of people who do not go to college are because they cannot afford to do so right after high school.

I do not like the fact that I know some very intelligent people and desire to attend college but cannot afford it and others look down on them because of it.

I am lucky enough that I have parents, who are helping me throughout college, but not everyone is so lucky and that is the reality.

If people in this country want the younger generations to get a college education, then make it available for people to easily afford it.

Plus the more people who go to college the more money the schools get, which is a win on both sides.

It really is just as simple as that.

Stephanie White is a sophomore journalism major can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].w