College paths altered due to price tag
Mackenzie Grant
Winter Springs High School
Winter Springs, FL
Graduating high school and beginning college used to signal a green light to anxious birds ready to fly the nest, but it seems that as time goes on, prospective college students are blinded by a sudden red light that brings their prepared wings to a halt. That unavoidable truth illuminating those red lights is the glow of money rapidly being burned through as college tuition rises.
Even as the economy slides downhill, students are expected to strap on yet another bag and hike to the top. But even more discouraging are the prices for out-of-state students. In a country claiming to encourage diversity, I find the fact that traveling outside your state lines dramatically increases the price of the same education received by an in-state classmate.
While I understand that in-state scholarships are funded by the state in order for students to attend at such a low cost, I am still puzzled as to why in-state and out-of-state fees differ by thousands of dollars.
At Auburn University, an Alabama resident pays $7,900 annually while an out-of-state student suffers a $21,916 blow every year. In Alabama and other traditional Southern states the majority of the population consists of Southern belles and country boys. $14,000 is an awful lot of money that seems to blockade chances for diversity.
Tuition gaps force some students to build a nest of their own closer to home and even then mother and father bird are cringing at the price that an empty nest comes with, no matter where their free bird fly.
The annual “Trends in College Pricing” report from College Board summarized the sticker shock families across the country faced. According to the report, in the past academic year public universities rose 6.4 percent in tuition prices for in-state students.
The shocking and counterproductive change in tuition has acted as a forceful wind, swaying high school graduates to select schools of less prestige. Even with credentials to be accepted into dream and reach schools, students have been forced to settle for secondary or community colleges, simply because a 6.4 percent increase wasn’t budgeted for.
The Department of Education reported a 10 percent growth in community college attendance from 2000-2006. The growth in two-year institutions can pay thanks to rising prices of four-year universities and colleges.
When apt students are changing their plan of flight solely on the factor of money, this country loses the chance to build universities and colleges that exceed expectations. With a thoughtful eye on those freshly free birds just peeking over the edge of their nests, the nation must make formulating a plan that creates affordable options for education a priority.
When the day comes to fly the nest, young students should be looking due north, ready for adventure and knowledge, never being hindered by the big money tree planted in someone’s backyard.
Winter Springs High School
Winter Springs, FL
Graduating high school and beginning college used to signal a green light to anxious birds ready to fly the nest, but it seems that as time goes on, prospective college students are blinded by a sudden red light that brings their prepared wings to a halt. That unavoidable truth illuminating those red lights is the glow of money rapidly being burned through as college tuition rises.
Even as the economy slides downhill, students are expected to strap on yet another bag and hike to the top. But even more discouraging are the prices for out-of-state students. In a country claiming to encourage diversity, I find the fact that traveling outside your state lines dramatically increases the price of the same education received by an in-state classmate.
While I understand that in-state scholarships are funded by the state in order for students to attend at such a low cost, I am still puzzled as to why in-state and out-of-state fees differ by thousands of dollars.
At Auburn University, an Alabama resident pays $7,900 annually while an out-of-state student suffers a $21,916 blow every year. In Alabama and other traditional Southern states the majority of the population consists of Southern belles and country boys. $14,000 is an awful lot of money that seems to blockade chances for diversity.
Tuition gaps force some students to build a nest of their own closer to home and even then mother and father bird are cringing at the price that an empty nest comes with, no matter where their free bird fly.
The annual “Trends in College Pricing” report from College Board summarized the sticker shock families across the country faced. According to the report, in the past academic year public universities rose 6.4 percent in tuition prices for in-state students.
The shocking and counterproductive change in tuition has acted as a forceful wind, swaying high school graduates to select schools of less prestige. Even with credentials to be accepted into dream and reach schools, students have been forced to settle for secondary or community colleges, simply because a 6.4 percent increase wasn’t budgeted for.
The Department of Education reported a 10 percent growth in community college attendance from 2000-2006. The growth in two-year institutions can pay thanks to rising prices of four-year universities and colleges.
When apt students are changing their plan of flight solely on the factor of money, this country loses the chance to build universities and colleges that exceed expectations. With a thoughtful eye on those freshly free birds just peeking over the edge of their nests, the nation must make formulating a plan that creates affordable options for education a priority.
When the day comes to fly the nest, young students should be looking due north, ready for adventure and knowledge, never being hindered by the big money tree planted in someone’s backyard.