Solving the College Affordability Problem

Townhall ^ | April 4, 2011 | Dan Lips

[ReleaseTheHounds]

How much should a college education cost? According to the College Board, the average cost of earning a degree at a private, 4-year university is now more than $100,000. If tuition prices continue to rise as quickly as they did during the past decade, a college degree will cost more than $200,000 by the time today’s third-graders are applying. That price tag is enough to cause most parents to break into a sweat.

Is a college degree really worth this cost? Some bright minds think Americans are paying way too much. In fact, Bill Gates--one of the country's most famous college dropouts--thinks it should be closer to zero. He told an audience last summer: “Five years from now, on the web, for free you’ll be able to find the best lectures in the world. It will be better than any single university.” ...

Forward thinking elected officials now have the opportunity to expedite the arrival of the free college era, and—in the process—solve a major problem for American families while providing big relief for taxpayers and federal and state budgets.

[Jewbacca]

We have a draft in Israel, plenty of professionals as one would expect with my people.

But the military stint seems to make people more serious, and it also encourages people who should be in trades (and make plenty of money, mind you), to go be in trades.

I doubt this model would work for the USA, as we are just different people (and surrounded by millions of savages who want us dead -— does focus the mind).

Some variation, though, might work.

[runninglips]

I really hate to say something that will tee people off, but here goes. MAKE YOUR KIDS PAY THEIR OWN WAY TO COLLEGE. If it takes them 10 years to finish, tough shi’ite. If I were a very wealthy man, I would not pay for college. If it isn’t earned, it isn’t worth the paper it is printed on. Unless they are going to be a doctor, engineer, or something in the hard sciences, they are better served at the local CC, or learning a trade.

[goodnesswins]

YEP...what you said....I earned undergrad and MBA while worKing FULL TIME! And, my company paid for all the tuition...(they changed their policy after me...hahaha)

[AD from SpringBay]

Ah - someone speaks the unspeakable - a breath of air. The undergraduate degree is not providing cutting-edge, must give it 100% of time and effort. The little boys and girls don’t work so they can devote their time to school??! Yeah right. Walk through a college neighborhood on any weeknight and just observe the devotion to eduction. If the kids are working and attending classes they will stay out of trouble because they will be too tired to do much else.

[Vermont Lt]

My daughter is going to a school in the fall. She got about 90% in school grants and scholarships. Work study is the only federal funding she got. Of course she can take out loans to do the rest. A lot of private universities don’t use tons of federal aid. Of course mileage may differ.