Now a days it seems as though the younger generation wants everything thing handed to them. Now I'm not saying this is true for everyone, but the majority of Bernie Sanders supports are young adults who stared "feeling the Bern" after the promise of free college once elected. While in theory this sounds like a perfect idea; with everyone equal what could go wrong?! Well being a college student I can promise you..it will not work out.
I want everyone to imagine how hard they worked in high school. Do you remember all those long nights studying locked in your room and all those times you had to pass up a party because you have huge paper to write? While some may remember those years, others never even took a book out of their locker let alone open it. High schoolers look at their schooling as a waste of time, just something they have to suffer through. Not many are really dedicated 100 percent to do their absolute best, but instead slide through. Why is this? In a society where so much emphasis is placed on education why isn't every day spent learning and taking advantage of the opportunity America has provided? Maybe it's because students don't value an education, maybe it's because they think they have better things to do, or maybe it's because students don't have anything invested.
In America, a public high school is free, books included. The only cost is some supplies. What puzzles me is that students don't value a high school education that is free but then in the same breath demand a college education for free as well. As a college student I see my peers come and go every semester. Some of the reasons are family related, others are a change of heart, but most are because their grades just didn't cut it. This is typically incoming freshman who spend way to much time partying and far to little time studying. My point is A TON of students fail out of college even with the pressure of debt pushing them. If It was free with nothing to lose wouldn't college just become a glorified high school away from home with just more parties?
I was raised with the mind set that not everyone will go to college. To go to college I had to be dedicated to my education from the very beginning, even in middle school. I was the one staying up late to actually study for the regents, and when I graduated from high school I was reassured because I gained the opportunity, not the privilege, of getting a degree with minimal debt. I worked for scholarships earning free tuition, room, and board. No I didn't get this because my parents bought my way into the college scene. Instead, I busted my butt every day in high school and spent hundreds of hours researching colleges to find my fit.
With all the financial aid in the world today anyone can go to college, but no one wants to fill the paper work out. If you can't handle filling the paper work out you really couldn't handle studying 40-plus hours a week. Now, almost everyone gets a high school degree and of those most go on to get a college degree. Those same people enter a competitive work force and still may end up with no job. Bachelors degrees are already a "dime a dozen" for those who put in the work to get there. By giving everyone the opportunity, then essentially a college education would become equal to a high school degree; everyone has one and you can't do anything with it.
