Let me start by recognizing that I’m voicing an unpopular opinion, but something that definitely needs to be addressed and something that will impact me and my future directly: the issue of free college tuition. The Clinton and Sanders’ administrations have very similar plans for future funding of college education and I do not support the major implications of these plans, which would include free tuition and expenses for anyone who wants to go to college. There’s no way a far-fetched plan like this would work, let alone solve any of the problems our country is facing with massive student debt and debt repayment.
In high school, many of my classmates, myself included, complained about having to go to class seven hours a day. It was seen as a duty, not a privilege. Looking back, I shouldn’t have taken my high school education so lightly. So many children and teens across the globe have no access to education and certainly not the level of education that I received. But, since I was forced to go, it was a chore. Free college would be the same way. There would be less of an emphasis on finding your path and working hard and driving yourself to be successful, and more of an emphasis on doing what you have to do to get a job. That I don’t support.
But beyond that, the financial implications of this free college plan are more complex than they seem. Both Bernie and Hillary want to impose a higher tax on the portion of the population who earn incomes higher than a certain level. But, if [Anonymous Wall Street Investor] is paying for our college educations, what motivation do we have to work to pay for it ourselves? Mr. Investor worked hard to be where he is today and we should have to work hard to get to that same level.
At my school, I’m surrounded by an incredibly hardworking, talented, passionate, diverse student body, who truly appreciate their ability to attend such a wonderful university. We don’t take our education for granted and (in a lot of cases) our ability to attend wasn’t handed to us for free with no strings attached.That’s what I work for and that’s why I’m there. But if my college were free, I would have absolutely no motivation to have a job or support myself at all. Even under Hillary’s plan, where students would work 10 hours a week, students wouldn’t be motivated to work more than that. I can tell you from experience that being a college student and working 10 hours a week is extremely feasible.
However, another important aspect of the college plans of Hillary and Bernie are lowering interest rates for current college students and the ability for those with outstanding college debt to refinance this debt for a lower interest rate. This is what should be the focus of their college plans: helping students help themselves, not just giving handouts. Lower interest rates and debt payback rates would make student loans and financing an education more feasible. This is totally different than handing a free college education to anyone who wants one.
It’s clear that the current student debt situation in the United States isn’t optimal, but making college tuition free is not a good way to combat this issue. Restating my point, college is a privilege, not a right. We do not deserve a college education simply because we are a functioning human being -- we deserve a college education when we work hard for it and bust our butts doing so. I’ll sum up my entire point in one sentence: Quite literally, the quickest way to devalue something is to make it free. This is no exception.
