I've recently read a lot of articles on Odyssey and on other student media platforms written by college students who don't support free college tuition. Articles such as these claim that college is a privilege and that if college becomes free, then a college degree will be useless. Making very few valid points, the writers of these kinds of articles tend to punch down without acknowledging that they are often coming from positions of privilege.

One common argument is that college is earned and not handed to you, that only those who worked hard and continue to work hard should get a college education. Yes, maintaining good grades while balancing extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and a part-time job is hard work. I am not invalidating all the hard work you did to get to college. However, when you try to say that any student that wants free college tuition is entitled and didn't work hard enough, you invalidate the diverse experiences and obstacles that people face that may actually render them incapable of either affording college or even being able to go to college in the first place. Disadvantaged students work hard too, trying to do all of the things you do with extra burdens like having to take care of their family, working even more hours to help out, using outdated textbooks and school resources, etc. It's a classic case of some "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" foolishness with an ignorant dash of "if I can do it, then so can you," without being aware of one's privilege.

The argument that nothing gets handed to you in the "real world," and that college prepares students for that reality is anything but true. College is not even remotely close to the "real world." Even "real world" experiences like having a part-time job, filing taxes, opening up a bank account are often contained within highly privileged bubbles. The "real world" is getting set up for failure by an unjust system because of your race and/or socioeconomic status, as well as the resulting segregated areas (yes, they still exist) in which you're raised. The "real world" is getting a poorly-funded education and not being afforded the same opportunities that more privileged students get like test prep classes, college counseling, career counseling, and various extracurricular activities which help students stand out among applicants for college admissions and scholarships. The "real world" is suffering from these inequalities, knowing they exist, and being forced to accept the continued existence of them because of people who claim that you don't work hard enough.

Okay, maybe free public college tuition may not be the most realistic. Reduced tuition, on the other hand, can be very helpful, especially for those with economic hardships that can often make college or even a quality high school education unattainable. There are many tried and true practical plansout there that can be implemented with little effect on our present economy. These articles and many people with similar opinions seem to neglect the systems of inequality inherent in a capitalist society.

One Odyssey writer claims that if college was free, students would not be motivated enough to succeed in their classes. The writer continues to explain that free tuition will result in a sharp decline of "blue-collar jobs," writing, "If everyone is a doctor or a teacher, who is the plumber, the welder, the farmer, the mechanic?...We don't need to make everyone think they have to have a college education to have a great job, a great payout, and a great life."

Although the writer may intend to support working class jobs and defend the working class, her argument demonstrates a huge misunderstanding of education and of the job market. The writer also argues that "free" things are usually things that people don't want and that free tuition forces college on people. A free public college education does not force college on anyone, nor does it create an ideology that college is an absolute necessity for a good life. Regardless of free or reduced college tuition, these jobs will still exist, and there will always be people out there to fulfill the demand. We cannot, however, ignore the correlation between earnings and employment with higher education. We also cannot dismiss the value in having an educated population. Reducing tuition or making it free merely opens up doors and possibilities for people. Not everyone has to go to college, but should they want to for self-improvement or mobility, the opportunity should be made available for them.

Many people don't seem to understand the flaws of the present capitalist society in which we live. They claim to be proponents of equality, but are ignorant of the utter lack of equal opportunity. If we truly want to be equal, we have to understand that sometimes, some people will need a little extra help.

I go to a private college almost entirely on financial aid: scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. I couldn't be more grateful of the opportunities that I have, especially when my family struggled to make ends meet. But I am also privileged and I acknowledge that. I grew up in a safe environment and went to a great high school with caring teachers. My parents always supported me in any way they could. They encouraged me to go to a school across the country when I could have enrolled at a very good state university for free. Not everyone is this lucky.

What happens when students can't get these scholarships, when federal financial aid isn't sufficient, when loans and student debt become unmanageable, or when jobs get in the way of succeeding in school? My main issue with these articles and opinions is that they often claim that those who want free college tuition are entitled. We cannot overlook the disadvantaged circumstances that many people are in and then call them entitled for wanting a college education. We cannot say that they are not working hard enough and that they don't deserve a college education because they didn't earn it. Although I cannot speak for everyone, most supporters of free public college tuition understand the value of a quality college education. Yet, many perfectly qualified students choose not to go to college simply because they can't afford the outrageous costs. Many hardworking students must take time off from or even drop out of college because of unexpected financial burdens.

This is not entitlement. Entitlement is thinking that you deserve a college education because you think you worked harder than everyone else. Entitlement is remaining inexcusably unaware of your privilege. Entitlement is not wanting equal footing and acknowledgement in a system that so blatantly ignores disadvantaged circumstances as a result of the intersections between race, class, gender, and sexuality. Entitlement is not wanting a free, or reduced, college education. Education is a right, not a privilege.