That would be lovely, wouldn't it? But college is a business, keep in mind. That makes the things you mentioned go up.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

That's fine for private colleges, but for state schools they should be free or at least more affordable

by Anonymous 11 years ago

And where would this money come from? Would taxpayers be responsible for supporting all of the student attending public colleges throughout the state? Would other programs have even more budget cuts? Cut the wages of the staff of the college? Besides, not going to college, going to community college, and getting scholarships or financial aid aren't bad things.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I'm right there with you on the libertarian views. We need to stop spending money. Still though, something clearly needs to change for our country to continue to compete in technology.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

We need to start looking at our priorities if we can spend money on imperialist war which is responsible for hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, give trillions of dollars to private banks after they cause the housing crisis, and continue to fund prisons that hold a prison population that increases due to unnecessary drug laws and the profit motive for private prisons, but we can't consider funding public colleges more than we do.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Yes, but imagine life without those things. We need to be safe, have banks, and changing laws just to get some extra money, even for school, doesn't seem right. Also, wouldn't making college more accessible further outcast people who don't want to go to college? And again, since you ignored it the last time, not going to college isn't bad, and there are plenty of opportunities and options which fit almost any budget.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I feel like it would be much more difficult though, and much more based on luck

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Luck? I would like to strongly disagree. Luck is when you find $50 on the road. Hard work is when you guarantee yourself a paycheck. Maybe money wasn't the best analogy to use, given the topic of discussion, but I think it worked well enough.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Perhaps more affordable, but certainly not easier to get into. There is still only a certain number of people that can go into a school, and it should be the best people that apply to it. If we lower the standard for acceptance, it will lower the quality of education at the institution, and that should not be done when there are still many smarter people that could go to the college/university in the place of the less intelligent that would apply and get accepted earlier.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

This is what I was thinking almost to the letter. College is something people should strive for, something they need to work hard for so that they can be accepted. But it's a pity that a lot of bright people can't get into the best school because they simply can't afford it. It really sucks for lower-middle class kids, who don't qualify for things like the Pell Grant because they're parent's make "too much money", even though the parents don't actually make all that much money.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I think colleges should be more expensive. Run it like a business. If the college produces results (skilled laborers) then it thrives and makes money. Otherwise, the business fails. Making it more expensive also limits the number of people getting into college, reducing the huge supply of laborers that currently saturate the market. I also think that those who qualify for college should be able to get in with sufficient financial aid if necessary. Those who don't should have to pay the price. Also, the majority of liberal arts degrees should be removed from colleges. Too many people dish out tens of thousands of dollars for a degree that puts them in the same position they would have been if the never went to college. Finally, the truth about how college isn't for everyone should be spread out more to the public. There are too many misconceptions about the usefulness of college and that should be corrected. I say this as a college undergrad who finishes his engineering degree in a few months.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I echo what Watchful_questioneer says. One of the major problems with public education is that every student has to be able to participate, so they have to make sure it's easy enough for some students, therefore making it too easy for others. Allowing everyone to make it in college (talking about just academically, not financially here), would mean that other students wouldn't be reaching their full potential.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Some people value equal opportunities, others value equal outcomes. Making it so everyone can be "successful" no matter what is ridiculous. We need to encourage people to work hard to get into college. Even if you were born penniless, you can get into college by putting in plenty of effort. Almost everyone living in America has the opportunity to go to college, but not everyone deserves the outcome of being successful without putting in the time

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Almost all colleges and universities are non-profit, that means exactly the sum of money they charge is what they need to keep the place running. I guess the solution you're going to have to settle for is to be smarter and more successful than you have been. If it's too hard to get in then maybe you don't have what it needs

by Anonymous 11 years ago