More education means better jobs, higher income, a stronger economy and fewer crimes. Today, almost all jobs that pay more than $30,000 per year require at least a bachelor’s degree. Without a bachelor’s degree, you’re more likely to belong in the low-income bracket, less likely to retire, and more likely to die before 75. In an increasingly competitive world, the high school diploma alone doesn’t cut it anymore, even if you want to become an NFL or NBA player.
Feeling the increasing pressure to succeed in the workforce, most students would try anything to afford college tuition, including getting a college loan and credit cards, working multiple jobs at minimum wage, joining the military (and sometimes ending up in wars abroad), and even selling weed (sometimes ending up in trouble with the law). After graduation, most students have more than $20,000 in college debt, and find it very difficult to find a job that can pay it off in less than a decade or sometimes two. In fact, most students just pay the monthly minimum forever, which is the loan’s interest rate that makes it harder for them to pay off their debt. That’s why many students now find no choice but to go back to school for a master’s degree, increasing their knowledge— as well as their debt.
In France and most of Western Europe, college tuition, used textbooks and tutoring are free. In fact, they are the right of every citizen. As a result, parents are never worried about college savings, and students are never worried about college debts. Affordability is never a factor in deciding to attend college. In the U.S., that sounds like a very distant dream, not the “American dream.”
Let’s compare American and European college students: One worries about tuition, enrollment and debt; the other one doesn’t. One prioritizes minimum wage jobs over school schedule in order to eat and pay bills; the other one works in a degree-related job to gain experience, improve the resume and afford weekly entertainment. Which one do you think has a better chance of graduation? Which one do you think will have better skills after graduation?
The numbers are not a secret. The college dropout rates are much higher in America than in Europe, even though the European curriculum is harder. The truth is the American college education system discriminates against the poor, because in America, college education (like health care) is a privilege, not a human right. Furthermore, since math, finance, science and engineering scores are higher in Europe and Asia, a smaller percentage of Americans choose these fields, which are the backbone of every economy. Although the dollar is still the world’s main currency, America is no longer the same leader in global competition. The post-WWII honeymoon (when most of Europe was destroyed) is over. However, most of the best Ph.D. programs remain in America.
When you combine the strengths of the American and European college education systems, shouldn’t America join Europe in making college tuition free, at least until earning a master’s degree? Over half a century ago, we decided that K-12 education should be free for the benefit of society. Then why not increase it to K-16 (first 4 years of college at least)? Today, college degrees (not high school diplomas) are becoming the new bar for prosperity and the new standard that most American employers expect when hiring, so thanks Obama for this crucial higher education reform.
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