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May 06, 2008Commentaries is where Minnesota Public Radio welcomes your thoughtful opinion about current events and issues. Commentaries are like letters to the editor. To be considered for publication, your commentary should be issue-related, clearly written, and follow our Terms of Use. New insights into ongoing topics are especially welcome. Not all commentaries received are published. For topical interaction with others, visit the discussion groups.
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Your college education is what you make it
Where's the free market? Losing all of these school loans is good. [MPR News: Decision time arrives for college-bound students who weigh finances and more] My points:
*I understand that today's economy needs more people with a college degree. Colleges and Universities should remain available to anyone who has the money to pay.
*The abrupt evaporation of college loans is the market straightening itself out.
*If there are fewer loans available, fewer students will go. If fewer students go, the schools will need to lower their tuition prices.
*The glut of easy-access loans for college is a direct mirror of the easy-access loans for housing. Look where that got us.
*It has been a seller's market for education. There has been no reason to lower tuition! They raise tuition, students take out more loans.
And the public wonders why students are leaving college up to their ears in debt? It isn't some evil school. It's their own choice, no doubt made based upon the public's blithe, laissez faire attitude towards credit reports. So a student (read: potential debtor) needs a credit score to get a loan? Good! If we'd been doing that, the housing market wouldnt have crashed, the loan market would be flush, and they'd be able to get student loans. So someone needs to get a job to afford college? Welcome to the Real World.
That said, relating to the student who seemed resigned to the doom of community colleges: This elitist down-the-nose look at local community colleges is offensive. I've taken classes at big universities, small colleges, and a local community college. I've had great classes at all of them. The cost of tuition at the local community college in Lansing, Mich. was about 50% of Michigan State University. A good education is something you get when you go looking for it. You can get a horrible education at Harvard. Or St. Kate's. Or the University of Minnesota. Nothing is guaranteed.
There are countless benefits (many of which are preceded by money) to attending a local school, and one with a lower price tag. People in the "I want to live like the rich and pretend my parents weren't blue collar workers" generation have spawned the bizarre notion that a local college is somehow deficient.
Elizabeth Tobias
Minneapolis, Minn.
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