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Sydnie Rogers
UWRT -1102-40
Professor Ropko
19 April 2016
College: The American Dream?

How would it feel knowing that your aspiration to go to college was merely a dream?
That the idea of becoming the next brain surgeon would never happen because your family was
unable to afford the cost of college. College. A household word. College is imperative to those
not only graduating from high school and looking to attend an institution of higher learning, but
for those who want to gain a degree in some type of higher education. As exciting as college
sounds, there are a lot of factors that come into play when attending college. Some of these
factors include: cost, location, the admission process, and the acceptance rate. As the number of
students going to college has increased drastically, the demand has increased as well. A degree,
which once had more value, has now become the norm, and most employers want their workers
to have a degree beyond just their Bachelors. This has brought the attention to the question
whether or not college is an equal opportunity for everyone, or if it is geared toward only a
certain group of people?
The cost of college comes up often in a conversation when discussing higher education. As
college has become more popular, the demand to build and expand has increased as well. College
was once looked at from a privilege point of view and it was a place that not everyone had access
to. It was only open to rich, wealthy young men. Because the cost of college has increased so

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rapidly over the last 40 years, the federal government created FAFSA. According to the Federal
Student Aid, Federal Student Aid is responsible for managing the student financial assistance
programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (Federal Student Aid).
The goal of this programs is to provide grants, work-study funds, and loans to students who
attend college. FAFSA gives those who will be enrolling into college and those already in college
the opportunity to apply to see if they are eligible to qualify for financial aid. This is determined
based off of their parents or guardians tax information. Because this is how one is determined if
they qualify, those student who come from low income families are likely to be awarded the
highest amount of money; those students who come from middle class and high class families
are usually awarded loans, both subsidized and unsubsidized.
Although FAFSA gives students the opportunity to go to college who would usually not be
able to go because of their financial situations, they put stipulations in place that make it difficult
for those students to go to college and not have to worry about the cost. For example, FAFSA
may grant a student $15,000 in financial aid for the year. Although that is a good chunk of
money, that only includes tuition and books. It does not include room and board as well as a meal
plan. Students and their family are left having to come up with the money to pay for these
expenses and it creates financial difficulties in their lives. According to the Washington Post:
Only 59 percent of students who began as freshmen at a four-year college in the fall of 2006
received their diplomas within six years (The Washington Post). This happens because not all
universities are able to provide students with 100% of the cost.
In the article written by the Washington Post about Kellam, an African American male
freshman from Morgan State University, who is having to contemplate whether he will be able to
remain in school due to financial issues, emphasizes how serious this issue is becoming. The

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university is only able to cover up to 80% of his expenses and he and his family must take care
of the rest. (The Washington Post). These are problems that many students in college are facing.
The idea of not being able to finish what you started is one of the worst feelings ever, especially
being a college student myself. Something that Ive worked extremely hard for can be gone in a
minute due to financial difficulties. The chart below shows how tuition and fees have increased
over the last 40 years. A person could attend a four year public university in 1975 and pay $2,
387 for a full year of college. Now, the cost is nearly 10 times as much as it was 40 years ago for
a year of college.

("Tuition and Fees and Room and Board over Time).

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As the cost increases, more and more students are having to take out loans. These loans
consist of subsidized and unsubsidized loans. This means that with one loan you do not have pay
the interest and with the other one you have to pay the loan and the interest. According to the
National Center for Education Statistics, From academic years 200708 to 201213, the
percentage of first-time, full-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students at 4-year
degree-granting institutions receiving any financial aid increased from 80 to 85 percent (Fast
Facts). This means that nearly all college students have accumulated a debt from all the loans,
and now they have to spend the rest of their lives paying them back. According to Sullivan, this
is a main reason why so many students go straight into the work force after graduating high
school or they go to community college for the first two years and then transfer to a four year
institution (Sullivan.). Although going to community college for two year and then transferring
does save money, most college students still have to take out loans for the last two years. When a
student has finally finished this, they now have undergraduate and graduate debts to pay back. A
large amount of students are beginning to question whether the degree is actually worth it. Many
feel like it is not because they go to school for four or more years, only to spend the rest of their
life in debt. This is just another barrier that hinders students from attending college.
As college has become popular over the last 40 years, certain institutions have become
popular as well. For example, when one thinks of an Ivy League school, they think of intelligent,
sophisticated, prestigious people. The requirements to get into an Ivy League school are very
strict and most students do not even qualify to apply. Jaschik summarizes in his article that the
ones who are able to apply, however, are not guaranteed admission because most Ivy League and
elite colleges have an acceptance rate that is less than 10% (Jaschik) .This creates a barrier for

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people who could actually excel there, but just might not get accepted because they did not fall
into the 10% range. Those in the middle and upper class have an advantage over those in the
lower class, because they are able to provide their children with better opportunities to get into
college, such as providing them with personal tutors and SAT/ACT prep classes, as well as
having the necessary funds to send their children to private schools with smaller class sizes than
public schools. This makes it hard for those in the lower class to be able to provide their children
with the best education due to their limited finances. This creates an unequal opportunity and it
discourages people from even applying to the school.
The admissions process as a whole is constantly changing. For example, it was once only
about grades and standardized testing, but now the individuals involvement in school and their
community is included. Today, the admission process looks at a holistic view of each individual
before deciding who will be admitted and who will not. Diversity is a word that all universities
put an emphasis on and this first begins in the admission process. The word quota and diversity
relates closely when discussing college and who will get in. A quota is a fixed number or
percentage of minority group members or women needed to meet the requirements of affirmative
action (Merriam Webster). Most universities want well-rounded diversity individuals on their
campus. Race, gender, socioeconomic and geographical status all play a factor in the admission
process.
At this point, the process becomes tricky because there are individuals who have very
similar applications and the admission team has to decide which one they will accepted. If they
have to decide between an In-State student vs. an Out of State student with very similar
applications, they are going to most likely go with the student who is In-State or if their quota is
met. Diversity is needed at each university and college, but I dont believe someone who does

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not work hard, but is African-American should be granted admittance over a person who is not
African-American, but is a good, well rounded student just because the universities wants to
meet its quota. According to Minow and Post, this makes many wonder exactly if discrimination
occurs during this process and if it creates an unequal opportunity to those that were not accepted
because of the color of their skin, if they are male or female, or where they are from. (Minow and
Post). The diagram below shows the demographics of students who attend historically black law
schools. This shows how diverse even an HBCU can be, and how in each different geographical
location the demographics change.

(
Rosin).
Equal opportunities in higher education seems to be better in other countries. For
example, in Brazil, the cost of tuition is free at public universities. As good as it may sound,
many parents send their children to private high schools to better their childrens chances of

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getting in college. According to the article, I would have preferred a public university, but the
entrance exams are very competitive," Claudinei Mota, a Brazilian college student, told The New
York Times in 2014. "Most spots go to private school graduates, who are better prepared
(Marcus). Germany has abandoned tuition fees altogether for German and international students.
According to a recent article written by BBC News, Germany, More than 4,600 US students are
fully enrolled at Germany universities, an increase of 20% over three years (Strasser). This
article speaks about a young man who decided to earn his physics degree from one of the most
prestigious universities in Germany because the cost of college in the United States was too
much for him and his family. The article states that he pays the equivalent of $120 each semester
to go to school. That fee includes transportation to school and an $80 fee for health insurance.
His mother sends him $5,000 a year, and that is more than enough money than he needs. The low
cost makes it affordable for many people to be able to attend, and this eliminates many barriers,
but it is also still competitive to get in. Similar to the middle and high class, those parents who
are wealthier are able to send their children to private school before they apply to college, and
this gives them the upper hand in the process. To get into the colleges in Germany, it still is very
competitive, but well worth it.
Higher education plays an important role in everyones life. As the cost constantly
increases, the more of a negative impact it has on many Americans lives. There are barriers that
make it more difficult for those who want to attend college, but are unable to do so. As a nation
that promotes equality, one must make sure equality is present in all aspects of the American life,
including higher education. The thought that a person has the potential to save the world, but is
unable to do so because they could not afford higher education should not be a problem. Higher
education should be created for everyone and not just for those who can afford it or fit what the

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university deems as the perfect student. The government should really begin to put further
consideration into this. This is a problem that is arising quickly and nothing is currently being
done about it. As the cost of college is constantly increasing, the student debt is rising, meaning
the US debt is increasing as well. If the cost of college was cut in half, then it would be more
reasonable for so many more people. One should be able to reach their highest potential and
higher education should not stand in the way of that. I am grateful that my parents have stable
jobs so they are able to send my brother and I to college, but not everyone is as fortunate as we
are. The idea that my peers could not go to college due to financial situations or if they were not
admitted due to a quota is a problem that no one in the United States should encounter. The
United States is supposed to be a land of opportunity, but in higher education, it seems like it is
not. I hope that people and lawmakers begin to see the problem that is arising, and how this is
not bringing us together, but it is pulling us apart. Put yourself in the shoes of the concerned
mother. What would you want to be done?

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Works Cited Page

"Fast Facts." Fast Facts. .S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.,
n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Jaschik, Scott. "New Research on How Elite Colleges Make Admissions Decisions." New
Research on How Elite Colleges Make Admissions Decisions. Inside Higher Ed, 9 Apr.
2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.
Marcus, John. "Brazil: Where Free Universities Largely Serve the Wealthy." The Atlantic.
Atlantic Media Company, 08 Apr. 2015. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016
Minow, Martha, and Robert Post. "Why Race Matters in College Admissions." Washington Post.
The Washington Post, 05 Oct. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.
Rosin, Gary. "Law by the Numbers." Law by the Numbers. WordPress, 07 Mar. 2011. Web. 11
Apr. 2016.
Strasser, Franz. "How US Students Get a University Degree for Free in Germany - BBC News."
BBC News. British Broadcasting Company, 3 June 2015. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.

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Sullivan, Paul. "College Admission Roulette: Ask for Financial Aid, or Not?" The New York
Times. The New York Times, 01 Mar. 2013. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.
"Tuition and Fees and Room and Board over Time, 1975-76 to 2015-16, Selected Years." Trends in Higher Education. The College Board, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.