College ever wondered why it’s so expensive? Semesters ranging at about $8,000 in the 1980’s is now at least $40,000 today. “With tuitions at many Universities now exceeding $40,000 per year, even a plethora of financial aid opportunities and scholarships leave the average student approaching or upwards of six figures in debt as a result of their four year degree”.
Why is college so expensive? Mrs. Kobeissi responded, “I’m not really sure I know, there are a lot of expenses for the university such as professors, and I know a lot of classes I had, had different fees for the technology and most of the supplies we were using, that we did not pay for on our own”. “But even then all that stuff aside, I still think that it is ridiculously expensive to get an education in this country”. Mrs. Oatley replied, “partially because of the researches that they do in the colleges, that requires a lot of money, and partially because they can charge that much money”.
How did you pay for your college expenses? Mrs. Kobeissi answered, “so undergraduate I was fortunate and actually had scholarships, and didn’t pay any money out of pocket”. She continued, “It’s not that I didn’t appreciate it at the time, I think because I didn’t have to pay it’s nothing I really thought about”. “But then when I got my masters degree and didn’t have scholarships, it was all student loans, after I graduated and saw the total amount, it was like a whoa type of eye opening experience, and know that’s all on me to pay”. Mrs. Oatley responded, “I had received some scholarships for my undergrad and grad school, my parents helped pay some, and I was a resident advisor so I had my room and board paid for by the university”.
Where do you think all your college money goes? Mrs Kobeissi acknowledged, “whether that be in the form of professors, whether or not the university expands, and if new programs are being offered”. Mrs. Oatley stated, “some may go to research, to the professors, and I’m not really sure I know where the rest goes”.
Why did you go to school? Mrs. Kobeissi replied, “I value my education, and it goes hand, and hand if you’d like to have a career and earn a living, that you get an education”. “I took those two things into account and it was something that I automatically went like ok, right after highschool this is what I’m doing, I didn’t stop, I went threw, got my underdegree, had a brake, then went back for my masters degree”. Mrs. Oatley stated, “I went to college because of the job I wanted to pursue, I wanted to be an engineer, and a teacher, and I needed a college degree to be able to do any of those”.
Why do you think college is so important? Mrs. Kobeissi responded, “It’s important for you as an individual to become educated, I think it’s so important especially given weather it be a political environment, or whatever it is of importance to the worlds that I think being ignorant prevents us from finding a solution to the world’s problems”. “I think that when you have that education that you have, you at least have a foundation, and the right skill set to think freely and independently, and make educated choices about things”. “And for me as a person I wanted to be that well rounded educated person, and unfortunately, and fortunately for you to make a decent living the way our society works, is that at the minimum you’ll need a bachelor’s degree to do that, and so you have to go to college”. Mrs. Oatley replied, “academically college is important because it makes you think, and socially particularly if you go away for school, it’s a nice transition into adulthood, where you have to start taking care of yourself”. “So college is important both socially, and emotionally, as well as academically, and professionally”.
By Journalist, Norma Makki