Kelly
Chesson
Informal
Writing 7
Option
1
Moderator: Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen
to today’s debate. The two individuals that are present today are David
Leonhardt and Jeffery Dorfman. The issue that we are dealing with today is
whether college is a necessity, and if it is, if it should be more affordable.
Let’s first talk to Jeffery Dorfman. Jeffery, what is your view on the
situation?
Jeffery Dorfman: Well first of all, I
am not going to deny that college is important, because it is. I do believe
however, that many people out there who are complaining about the costs of
college don’t know the full story. Yes, there are some universities out there
that are very expensive, but many students do not pay the full price. For
instance, the cost of tuition at the University of Sothern California is
$60,000 per year, but the average student only pays $27,500 per year. This is a
big difference. Looking at the total cost, versus what most students pay with
financial aid and scholarships is very different.
Moderator: Thank you Jeffery. Now let’s
hear from David Leonhardt on the other side of this important topic.
David Leonhardt: I will agree that
college is a very important thing. However, I feel that college costs could be
reduced quite a bit. When looking at college graduation rates, only 44% of
lower income students who enter college graduate within five years, as opposed
to the 66% of high-income students who graduate within five years. This is because
of the high costs. Yes, there are options such as scholarships and financial
aid. However, financial aid can only help so much, and as scholarships go, most
of them go to the top students in the class, and the rest are left with
nothing. For the most part, the differences in classes are a big problem. The
lower income students tend to not be as prepared as higher income students.
Like in the statistic I stated before, more lower income students drop out than
higher class students. This would suggest that even in high school, the higher
income students are prepared better, and they receive the scholarships when
they don’t necessarily need the money as much as lower income students.
Jeffery Dorfman: There are many
different types of colleges and universities. Some are more expensive than
others. The students coming from lower income families can make more of an
effort to apply to schools that aren’t quite as expensive. Not all students
need to attend a private, Ivy League school. Public, state universities cost a
lot less. For in-state residents, the total cost of a public university is only
about $20,000 per year. This is a lot less than the $60,000 total of the
University of Southern California. Not all students need to attend private
colleges. A popular way to save money is to also attend a local community
college for two years and then transfer to a public four-year university. This
would save a lot of money for students.
David Leonhardt: Going to a local
community college and then transferring to a four-year university sounds like a
very good plan, however, many students who plan on doing that never actually
attend a four-year school. Only 17% of students who entered community college
in the mid 1990s made the switch to a university within five years. Many of the
students who enroll in community college get so caught up trying to work to pay
for college, that they end up working full-time, and they drop out of school
altogether. Deciding which college to go
to decides your future. If a lower income student can’t afford to go to the
college of their dreams, then that may ruin their future. Some of the colleges
for lower income students don’t contain all of the major options that are
needed. The major options can be very limited. This can frustrate the students
and cause them not to continue their education because the school doesn’t
contain the field that they would like to study. This isn’t fair to those
students. The lower income students should be able to get the degree they want
just as much as the higher income students can get the degree they want.
Moderator: Thank you very much to both
Jeffery Dorfman and David Leonhardt. We appreciate your time and your views on
this issue.
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