Lifestyle

Colleges Need To Step Their Game Up As Times Are Changing

by Ashley Fern
Stocksy

A huge issue for our generation is the immense amount of college debt we are racking up. The government has more than recognized this and is doing what it can to help, as banks are still cashing out.

Colleges need to step the F up and realize this is their responsibility too. If colleges are not going to grant more scholarships, they need to adjust their curricula. In the past years, colleges have done nothing but increase their tuition without really offering much in return. The modern day college grad is not guaranteed a job upon graduation, which makes the whole experience almost pointless.

Everyone has taken a couple of bullsh*t classes that they could've done without, just because they were “requirements.” This is just a waste of time and money. I was a political science major, why the hell did I have to take a class called “The History of Elvis Presley”? What relevance does that have whatsoever in the field of political science? NONE.

“Two-thirds of recent graduates had an average debt of more than $25,000.”

It is safe to say that college is no longer what it used to be. Now we have an opportunity to really see the business side of college. I mean making kids take classes because it's part of your curriculum for over a 100 years is just a farce. It's time schools be held accountable for the growing millennial problem of student debt. If they are really interested in the future of their students, they should step up to the plate and actually help out with the problem that they are in part creating.

Why does the school need all this money? Do you really need more to expand your football stadium? It is easier for an athlete to get a scholarship to a school than a smart individual. We get the whole point: the sports programs bring in loads of money, but that's now the issue. If you are raking in all this cash with your sports program, why does your tuition still increase? Penn State was a prime example of what happens when you put all of your funding into one sport program instead of education. The focus needs to be on academics, first and foremost.

We are not completely blaming schools for the issue of student debt, but there are things they can do to help the growing epidemic. First and foremost, they need to realize that 4 years of college are unnecessary in the modern era. All the skills that we really need for the real world can be attained in a matter of 2, max 3 years. Universities need to consider changing their curricula.

If we eliminated these filler classes, we could condense a 4-year university into two or three years. Everyone is doing their part because they realize how valuable a college education is. Why are the schools themselves not doing jack sh*t? Not everyone can afford to dish out 30 grand annually, but they risk the debt to gain the education. The current curriculum that is present in colleges these days is becoming quickly outdated. They need to reflect modern times. We are living in an economic recession, yet college tuition continues to increase.

“Got student loans? You are far from alone: More than 38 million Americans have outstanding student loan debt totaling nearly $1 trillion, and those numbers are rising fast.”

With the evolution of technology, kids are smarter than ever before. They have any information they could ever hope to learn at the tips of their fingers. We all know people do not pay attention to things they have no interest in. We are an ADD-rampant generation and we need things condensed. Why make us take a class and spend money on it just to fulfill our elective requirement when we can just take it upon ourselves to do the research for free on the web?

What is the point of even declaring a major if you are forced to take classes completely outside its realm? Why is it necessary for a math major to take art classes? It literally serves no purpose. This is what public high school and middle school were for, to dabble in different areas. You are paying for the education you receive in college, so it needs to be specifically catered to your interests.

“Student loans are a serious long-term obligation, but they are also far and away the smartest debt that a young person can incur. The college degree that you help finance with those loans will increase your lifetime earnings by hundreds of thousands of dollars.”- The Huffington Post

Why are schools forcing students to waste their time and money on things that do not even interest them? That is inherently hypocritical. Colleges are well aware they offer and promote these bullsh*t classes and continue to do so. Why is it mandatory to take college algebra? Wasn’t that a class in every grade in high school?

What is even worse is that after you graduate and after you have spent over $200,000, they ask you to donate back to the school. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? And this isn’t a one-time thing; they continuously send you alumni packets begging you to give back to the university. Didn’t you already rip us off enough? How do you even have the nerve to ask for more money?

Fewer people are going to attend college as this debt increases. Trade schools are going to be the future, just wait and see. The cost of college is increasing faster than family incomes, making college less affordable than ever.

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