College for All: Everyone Deserves Free College Like I Received

“Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.”
– George Washington Carver

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
– Nelson Mandela

When I was in middle school, my mom was single and worked full time to care for me and my three younger siblings. We were fortunate to hear about a need-based college financial aid program and promptly signed up. Years later when I went to Indiana University, I was able to go completely free due to this aid and some academic scholarships I received. I graduated from university with no student debt.

I strongly believe that everyone in our country should have that same opportunity.

The aid that I received was a blessing, but it wasn’t without its problems. It was required that you sign up prior to high school. As someone who knew I wanted to go to college, this wasn’t a problem. But many people, especially if they would be a first-generation college student, don’t have the foresight or resources to get into a program that early. This disproportionately affects low socioeconomic children and people of color.

As with most college financial aid programs in the US, the FAFSA form was required to be filled out annually. Filing the FAFSA is a stress-inducing and difficult process to say the least. It requires tax and W-2 information and has to be submitted before the appropriate deadlines for aid to be considered. As mentioned above, these requirements are inherently more likely to affect non-white and/or first-generation college students.

To some extent, there is an onus on the student to earn their education through their own hard work. But did I earn the education I received for free? I cannot say so.

In fact, the merits of the academic scholarships I received were somewhat questionable. The largest one I received was GPA-based. Upon graduating high school I was slated to miss the cutoff by .01, until the single credit I received from four consecutive summers of marching band was added to push me over the threshold. I also opted out of some honors classes simply because I didn’t want to take them in a school that didn’t use a weighted GPA scale.

I knew plenty of better students and peers who worked much harder than I did to achieve a similar education. One friend’s family income was barely above the cutoff for the same financial aid program, and they missed out on a substantial amount of assistance as a result. Four years later they are dealing with the burden of excessive student debt as they try to move forward in life.

Similarly, my youngest siblings are nearing college age and their household income is higher than it was when I was living at home at their age. This is a good thing! But, as a result, they won’t have the same opportunities for aid that I had, and will have to incur thousands of dollars of student debt for a similar education to what I received. This is the plight of means-tested programs: that a positive change of financial situation can result in a disproportionately negative loss of benefit from the program.

Another problem is the actual cost of college. Why is it so expensive to get a college education in the US? Post-secondary education in other countries costs significantly less than it does here. College used to be affordable, but now it costs twice as much to go to a public four-year university now as it did in the mid 80’s (even when adjusted for inflation). In our great and wealthy country, the decision to pursue an education shouldn’t involve debating crippling student debt.

As business journals begin pointing fingers at my generation for killing casual restaurant chains, let’s remember: we’re in a student debt crisis. The ramifications are greater than just the personal lives of the 42 million people in debt.

 

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I count my blessings that I received the great education that I did for free. But honestly, I feel sad and frustrated that I got lucky and most others won’t have the same fortune. I believe that college should be available to all people without having to be saddled with student debt. Pursuing further education enriches ones life and collectively betters our workforce and culture.

I’ve had a taste of what the future would look like under a Bernie Sanders College For All platform. His plan also includes forgiving all existing student debt and free trade schools. It’s one of the many reasons why I endorse him for President.

From my mind to yours,

Quinn