Tennessee Governor proposes free community college

[jmt]

As a resident of TN, this is a good thing.

The Hope scholarship provides money to 4 year college kids at a steady rate. The plan would reduce the first and second year, but increase the third and fourth year, effectively making it a wash. But you have to keep an above average GPA to maintain the scholarship.

This gives an opportunity for a lot of kids in the state to get an associate's degree or to learn a trade.

[Thes]

Air is free.

And water! And dirt!

:O

[WarpKnight]

mah socialism!!1

When education costs serious money, society is kept stratified. Obviously the rich want to remain the rich, so they're going to make media institutions (which they own, yknow, being rich and all) convince everyone it's a good idea to make education cost money.

[Binary Speaker]

Personally I think all education should be non-profit and provided for free to all citizens.

I second this. Something that is basically needed to function in modern society shouldn't cost 2 arms 1.5 legs and most of your organs.

[Wildtree]

Personally I think all education should be non-profit and provided for free to all citizens.

Amen to this..
I think that's how it is in most modern countries anyway.
It results in a highly educated population average.

Additionally, since it's obvious about US system...... The gridlock of the one way street education system has to come to an end.
The education path Great School > High School > College is illogical. And the fact that the entire nation fell/falls for it proves it.
No society of any nation on Earth is intelligent enough to master this path with pretty much every single student.
It was a marketing strategy campaign that over rolled the country glorifying White Collar career and demonizing Blue Collar Work.
In the Blue Collar field the country lacks millions of professionals, while in the White Collar field millions naturally fail the path and are stuck with loan debts. After all Education in the US is one of the biggest businesses.

[Nola Saint 504]

I'm unenthused. We already have rampant degree inflation.

I have to agree with you there. So many people are getting college degrees that are essentially useless (I'm looking at you College of Liberal Arts). Some folks just aren't meant for higher education. There's nothing wrong with learning a skill/trade. Most of those jobs pay quite well.

[Sunseeker]

You might as well give High school 2 more grades then. Pretty unfair for people who rely on those scholarships.

A thousand dollars for a year of university will not even cover books for some degrees. You're going to easily pay $10k+ per semester, including room and board. If you've somehow managed to save up the 9k, you can probably make the other 1k without the scholarship.

[Twotonsteak]

Personally I think all education should be non-profit and provided for free to all citizens.

I'd like to point out that this idea hasn't worked out so well for the public education system.

I saw the thread title and came here with the full intent of giving an "nothing is free" lecture. But apparently this is just a location of funds rather than a need for new funds. If he can keep it in budget and it produces a better workforce than I'm all for it. However if it goes over budget and/or does little but produce the same workforce, only older, than kill the idea.

[Reeve]

Then you're going to the wrong schools. No public college costs $10k a semester. The only way that could be possibly true is if you were attending an out of state univiersity. In which case, you need to reassess your goals. Even if they did subsidize college, they're not going to allow Johnny in Virginia to attend Berkley because he has romantic visions of the 1960s.

And not one person has explained how this system would work. What degrees would be preferred and what penalty would be imposed on those who failed out or didn't attend class. Prooving once again how many people are completely clueless about how the real world works and expecting others to sacrifice their money so that they can feel better.

My cousin is about to start attending Oklahoma State University, and his parents are expecting to pay $40,000 per year.

[Sunseeker]

Then you're going to the wrong schools. No public college costs $10k a semester. The only way that could be possibly true is if you were attending an out of state univiersity. In which case, you need to reassess your goals. Even if they did subsidize college, they're not going to allow Johnny in Virginia to attend Berkley because he has romantic visions of the 1960s.

I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Try Collegedata.com.
Here's UC Fresno: http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/c...l?schoolId=842
In-state: $21,069, that's $10534.50 a year, all expenses combined.

This is a pretty mid-range University in California. I personally attended Humboldt State: http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/c...l?schoolId=663
And I find their costs for in-state tuition are pretty accurate to what I paid.

Are there cheaper universities out there? Sure there are. But you get what you pay for. $10k per semester (incl. rm & bd) is pretty normal across the nation for an average university. Not to mention, going to a "cheaper" out of state Uni is going to basically double your costs until you have residency (one year of living, bills, drivers license, etc...)

[Reeve]

I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Try Collegedata.com.
Here's UC Fresno: http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/c...l?schoolId=842
In-state: $21,069, that's $10534.50 a year, all expenses combined.

This is a pretty mid-range University in California. I personally attended Humboldt State: http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/c...l?schoolId=663
And I find their costs for in-state tuition are pretty accurate to what I paid.

California is one of the cheapest states to go to public universities too. I was lucky and got in before they started raising tuitions. At San Jose State in the early 2000s, I paid (really my parents paid) around $2000/semester.

[Spectral]

My cousin is about to start attending Oklahoma State University, and his parents are expecting to pay $40,000 per year.

How? Why? Tuition, room and board, textbooks, and "miscellaneous personal expenses" are $11,230 per semester for in-state residents at OSU (website).

[Reeve]

How? Why? Tuition, room and board, textbooks, and "miscellaneous personal expenses" are $11,230 per semester for in-state residents at OSU (website).

He lives in Fort Worth, TX right now. I don't know the other details. For all I know, he's doing a more expensive than usual program, or adding sports or something. That's just the estimate they have for it.

Also, that's not the number I saw on that collegedata website smrund posted, which I trust more than the school's website where they're more likely to pitch it as cheaper than it is.

[Spectral]

Not to be too rude, but unless there's a very special reason for choosing OSU, picking it over in-state tuition seems like a really dumb move. People tend to make dumb moves when they're not the one that actually has to bear the cost though, I suppose. It's not like going to UT-Austin or some other solid Texas school would be a shameful mark on one's resume.

[Reeve]

Not to be too rude, but unless there's a very special reason for choosing OSU, picking it over in-state tuition seems like a really dumb move. People tend to make dumb moves when they're not the one that actually has to bear the cost though, I suppose. It's not like going to UT-Austin or some other solid Texas school would be a shameful mark on one's resume.

I agree, but apparently he and his family have been dreaming of sending him to OSU his whole life, so it's like a thing. His parents are paying and are supportive of it. At least after the first year or so he can gain residence and pay in state tuition. That's what my friend who went to San Jose State University with me did when he moved to CA from New Hampshire.

UT Austin is a great school. As is Baylor and Southern Methodist.

[Sunseeker]

Not to be too rude, but unless there's a very special reason for choosing OSU, picking it over in-state tuition seems like a really dumb move. People tend to make dumb moves when they're not the one that actually has to bear the cost though, I suppose. It's not like going to UT-Austin or some other solid Texas school would be a shameful mark on one's resume.

$40k sounds about right if you're out-of-state. But Short of living in a state where there isn't a university, or perhaps it's so biased or poor as to need to go out of state, it would be smarter to gain residency first. If his parents are willing/capable to drop 40k on attendance costs, they could simply set him up in a small apartment for a year or so.

[Reeve]

What states have incredibly poor universities? Here's a protip, unless you're going to an Ivy League school (and even then it's debatable) no one cares what college is on your diploma. All that matters for your first job is what your major was and your GPA. Sorry, choosing to pick expensive schools so you can feel special doesn't somehow negate the irresponsibility of financial management. If you can't afford to go to the school of your dreams or even 4 years at a state school, there is nothing wrong with going to community college for 2 years (as this thread suggests) to earn the easy courses and then transfer for the last 2 years to a regular university.

Again, no one is putting any responsibility on themself to regulate their behavior. Please describe a system that would encourage young people to receive a higher education and weed out those who are just looking for a free party or will waste tax payer dollars on absolutely useless degrees. I went to an instate public university (Ohio) at around 15k a year - room and board included.

There is also nothing wrong with accumulating some debt to pay for college. It's an investment into your future. The only problem is when you take our 120k in loans to goto a university you thinks make you special and major in something like Sociology and graduate with a 2.0. The system isn't the one bending you over. Your own sense of entitlement and failure to take education seriously is to blame.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with going to a lower costing technical or community college and earning an associate's in a technical field like Computer Science or knocking out common core to goto university. And with the prevelance of accredited, online colleges, the cost of education is even more affordable to people.

Within reason. The University of Phoenix isn't impressing anyone. But yeah, so long as it's a legitimate accredited institution, no one cares what school it was for your bachelor's degree (unless it was a top tier school). MBAs, companies may care a little bit about which school, but realistically by that time you've got many years of experience under your belt and that's what they care about more anyway. No one ever ever cares what school you got your bachelor's degree at after you get your first job.