BraxtonBudo

March28,2016
Richards
Writing2010005
ContributionPaper
Overthepastdecadetherehasbeenadramaticincreaseinthenumberof
studentsdirectingtheirattentiontohighereducation.Itisnowbecomingmorecommon
forstudentstoenrollatuniversitiesfollowingthecompletionofhighschool.Knowing
thatcontinuedschoolingisbecomingmoreofanecessityforfuturecareerachievement,
thatfactalonepushedmetogotocollege.Manyotherstudents,aswellasmyselfare
makinganattempttograduateastimelyaspossible,andhopefullyfindacareerafter
graduation.Formostjobs,younowneedtohaveacollegedegreetoevenbe
consideredfortheposition.Withthatsaid,thisIbelieveisamajorpartoftheincreasein
collegeboundstudents.Unfortunately,withanincreasednumberofstudentswantingto
continuetheireducation,thereisalsoanincreasingnumberofstudentswhocannot.
Thisisduetoanumberofissuesthatkeepsomestudentsfromimprovingtheir
academiccareers.Amidsttherapidsurgeoftuitionrates,moreandmorestudentsare
strugglingtopayforcollege.Withthatincrease,theyarelookingforsomeresolutionsor
alternativestohelppayforschool.
Although,thereareseveralhelpfulservicesthathavebeenconstructedbythe
institutionstoaidthecostsassociatedwithhighereducation,notallstudentsaretaking

advantageofthesebenefitsorgettingthemostfromthem.Researchshowsthat
specificallythelowincomestudentpopulationstrugglestotakeadvantageofthese
benefits,whetheritisduetoalackofknowledgeortheabsenceofresources.Despite
manynewtechnologicaladvancements,improvementscanbemadetohelpsimplifythe
applicationorfinancialaidprocessesfornotjustlowincomestudents,butallstudents.
Thereisstillanoverwhelmingnumberofenrolleesthatdonothaveaccesstosuch
knowledgeornecessarytools.Ipersonallyfoundtheapplicationprocesstobestressful,
timeconsumingandsomewhatoverwhelming.Applyingforcollegeisabigdeal,it'sa
newchapterinyouradultlife.Itwouldhavebeennicetohavesomeonefromthe
universitytohelpguidemethroughit.ThroughouttheresearchprocessIhavearranged
bothconverginganddiverginginformationintocamps.ThesecampsIreference,range
fromconsumerorstudentexpectation,suggestingthathighereducationisamarketed
productbeingpurchasedbystudentscostoftuition,andlackofinstructionorguidance
onbehalfoftheinstitutions.Inreviewingliteratureresearchonthechallengesfacedby
lowincomestudents,Iwillshowthatincreasedtuitioncostsdiffersfromconsumer
academicexpectation,andthatwhatisultimatelyatstakeinthisconversationisthat
institutionsarentdoingenoughtoproperlyinformandinstructthelowincome
population.
RiseinTuitionCosts
Theresearchthatwascollectedsharesbothsimilaritiesanddifferenceswiththe
otherauthorsofarticlesIreviewed.Inreviewingliteratureresearchonthechallenges
facedbylowincomestudents,Duetothecompetitivenessincareerfieldstoday,weare

seeinganincreaseinpeoplemakingthepushtowardhighereducation.In1972,49
percentofhighschoolgraduatesages16to24wentontocollege.Asoflastyear,66
percentofhighschoolgradswerecollegebound(Wildavsky76).Thisincreaseis
steeringlowincomefamiliestowardtheuseofstudentloans.
ThearticleDisparitiesin
DebtbyJasonN.HouleexplainshowYoungadultsfromlowSESandmiddleincome
backgroundsaremorelikelythantheirmoreadvantagedcounterpartstoturntodebtas
awaytopayforcollege.(Houle67).Thearticlethengoesontomentionthat
Young
adultsfromlowincomeandlesseducatedfamiliesareconsiderablymorelikelytotake
onveryhighdebtloadscomparedtotheirmoreadvantagedcounterpartsandthusat
greaterriskofdroppingout(Houle67).Withthelowincomecommunitycontinuingto
turntostudentloans,thepreexistingeconomicgapwillonlycontinuetowiden.This
researchjustgoesontoprovethatlowincomestudentsaretakingonmoredebtwhen
theychoosetoattendcollege.Inanattempttoavoidorminimizedebt,studentsare
lookingforanypossiblealternativestohelpwiththecosts.
Somearguethatthepriceofcollegeissometimesimmenselyexaggeratedandit
isntalwayscorrect.Thissameviewistoucheduponbyeconomist,andMacalester
CollegePresident,MikeMcPherson.McPhersonstatesthatwhilestudentsandtheir
familiesareguidedlargelybythestickerprice,thatisntalwaysthepricethattheywill
pay.Peoplewronglyexpecttheworstwhenitcomestocollegecosts.Tohelpstudents
payforschool,theinstitutionshavegiventhemtheopportunitytoapplyforalternatives
suchasfinancialaid,scholarships,andmanyothertuitiondeductions.Whilethese
optionsdoprovetobebeneficial,McPhersonsaysthatevenastuitiondiscountsgrow,

manycollegesalsobuildasignificantpartoftheiraidpackagesaroundloans.Some
financialaidexpertsworrythat,increasingly,accesstocollegeiscomingatthecostof
growingstudentindebtedness.Abouthalfofallstudentsgraduatewithloans,an
averageof$12,000atpublicschoolsand$14,300atprivateschools(Wildavsky76).
Thesenumberssuggestthatthedebtstudentsaregettingintoforschoolisaserious
financialburdenatthestartoftheircareers.Thisalsoisthereasonweareseeingthe
economicgaponlycontinuetogrow.ClaudioSanchezofNationalPublicRadio,
conductedaninterviewwithSandyBaum,coauthorofthereport"TrendsinCollege
Pricing.Baumwasaskedabouttheincreaseinstudentdebt,sherepliedwhenwe
lookatstudentdebt,wedoseethatmorestudentsareborrowing.Theamountthatthey
borrowisrising,butit'snotrisingasrapidlyastuition.Despitethegovernmentsefforts
inincreasingtheamountofgrantsintendedforinneedstudents,somefamiliesfind
themselvesmakingtoomuchtoqualify,whiletheymaketoolittletokeepup.Multiple
articlesconvergeintheacknowledgementthatstudentsaregraduatingordroppingout
ofschoolwithsignificantamountsofdebt.Basedoffoftheresearch,itisnowclearto
seethatitisbecomingincreasinglydifficultforlowincomefamiliestocontinuetheir
educationingeneral,betteryetuntilcreditfulfillment.Akeysubtopictothispointcould
bethebenefitorpayoffofacollegedegree.MikeMcPherson,ascitedearlier,claims
thatwhileapproximately50%ofstudentsleavehighereducationwithsomeamountof
debt,hethinksthattakingondebtmaybeasounddecisionformanystudents.
Mountingevidenceshowsthat,overthelongrun,acollegedegreeisagreateconomic

investment.Thestudentswhoareenrollingatmoreprestigiousinstitutions,andpaying
largertuitionfeeswillstatisticallygoontocareerswithhigherpayingsalaries.
EducationasaMarketedProduct
Thepriceisnttheonlycomplicationthatlowincomestudentsfacewhen
choosingtopursueadegreeinhighereducation.Itisclearthattuitionisrising,andwith
thatincreasestudentshavehighexpectationsfortheeducationthattheywillreceivein
return.Theresearchcollectedandtheopinionsvoicedbytheauthorscited,pointsto
howhighereducationisbeingmadetobeamarketedproduct.Universitiesarenow
morethanevertryingtomaximizeincome.Weseeanexampleofthiswithhigherclass
sizes,opposedtosmallerclassesforoptimallearning.Educationortheproduct,is
beingsoldandpurchasedbythethestudents/consumer.AuthorDanielSullivan,argues
thatTheaveragecollegestudentwillspendaboutasmuchmoneyattendingapublic
universityasanoutofstateindependentcollege.Hegoesontosaythatstatistically,
universitiesareunderperforminginregardstoontimedegreeattainmentand
graduationrates.Ithinkthatstudentsshouldbegettingwhattheypayforwhile
attendingtheseschools.Studentsarentwillingtopayasteeptuitionpriceiftheschool
isntgoingtoholdupitsendofthedeal.However,therehasbeenpositiveactiontaken
tobenefitboththeschoolsaswellasitsstudents.Multiplecommunitycollegesare
beginningtoestablishagreementswithfouryearinstitutions.ThomasNelson
CommunityCollegeinHampton,Va.,forexample,hascometoagreementswith
severalVirginiafouryearcollegestoacceptcreditsfromtheirschool.Morecommunity
collegesarecollaboratingwithnearbyfouryearschoolstocreateuniversitycenters

(Wolf84).Thesecollaborationswouldgivestudentstheopportunitytoobtaindegrees
fromuniversitieswithouthavingtostepfootonthecampus.Itwouldbegreatwayfor
studentstogetthetuitionbreakstheyvebeenlookingfor,whilealsobeingabletogeta
degreefromtheirschoolofchoice.Itisapparentthatschoolshavebeentakingpositive
stepstohelpstudentswiththechallengestheyface.Programshavebeenputinplace
tohelpstudents,benefitssuchasincreasingtheamountofacceptedtransferable
creditsfromcommunitycolleges,collaborationof2and4yearschoolstocreate
universitycenters,financialaid,etc.Regardlessofthetoolsavailable,somelowincome
studentsandtheirfamiliesarestillstrugglingtoapplyandsucceedinhighereducation.
Wehavetoacknowledgethefactthatwhileschoolsaretryingtohelpout,higher
educationstillisntsomethingthatisaccessibletoall.
Lackofinformationfrominstitutions
Lowincomefamiliesdontalwayshavethenecessaryresourcesandknowledge
toaccessinformationthatispertinentorbeneficialtothem,forexamplelabfeesfor
classespertainingtothestudentsmajorthatincreasesthecostmakingitmoredifficult
forthemtograduateinatimelymanner.Anotherexamplewouldbethedormcostand
mealplansthatareavailableforstudentslivingoncampus.Asmoreandmore
collegesanduniversitiesmovetowebbasedfinancialaidprocesses,allstudents
especiallylowincomestudentsandfamiliesneedtounderstandthisprocessfromthe
beginningtotheendasanonlineandongoingprocess(Venegas28).The3year
longstudythatwasconducted,showsthatwhilelowincomestudentstypicallyhave
accesstoacomputer,notallstudentsandfamiliesarefamiliarwiththeprogramsand

systems.Anumberofstudentsmentionedthattheyhadlittletonoaccesstoa
computer.Thispresentsaprobleminthesensethatschoolsaremakingamovetoward
theuseoftechnologywhilesomestudentsdonthavethecapabilityofaccessingthe
information.Ihavealsoexperiencedmyshareofissueswiththeincreaseduseofweb
basedprogramssuchascanvasthatyouuseinhighereducation.Nonethelessthislack
ofstudentknowledgecanresultinmisseddeadlinesforthingssuchasfinancialaid,
registrationforclasses,andcanevendiscouragestudentsfromwantingtoseekhigher
educationatall.ReferringbacktotheresearchcollectedbyauthorPaulThayer,using
1996data,thoseinthetopfamilyincomequartilewerefoundtocompletea
baccalaureatedegreeata74%rate,ascomparedto5%forthoseinthebottomincome
quartile.Thayergoesontosaythat
Postsecondaryeducationinstitutionswilllogically
looktoprogramslikeStudentSupportServicestoassistinincreasingtheretentionand
graduationratesofsuchstudents.Structuredfirstyearprograms,includinglearning
communitystrategies,offerexcitingpossibilitiesforenrichingstudentpersistence,
increasingstudentconnectednesstothecollegeexperience,andenhancingthequality
oflearning.
Conclusion
AsIstatedearlier,theworkplaceisonlygettingmorecompetitiveandpeopleare
findingthathighereducationisbecomingarequirementforbetterpayingjobs.Withthe
issuesthattheselowincomestudentsarefacing,theyaremissingoutonthe
opportunitytofurthertheirknowledgeandimprovetheirfuture.AsIamcurrentlya
studentinhighereducation,Idoseesomeoftheseissuesfirsthand.Myfirstsemester

incollegewasreallyoverwhelming,Ihadnosupportwithapplyingtoschools,
registeringforclasses,andthetuitioncostdiscouragedme.Allofthesevariablesin
highereducationaffectedmeslightly,butIwouldntconsidermyselfastudentofthelow
incomepopulation.Personally,Istruggledwiththeapplicationprocesses,researching
forinformationonscholarships,andsimplytryingtoschedulemyclasses.Ihadtrouble
doingthesethingseventhoughIhavecompleteaccesstoacomputer24/7.Theselow
incomestudentsdontalwayshavethatprivilegeorluxury.CountlessstudiesIreviewed
haveshownthatlowincomefamilies,insomecases,stillneedahelpinghandtoassist
themunderstandtheprocessesandbecomemorefamiliarwiththenecessarysystems.
Whilemoreextensiveresearchneedstobedoneonthetopicoflowincomestudents,
thereisstillenoughcurrentevidencetomakeapositivedifferenceforthem.
Thestudiesreferencedearlyon,showthatnotallstudentshaveaccesstoa
computertoaidthemintheprimarilywebbasedapplicationprocess.Datasuggests
thatwhenstudentsdohaveinternetaccess,fewofthemactuallyknowhowtoproperly
usethesystemsortools.Thereclearlyneedstobemoreofanemphasisonsharing
informationwiththefamiliesandstudentstohelpwiththeprocessofadmissions,
financialaid,scholarships,etc.Ifschooladministrationcouldadvertiseorbettermarket
theirassistancewiththeapplicationprocess,morestudentswouldbeabletogotothem
forhelp.Myfirstyear,Ihadnoideaaboutallofthethingscounselorscandofor
students.Schoolsneedtoworkonhelpingtheirstudentsachieveacademicsuccessby
helpingthemrightfromtheadmissionsprocess,allthewayupuntilthedayof
graduation.Thiswouldbedonebestbyspreadingthewordoncampusaboutallthe

resourcesstudentshaveaccesstooncampus.InotherarticlesItalkedabout,wehave
seenresearchthatsuggestswhenfirstyearstudentsaremoreinvolvedatschoolboth
inandoutsideoftheclassroom,theirgraduationrateincreases.Withanincreased
involvementoncampus,studentswouldhavemuchhigheracademicsuccessand
thereforetheinstitutionswouldhaveahighergraduationandretentionrate.Witha
highergraduationrateforenrollees,thiswoulddecreasethenumberofstudents
droppingoutofschoolwithdebt.ItwouldalsogivethemtheopportunityasMcPherson
explained,topaythatdebtoffwithahigherincomefromtheirdegree.Thisofcourse
wouldgivestudentsthereturnoninvestmentthattheywerelookingfor.Schoolsshould
beworkingtogettheirfirstyearstudentsinvolvedinnotonlytheclassroom,butthe
campuslifeaswell.WiththeUniversityofUtahbeingmoreofacommuterbased
school,Ithinkthatwelackincampusinvolvement.Itseemsasifpeoplegetoutofclass
andheadhome.Ithinkthattheincreasedinvolvementofstaffandstudents,there
wouldbenothingbutbenefitsfortheinstitutionasawhole.Overall,whatisatstakein
thisconversationisstudentswhohavethewanttolearnandcontinuetheireducation,
shouldntbedeniedtheprivilegetodoso.Therearestillissuesthatneedtobe
addressedinorderforeveryonetohaveanequalopportunitywhenitcomestolearning
andhighereducation.Withjustaslightincreaseinmarketedservicesthattheschool
offers,Ithinkthatmorestudentswouldhaveamorepositiveapproachtothe
sometimesdiscouragingthoughtofhighereducation.Fromthere,thestudentsneedto
putintheworkandusetheprovidedservicestohelpthemachievetheiracademic
goals.

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