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How Much is Your Brain Worth?


Many issues in today’s world can be dealt with through action, but how will anyone be aware of these issues without education? Experts are needed in very specific fields to find solutions to global sustainability issues. There are very few of these experts. What is deterring intelligent young adults from furthering their education in these fields?

The college search begins in high school. Students decide what they want to go to school for and what schools have the best programs for their course of study. The aspect of cost has already come into play at this stage. The price of private universities can be a deterrent to students, though the programs offered may be exactly what the student wants. There are guides on how to get financial aid for college. With various types of grants and loans any school may be attainable to any student, though loans must be paid back. The average student is in debt $23,000 after four years of college.

The average cost of a public four year school is $7,020; for private the cost goes up to $26,273 on average. Cost increases every year. The cost of public school raised 6.5% in the last year and 4.4% for private school. Only 20% of students attending a private university have tuition and fees totaling $36,000 or higher a year. After four years for undergraduate those wishing to study a more specific field may attend graduate school.

In the last ten years the cost of a master’s program has raised 60% and for a Ph.D. program 55%. The average cost of a master’s is $14,825 while for a Ph. D. is $20,903. Another issue is that the government has a lot of interest in science and technology related fields. This has pushed humanities and social sciences by the wayside. Students want job security, it seems the way to go about this is going into fields related to science and technology. Humanities don’t provoke the same idea of job security.

Totaling the numbers brings a scary reality. The average student attending public school and then a master’s program spends $42,905. If attending private school instead the cost raises to $119,917. To attain a Ph. D. after public school the final cost will be $48,983 on average and after private school, $125,995.

This cost maybe what is deterring so many people from furthering their education past their undergraduate years. Students want to go out into the working world as quickly as possible to start paying off undergraduate loans. Universities fund much of a students’ graduate school, but the final numbers can still be frightening. College is not going to become more affordable anytime soon. Students need to do their best applying for aid and not let cost deter them from their dreams of higher education.

Links

[|College Board] [|As the price of graduate school rises, the dream of degree begins to fade] Works Cited

1. Rauf, Don. "The Real Cost of College." //Careers & Colleges// 28.2 (2008): 6-10. //Web.ebscohost.com//. Fall 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2010.

2. Shpolberg, Maria. "As Price of Graduate School Rises, Dream of Degree Begins to Fade." //The Daily Princetonian//. 12 Dec. 2006. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. .

3. "Financial Aid Myths." //College Board//. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. .

4. "2009-10 College Prices: Keep Increases in Perspective." //College Board//. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. .

5. "How to Manage and Pay Off College Loans | Campus Explorer." //Campus Explorer//. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. .

6. //Clipart Heaven//. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. .

7. //Bethany//. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. .