On September 17,1787 founding fathers, sat and signed America’s constitution, giving citizens twenty-seven rights. Beginning with the right to freedom of speech and ending with congress pay changes. Within the last 226 years America has had 45 presidents, not one found it a necessity to add the right to secondary education for its citizens. America does not provide its’ citizens with the right to a college education, though the phrase knowledge is power seems to find itself painted on every college wall or engraved into a plaque. College students in America have the highest debt leaving college, than any other country in the world. Countries that outperform America tuitions are much lower than what the students here have to pay. If America wants to lead and lead with power, then they must provide their citizens with the tools needed to succeed. 

Since, the beginning of time America has been selling people The American Dream primarily to foreigners. Claiming that they may have an opportunity to receive an education, take part in the work force and contribute to society. It is a bit ironic, that America is selling a dream to immigrants that their own citizens cannot even afford. Kingkade writes that in a survey conducted by Huffington Post and YouGov poll results show “53 percent, agreed that a college education is necessary in order to get ahead in life” (Kingkade). Now, why is it that 53 percent can address that secondary education is necessary to get ahead in life, but “according to poll results, 62 percent” of Americans say “they are unable to afford college” (Kingkade). For the few that do go to college, only a handful of them graduate a whopping “80 percent of those who enroll in community colleges never finish what they start” (Snider). I do not know what is more baffling, the fact that America ranks 14th in education, or the fact that officials are shocked that America ranks 14th in education. Countries like Japan, Finland, and Poland, all ranked higher than America, all have higher graduation rates, and most importantly their universities’ tuition is much lower than America’s. Subsequently, their students leaving college have far less debt than the average American student. In Poland to receive a Bachelor’s degree, costs students anywhere from “600 to 5000 eur/per year” (Piotrowski). If one were to convert European dollars into American dollars, that would mean students would pay at the maximum 5,400 dollars per year. Here at The University of South Carolina, in state students pay 11,000 per semester and 22,000 per year. The cost for one year at an American University is equivalent to four years at an institution in Poland. Adding to fire to the flame, “Finland, the world leader, succinctly asserts, ‘Everyone has the right to basic education free of charge’” (Lurie).  Our nation seems to be alarmed that we stand 14th in education, but ignore that 62 percent of its’ citizens want to obtain a degree, but cannot because they cannot financially afford the overwhelming cost of a secondary education. If America wants to climb its way to number one, they need to sell a dream that is more affordable, but in the same breath, why put a cost on a dream? 

With all this in mind , the question still stands, why is college so expensive? I am sure many students ponder this question daily. It is no secret that college has changed over time, at one-point college was merely grounds for females to find their husband, then almost became essential to American culture, when we began exploration and competed to be first. Now America seems to lack the drive to be number one, perhaps it’s the way we appeal to students, or even how we sell college to students. Before becoming a USC gamecock, I had to go to orientation, there I was supposed to learn the campus and what to expect as an incoming freshman. I learned where I can receive the best food on campus, how spectacular our Strom-Thurmond Gymnasium is and how to win tickets for our football games. They showered students, with great food, amazing scenery, and an opportunity to receive a ticket to the first football game. They highlighted all the wonderful amenities the university has to offer, but not so much of the courses offered. Negin writes “It’s clear that what colleges spent their money on, was not the quality of instruction” (Negin 32). When one tells someone that they attend or attended the University of South Carolina, that does not guarantee them a sound job, but it most definitely will spark conversation about sports, whether it be football or even basketball. Our money does not ensure that we are receiving a better education than the next institution, we simply pay for the name. Bragging rights even. Going further into the article, Negin relates college students to “customers” that are kept happy through colleges “gentrifying their campuses and charging for it” (Negin 32). I have been at USC for almost a full two semesters and have gone to the gym maybe once, but have gone to my classes religiously. Sadly, I was one of those targeted customers, but was completely unaware of what I was being sold. When and why did the focus shift from education to recreation, surely there is a plausible explanation. As early as 1993 many have found that it is absurd that the gentrification of institutions has out-weighed the instruction. This partially stems from competition between colleges in the 90’s, state funding for private colleges dropped, forcing public tuitions to proliferate. Successively, “facilities had been approved and teachers’ salaries raised” which forced colleges to compete for its students.  (Negin 32).  College has by far become way to commercialized. To paying parents and students reading this, I am sure they are a bit bewildered to find out why they are paying so much, but for college boards, the government and major business cooperation’s constant campus redevelopment makes complete sense. To clarify confusion, college is nothing more than a big business, much like America. In 1980, The Bayh-Dole act was created for “intellectual property laws by allowing academic institutions, not the federal government, to patent publicly funded research, and to reward institutions and inventors” (Gupta 1). Negin states that tuition is rising to “attract more corporate investments” (Negin 34). This federal legislation permits institutions to market to foreign and U.S. corporations for investment, now allowing them to “sell to companies exclusive licenses on all discoveries made under company’s sponsorship” (Negin 34). Corporations are inclined to invest in universities, because congress “altered the federal tax code” giving them tax credits when they invest. (Negin 34).  The Bayh-Dole Act can be related to renting a home. Let’s say you rent a home. The homeowner tells you that you may paint the walls as you please, you, you decide to paint a mural on the wall. Months later, you choose to move into a new home, while the mural on the wall was made by you and is completely your work, because the home is not yours and the wall is not yours, the owner of the home has partial ownership to your painting. It is a lot to digest, so let’s abridge all of this. Basically, institutions appeal to students through their facilities, beat possible competitors, corporations then invest in schools with the hopes a discovery is made, so they may sell licenses on that particular discovery. So, institutions receive money from students, corporations make money from the discovery made by the universities research department, as well as get tax credits, the government receives partial patenting, and students… well they get loans.

Studying Abroad has been popular across the world for some time now. It allows students to earn an education, while gaining a life experience in a different country. It also promotes diversity within the institutions across the seas. Foreign students that choose to go to an American University say that the cost is way too expensive. In 1998 about “40 percent of international students studied in America” within a five-year time span it dropped to “32 percent” (Honan 32). While, this information is almost 20 years old, the cost of college has only increased since then. American universities seek “looking abroad [as] one way to find young, bright minds willing to pay sticker price for their education” (Macrander). Macrander uses a few bold words to describe what American universities look for, not only in foreign students, but students that from the states; young, bright and willing. We have already seen 53 percent acknowledges that education is necessary to excel, now how many of these young, bright, willing students fall in the 62 percent that cannot afford college?  Many students have decided to pursue their degree outside of the country. Many may assume that the cost of studying abroad is more expensive than staying in states, you have to pay for the flight there, transportation, room and board, and not to mention, the tuition. Contrary to belief, it is actually much cheaper. CNN published an article about three students that left the United States to pursue their degree. One of the students highlighted in CNNs’ article is Hunter Newsome, accepted into the University of California decided to attend a college in Estonia. Lobosco writes, that Newsome will receive his “bachelor's degree in three years rather than four” and is projected to save “more than $10,000 a year on tuition” (Lobosco). Hunter made a statement about getting books and the necessary materials for school "Last semester I only had to have a single book and I checked it out of the school library” (Lobosco). These countries provide their students with the materials they need, it is readily available for them, he then proceeds and says “a lot or all of the material is online, and for others you have to be in class to receive the knowledge" (Lobosco). Students at an American University are responsible for buying their own books, which are not cheap. These bright, young, willing, American students are contributing to other countries success, no wonder we have plummeted all the way to 14th in education. “China doubled its higher-education participation in just the last decade—attracting students who once came to the United States for college” (Snider). Not only do other countries provide their students with either a free education, or an affordable education, they provide them access to the books they need. No one wants to come last in a race, but if education is the race, America is rapidly falling behind in it. 

America has fallen behind, but it is not too late for them to catch up. Realistically speaking, this won’t happen overnight, but somethings needs to happen before the year 2025. There is a “projected shortfall of 16 million college-educated adults in the American workforce by 2025” (Snider). America is on the cusp of a double recession and increase in unemployment. To add to the right to secondary education to the constitution would be prodigious, but it typically takes Congress seven years to ratify amendments, in which it’ll already be 2024, not to mention the time it will take to implement it. One thing that separates foreign schooling from America’s is what is offered on the campus. For instance, upon arriving to USC I was scrolling through my television channel list and saw HBO,CMAX, and STARZ, all of which are expensive television stations. I joked and said “is this what my money is going to”? At the time, I thought lightly of it, but it has become more apparent that this does take a part in what I pay. While, the various channels are not the sole reason we pay so much, it definitely is something we can go without. Though, this is not embedded in tuition, one thing that could reduce the cost of college is if books were provided free of charge, whether it be an actual copy or an electronic book, it is one less. Being cost efficient, could also reduce American tuition. Here at USC, we have motion activated lights in study rooms. When a student enters the room, the light comes on, and when the student leaves the room, the light turns off. One can imagine the energy it takes to fully power our university for just one day and how high that electricity bill for just that day would be. If there were more of these sensors throughout the buildings in the university then we could reduce the amount of money the university has to spend on electricity and save money. These are just a few things that could be done, to reduce tuition. The nation needs to redirect its attention from, the comfort and luxury college can offer and focus solely on education. 

College brings forth new levels of stress for students, that is not including the stress of tuition. The Roman poet Horace wrote “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant”. Challenges force people, to test themselves and find out what they are made of. If one never faces a problem in their life whether it be an internal or external, they will never grow. I stand firmly next to this quote, coming to USC I was prepared to face new challenges all of which I can admit have pushed me to do and be my very best. I do feel like my greatest challenge here is not passing classes nor adjusting to the environment, but paying tuition. I am a full-time student and I work three jobs just to pay tuition. I find it hard to focus solely on my education, when I also have to focus on funding my education. While, I do believe that working three jobs and putting myself through college will one day make for great table talk with my kids, which I will then tell them if I can do it they can do it, but as for now I completely feel defeated. I came to the University of South Carolina, part of the 53 percent that believes college is necessary, the 62 percent that cannot afford it and as of now fear that I will be one day be in the 80 percent that do not graduate because of tuition. I, among several students have the potential to become a chemist, a doctor, a lawyer or even a teacher, but feel slighted by the financial means it requires.Small mind thinking, but if we reduced the cost of tuition, then we can produce more college graduates, which will go on to become researchers, doctors, practitioners, judges and professors, all of which can contribute to not only the decline in unemployment, but can contribute to shaping where America stands in comparison to other countries. America could not only climb to number one in education, but could help with better standing in other rankings. We are third in infant mortality, who is to say that a student within that 62 percent that can’t afford to go to college, but would won’t be the one to find a way to reduce infant mortality, there is no way of telling unless he is given the opportunity. Our nation needs to provide an affordable way for all of its citizens to attend college, so that instead of trying to sell the American dream, people can actually live and pursue it. 
