Isn't free college already a thing?

smart enough to earn a scholarship, not smart enough to understand the word 'most'

already exists wrote:

I keep hearing about "free college" as part of political platforms. Can't people already go to college for free simply by attending a school that is a rung or two below the best school they get accepted to? A number of my college classmates had turned down acceptances at prestigious schools in favor of a full ride academic scholarship at our Big Ten school. Likewise, I could have gone to an even lower ranked school on academic scholarship myself if I'd elected to do so.

Seems like free college is already available to most people, but very few take advantage of it.

yeah, because "most" people get accepted to multiple schools and are able to choose to go to one where they get a full ride, right?

and "most" students who live well below the poverty line have plenty of resources to apply to multiple schools and the luxury to choose the free one, right?

you're living in a fairy tale if you actually think that free college is available to "most people."

It's easy to apply to multiple colleges these days. And if you can't get accepted or get any form of scholarship or financial aid even to a third-tier school then you probably shouldn't be attending college.

Its all a moot point. The American collegiate system is a farce. A scam. People are catching on. Finally.

If something is a complete piece of shitt, I don't care if its free, I still don't want it.

Undecided Pennsylvania Voter wrote:

It's easy to apply to multiple colleges these days. And if you can't get accepted or get any form of scholarship or financial aid even to a third-tier school then you probably shouldn't be attending college.

Tell that to kids in south Chicago who are living below the poverty line and just trying to not get shot on the way to and from school.

Tell that to kids in rural West Virginia who also live below the poverty line with the added bonus of meth addicted parents.

Tell that to kids in any inner city who can't afford to buy lunch, nevertheless apply to multiple schools.

Your privilege is blinding you from reality.

My son was admitted to several of the most prestigious schools in the country but he chose to attend his P5 state school in order to save money. But it still was not entirely free even though he received significant academic scholarships/discounts and an athletics scholarship. So I would be very interested to know what school you are referring to. My son's academic achievements could not have been higher and he looked at dozens of schools.

Lil' Pistol wrote:

Undecided Pennsylvania Voter wrote:

It's easy to apply to multiple colleges these days. And if you can't get accepted or get any form of scholarship or financial aid even to a third-tier school then you probably shouldn't be attending college.

Tell that to kids in south Chicago who are living below the poverty line and just trying to not get shot on the way to and from school.

Tell that to kids in rural West Virginia who also live below the poverty line with the added bonus of meth addicted parents.

Tell that to kids in any inner city who can't afford to buy lunch, nevertheless apply to multiple schools.

Your privilege is blinding you from reality.

What is preventing them from applying to colleges online either from home, the library, or school computers?

Free college won't change any of that though. Those kids would get free college already today but don't know how to get there,

Cost. The cost of the application, the cost of sending test scores and even the cost of taking and preparing for the tests necessary to get into college. $100 is a significant financial barrier to many families. Most lower income high schools don't have the budget to feed kids let alone help them apply to college. Additionally, children coming from lower income households are likely working many hours a week in order to provide for their families. This is time taken away from school work and other extracurriculars that are necessary to get into the types of colleges that can offer students financial aid.

Fugu wrote:

Cost. The cost of the application, the cost of sending test scores and even the cost of taking and preparing for the tests necessary to get into college. $100 is a significant financial barrier to many families. Most lower income high schools don't have the budget to feed kids let alone help them apply to college. Additionally, children coming from lower income households are likely working many hours a week in order to provide for their families. This is time taken away from school work and other extracurriculars that are necessary to get into the types of colleges that can offer students financial aid.

You can get all that stuff for free nowadays. Colleges waive fees before a certain date. SAT/ACT waives fees for many families. The common app makes it easy to apply to multiple colleges. These things are simply not a barrier especially in 2020.

Community college is pretty damn affordable. Plus if someone running for president is touting free college, doesn't congress have to vote on that to make it happen?

he probably also received 10 CD's for a penny.

Lil' Pistol wrote:

Undecided Pennsylvania Voter wrote:

It's easy to apply to multiple colleges these days. And if you can't get accepted or get any form of scholarship or financial aid even to a third-tier school then you probably shouldn't be attending college.

Tell that to kids in south Chicago who are living below the poverty line and just trying to not get shot on the way to and from school.

Tell that to kids in rural West Virginia who also live below the poverty line with the added bonus of meth addicted parents.

Tell that to kids in any inner city who can't afford to buy lunch, nevertheless apply to multiple schools.

Your privilege is blinding you from reality.

I'm just glad there are white knights like you out there who understand that more self-victimization is exactly what poor people in this country need.

I got a full ride so everyone can right? Since college was free to me, it’s obviously free for everyone as long as they are as good as I am. If they aren’t, it was their own fault!

kkkjjjhhh wrote:

I got a full ride so everyone can right? Since college was free to me, it’s obviously free for everyone as long as they are as good as I am. If they aren’t, it was their own fault!

Ever heard of community college?

We need more rationalizations to raise taxes.

Undecided Pennsylvania Voter wrote:

What is preventing them from applying to colleges online either from home, the library, or school computers?

Not having an average of $43 per college application.

Lil' Pistol wrote:

Undecided Pennsylvania Voter wrote:

It's easy to apply to multiple colleges these days. And if you can't get accepted or get any form of scholarship or financial aid even to a third-tier school then you probably shouldn't be attending college.

Tell that to kids in south Chicago who are living below the poverty line and just trying to not get shot on the way to and from school.

Tell that to kids in rural West Virginia who also live below the poverty line with the added bonus of meth addicted parents.

Tell that to kids in any inner city who can't afford to buy lunch, nevertheless apply to multiple schools.

Your privilege is blinding you from reality.

Lil' Pistol -- just to play devil's advocate for this -- what would providing free college do for those kids you are referring to? They are smart enough to get into a college right? Now they go to a lower tier college, fill out their FASFA. The extreme poverty that they live in is seen by the low house hold income and bam, they get a lot of federal grants (up to full tuition) to go to the school. If they don't qualify or get accepted into a college, then that's a different problem. One that free college would not solve right? Again, just playing devil's advocate here.

Alex87 wrote:

I'm just glad there are white knights like you out there who understand that more self-victimization is exactly what poor people in this country need.

(1) Not white.

(2) Not a knight.

(3) Work in an inner city school where 78.4% of our students are below the poverty line.