Tuition Raised - Just want to share my concerns
Hello everyone!
I have a pretty brief need for guidance. For the fall, I registered for 6 classes which were all in-person courses. Around last month, this changed and those courses switched to online (not my choice). Most courses are hybrid and online, with very few being in person.
Edit: all of MY courses switched to online. All of the schools offered courses, which were originally in person, are now either online or hybrid.
Now, maybe it wouldn't bother me so much if my school weren't so small (Total enrollment of like 1,200), meaning that there are hardly any class options for me to take, as a senior my options are limited and the course options that would be in person I do not qualify for or it's unreasonable (eg. Microbiology...Intermediate Russian...First Year Initiative...)
Here's my big issue though: Not only did they not freeze tuition or offer any sort of discount to online courses...but they RAISED tuition and fees. The activity fee is $100 a person...WHAT activities this semester is possibly going to cost $120,000 (estimating based on enrollment), and a student health services fee fo $70...the student health office is still required to paid stuff out of pocket, it's mostly just consolation and referrals...and..oh yeah... I WON'T BE ON CAMPUS.
It's not that personally I am in such a deep hole that this makes or breaks the semester, but it feels very wrong that myself and potentially most other students are expected to pay MORE tuition for a semester where there is no choice whether or not we can take online courses, and most of it is online/hybrid. I want to bring this up to someone, I don't know who. Even just to say "Why is tuition being raised this semester?"
I understand school is a business, but the product (education) should be sold at a reasonable cost, and not a raised one with less product. I also understand that technically the campus is "open" for use, but it should also be understood that its unreasonable to think that that's an excuse to raise tuition. Actually sources we need from offices will be offering "virtual office hours," I appreciate that they're offering office hours to everyone but again I don't think this warrants HIGHER tuition.
TDLR; school "opened" the school even though most classes are online/hybrid and RAISED tuition. I don't expect a change. I just want to know who you guys think I should share my concerns.
Posted Aug 8, 2020, 2:08 PM UTC
I'm doing college online. Although it won't make me a doctor or whatever you plan for 120k, I'd understand your frustrations with paying more for less.
Here's how I look at it: you won't stop the way things work currently. Everyone thinks they need a college to succeed. Maybe for whatever it is that costs a house, sure. I still think it's absurd they want to teach you things not at all related to your career path. That's what ultimately needs to change. It's a money making scheme.
You're absolutely right. I'm studying to eventually be a guidance counselor and I want to be the type to encourage different paths of life both inside and outside of higher education, instead of sticking with the "college is the only way" ideal that I always say.
Sadly my highschool guidance counselors didn't do a single thing for my life. It was my sister going to college and my mom dropped a 15k check for her first semester. After that I thought college was the worst idea for me. I never liked school in the first place, how could I ever go somewhere at pay that amount for something I thought was stupid?
Two years later I joined the Army. It's been nine years but I'll finally finish my associates and start my bachelor's.
How does this tie to a guidance counselor? Five years ago I didn't really understand the differences of an associate's vs bachelor's. My counselor was mad at me for failing my speech class twice and told me I had to take summer school after senior year. I dropped out that week and never returned. I got my GED and then joined that way, basically. Please do our future generations a favor and help them explore and understand they have options.
I'm going to probably stay an army recruiter for my remaining 10 years (ish) because that counselor was trash.