DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
The Best Tuition is no Tuition

Both David Foster Wallace and Robert Samuels discuss education at post-secondary institutions. However, they speak of different topics and to different audiences. Wallace’s piece is actually a commencement speech given to the graduation class of 2005 at Kenyon College, a private liberal arts college. The purpose of his speech is to explain to the graduating class what the value of their liberal arts degree is. Meanwhile, Robert Samuels is an article arguing that public colleges should be free.

 

Moreover, I believe the goals of public and private colleges should be the same. Liberal arts colleges, both public and private should have a focus of graduating students who are “well-adjusted” members of society. It is without question that people attend post-secondary institutions with the intent of graduating and landing their dream job. But realistically speaking, that does not always happen. However, if a student graduates with the ability to do critical thinking and see things in a new perspective, then I argue that the college has done its job.

 

Additionally, if private and public colleges have the same goals, private schools cannot create unrealistically high tuition rates because if they do, students would simply not attend knowing they could get the same education at a public school. Also, in Samuels’ essay, he states, “…once the private universities increase their tuition, they raise the bar for everyone else, making tuition increases at public universities more tolerable.” In essence, if there were to be no tuition for public schools, they would not have to compete with the rates of private schools. And if the goals at both private and public institutions were the same, students who could not afford a private education could still get a well education at a public school.

 

Moreover, in Samuels’ essay, he brings up Thomas Jefferson as an excellent reference. Jefferson was one of America’s first founding fathers and he argued for free public education at post- secondary colleges. Jefferson asserts that in order to have an ideal democracy, well-educated citizens are needed. Although Jefferson specifically spoke about public universities, I maintain that the same goes for private universities.

 

In the end, I argue that both public and private universities should have the same goals. These goals should include the endeavor of graduating well-educated and well-adjusted members of society. Ultimately, if they had the same plan or purpose, tuition rates would not continue to skyrocket.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.