Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Financial Pressure

President Obama said that he wants lower tuition. He wants America to lead the world in college graduates. An eventual goal to get there is to set free higher education. One important thing we need is to reclaim that if society helps someone make him or herself better, that someone will make society better as well. 


A research was done in 2007 on 14,500 students at fifteen different colleges. 38% of the students said that the reason why they dropped out of college was because of the financial pressure they were experiencing. As a student, you have a really big responsibility that you should not need to be having. The responsibility of working to be able to pay your tuition. So making higher education free would definitely have its advantages for that 38% of students.

I know some people that are living together with their brothers and sisters, and the only parent they have that takes care of them is their mother. The problem is that the mother is not fluently in English. So it is hard for her to find a decent job so she would earn enough money to be able to take care of her family. That is why her children work before and after their classes, and even between them. But on top of that, they need to concentrate on school, and make sure they pass their classes. And it sometimes is really hard to find the time to do that.

Another advantage for free education is that it would expand our economy. A college-educated person would earn $900,0000 more over the course of a lifetime than a high school graduate. The country would also have the ability to discover new breakthroughs in different industries.

Higher education in Belgium is cheap (or even free). This gives everyone the change to get a higher education and students would not have to work right when they get out of class. They would not have to worry about their loan, because they would not have to get one. They can concentrate on their classes, and they can graduate in four years instead of six or more.

By making education free, a lot of people would have a better future and would not have that financial pressure.
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." Wise words from Benjamin Franklin. When someone tells you something, you will forget after a will, but when someone teaches and involves you, you will remember and learn from it. 

Resources:
www.mediafreedominternational.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.mediafreedominternational.org/2010/12/13/higher-education-should-be-free/>.


www.mndaily.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.mndaily.com/2012/02/09/higher-education-should-be-free>.

Franklin, Benjamin. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Everyone has the right to education



Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” (1)

When it comes to education, I say that this quote is one of the most truthful quotes. Education is something that no one can ever take away from you. Once you have the knowledge, it is yours; it is in your head. Forever.

I think that everyone needs to have the right to get a higher education. Your future depends on whether you have a higher education or not, because the day of today it is really hard to find a decent, good paying job, without any degree.

Making education free would have a lot of advantages like; everyone would be able to get a good education, they would not have to work everyday, before and after school, to be able to pay for their education, so they could concentrate on their schoolwork more, and the unemployment rate would not be as high. These are just a few of the many reasons why higher education should be free.

There is one big problem caused by the high cost of higher education. Only 30% of all Americans, who start college or university, graduate. This percentage is really low, and the main reason why it is only 30% is because students work a lot to be able to pay for the tuition. They do not have time to study for their exams, or to finish their homework because they are working instead of studying. There are also a lot of students that take six years or more to graduate instead of four years.

The other 70% either quit because they cannot pay for their education anymore, or because the combination work-school is too hard.

It is obvious that there are a lot of people that cannot get a higher education because of a lot of different circumstances, and I think that everyone should deserve to get a higher education so they can get the job they want later on in their lives.


Sources:


www.goodreads.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/16243-education-is-the-most-powerful-weapon-which-you-can-use>.

www.huffingtonpost.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-samuels/why-all-public-higher-edu_b_1099437.html>.

Mandela, Nelson. www.goodreads.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Getting to know me



Black, yellow, red. The colors of the Belgian flag. I am from Belgium, and I am staying here for a few years to study to major which is Criminal Justice.


I chose this pictures of my spikes because I love running track. I am in the track team, and it is a really big part of my life. I spend more time out on the track or in the weight room than that I spend time home to relax.


It is always nice to know who the person is that is writing the blog you are reading. So that is why I uploaded a picture of myself so you know who am, and not just know my name. I love traveling, and this picture is taken in Mexico last Winter break.


On this picture you can see me at my prom. I really love going out and party and have fun with friends. And the part I love the most: dressing up.


I love seeing the world, and visiting as much countries as possible. This picture represents my three-months exchange period in Egypt. I love the feeling of experiencing new cultures, and getting to know people all around the world.