In our lives there are many decisions that shape our success. One of the most important is the decision of furthering our education. There are many choices: private colleges, community colleges, for-profit colleges, or online colleges. Which is the best? This question resonated through my head as I was trying to make the decision of where I should go for college. Should I stay home and do it all online? Should I move out to a private university and try my luck? All vital decisions for my future. As I have done research many say that for-profit colleges are the best. They are cheaper and they supply you with your degree faster. I looked into it but I decided to go to a private college. This is because I found that it is better for my time. The cost is not that much more than a for-profit university plus, I will be able to receive a better education. The key in making my decision was, I would be able to see the benefits of the money I am putting in. Meaning that I will be putting in about the same amount of money in for a better education. Private colleges are better in most ways in the long term of furthering our education.
Now what is the difference between a for-profit and a private? Judging by the name we might be able to see that one is a little harder to get accepted to. That is true, it is easier to get into a for-profit college than a private college. In a private college students need to get a good grade point average and will need to do well on either the ACT or SAT. As they strive for these they demonstrating key qualities that private institutions want such as dedication and diligence. These tests and prerequisites determine how well students will do and whether or not the institutions want to take the time to educate these students. In a for-profit it doesn’t matter as much to them how well you do on these tests. They are thinking a little more of the money that they could make inviting all to come to their institution. For-profits do take into account a little more of the financial side of things instead of the quality of students accepted yet they claim they are a better choice for all. This is the main difference in these two different organizations of education.
Now there are some different rules to get into the two of them, they also have some things in common. They both are here to help us as students receive a college degree, which is very important to Americans. We are taught since wee little children that we should plan on going to college. If we don’t we will fail and have no future at all. These two institutions play on that belief and use it to their advantage. They convince us that the only way to truly not fail is to go to their institution and pay them money. Education is not a cheap thing, yet they show us that it could be affordable. They tell us it won’t cost an arm and a leg. They know no one wants to sell their first born to get into college. They say it will only cost as much as it needs to. It just becomes more expensive and that is a deterrent for many high school graduates. This is the reason why we have so many different types of colleges, to fit the needs of these recent graduates. They need to decide which is best for them. . The main concern of all high school graduates is how much money will I be forking out?
COST
Money; Money is something that makes the world go round in a sense. It should be taken into account in most of our decisions as human beings. This is the reason that we need to ponder on the best option for us as students to further our education. Where is the “bang for our buck” at? There are many that say for-profit colleges such as University of Phoenix are cheaper schools. Now I beg to differ. Colleges such as this still cost a substantial amount of money and are not even using all of the money they receive for education. In fact most of it is used in recruiting.
For-profit college tuition on average cost $14,000 a year in 2010 (O’Malley). This may not seem like substantial amount of money but if you look at the demographics of the for-profit institutions you will find that there is more of the minority (Belfield). This means that the poorer population will be found there even though it still has a high cost. This being said it means that these students are not quite equipped financially for this burden. These students need a lot more help to get all the money they need for these colleges. This leads to school debt because they are borrowing more and more money. They are getting their education but it is not helping them much in the long run. Due to the debt these students added up in their college career a lot of the money they are making is only going to try and alleviate the debt. They need better training for their jobs so that they can make enough money to pay of these acquired debts. Due to the fact they are being trained with vocational skills at for-profits, the students need to work longer and harder in order to truly get rid of the debts they racked up while in the institution. That is one of the reasons I feel that it is not as good as a private university. It is easier to pay off your debts after graduating.
Private institutions are a little more pricy but, if you shop around you can find the right deal for you. I, as a college student, am attending Brigham Young University. For me it is about $14000 a year. So not too shabby. This is because I looked into it and tried to find my best choice. But in most private institutions they range anywhere from $14000 to $60000 depending on where you decide to go (Small School). In these types of situations there is little more leverage because you are allowed to receive grants. This is the reason I feel that it could be better to go to a private institution. There are more opportunities to receive the help that you need plus you will need to be accepted before you go. Private institutions are a more planned part of life where as for-profit are more a spur of the moment opportunity. The decisions are ours for the taking but either way they both are going to incur debt. One may help out a little more alleviate the debt made.
Now in both institutions there is opportunity to receive scholarships. This means that in both if you do some extra digging you can receive money from the actual school in order to pay for the tuition required. In for-profit you can receive up to $10,000 dollars (“College Scholarships”). This being said that is a substantial amount of money. Yet students only receive that for the years that they are there. So it only covers a fraction of what they actually owe. In private colleges you just have to look a little bit harder there are secret ways to receive the financial aid (Wang). This is true there are always way at private institutions they have more opportunities. In for-profit colleges there are not very many options as you look for this financial aid through scholarships. This shows that even though it costs more to go to a private institution it is worth the strain because of the opportunities of receiving the help needed.
(Matthews)
EDUCATION
Now we get higher education in order to truly help ourselves in the future so we are not flipping burgers for a living. That is what all of my teachers told me and now I can see the truth of what they said. There are many jobs that require at least a bachelor degree to succeed. There is the still the question of which institution will help me most in this goal of getting an accredited degree? They both will help you get a degree but it doesn’t mean the degree will mean the same thing in the eyes of the employer. They are totally different in their way of approaching this concept of how to earn a degree.
For-profit institutions focus more on the vocational and job skills needed (Belfield). This means it will be a more hands on experience trying to help the students become more competent in abilities needed for certain jobs. The classes are more focused toward this part of learning, hands on. This is a good approach but it doesn’t necessarily create the kind of employee that employers want. They want critical thinkers. Learning in this way gets rid of the critical thinking in the field. It only brings a robot that knows what it needs to do. There are many more problems that need to be taken care of than just moving in certain way s or doing a certain thing.
Another problem with for-profit colleges is as stated “Teachers at for-profits complain that the pressure to keep students enrolled forces them to dumb down courses, lie about attendance, and sometimes change grades” (O’Malley). That to me is scary. I would not like to go to school where teachers are complaining about not being able or allowed to do their job to their true potential. This means that the main goal isn’t necessarily to train or educate students to the best of their ability. It is about keeping the “customers” in the institution as long as possible (Seiden). If they are not happy or satisfied they will just leave with no questions asked. I know that is not something students want to hear but it is true. The for-profit colleges are turning more into businesses than any other thing. They spend so much money just on advertisement to get more people to come to their institution so they can get more money and more government funding (Seiden). This is a problem because we are all faced and will be faced with this challenge. They will be trying to convince us of our need as students who have our own rights to decisions to come to their institution because it cheaper when it truly isn’t. This detracts from the real purpose of going to an institution, the reason we should go is because we think we will get the best education for the amount of money we are putting in. For-profits are good in some aspects, they just have some problems in the way they portray their purpose as an educational institution.
In private universities there are also some problems. They care a little less about the student. They trust the student to do their part and if they don’t, well too bad for them because they are the responsible party who is paying. They are not so much focused on the hands-on vocational training. They are more of the problem solving. They teach a little and then the students have to figure the rest out. They have to figure out the schedule and then do the work themselves in order to find out the life applications it has. This is very helpful for employers because they then can trust their employees more to figure out some of the problems faced with. The employees were taught without all of the information and then had to figure out how to make it work. Problem solving is a huge help in the work field. It helps businesses and companies grow and progress. The problem is that students aren’t exactly trained to do exactly what they will be doing in the work force. Employers will have to train them to be the employees they truly need and want but in turn they will learn faster and be a greatest asset to the company.
I for one have had both experiences. Before I came out to the private institution I am at now I was able to go to a for-profit college. I was able to receive vocational training and it truly did benefit me. The only problem that I could see is that the for-profit training didn’t challenge me as much as the private education I am receiving is. I had tests and things assignments but I could retake them 3 or 4 times. This didn’t help with my critical thinking skills. It only helped me to realize what I really needed to know. All the rest I just shoved out of my mind because it wasn’t pertinent to the test. I did get my certificate and I enjoyed my time there. It helped me get a job to get through college but not a job that would be a career. In comparison to what it am experiencing here at BYU, it is much different. I am actually being stretched and challenged a very high degree. This is helping me to become really what I need to be to get a career and not just a job. I have to think a lot more and learn everything because even though it is not all on the tests it is necessary to know because it might sneak up on me. I prefer the private institution because it is preparing me more for what the real work life is, what a career is. Not just showing what I will do but showing me all that I can do.
CONCLUSION
There are many good things about both types of institutions but as I have done research I find that private institutions are better. They may cost a little more but the benefits over weigh the problems. For-profit colleges are great for those who want a fast degree. For-profits “promise their indebted students a quick college degree and a good jobs” {O’Malley). This being said they are barely completing with this promise there are many holes in their reasoning. One of which is a good job. It is hard to guarantee and almost impossible to guarantee this kind of reaction. They are getting their degrees done faster but that is not necessarily in the way the employers wants or even desire. They want employees that think for themselves and that received the education needed to carry out the specified jobs. Employers need us as future employees to deal with special emergencies that come up being a responsible thinkers. This is mostly accomplished by attending private institutions and completing their degree program.
There is still much to learn in our lives. We all need to make the e decision to get a higher education or not. Part of that decision is what institution is going to help us become marketable. Are we willing to take the responsibility to go the extra mile? Are we going to take the easy way out? I would prefer to get the needed education that supplies me with the critical thinking that employers are looking for. It may require me to spend a little more but the risk is worth it. It will benefit not only me but my future family.
Bibliography
Belfield, Clive R. “Student Loans and Repayment Rates: The Role of For-profit Colleges.” Research in Higher Education 54.1 (2013): 1-29. Web.
“College Scholarships.” – University of Phoenix. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
Matthews, Dylan. “Harkin: For-profit Colleges a Terrible Deal.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014
O’Malley, Susan. “The Leading Edge of Corporatization in higher Ed: For-Profit Colleges.” Radical Teacher. Spring 2012, Issue 93, p22-28. Web.
Seiden, Michael J. “For Profit Colleges Deserve Some Respect” Chronical of Higher Education 7/10/2009, Vol 55. Issue 41, pA80-A80. Web.
“Small School, Big Ambitions” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. Dec2010, Vol. 64 Issue 12, p57-57. Web.
Wang, Penelope. “Busting the 5 Myths of College Costs 2013.” Money. Sep2013, Vol. 42 Issue 8, p96. Web.
The College Crisis 