Guest AuthorIn 2010 USA Today reported that roughly 30 percent of college freshmen are the first in their family to attend college.
Twenty-four percent of college freshmen are first generation and low income. Nationally, a shocking 89 percent of low-income first-generation college students leave school within six years without a degree. They leave for a variety of reasons, but financial need is at the top of the list. Raising tuition at our colleges and universities has certainly contributed to the problem.
At a young age, I planned to attend college even though no one else in my family ever had. My dad has always worked very hard. Even today, at age 73, he gets up at 5 a.m. every day and drives a truck for a living.
He pushed me to make good grades because he knew education is the great equalizer in our society. While I always knew I was going to college, there were some things I didn’t know. For example, I had no idea how much it cost or that you actually had to be accepted to a college before you could attend.
I always understood that I would have to pay my own way, which meant I either would have to save a lot of money or work while in school. I did both.
Work was nothing new to me. I was 10 the first time I was paid to work. I made a whopping 50 cents to mow lawns. I later had a paper route, scooped ice cream at an ice cream shop, cleaned a movie theater every day, and worked at a record warehouse — all before I was 15.
In high school I worked as a photographer for a small newspaper and at the Sears customer service department. I also was a janitor for a dry cleaner’s and prepared tax returns for an accountant.
In college, I dug ditches for a plumber for $20 a day and spent many nights loading and unloading trucks. Driving home at dawn every morning covered in dirt and sweat is something I will never forget. While attending FSU, I worked nights entering applications on a computer for an insurance company.
I know a lot of people who had to pay their own way to attend college. To a person, they all believe the experience made them appreciate the value of a college education and motivated them after college. Fortunately, when we went to school it was actually possible to pay for school.
Unfortunately, today’s first-generation college students in Florida may no longer be able to do that. Why? Because the average cost to attend college at a public university in our state is now more than $20,000 per year. At a private school, the cost can be double.
Some have argued that our colleges and universities are too inexpensive, particularly when compared to schools around the country. Shouldn’t our goal be to have the very best colleges and universities in America for the lowest possible tuition?
This is particularly true if we want to provide access to higher education to first-generation college students. What good is a top-notch university system if 30 percent of your population can’t afford to attend?
Our higher education system is critical to the economic success of our state. We should avoid further increases in tuition any time soon. Otherwise, obtaining a college education will be unattainable for many. That will result in fewer educated workers and will trap future generations of low-income residents in poverty.
