BRYAN BAUCOM – ENGLISH 2010 – FINAL PORTFOLIO
Final Reflection
My father-in-law, who is a published author and public relations professional, has said, “Good writing isn’t boring.” Making my writing interesting and not boring was one of my goals in this class. I’m not sure if I was able to achieve that goal completely (can you ever achieve perfect non-boring writing?), I was able to take several steps towards that goal and learn about my own writing style and how to improve it through taking this class.
In compiling my final portfolio, I chose three very different pieces of writing. I chose the report, profile and fact sheet. These three different genres are just that; different. And that is exactly why I chose them. I wanted to showcase my ability to write in several different varieties and attract several different audiences. In the report, I discussed the statistics and reasoning behind rising tuition costs. In the profile, I showcased a personal story of a 22 year-old girl working her way through school and her busy life. And in the fact sheet, I created an easy to read and attention-grabbing flyer that could be understood and accessed by all. These three documents were all based on the same subject, rising tuition costs, though each one addressed the subject in a very diverse way. Throughout the course of the semester, we have been able to write in multiple genres (which is a goal for the course) and these three pieces of writing demonstrate my ability to write in different genres.
Another goal for the course is to understand and respond critically… Through giving and receiving feedback on the work of others and myself, I have been able to learn how to give my honest opinion without disregarding the feeling of or offending the original author.
The process of completing assignments in this class was well organized and helped me learn and get a head start on my next assignment. For example, by reading what a profile was, then reading a definition gave me enough background knowledge to start writing my own profile. The thing that most benefited my completion of assignments was the ability to read other examples, those from the book or my classmates.
One of the biggest challenges I had in completed assignments was the lack of time, which is part of the reason my group chose to focus on tuition. All of the students in the class are paying tuition and going to class and most likely working, which is why we are enrolled in an online class, which also leads to the lack of time. By planning time to complete assignments and managing my priorities, I was able to overcome this challenge and complete (most) of my assignments on time.
And to finish, I want to answer the question, “How do the assignments illustrate the growth/change/progression you’ve had in this class?” My favorite part of this class was the fact that we weren’t just writing reports. Like I’ve stated previously, we were able to write in several different genres and learn how to vary our writing styles. I don’t know if someone could tell (if my name wasn’t on them) that my profile and report were actually both written by me, because they both have such a different voice.
I believe that my writing has come a long way in this class. One of the most beneficial things I’ve been able to develop in this class was confidence in my writing ability. Thanks to helpful comments from my classmates and professor, I know what I do well. Also, I know what I can improve on, as there is always room for improvement. And hopefully, my father-in-law would be able to read any of my assignments from this class and say, “Your writing isn’t boring.”
REPORT
College Tuition – The Price of an Education
College tuition is something that most people have had an encounter with at some point in their lives. Whether it was paying for college for themselves or for their children, college tuition has been a burden in many check books. And unfortunately, this burden isn’t going anywhere and most likely it will continue to creep higher and higher each year. Also, including book prices, rent, groceries, insurance prices, utility bills, cell phone bills and a little bit of fun money for entertainment, the price of living for college students adds up really fast.
By the Numbers:
Let’s
take Brigham Young University for example, a private university in the state of
Utah. During the 2011-2012 school year, tuition for a full time student per
year was $4,560, just a year prior it was $4,420. That’s a 3.16% increase in
just one year (yfacts.byu.edu). Taking a look a little further back, in the
2000-2001 school year, tuition for one year was $2,940 (yfacts.byu.edu).
Another decade back, the tuition total was $1,900. In fact, the only year,
during the three decades BYU has charged tuition, where tuition hasn’t been
increased was 2001-2003 (yfacts.byu.edu). And this isn’t just the case in Utah
schools.
Around the country, tuition prices have been steadily increasing. According to William Trombley, who wrote an article for the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Eduaction, “Tuition and mandatory fee charges at four-year public institutions rose in every state, startlingly so in some cases” (Trombley, 2003). Trombley reported that some states increased tuition prices by more than 15% (Trombley, 2003). Community colleges are most definitely involved as well. Trombley wrote, “Community college tuition and mandatory fees rose in all but two states (California and Maine), with 10 states registering increases of more than 10 percent (Trombley, 2003).
In
a more recent study, the New York Times reporter, Jacques Steinberg wrote in
2010, “The average cost of tuition and fees for four-year, public universities,
many of them grappling with budget cuts, rose almost eight percent this year”
(Steinberg, 2010). Utah students are lucky to have more affordable education
prices. Steinberg’s article announced that the average private university
student will pay an almost $37,000 with tuition and room and board (Steinberg,
2010).
In a properly titled article, College costs climb, yet again, Kim Clark wrote in October of 2011 that most public universities around the nation saw a tuition increase of 8.3% (Clark, 2011). Even the price of living for a year rose 4.3% (Clark, 2011).
These prices are skyrocketing at alarming rates, faster than they ever have before. However, the need for a good education and a college degree has also gone up. College students are fighting an uphill battle; they can’t afford to go to school but they can’t afford not to go to school because they need a degree.
On the Other Side
Though the cost of going to school and living expenses have increased at a rapid pace for several years, the number of scholarships and grants has also gone been increased. In both articles, Steinberg and Clark professed that though tuition rates are unbelievably high; the opportunity for scholarships and grants has improved. Steinberg quotes Sandy Baum, an economist, who said, “…in 2009-2010 students received $28 billion in Pell grants…that’s $10 billion more than the year before” (Steinberg 2010). It is hard to comprehend such a large number. $28 billion assisted hundreds of thousands college students pay their tuition and their book fees. As for community college students, some might have even had a few dollars left over for a night out. Clark demonstrated with numbers that very few college students actually pay the full sticker price of their college education. Clark reported this about public university students receiving scholarships or grants,
Fewer than half of all public university students pay the full sticker price to attend. Federal surveys show at least 52% of all students at public four-year universities receive scholarships or grants. Aid, not counting loans or campus jobs, brought the net tuition paid by the average student at a typical public university to about $2,500, the College Board estimates. That brings the total average net cost of a year on campus (including dorm, books, travel and living expenses) to $11,400 (Clark, 2010).
The College Board Clark cites also estimates that less than 12% of private college students pay the full sticker price. And each year these students earn almost $16,000 in scholarships (Clark, 2010). Doing the math, that means that over 88% of private university college students receive some sort of tuition assistance.
Government grant money is very beneficial and is certainly easing the stress of college students (and their parents) around the country. And scholarships from companies like Coca Cola, Walmart, Nordstrom and locally, Intermountain Health Care, will never go unused.
The Consequences
There are several consequences to these rising tuition prices. Students are taking out loans, taking longer to graduate, working more, and dropping out. The Link, a paper written at Harding University published an article on this very subject. Lauren Bucher wrote that 61% of freshmen graduate within six years (Bucher 2010). Six years adds two years, 4 semesters, and a whole lot of money to the time it should take for a full-time student to graduate. In another article by the New York Times, Tamara Lewin shared this example,
In Utah, for 100 students who enrolled in a public college, 71 chose a community college, 45 enrolling full time and 26 part time; after four years, only 14 of the full-time students and one of the part-time students graduated. Of the 29 who started at a four-year college, only 13 got their degree within eight years (Lewin, 2011).
It is a never ending cycle. The higher tuition rates are the more students need to work. When students need to work more they can’t take a large enough amount of credits. Fewer credit hours equal the need for more semesters and therefore more money. Lewin reports, “Time is the enemy of college completion. The longer it takes, the more life gets in the way of success” (Lewin, 2011).
With increasing tuition rates, the idea of working for a few years to save money is increasingly more popular. However, the longer a student is out of school, the harder it is to return. Not only that, the reality is, the longer a student waits to go back to school the more money they will need to pay the bills. This is one of the reasons for higher dropout rates and decreased graduation rates.
Another consequence of high tuition prices is the amount of student loans students walk away with along with their diploma. According to Justin Pope of the Huff Post, the average college graduate is in debt $25,250 (Pope, 2011). That’s a lot of money. The price of a nice car, lots of clothes or several vacations.
These consequences are very real and are starting to affect more and more students each day as they struggle to pay the price of an education.
Students’ Take
As discussed previously, there are
several reasons for people not to attend college. And price is a major factor
in that decision. Catherine Groux, of the U.S. News, reported these numbers,
“In order to pay for college, about 63% of high school students said they plan
to take out loans, while 80% expect to receive financial aid such as grants…
52% of students have already looked into the tuition price at select schools,
while 35% have researched ways they can save money for college” (Groux, 2012).
Those who want to attend college have to consider their options when choosing which school to attend and how to pay for it. A private school may get you a more respected degree but with a higher price tag. A public school has a slightly lower price tag. Community colleges will have the lowest price tag but only for two years. Is it worth it to be in debt for several years to get a higher respected degree?
The Conclusion
This leaves several questions to ask. Are the number of scholarships and grants increasing at a similar rate as tuition prices? Are there enough grants to go around? What about the job market? Are there enough good jobs for students so they can work enough to pay bills but still maintain a good GPA? Like Clark said, because of grants and scholarships, the average cost of a year at a public university is $11,400. However, is that still asking too much of a 20-something student? High school students and everyone looking into completing their college degree know it’s not going to be easy. There will be lots of tests, quizzes, papers to write and boring classes to sit through. Should paying for their education be something else they need to worry about?
Reference Page
Bucher, Lauren. "Study finds students taking longer to graduate from college." The Link [Searcy] 17 Sept. 2010: n. pag. The Link. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.
Clark, Kim. "College tuition costs increase - Oct. 26, 2011." CNNMoney - Business, financial and personal finance news. N.p., 29 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/26/pf/college/college_tuition_cost/index.htm>.
Lewin, Tamar. "College Graduation Rates Are Stagnant Even as Enrollment Rises, a Study Finds." New York Times 27 Sept. 2011, sec. Education: n. pag. NY Times. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.
Pope, Justin . "Average Student Loan Debt: $25,250." Huffington Post [New York] 3 Nov. 2011, sec. Culture: n. pag. Huffington Post. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.
Steinberg, Jacques. "Tuition Rises, But So Does Financial Aid." New York Times 28 Oct. 2010, sec. Education: n. pag. The Choice Blogs - NY Times. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.
Trombley, William. "The Rising Price of Higher Education." Higher Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. http://www.highereducation.org/reports/affordability_supplement/affordability_1.shtl.
"Y Facts: Tuition." Yfacts.byu.edu. Brigham Young University. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://yfacts.byu.edu/viewarticle.aspx?id=85>.
PROFILE
A Busy Cougar
Brushing
her teeth, making two lunches and making the bed all at the same time. Getting
dressed, packing her bag and blow-drying her hair in one swift movement. All
the while, thinking of the test she has to take in two hours and what she is
going to make for dinner and if she has enough gas in her car to make it to work.
She’s a coach, a referee, a part-time employee, an aunt, a daughter, granddaughter, Sunday School teacher, blogger, dog lover and most important to her; a wife who wants to take care of her husband. But, there’s one more, one big one, one that she cares greatly about and one that contributes a lot of stress to her already busy life. She’s a BYU college student working at an education to become a BYU college graduate. However, there are a few things standing in her way.
First, there are those last few classes that won’t fit with her work schedule. Then, there are the pesky tuition bills that seem to never end. Tuition, which for her costs $4,560 per year (yfacts.byu.edu), books, which just in one semester was over $400; class fees, rent, utilities, gas money (she has to fill up once a week as she drives to and from Provo and Salt Lake at least twice a week… and she drives a jeep), groceries and what about a date night with her husband every now and then? Bills keep coming and homework piles up. And what’s worse, all these bills and checks to write will only get bigger next year. Kim Clark wrote that most public universities around the nation saw a tuition increase of 8.3% last year and the price of living for a year rose 4.3% (Clark, 2011).
She says, “I really want to graduate. I love my major and can’t wait to work in my field, but it’s really hard to balance school and work.” She continues, “If I want to go to school, I have to work. If I want to do well in school, I have to have time for my homework. If I want to have time for my homework, I can’t work as much as I need to so I can pay the bills.”
From a professional standpoint, Tom Hayden of The Chronicle wrote, “The question for today’s students is not whether they can read Noam Chomsky, Anais Nin or Zinn, but whether they can afford to” (Hayden, 2010).
This is a story of her life as a college student. She wakes up at 5:56 each morning, after hitting snooze once. After showering, picking an outfit, fixing her hair and putting on her makeup, she makes time for a bowl of cereal. After all, breakfast is her favorite meal of the day, even if she doesn’t have time for pancakes and eggs. She kisses her husband goodbye as she hands him the brown bag filled with a handmade sandwich and each day, a hand written love note. Quickly, she makes the bed, straightens the bathroom and is out the door with her lunch, textbooks and 10 page essay, less than five minutes after her husband.
After a not-so-quick drive to Provo, she immediately hits the books. She has half-an-hour before her first class, just enough time to finish the reading that she fell asleep reading last night. After two three hour classes and pages of new notes to memorize, she rushes back to her car so she can drive back to Salt Lake in time for her shift at work, and like usual, she hits traffic. Utah is known for its freeway construction. Without time, she eats her sandwich, apple and granola bar in the car as she drives.
Once
at work, she is immediately helping people pick lacrosse equipment for their
children. Ensuring them that the helmet they’re going to purchase will protect
from concussions. She empties garbage cans and returns phone calls and organizes
new merchandise. After a busy shift, she finally gets to go home. And
immediately, she begins searching for ingredients and a quick easy recipe for dinner.
And while stirring she’ll be returning emails about her coaching job and making
time to talk to her Grandma on her birthday. After dinner and doing the dishes,
she heads straight for her laptop. That five page paper, due tomorrow, can’t be
delayed any longer.
A short cuddle session with her husband and she is asleep only one minute after her head hits the pillow. The next day the alarm once again goes off at 5:56 and the process repeats. However, on this night, she is scheduled to coach a private lesson. On the next night she has a Church meeting she must attend.
Luckily, the weekend is coming up. Although the weekends aren’t much better, when in the morning she is the referee for two youth lacrosse games. Then it’s back to work for the rest of the day as weekends are busy in the sporting equipment business. And on Friday night, while watching a movie she’ll be finishing up a report and citing her sources. This is her life.
Richard Vedder and Matthew Denhart from CNN said it best when they said, “College costs too much, both for students and society as whole… College costs cannot rise faster than income forever – we cannot afford it (Vedder & Denhart, 2011).
References
"Y Facts: Tuition." Yfacts.byu.edu. Brigham Young University. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://yfacts.byu.edu/viewarticle.aspx?id=85>.
Clark, Kim. "College tuition costs increase - Oct. 26, 2011." CNNMoney - Business, financial and personal finance news. N.p., 29 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/26/pf/college/college_tuition_cost/index.htm>.
Hayden, Tom. "We Can't Afford to Be Quiet About the Rising Cost of College." The Chronicle [San Francisco] 28 Mar. 2012, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The Chronicle. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.
Vedder, Richard, and Matthew Denhart. "Why Does College Cost So Much?." CNN [Atlanta] 2 Dec. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. CNN. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.
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