By Michael Yang
Throughout your education, it becomes apparent that many aspects of it are, seemingly, a cash grab. From the $100+ graphing calculator required by many Calculus courses, to the $50 testing fee of the SAT, and the outrageous tuition costs at many of the United States’ colleges, education is becoming more exclusive for only the ones who can afford it, due in part to the monopoly which many companies have on various portions of the education market.
Education is expensive because for many aspects there’s simply no alternative. For example, a student who declines to take the SAT Subject Tests puts himself at a huge disadvantage when applying for college: every student who wishes to go to college is almost always required to take the SAT Subject Tests, and pay the exorbitant fees that accompany it. Thus, this creates a cycle of lost opportunities. Textbooks demonstrates the same concept; many courses require a certain textbook that may very well cost over 70 dollars. Tuition alone is not the primary cause of a student’s financial problems; companies are charging more for school supplies as well.
The monopoly which many companies have no problem exerting on the education of struggling students means that, unless something changes, the cost of education will only increase. Until competition exists in the education market, prices will remain outrageously high.
