Blog #9: Argument and Counterargument

Argument: My argument sets out to address why American students are willing to pay more for their education by attending colleges in America when they have the option of practically (or actually) free college tuition in Europe. Students from the United States choose to attend universities “at home” instead of in Europe because of better graduation rates and employability due to a more career-focused model of education, despite rising tuition costs that result from an increase in privatization.

Counterargument: My counterargument comes from Caitlin Zaloom’s enmeshed autonomy. As we’ve seen, the higher education system in the US forces students to rely on their parents to help fund their education. Zaloom argues in favor of traditional models of European education because it puts less of a financial strain on students and their families. She also uses Germany as an example because of its free tuition. Families who send their students there are only required to support with living expenses, and the government has zero-interest loans available to students from low income families. In addition, only 20% of German students carry debt after graduation. While she presents an enticing argument for European universities, she does not mention the graduation rates which average at around ⅓ of students at German Universities.