It seems like people forget what the money we pay the University, or at least some of it, is used for.
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is why I passed on free education in Norway and decided to pay out-of-state tuition here at LSU.
American universities have a great reputation in Europe and are popular destinations for semester exchanges because of their size, facilities and professors.
In Norway, Sweden, Germany and other countries that have free education, you will not find a college campus nearly as large as LSU’s. These colleges and universities are state-funded, and the state usually places the universities close to an urban area so the city itself serves as a campus. It’s a good idea, but it’s also hard to feel connected to the university when people only come to campus for class and tourists are always wandering around asking for directions.
There are also no on-campus residential halls for those colleges and universities. According to a 2010 study by the International Students’ Union of Norway, 12,550 students were waiting in line for any kind of housing. In my experience, there hasn’t been much change: I see Facebook friends posting statuses begging for tips on where to find an apartment every month. There are also no student apartment complexes, like Brightside, The Venue or The Standard. Some universities offer to help their incoming students to find a place to live, but mostly, students are on their own.
It’s also more difficult to get accepted to a college or university in Europe than in the U.S. The state cannot afford to hire as many professors and build as many classrooms, so the amount of students accepted has to be restricted. Countries have fixed that problem by making it easy for high school graduates to get jobs, but if you have no work experience and thought high school was a joke, you’re in trouble.
The fact that the cost of college makes many students stay in-state is a negative side effect. It’s important to see more of the country and world than just the state you grew up in. Coming to a place with an unfamiliar culture where you don’t know anyone is an indescribable experience.
Thankfully, that problem is one of the factors that led to the genius idea of scholarships. Now, students who work hard or have above-average talents or skills have the chance to go to a school out-of-state for free or at least for less money.
We really should not complain about spending thousands of dollars for a degree when it gives us the chance to experience something priceless. Tailgating, rushing the field after the Ole Miss game and almost beating Kentucky in basketball have given me a better college experience than I ever would have had in my home country. So after I am done re-evaluating my life choices, I’ll always end up happy that I chose to pay $13,000 per semester.
Markus Hüfner is a 19-year-old mass communication freshman from Kristiansand, Norway. You can reach him on Twitter @MHufner_TDR.