GMAT Essays (AWA)

“Parents should not shoulder the full burden of their children’s college tuition. If university students are required to pay for at least a portion of their education, they will take their studies more seriously and, ultimately, benefit more from their college experience.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the position stated above. Support your viewpoint using reasons and examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

START:

In todays society, in order to lead a successful life it is almost always important to build a good foundation which starts with a college education. Nevertheless, this education at most times comes with an extremely large price tag. The issue of who the debtor should be, the parent or the child attending the school, is one that entails many aspects of importance. The author states that the student should be required to pay for at least a portion of their education, which will in turn force the child to take studies more seriously which will ultimately cause the child to benefit more from their college experience.

I disagree with the position take by the author. I believe that the issue of a student taking their education seriously should not come with a financial burden. The student will ultimately pay the price when they are not offered a decent job because of a low grade point average or when they do not graduate college. The penalty of a having a financial burden can sometimes hinder a students ability to exceed average.

I base these assertions off of personal experience. In order to assure that I do well in school, my parents force me to pay for half of my tuition. This requirement, of course, requires me to hold a job and work on average thirty hours per week. I have no doubt that without a workload I would be able to devote more time and effort to school.

The question of who should shoulder the financial responsibility of a college education takes into consideration the maturity of the child. If a parent has raised their child accordingly, the child should know what is expected and have the respect not to waste his or her parent’s money. Ultimately, by forcing a child to bear the financial responsibility, parents could be hindering their own child's success.

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