Free community college has the chance to change the way we view education. It could create an atmosphere where getting education past the high school level is ever more common, and one where the skills of everyone become more developed. With more students receiving higher education, better jobs would be more accessible. Free community college would also allow students more time to discover what fields they want to go into, and experiment more to see what they like. Many can’t afford even the low cost of community college, and by making it easy to access, this opportunity is more obtainable.
The money saved by students could also go towards future education. Having two years free is a great incentive for students to attend a 4-year college. Student debt is a major detraction for most potential students, and two less years of debt would make the costs much more easy to stomach. This plan could even force these 4-year colleges to lower prices to compete and bring in freshmen and sophomores.
Even with all these great upsides, the devils are always in the details. The plan sounds great, but there are a many different ways it could be badly or ineffectively enacted. An influx of students will cause strain on most colleges, and finding a way to adapt to these problems isn’t as simple as jump hiring on more faculty. The education these future students get need to be at the high quality we get here at the college.
Even with these potential problems, this plan could be great. A more educated society is a better society, and free community college is a gigantic step towards this better America.