By Stacy V.
Education is the key to success. Every day, these words come out of the mouths of teachers and parents and guidance counselors. Yet, students with low-income backgrounds struggle to live by these words as universities make it difficult for these students to even pay for college applications.
According to “NYU Advises Student Not to Apply Because They Are Too Poor” by Casey Quinlan, Joshua Jackson—a current Brown University student—asked New York University for an application fee waiver of $65. However, Dan Stanford, the director of graduate admissions at Tisch School of the Arts, replied back in an email that motivated Jackson to post “PLEASE EXPLAIN” on Twitter—an outlet that allowed him to expose the inequality in education for the wealthy and the poor.
Sadly, Stanford’s email revealed that students who cannot afford to pay for the $65 application fee should not apply to a school with a $60,000 tuition that provides small amounts of financial aid in forms of scholarships. Not only does Stanford advise Jackson that the school cannot easily budget for fee waivers, but he encourages the student to take a year off to find ways to fund his graduate education. After the firestorm on Twitter, Jackson received an application fee waiver as Inside Higher Ed challenged NYU’s efforts to offer fee waivers to students with financial instability.
As a senior in high school, I can relate to Jackson’s dilemma of paying for application fees, fees that range from $30 to $90. With each college application submitted, a student’s financial burden grows larger. For this reason, I am grateful for the colleges that offer fee waivers and encourage students to request them.
Yet, New York University deprives students of their constitutional right by denying fee waiver requests and promoting application submissions from students who can afford to pay full tuition. Stanford’s email response to Jackson disgusts me because as a country, it is our responsibility to provide each and every student with access to affordable and good quality education. Therefore, a student should not be deprived of opportunities to higher education because of their financial background. In order to promote success, universities must strive to make the application process and tuition more affordable.
I have the right to equal educational opportunity. Every United States citizen does.
© 2016 Stacy V. All rights reserved.
Education is the key to success. Every day, these words come out of the mouths of teachers and parents and guidance counselors. Yet, students with low-income backgrounds struggle to live by these words as universities make it difficult for these students to even pay for college applications.
According to “NYU Advises Student Not to Apply Because They Are Too Poor” by Casey Quinlan, Joshua Jackson—a current Brown University student—asked New York University for an application fee waiver of $65. However, Dan Stanford, the director of graduate admissions at Tisch School of the Arts, replied back in an email that motivated Jackson to post “PLEASE EXPLAIN” on Twitter—an outlet that allowed him to expose the inequality in education for the wealthy and the poor.
Sadly, Stanford’s email revealed that students who cannot afford to pay for the $65 application fee should not apply to a school with a $60,000 tuition that provides small amounts of financial aid in forms of scholarships. Not only does Stanford advise Jackson that the school cannot easily budget for fee waivers, but he encourages the student to take a year off to find ways to fund his graduate education. After the firestorm on Twitter, Jackson received an application fee waiver as Inside Higher Ed challenged NYU’s efforts to offer fee waivers to students with financial instability.
As a senior in high school, I can relate to Jackson’s dilemma of paying for application fees, fees that range from $30 to $90. With each college application submitted, a student’s financial burden grows larger. For this reason, I am grateful for the colleges that offer fee waivers and encourage students to request them.
Yet, New York University deprives students of their constitutional right by denying fee waiver requests and promoting application submissions from students who can afford to pay full tuition. Stanford’s email response to Jackson disgusts me because as a country, it is our responsibility to provide each and every student with access to affordable and good quality education. Therefore, a student should not be deprived of opportunities to higher education because of their financial background. In order to promote success, universities must strive to make the application process and tuition more affordable.
I have the right to equal educational opportunity. Every United States citizen does.
© 2016 Stacy V. All rights reserved.