Social Mobility or Just Another Barrier?

As I begin to think about college, I never feel that the cost of education impacts my ability to attend the school of my choice because my family is financially sound.  However, there are plenty of people that cannot attend college because they cannot afford the hefty price.  In class over this semester, we have discussed social mobility and how education can be one way to improve class status.  Despite this ability to move social classes, early education has begun to dictate the future.  Recently, in middle and high school, affluent kids are receiving even better education than before in comparison to poorer kids.   This sets a baseline for the future and gives less fortunate kids a disadvantage from the very beginning.  In addition, if these less fortunate students are smart enough to get accepted to college, many of them don't have enough money to pay the tuition.  A New York Times article I read echoes this statement.

Three girls in Texas, with financial issues, started taking classes in 8th grade that focused on college-readiness.  The girls felt that these classes would help prevent them from ending up like their parents, not college-educated and with a low-wage job.  In a letter to her school counselor, one of the girls, Angelica Gonzales, said, "'I don't want to work at Walmart'".  Angelica's mom works at Walmart and she sees the constant struggles her mom faces.  These struggles can be attributed to the fact that no one in her family attended college.  As a result, Angelica wants to break this cycle.


The three girls graduated high school in 2008 and they attended Emory, Texas State, and a community college, respectively.  Emory is an excellent school, but Angelica piled up $60,000 in student debt and was not able to finish college because of the financial stress.  Now she works as a clerk in her town's furniture store.  Why is this?  Because she needed money immediately to repay her student loans.  The fact that Angelica ended up as a store clerk after attending Emory questions the ability to move social classes.

Education is supposed to be a way to improve socioeconomic status, but this is becoming increasingly less common.  With the cost of college at an all time high, many people CAN'T afford it.  America prides itself on the idea that people can determine their own destiny and they do not inherit their status from their parents.  Recently, it seems as if social class is hereditary.

It's a shame that people are becoming locked into a social class, but that's the reality.  Unfortunately, there is no solution unless the government provides additional support to defray the cost of college education.  Now, college is more about the ability to pay than the qualifications of the student.  Although it is difficult to grasp, the proof is in the pudding and it does not look promising.  If social mobility is something that the United States really cares about, the government must develop creative solutions or citizens' social class may be pre-determined.

Why hasn't the government done anything to ameliorate this problem? And what do you think is the best way to solve a social mobility issue?  Feel free to leave comments below.