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While some schools will allow Americans to go to college for free or for only a little money, they aren't going to put them in a dorm, feed them, and give then

While some schools will allow Americans to go to college for free or for only a little money, they aren't going to put them in a dorm, feed them, and give then other living expenses. I'd imagine even with free tuition, I'd imagine Sweden is more expensive than going to your local state school. And you can't get US financial aid or loans for foreign school. People always compare brand name American private schools with public school in other countries. But America has public schools. You can do your first two years at community college for near free. You can live with your family, work part time at McD's and have more than enough money to pay for school. Even if you don't want to work, poor students can afford tuition with Pell Grants, and middle class students can cover it with Stafford Loans. Then do your last two years at a state school, which are often in cheap college towns. In a state like Illinois, you can do 2 years in community college, and then 2 year at UIUC--a world class university--for only like 30k in tuition for the whole 4 years. It wouldn't surprise me if going to Sweden cost 30k more in living expenses over that period, especially if you live with your family for the first 2 years.

mafribe 12y ago
I'm not very familiar with community colleges in the US. If it's such a viable route, why don't more people go for it?
- dragontamer 12y ago
  A lot of people go for it. Community colleges however are only a stepping stone without much "brand recognition". You need to finish up with a 4-year university if you wanna be recognized. An associate's degree can pass in a number of professions. And there's a big push from Republicans to get more people into community colleges for more mundane work. HVAC, Machinist, Plumber, Mechanic... these jobs only require an Associate's degree and earn about the average income in America. Which is around 40k/year.
  - Qworg 12y ago
    And some of those positions make way more - pipeline welders are banking 300k in some places.
    - dragontamer 12y ago
      To be fair, you can make millions as a Sport's Athlete or professional video gamer. The "Rock Stars" within a profession always make a sizable chunk of money. Be it programmer, engineer, lawyer... even blue collar workers. I have heard plenty of HVAC guys who start their own company in a nice area and make 6-figures. But to even out the variance, I use the Bureau of Labor Statistics to report the median wage for professions. BLS states 40k for these workers, so that is where I get my numbers from.

mafribe 12y ago

I'm not very familiar with community colleges in the US. If it's such a viable route, why don't more people go for it?

dragontamer 12y ago
A lot of people go for it. Community colleges however are only a stepping stone without much "brand recognition". You need to finish up with a 4-year university if you wanna be recognized. An associate's degree can pass in a number of professions. And there's a big push from Republicans to get more people into community colleges for more mundane work. HVAC, Machinist, Plumber, Mechanic... these jobs only require an Associate's degree and earn about the average income in America. Which is around 40k/year.
- Qworg 12y ago
  And some of those positions make way more - pipeline welders are banking 300k in some places.
  - dragontamer 12y ago
    To be fair, you can make millions as a Sport's Athlete or professional video gamer. The "Rock Stars" within a profession always make a sizable chunk of money. Be it programmer, engineer, lawyer... even blue collar workers. I have heard plenty of HVAC guys who start their own company in a nice area and make 6-figures. But to even out the variance, I use the Bureau of Labor Statistics to report the median wage for professions. BLS states 40k for these workers, so that is where I get my numbers from.