Should the policy of supplying textbook for free adhere to colleges?

i am trying to write a English paper topic "should college adhere to the high school policy of supplying textbook for free" of course i agree we al saw the prices on books
i have some ideas just haven't figured on how to start and im stressing big time,besides i am trying to study for tomorrow history midterm ughhh

This is a contentious issue that takes a lot of research.

First you must find out the economics of why college textbooks cost so much, much less why they are not free.

If you are going to choose the approach that there should be cheaper textbooks, be prepared to talk about a hypothetical system which could make it possible to have cheaper books.

If you are going to choose the approach that books should be free altogether, also make sure to devise some kind of plan which you feel might theoretically elevate that notion to the realm of possibility.

This is a lousy, overdone, painstaking topic. You didn't mention what the prompt was, or what kind of paper you are trying to write. In any event, I'm pretty sure this is not even remotely the best option.

Sorry that i wasn't clear enough.
The prompt is "Should college adhere to the same policy as high school and give students the text book for free?"
This is for English class and she wants us to answer yes and why.
I need to write a introduction and body paragraph.

He's right. This is vital context for your essay.

Also, you might want to attack the question. If the college were to give students textbooks for free, the college would be paying for them instead of the students. Where do colleges get their revenue? From tuition. So how would they get the extra money to pay this expense? By raising tuition fees. So, really, the students would still be paying for the books -- they would just be doing so through tuition fees rather than through bookstores.

I want to say thank you all for your help..I just did some free writing..now just to put everything in order..still didnt come up with a catchy first line and i really dont want to start off with the question..and the essay is just about text book being free and not the college because we all know thats unrealistic for the fact college is run like a business..sorry this is remedial english i am doing..and i just find it all frustrating after being out of school for nearly 20 years its just hard to reprogram yourself being taught one way now to learn another

Suggestion on my first line please..it is not perfect i know it may need a little tweaking.
First Line~> Today many students face obstacles especially when it comes to their education.

this is how i want to start my essay before i jump into my prompt thanks in advance for any response

it's weak.

instead of saying "today..."

prelude with something along the lines of, "it's something young adults have spent half of their life preparing for, but that doesn't make the pain any easier when they finally come face to face with the financial throes of a college education"

it doesn't have to be exactly that, but try to make it better

Again, some good advice from Mustafa. Your opening sentence is too general. Be specific about the sorts of obstacles students face, and how these affect them. Don't be discouraged, though -- the whole point of writing essays is to learn through revision. Good luck.

thanks again still working on it im sure i'll get there...i do like that line Mustafa

Hey, I am relieved that someone is writing about this! You know, now they even use "course packs," which are essentially a bunch of photocopies of readings, and they cost a lot of money, and you cannot sell them back to the school!!

The price of books is ridiculous...

Well, in college, I gues the school is not responsible for providing the books, really. In public high schools, it is the taxpayer's job. Revenue comes mostly from state and local taxation. In college, though... well, it's a business!

So, in order to make a strong argument, perhaps it would be good to make a pragmatic argument. Try arguing that a school would attract a lot of students if it had a policy of making many copies of text books available through the school library, etc, because the school could market itself as having high moral standards and wanting the students to be able to concentrate on education without the usual stress over books. Wouldn't it be cool to argue that it would be a good, lucrative marketing strategy? It's all a big business, as you know!

But, then again, some schools do already do that. You can research which schools keep text books available for reference at the library...

Also, a problem with the idea is that new editions are always being written!!

Most importantly, find what other people have written about this! Spend plenty of time researching and see what has been written. See who you agree with and who you disagree with.

If you are keeping this opening line, use a comma:

Today many students face obstacles, especially with regard to financing their education.

i wrote something up its not perfect but its a start instead of a blank screen or paper,really just so i wouldnt be so frustrated and i could stop filling the cuss jar and thank you all for your input

Yes, colleges should supply students with textbooks. This would relieve some of the financial burdens that students and their family would face. Many families are in debt and some have fallen behind on household bills, credit card payment as well as rent. With the high cost of living, many of them are making sacrifices. Such as not dining out, taking vacations, buying the latest trends whether it is the newest technology or a brand new outfit even taken from the rent. These families are doing this so they would be able to pay for their child's tuition fees, if not for themselves as well. Some may not qualified for financial aide and most likely would take a student loan, if not borrow from family or friends. With textbooks supplied to students, they would have the relief of not worrying about how they would pay for it.
If colleges did this students will not have to worry about books being out of stock; furthermore, they would not worry if they purchased the wrong book. With the books, they will be prepared for class assignment also, is able to complete homework on time. These students will be able to keep up with the class and study for future exams. With this said, student would have saved some money for the fact textbook are outrageously expensive. Students would now have the extra money to choose another class maybe even put it to their next term.

Yes, even though I agree that college is getting to be a big business that is mixing up its priorities, sort of like health care and medicine, it is also true that this argument is not yet practical -- not realistic.

If colleges must buy the books, they must raise tuition to cover the cost anyway -- or make budget cuts elsewhere. The money has to come from somewhere! That is why, in this competitive world, I think the only way to get through this is to write that it would be a good BUSINESS STRATEGY for some schools, whose enrollment consists of ordinary, struggling people, to offer books as part of the tuition package -- sort of like including utilities in the rent paid for an apartment! :)

once again im asking for help...and thanks again for all the input..i recieved my paper back...of course first sentence was too abrupt..my professor wrote for the intro i need to qualify logic and that it needs to be tweaked..any input on this..im so lost and confused...this is a remedial course..and of course she wrote logical position statement...i have been out of school nearly 20+years what i thought was so easy really isn't

ok im stuck im trying to follow what professor said about having everything follow one behind the other..this is some what of revising the bold is where im lost at..oh yea and that first bold sentence my professor said isnt true..i know its true for me thou


Today most adults and high school graduates are furthering their education. Doing this in hopes of receiving a degree, in which they can apply to a career. Many have set goals on where they wanted their life to go. Consequently, this is not an easy task most are facing financial burdens. With today's economy, most families are in debt and some have fallen behind on household bills, credit card payment as well as rent. With the high cost of living, many of them are making sacrifices. Families are now cutting back on their spending habits such, as not dining out, taking vacations, buying the latest trends whether it is the newest technology or a brand new outfit. Some are even, borrowing from themselves for they are taking from their rent, and savings. These families are doing this so they would be able to pay for their child's tuition fees, if not for themselves as well. Some may not qualified for financial aide and most likely would take a student loan, if not borrow from family or friends. With textbooks supplied to students, they would have the relief of not worrying about how they would pay for it.

I am a little confused about what your prof said was not true. But the main problem with this essay is that.. well... the text books must be paid for by someone. Either the school pays for it and must increase tuition to compensate, or they sell the books and make a profit. Somebody has to pay, though.

You have to have an argument you can believe in. How about arguing that schools should make copies available for reference in the library. Some schools do this and others don't. The fact that some schools do it shows that it is realistic.

If you try to make an unrealistic argument, the prof will continue to pick it apart... but switch to something stronger, and you'll do alright!

The first sentence is manifestly false. First, as it stands, you are saying that most adults and high school graduates are currently college students, which is clearly not true. What you meant to say, I assume, is that most adults and high school graduates are attaining or have already attained, some level of post-secondary education. This is also if it applies to the entire world, clearly false, since the vast majority of the world's population lives in conditions of poverty that make pursuit of postsecondary education unrealistic. Even if you meant only American adults and high school graduates (which you don't specify) the statement is still clearly false. If you go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_attainment_in_the_U nited_States, you will see that, while an increasing percentage of the population is gaining access to higher education, the number is still only around 30%, which is obviously not a majority of the populace.

Also, your argument at the moment does answer the vital question of "so what?" So some families have financial difficulties and could benefit from free books. So? Why should the colleges care? They are businesses, and presumably not interested in providing charity to the poor at the expense of their own bottom line. If you want your essay to be convincing, you are going to have to include in your essay a good reason why the colleges should want to help out students financially, especially since providing free textbooks to all would presumably help out even those who come from very rich families, making it charity to those who don't even need it.

Don't be discouraged, though. Just revise the essay to include a few additional arguments, and you'll be fine.