Is university worth it?

I am about to start my masters degree (Monday, wish me luck!) so this type of article, which debates whether university is worth its cost, is extremely interesting to me. I sincerely hope that a year of studying hard will have a good outcome! In this article, I have removed some of the key vocabulary, but as it is of intermediate standard, I have not given you any of the definitions. All you need to do is put the correct word in each gap.

To read the full article, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11344228

NB: university is called ‘college’ in America.

Lesson by Caroline

Reading: Is university worth it?

Going to college has been a rite of passage for_(1)_ of Americans, more so than the rest of the world where mass higher education is a more recent phenomenon.

In the US, getting into college, especially the right "school" is the key step on the _(2)_ to career success.

A college degree has been a reliable meal ticket. No-one seriously questions whether it is worth the cost. That is, until now.

Each year, US News & World Report, ranks American universities. This year was no different except that, alongside the consumer guide to campuses, the editorial asked 'Is College still worth it?'

It argued that with _(3)_ fees at many private colleges now exceeding "the once unthinkable $50,000 (£32,000) a year", America could be at a "tipping point" of consumer change with students and parents starting to _(4)_ whether the investment is worth it.

The magazine says some analysts are predicting that higher education is the "next economic bubble, headed for a crash", and concludes that "if colleges were businesses, they would be ripe for hostile takeovers, complete with cost-cutting and painful reorganisations".

Frat houses

This cynicism was not immediately apparent on the campus of the University of Michigan, one of the country's top public universities, when I visited at the start of term.

Students resplendent in their Michigan sweatshirts and baseball caps (Americans love their college branding) strolled the impressive campus, _(5)_ for classes, and signing up for the _(6)_ and sorority houses.

At the season's opening football game, the Michigan Wolverines ran out in front of an astonishing 113,000 fans at the "Big House", the expensively _(7)_stadium that is the largest university sports arena in the country.

But here, as elsewhere, tough questions are being asked about lavish spending on facilities and sporting programmes when tuition fees, and class sizes, continue to rise.

The annual cost of tuition plus board and _(8)_ for undergraduates at Michigan is estimated by the university to be $25,000 (£16,000) for students from in-state and $50,000 (£32,000) for those from out-of-state (public universities in the US offer much lower fees to local students).
As it takes four years, typically, to _(9)_ that means out-of-state students will spend some $200,000 to gain a _(10)_.