Certain US politicians as of late have proposed to make college free. It is a good idea in principle.<p>Right now there is already a form of free college education---a PhD in science. The cost of the PhD is generally paid for using government research grants. I know this because I am such a student. That said, I am definitely not treated as a student; rather, I am treated as a source of cheap labor. Each year, the University pockets a large sum of government grants to &quot;educate me&quot; and then puts me to work as a TA or in a lab.<p>So what does this have to do with a free education? My concern is this: If students are subsidized then colleges will lose incentive to provide a proper education. Colleges will start to abuse their student population. Instead of offering courses, colleges will corral students into internships. In time, I fear the student body becoming an unpaid labor force, giving away their time for free for the sake of obtaining practical experience.<p>This is why I fear the free college education.
What's so wrong with a free college education?