Climbing the social ladder, by Mikayla Apodaca

Something I noticed about Spain was the difference in the education systems. Specifically, in higher education. As we talked about in class, education and its practices can differ greatly across society and have changed dramatically over time. In the United States, the accessibility of higher education has risen consistently throughout time with acceptance to large institutions being extended to women, and later people of color. In Spain, I think it is very interesting the cultural revolution that took place in the 70s. With this revolution, there was a large change in the way of life in Spain. Education here became widely accessible. Far more accessible than in the United States, namely because of the cost of education. After talking to my intercambios and my host sisters, the availability of education is just a cultural norm for them, and when I explained the cost of University and how difficult it can be for the average person to be able to make payments they were shocked. This cultural difference has a lot of different consequences. A degree in Spain may carry less weight because it is more accessible. Yet, it is easier for someone from a less affluent background to climb the social ladder no matter their socioeconomic background in Spain. In the United States that is a bit more difficult. I believe this is a really interesting difference between the two cultures that explains a lot about the way of life in each country.