Although some differences between Ventura College and the colleges that Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus wrote about in their essay are obvious, the similarities are salient. Ventura College meets the characteristics described by Hacker and Dreifus in their essay, Ventura College has low tuition rates, small class sizes, and all students have access to advisors and instructors. The only difference between Ventura College and the colleges Hacker and Dreifus talked about is funding. Attending Ventura College doesn't cost much, but is the experience it offers really worth the price? As Hacker and Dreifus described in their essay, tuition rates are an important factor when it comes to choosing a good college. “For most Americans, their children's education will be the largest financial outlay they will ever make, after their home mortgage.” (p. 179) According to Hacker and Dreifus, education costs American families almost as much money as their home mortgage, and after all that money people aren't sure whether the investment is worth the price or not. Ventura college tuition is affordable and friendly for most people. It costs about half the money to attend Ventura College as opposed to attending a public four-year university, and the difference in tuition is much higher when comparing Ventura College to any private school. Ventura College tuition rates are affordable for most people. Ventura's tuition is affordable even for low-income families, and if tuition is still too high, the financial aid office could always help economically disadvantaged students. Hacker and Dreifus said tuition fees at some universities are too high and many students finish high school... with paper problems... and huge, useless but good-looking buildings. All of these fancy things translate into higher tuition rates and more debt for students to pay off after they finish school and hope to get a high-paying job. My experience at Ventura College satisfies all of what Hacker and Dreifus establish as positive traits of college. Ventura college tuition rates seem to be very reasonable and even affordable for most people, most people don't have to worry about being stuck with a debt they have to pay off after graduation. The quality of teachers at Ventura College is excellent, most teachers know how to teach and how to interact with students. The student-teacher ratio is low compared to other large colleges. Most of Ventura College's money is spent on student-related activities; there is no fancy cafeteria or huge gym. My experience at Ventura College exceeds the price I pay to attend.