The Glasgow concert hall was packed. The sets were lavish, the costumes ornate and the singing unparalleled (though an Italian opera sung in Scottish-accented English was certainly an experience). The price for a center balcony seat for a regular adult? 58 pounds. The price for the same seat for a student? 10 pounds.
Spending last semester abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland, I had the opportunity to live like a British student does: cheaply.
While living frugally abroad may seem outlandish due to the dismal plummeting of the dollar, there is one thing European students have that we don't: cultural recognition of student financial hardships.
Such recognition makes the UK student experience one of the best in the world. Though some claim the education is still inferior to an American one, the fiscal aspect of being a student in Europe is unmatched. There is no other continent that treasures students more.
As opposed to gargantuan student loans that can only be paid off well after students land their first jobs, education is heavily subsidized by the state to begin with. And students save even more money when they attempt anything cultural, be it attending a museum, taking a train cross-country or even going out to dinner because Europeans place such a high value on education. An ISIC card quickly became my single most valuable possession during my time abroad.
Take, for example, a typical Saturday in London. The train from Edinburgh to London on a student railcard can cost as little as ten pounds, including the 30 percent discount the card entails. A visit to the Tate Modern and British Museum are free, while a pre-theater dinner gives a 10-percent discount on student meals. And this situation is not unique to the UK - all over Europe, incredible student discounts can be spotted.
The question inevitably becomes: Why haven't American institutions placed the same emphasis on rewarding higher education? Or, to put it more bluntly, don't they realize how poor we are?
There is a certain sophistication that underlies the thinking of European cultural centers, the notion that students should still be encouraged to expand their horizons while on a budget.
Precisely at the time we are most open to new ideas, we should be able to absorb culture in a way that respects our beleaguered wallets.
Even Europe's most expensive cities, like Stockholm, go to lengths for the under-26 population. "We want to encourage students to come to Stockholm and experience it for a price they can afford," said Ann-Charlotte Jonsson, a spokeswoman for the Stockholm Tourist Centre. "This translates to lower lunchtime prices, free festivals all year and student discounts at museums."
This is precisely the attitude American museums and restaurants should have toward their younger clientele. When museums cost $10 to enter, their executive boards needn't sit around wondering why a large demographic is absent from the queues.
Indeed, why would students spend their meager paychecks (or allowances) on museums when they're already paying $45,000?
Philadelphia is a perfect city to follow Europe's lead and charge less for its students. Already the Kimmel Center prides itself on its student voucher program, which offers orchestra tickets for around $8.
Philadelphia's mix of eclectic (starving) artists in Northern Liberties, young grad student families in West Philly and lower-income households in Northern Philly shows that there is already an established population that will immediately benefit from reduced prices at the city's cultural havens.
The implications are far-reaching. Students will want to continue learning outside of the classroom because they can afford to. Young families will foster a sense of municipal pride in their children, and perhaps reduced tickets will serve as an incentive to get troubled youth off the streets and into the nearest IMAX.
Clearly, such an initiative would cost the city a great deal of money.
But if newly-elected Mayor Nutter is serious about his plans to reopen the Office of Culture and donate more money to the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, this is a perfect time to lower prices for the city's students.
European students are ahead of us when it comes to geography, culture and general levels of sophistication. American students can catch up - and Philly is an ideal place to start.
Julie Steinberg is a College junior from Boca Raton, Florida, former blogger for The Spin and current editor for 34th Street Magazine.
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