Essay On Student Debt

While this is often true, it can create problems when a student does not have the money to pay for a quality education. The cost of college has risen an estimated 250-500% over the last 30 years while consumer price index has only increased by 115 percent during the same time frame (White, 2015; Eskow, 2014). The amount of student loan debt is increasing, along with the cost of college. The income of many young people today cannot keep up with the rising costs of college education and housing. Part of the problem with student loan debt begins when students choose to attend a college that exceeds their financial resources and rely on federal student loans as well as private student loans to make up the difference. Eskow found that even public colleges and universities are becoming difficult to pay for without taking out student loans often averaging $30,000 for tuition, room, and board (2014). Since many people do not have enough money to cover college education expenses, they rely on student loans, both federal and private, to fill the gap. Financial advisor Ramsey stated that often the loans students take out pay “for an off-campus standard of living, and no debt was needed to get the degree” (2013). “The Project on Student Debt reported in 2013 over ⅔ graduating seniors were leaving school with student loans” averaging approximately $28,400 (White, 2015). Taking on almost $30,000 in debt before even starting a career can have a significant impact. It can force people to get a job just to pay off the student loans, not based on what they got an education for prepared for or what they studied. This also can cause a setback in future plans, having to delay many adult milestones due to lack of

Going to college may get students an education, but may cause their parents or legal guardians to lose everything they have worked for in the process. While trying to stay up to date with their student loans, they may fall behind on all their other bills. You may even lose your home because “you cannot make your mortgage payments for fear of missing a student loan payment or two” (Beauchamp and Cooper 539). They apply so much pressure on how it is important to pay off your loans that “you struggle to make your car

Here in the United States, there are many forms of consumer debt, which help contribute to the large sums of debt countless Americans find themselves faced with. Directly effecting many college students is student loan debt. Student loan debt is now the second largest form of consumer debt behind housing” declares the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Grisales). This is due to the fact that student loan debt grew 7.1% in 2014 to $1.2 trillion (Grisales). If this statistic alone is not worrisome this next one is sure to be. The amount of debt in the housing market that helped to spark the last recession was only $1.3 trillion (Grisales). Due to the increased amount of debt required by students to attend college many students are feeling the wrath. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “In 2014, 11.7 percent of females and 17.7 percent of males between the ages 25 and 34 were living with their parents” (Grisales). The fear of obtaining massive amounts of debt is driving the current generation of student’s to put off many future hopes and dreams. While causing them to move back home to save money. The current student loan crisis is crippling the economy and ruining the lives of American students.

Coming from a 2013 study, published in Anxiety, Coping and Stress stated, “Those with greater financial strain perceived more stress, had more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and ill health.” There are many existing highly stressful situations that cause college students to drop out. Students that depend on themselves, with no help from their families are more likely to drop out due to financial issues. A survey conducted by Public Agenda reported by New York Times reveals that students who are receiving financial help from their families have sixty three percent graduation rate, exceeding the forty two percent of those who graduate and pay for college on their own. This proves

This is not my first time hearing about student loans and how badly they affect one’s life. Growing up, my mother always preached to me the importance of good grades and how they would benefit me in the long run. She always told me that good grades and a good ACT score would get me Scholarship money; money that I do not have to borrow. I know personally how student loan debt can affect one mentally and physically. My mom went to a private institution and could not get enough scholarships and grants pay, so she had no choice but to rely on student loans. She is a social worker making $30,000 a year, and owes more in student loans than her yearly salary. My mom like many others not only had to struggle paying loans, but also had to maintain a household.

Colleges are noticing a drop in students’ interest in a higher education, because it forces them to fall into poverty. Obtaining a higher education is a dream of many working class citizens, but the price to go to a choice college is not available economically. The majority of students use some type of student loan, they have become the norm for attending college (Johnston, Roten 24). College is becoming unaffordable to many lower class students. With tuition prices this high, students are backing out of school and looking for jobs that only require a high school diploma. Student loans should help people, but it is only hurting them because they feel like they can never repay it. Especially since student debt continues to rise. “Student loan debt rose by 328 percent from $241 million in 2003 to $1.08 trillion in 2013, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York” (Johnston, Roten 25).

“The United States has created a new generation of people that have more student loan debt than at any other time in our history” (Murphey). A vast majority of students are graduating with debt. On average, students are carrying loan amounts big enough to buy a nice car or cover the down payment on a house, but instead of making those investments, or starting a family or a business, they’re struggling to keep up with student loan payments (O’Malley). Student loan debt is a major problem. Student loan debt exceeded credit card debt in 2010, auto loans in 2011, and it passed the $1 trillion mark in 2012.

There have been arguments when discussing the price of attending college. The main argument that we have is whether college tuition is too expensive or not. Over the last few decades the college tuition rates have increased drastically, but is a rate increase necessarily a good or bad thing. I personally believe that the cost to attend college is too expensive especially for low and middle-income families. There are many reasons why tuition could be considered too expensive they include, rise of tuition, little financial aid, and lack of college savings to name a few. The first reason why college tuition is considered too expensive is the continuing rise of tuition itself. Between the years 1973 to 2008 tuition for a four-year increased

Student debt can socially affect a person’s life for years after graduation. Taking out thousands of dollars in loans causes a negative effect in student’s lives. In reference to Natasha Yurk Quadlin and Daniel Rudel, who has a Ph.D. in sociology and both work at Indiana State University, student loans affect persistence and completion for undergraduates. There is a correlation between how students do in their classes, the amount of time spent on their work, and the amount of time working in a job to pay off debt. Students become so stressed that they do not complete their college courses and enter their path of a new career. (Quadlin, Rudel, 2015). When students do not perform well in their classes, they tend to want to compensate for it. However, they cannot because they have to go to their jobs, to help pay off the thousands of debt that they owe and for their everyday necessities. Due to the amount of stress that they have to handle, it affects their personal health. Katrina Walsemann, in a representative study on student loans and early adult mental health, argues that “We are speculating that part of the reason that these types of loans are so stressful is the fact that you cannot defer them, they follow you for the rest of your life until you pay them off,” (Blake, 2015). It also mentions that the students with higher levels of debt incurred, have had higher levels of depressive symptoms. A college student’s overall health is

Throughout the United States, student loans have been show to drag this economy down. Student loans have been a big problem through many of the years. It has been showing a trend and it is raising and exceeding many of the debt types each year. Many problems that students that have loans cause are, “ 20 percent of respondents indicated they cannot get a loan for other items, are unable to purchase a home, and student loan debt negatively impacts their credit. 18 percent of individuals indicated they are living paycheck to paycheck, “drowning” in debt, and have a large debt load. 13 percent indicated they have a lower quality of life and are unable to afford the extra things. 12 percent indicated they are unable to save for their retirement or their children’s education and feel less secure.” Students that have

Students High in Debts Crisis "The only good thing about student loans is that the day I die my children will not have to pay for them” (Block). The problem with everyone not being able to go to college is the cost of it. Many High school graduates don’t even think about going to college because of how crazy expensive it is. Many students drop outs later on due to not being able to keep paying and the ones who do graduates struggle in paying off their student loans for years.

Student debt has become a large (and growing) problem. The high levels of student debt have served to perpetuate economic inequality, minimizing the opportunity of higher education. In a speech this year, President Obama called higher education "one of the crown jewels of this country" and said it was "the single most important way to get ahead.” The long term impact of student loans have given students every reason not to want to attend college, including myself. That alone has the potential to harm colleges and universities across the country. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said student debt is one reason that people between the ages of twenty and thirty seem to be living a prolonged adolescence, or living with their parents.

The social issue of student debt might be one of the most harmful in the long run for society. While it might not seem like anyone is in immediate danger like in other social issues, it does however create a dominion effect of other detrimental issues. While some may think student debt only affects people financially, it has been found that it affects in many more areas in a person’s life course as well. According to Mitch Daniels, president of Purdue University and the former Republican governor of Indiana “Men and women laboring under student debt are postponing marriage, childbearing and home purchases, and...Pretty evidently limiting the percentage of young people who start a business or try to do something entrepreneurial," (Holland,

Student loans will allow student to have a nice lifestyle during their college years, but in return struggle to pay back the loan once they get out of college. On top of having to pay back this debt the consumer will also have other expenses to pay such as home mortgage, phone bills, etc. The student will have a very hard beginning of their life out of school thus adding financial stress and begins to restrain their opportunities in life. In order to pay for his or her debt the student will probably have to have multiple jobs and/or work overtime start out of college. Mental wise, student loans are to backfired stress.

It is encountered early on when people start to apply to the colleges they are interested in. Each application comes with a hefty fee. These fees tend to add up quickly for those who apply to multiple colleges. Then there are the highly inflated tuition costs. While there are numerous grants and scholarships available, only so many are eligible, and even fewer will be awarded them. Consequently, this causes the majority of college students to take out loans that take their entire lives to pay off. Most students don’t worry about their loans at first because they think they will be able to get a job in their chosen field once they graduate and pay it off. They only begin to worry once something happens to derail their plans, such as having to take a semester off or being forced to drop out. At this point, they start to panic trying to figure out how they’ll pay off their loans. Oftentimes, a student will have to get a part-time job while they’re still in school, adding to their stress and workload. In other cases, the student’s parents carry the burden of paying off the loans. If financial strains aren’t difficult enough, then one can always count on life to take an unexpected