College Debt Vs College Experience

In life some students does not know which college to choose. Some of their questions are, “Maybe I should choose this college because it is cheaper and closer to home” or “Maybe I should go to this college because it is great, expensive, and there’s a lot of fine people there. If it would me in this situation, I would chose the college that is cheaper and closer to home. This is the reason I chosed Ogeechee Tech over Southeastern Tech.

As a senior in high school the time has come when people begin to ask big and sometimes overwhelming questions like, “Where are you going to college?” and “What will be your major?” These questions, of course, lead to college visits and decisions. The two colleges that seem to meet my criteria are The University of Findlay and Ohio Dominican University. Both colleges have positive aspects, such as having the major that I am interested in as well as being close to family.  However, The University of Findlay seems to be a better fit than Ohio Dominican because it is closer to home and I am familiar with the campus and I grew up on this campus.

The decision making process on what college to attend can be stressful. For some, the deciding factor can be where they get the better offer for sports, such as Butler Community College, or where is closer to home, like Wichita State University. When the time comes to have this tough, and extremely long, process come into play, look at the pros and cons of the college choices and how each one can benefit life after college. What institution can you get out of as much as you put in? Which college has the degree completion plan you are wanting to pursue? These questions weighs in all incoming college students minds who strive for that goal of success that is a college degree. Despite bearing some minor similarities, the differences

The hot topic amongst people entering college is student loan debt. With the average debt at tens of thousands of dollars, many people shy away from college, or at least do not get a full degree. As a result, many politicians have preached plans to make college free, and thus bring an end to student loan debt. However, those on the other end of the spectrum find themselves hindered in jumping aboard the free college mania, because, after all, nothing is free, everything comes at a price. And as they soon learned, what a price indeed. In fact, in order for the universities to pay staff and accommodate the student body without tuition being on the shoulders of the students, state taxes would have to be increased on the entire taxpaying population.

oday, society stresses the importance of postsecondary education to students due to the countless ways that an associates, bachelors, masters, or doctorate can enhance an individual future. For an individual to reach financial security in the United States’ economy it is basically mandatory that they have received a college degree. Postsecondary education will provide skills and knowledge that will prepare individuals to be successful within their career as they compete for leading positions. Overall as an individual receives a college degree they will become more likely to experience job security and financial security, and this is important to most as they hope to live a stable life. In college, students are taking as many as one hundred credit hours which contributes to most also accumulating student loan debt as they try to finance their education. Even though the completion of a postsecondary education will contribute to a graduate obtaining a respectable income it may also cause graduates to suffer from high student loan debt which will negatively impact their finances far into their adulthood. R.J. Matson created the image above to emphasize how student loan debt negatively impacts student and changes need to be made to avoid stress caused by the debt.

In recent decades, student loan debt has increased dramatically causing a so-called, “education bubble”. This ‘education bubble’ is essentially the ‘housing bubble’ within higher education. The Federal Government, like those in the housing market crash in 2008, are lending money to those who receive a low income and can not afford college. According to The Weekly Standard, “the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports that during the past decade, student loan debt has nearly tripled and the number of students with debt has risen by 70 percent” (Cochrane). The Federal Government needs to decrease the amount of loans they are giving out in order to prevent another crash within our economy. As a senior in high school who will not be receiving

College dept has increased over just the last decade by 300% effecting the futures of college graduates all over the United States. With student loans to pay, college intuition, housing; not to mention if a student decides to go to graduate school, they would end up having far more dept than a normal student who will have on average $33,000 after college.

Although the majority of students in college struggle with finances, STEM majors and underrepresented minorities, specifically have a daunting task of paying for college at a remarkably young age. According to the article, “Debt Overload”, by the National Society of Professional Engineers, “…28% of African American students reported $33,500 or more of undergraduate debt compared to 15% of Caucasian students.” Also, students with Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, or Mathematics majors accrue over $20,000 a year in debt. Majority of student loan debt exceeded $900 billion in the first quarter of 2012, up $30 billion from the previous quarter, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported on May 31. This number has increased by $663 billion since just 2003. Student debt is so widespread that two-thirds of the class of 2010 graduated with loans averaging $25,250 each, according to the Project on Student Debt. While studying the article, it was clear that another possible reason that students did not enter the STEM profession was because they could not afford to go in debt for a degree that often required further education after a Bachelors. At the same time, the country is

Tuition and student debt at colleges and universities in America have been rising far more quickly than inflation for over four decades. This is a trend that will continue without intervention. Student debt drastically affects students’ lives and decisions from getting married, to buying home, or to starting a business. The amount of debt held by students after graduating not only negatively affects the individual, but the economy as well. Loads of economic activity is currently halted by students working to pay off their loans. This is a consequential problem and the increasing number of student debt in America must be addressed.

These statistics mean that college student have to do part time jobs in school and still be gather debt. To figure why this is happening we will need to go back to the how of college loans got to be this way and look at a couple different thing.

College Students are exiting college with empty pockets. In the year 2015 the average amount of debt students are graduating with is about thirty thousand dollars. The average amount has been on a constant incline and continues to grow by about four percent every year. According to author Katie Lobosco “Colleges are not required by law to report how much debt their students carry, so some don't respond.” (1) so the average amount of student debt is inaccurate. It is likely that the average amount of debt per student exceeds thirty thousand by quite a bit. Billions of dollars in student loan debt goes un recorded which will in turn effect the nation directly.

Alex went to college to get his doctorates degree, so he can be a doctor. Alex’s first few weeks of college he was hiding in his dorm room crying his eyes out. He was very stressed and was not sure if he even wanted to be there at all. College was not making him smarter. Going to college is very stressful. With the loans students take out college leaves most people in debt. While college can get people a higher paying job, it is a waste of money because it does not help some people get smarter, it causes health problems, and it leaves most students in debt.

Even though college gives students the oppurtunity to increase their earning potential , and gives more employment possibilities college is not worth it. The amount of debts most students have upon graduating and receiving masters degrees serves as direct evidence to support my statement. Americas student debt amounts up to 1.2 trillion dollars in total, yes 1.2 TRILLION which comes after billions. While college does give student’s the oppurtunity to increase their earning potential , and more employment possibilities, college is not worth it .

In today's world many people question or education system and question whether or not the cost is of college is worth it just to continue your education. Although you inquire a lot of debt in college. Getting a degree is almost necessary in today's job market because most jobs require one and jobs that do not require a college degree are getting harder to get, as the unemployment rises. Therefore a college degree is worth incurring significant debt. Earning a college not only provides you with job security and provides potential for greater lifetime earnings.

A big school or small, public or private, urban or rural; these are just a few of the many difficult deciding factors I faced during my college selection. At the height of my selection process, I had applied to ten schools ranging across all those factors. I was completely unsure of what I wanted to do with my life yet and had no idea what type of school I wanted. My mind wasn’t set enough on the future and I was too worried about getting through high school and working my full-time job. As it got closer to spring, I had to start making some decisions. Ultimately, I narrowed my deciding process to three factors to specifically analyze to make the right decision. Beginning with reputation, followed by student life, and lastly the financial cost to attend.