Education : A Way Of A Better Life?

“Ensuring quality higher education is one of the most important things we can do for our future generations” (Ron Lewis). There are more students enrolling in post-secondary schools than ever before and consequently there are more students acquiring large debts. Once a student graduates, they enter a $33,000 or more student loan debt (Students Loan Resources). These student loans continue to place graduates into large debts, which is largely caused by their lack of knowledge of available resources, and this impacts their everyday lives and future generations.

An education is one of the most important tools a person can acquire. It gives them the skills and abilities to obtain a job, earn a wage, and then use that wage to better their lives and the lives of their loved ones. However, due to the seemingly exponential increase in the costs of obtaining a college degree, students are either being driven away entirely from earning a degree or taking out student loans which cripple their financial prospects well after graduation. Without question, the increasing national student loan debt is one of the most pressing economic issues the United States is dealing with, as students who are debt ridden are not able to consume and invest in the economy. Therefore, many politicians and students are calling

With the ever-increasing tuition and ever-tighten federal student aid, the number of students relying on student loan to fund a college education hits a historical peak. According to a survey conducted by an independent and nonprofit organization, two-thirds of college seniors graduated with loans in 2010, and each of them carried an average of $25,250 in debt. (Reed et. al., par. 2). My research question will focus on the profound effect of education debt on American college graduates’ lives, and my thesis statement will concentrate on the view that the education policymakers should improve financial aid programs and minimize the risks and adverse consequences of student loan borrowing.

When opportunity knocks you should always open the door. College is a great opportunity to garner success from a secure career. Furthermore, college or university education is worth the debt you will accumulate from it. If you're still weighing your options, consider this, "Lifetime earnings for college graduate are substantially higher than the earnings of someone without a college degree," (Source 4, pg. 13). Getting a higher education is not just good for you, but its also good for your bank account. On the plus side, it is easier for you to live a better life, and if America ever hits a recession you will be in a better position to support you and your family.

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.

As a high school senior, post high school options are far and few, but the one that shines above the others is the option of attending college. Instead of going straight into the workforce in order to establish some sort of independence, college provides the opportunity to build upon academic skills, gain a step up in terms of work experience, and become more acquainted with the world and adult life without a watchful parent. It is a very impactful experience that can alter the path taken in life but it comes with a very high price, one that many aren’t able to pay and in turn are forced into tens of thousands of dollars in debt. However, the individuals in debt that did graduate have received something that to most of them was all worth it, a degree. With this, they have opened up more paths in life and immediately are more welcomed in the workforce.

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.

In recent discussions about college, a controversial issue has been the great amount of student debt owed by students. Hence, many students have opted to not go to college because they do not have the money to pay their student loan debts. In the essay“A Lifetime of Student Debt? Not Likely,” Robin Wilson argues that graduating college with student loan debts is a still better option than not attending college. On the other hand, other people contends that people should not go to college because they will end up in debt for the rest of their lives. My own view is that college is still a worthwhile investment that everyone should seek regardless of the debts they have to pay in the future. In other words, people should go to college. My

In the U.S. students are encouraged to earn a college degree, but the cost of an education turns many away. “Driven by the allure of a decent salary with a college degree, Americans borrowed to go to school. Outstanding student debt doubled from 2005 to 2010, and by 2012 total student debt in the U.S. economy surpassed $1 trillion” (Mian, Sufi 167). There are plenty of opportunities to obtain funds for college, including one of the most common, student loans. A student loan is defined as “a common way to fund education, specifically college and graduate school, and they provide educational opportunities that you otherwise may not be able to afford” (Barr). Student debt is at an all-time high in America. Over half of all lower income

An estimated 20 million Americans attend college each year, and 60% of those students borrow annually to pay for it (qtd. in asa.org, “Student Loan Debt Statistics”). Moreover, citizens continuing to pay off debt after schooling brings the overall number of student-loan-borrowers to about 40 million- with a collective 1 trillion dollars in debt (McCarthy, “10 Fun Facts About the Student Debt Crisis); a fourth of these borrowers owe over $28,000, a tenth owe over $54,000, 3.1% owe more than $100,000, “and 0.45 percent of borrowers, or 167,000 people, owe more than $200,000” (Haughwout, “Grading Student Loans”). While some view this predicament as the result of laziness or carelessness, the bulk of this substantial group are not at fault.

Student loan debt in the United States is expanding unrestricted each year. There are 36 million Americans today, holding over $740 billion dollars in student loan debt. (U.S. 2013) The current student loan system is intended to open doors to economic prosperity for those who could not otherwise afford to go to college. Research suggests that the unintended consequence of too much available student credit is real people losing prosperity and languishing in debt for extended periods of their lives. Reducing or eliminating the availability of student loans would have a tremendous impact on improving the lives of Americans. If things continue the way they are now, American’s will soon find college, and its implied ticket to economic

Most people would agree that getting a degree would make life easier as opposed to ending education with a high school diploma. With the shortage of career opportunities, jobs are becoming more competitive and most require higher education. College has become necessary and so consequently, it has become more expensive. While loans have made it possible for nearly anyone to attend college, because they are given too easily, the costs of college has increased even more. A cycle of giving loans and raising tuition is created and as a result college students are burdened with a colossal amount of debt. The issues of student debt go beyond affecting graduates’ lives and begin to cripple many areas of the economy, as well as hinder forward mobility.

As decades pass by, obtaining a college degree seems more necessary to get a decent job after graduating. Therefore, high school students feel the pressure to get into a good university and to get the highest degree possible, even when they have no plan on how to pay for it. Financial aid has not kept up with growing tuition prices, and taking out student loans seems almost impossible to avoid. According to research, “About 40 million Americans hold student loans and about 70% of bachelor’s degree recipients graduate with debt.” (Market Watch) The U.S currently has a total of 1.3 trillion dollars of outstanding debt. There is a ton of controversy on how to solve this issue, but there are progressive solutions schools and college kids need

In the United States today, the number of students graduating college with student loan debt is quite astonishing. In the article titled, “How the $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis Is Crippling Students, Parents And The Economy”, we will examine and break down the student loan debt crisis by the numbers. Today, almost two-third’s of students graduating college are graduating with an average of $26,000 in debt. For most students, $26,000 is a lot of money when the average annual income for a first year graduate is only in the mid $40,000 a year range. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, student loan debt has reached a new milestone, crossing the $1.2 trillion mark (Denhart, 2013, Introduction, par. 2). With student loan debt levels

If an aspiring college student doesn’t have the necessary funds to attend school, there is another option they could use to pay for school. Student loans are a popular choice so that the student can pay for school. While this may seem like a great option for affording school, it can be a devil in disguise for many. The New York Times reports that Americans owe over 1.4 trillion dollars in student loan debt (Kelly 1). This happens when a college student takes loans with the belief that the college degree they get will help them achieve a higher salary which will in turn will help them pay off their debt. This often isn’t the case. A student takes the loans and attends school, but does not receive the salary that they were hoping to acquire from attending school. A standard payment plan for students is to pay off their debt in ten years, but according to a study conducted by US News, the average bachelor degree holder takes twenty-one years to pay off (Bidwell 1). This is a common occurrence as well, a report conducted by The Institute for Collee Access and Success shows that in 2012, seventy-one percent of college graduates had student debt (Serrato 1). The current system that the government offers to help those struggling to afford a secondary education is a flawed program that needs restructuring.