Should Student Loans Be Paid?

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

A problem with student loan debt is that students gain more debt because they are not able to pay off the student loans within the given time which also causes them to put certain life decisions on hold. According to Sophie Quinton debt is a problem for the recent college graduates because “There’s currently no way to get rid of federal student debt other than paying off the loans. while some borrowers are paying off their debts just fine, overall they are adding debt faster than they are shedding it”(Quinton). According to Jamaal Abdul-Alim stated that a “survey - titled Student Loan Debt: Who’s Paying the Price?- revealed a number of troubling statistics about the practical ways that student loans are impacting college graduates in their everyday lives. For instance the survey found that: 49

Most students do not make enough money to be able to pay for college debt free. In addition, most families don’t make enough money to pay for the college costs upfront. For this reason, students have been borrowing money from private loans to be able to attend a college/university. Although the government might give several students, who apply, money to pay for books and housing, it does not cover the total cost to attend college and obtain a degree. This might not be encouraging for students who wish to receive an education but do not want to owe money in the future. Loans have been scaring off students who wish to further their education and live their lives comfortably after college. If student loans were to be forgiven, graduates would not have to worry about owing a large amount of money.

In order to be successful in the workforce, having a powerful career there are things needed like higher education. Graduating from college is essential to finding a successful job, since more jobs are making college degree a requirement, more people are going to college. The problem is the cost of going to college outweighs the earning from the career you obtain. Very little people are able to pay for college out of pocket. In 2014, 42% of undergraduates paid for college out of pocket (Sallie Mae). The result of this is that students seeking higher education are forced to take out loans. On average, college students borrows $25,000 to earn their degrees (Alexandria). I just don 't get the concept of college tuition or student loans. It

Financial support has played an important role for college students, especially for university students, whose family could not support their education after they have graduated from high school. Due to this situation, students have to go through a lot of problems with their tuition fees to be able to continue with their education. They always need a large amount of money besides paying for the tuition but also for living, and students have to go through a lot of problems with their tuition fees in order to be able to finish their career on time and earn a better living in the future. Some students will choose to go to work part time while at school, so they can pay for their fees and their own expense, such as gas, foods, and clothing. On the other hand, most of students will choose to take out loans from somewhere else, such as the bank or federal loans. This way, students who choose to take out a loan could focus on their education without worrying about how to pay for their fees. It is very important for students to acknowledges and be aware of the different types of student loans, and all the requirements before students decide to obtain a loan. Because of the raise in tuition leads to the existence of the student loan debt is a burden that is a financial impact on lifestyle changes, such as postpone couples to get married, to have children, to buy a house and to save for retirement.

The education correspondent for Time magazine, undergraduate at the University of Washington, concentrating on journalism and political science, and graduate work at Northwestern University, specializing in new media, Kayla Webley, in her essay “Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt a Good Idea?” states Robert Applebaum’s solution for student loan debt is a “radical and wildly unfeasible solution” in both economically and politically. Applebaum’s proposal is to “provide a one-time bailout of student debt…as a way to stimulate the still-limping economy.” However, Webley counters the solution has to have “the purported benefited and fairness of a one-time student loan bailout.”

President Obama also announces a new program that will lower monthly loan payments for some students graduating next year. The government tries its best to ease the stress off of those paying back debt. Although the government has made programs to help those struggling to pay back their debt, it is also one owns responsibly. When taking out a loan for college one should have a plan as to how he or she plans on paying it back. By getting a side job and managing your money in order to pay off your debt, it will take away a lot of stress. Obviously the best solution to avoid debt right after graduating college is to avoid a student loan or any loans.

In the article “Is forgiving student loan debt a good idea” by Kayla Webley, a writer for Time, Webley feels that from a human standpoint forgiving student debt holds some appeal (2). Kayla Webley refers to Robert Applebaum who started a petition in 2009 with a petition of nearly 670,000 signatures. The comments from persons posting the petition are quoted as “guessing this will never happen but it can’t hurt to sign on” (1). Burdened with an estimated $88,000 in debt, Applebaum’s proposal is to provide a one-time bailout, of student loan debt-as a way to stimulate the still limp economy (2). Webley goes on to explain that such a plan has a problem. The problem being is that with an educational bailout most borrowers who can and should pay off their student loan would take this bailout, along with the students who really can not afford their loan payments and need the relief from their student loans. In Webley’s words “If forgiveness from a bailout was offered, who wouldn’t take the handout (3).

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.

The education correspondent for Time magazine, and undergraduate at the University of Washington, concentrating on journalism and political science, and the owner of the graduate degree at Northwestern University, specializing in new media, Kayla Webley, in her essay “Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt a Good Idea?” states Robert Applebaum’s solution for student loan debt is a “radical and wildly unfeasible solution" both economically and politically. Applebaum’s proposal is to “provide a one-time bailout of student debt…as a way to stimulate the still-limping economy.” However, Webley counters that the solution has to have “the purported benefited and fairness of a one-time student loan bailout.”

As Young teenagers become adults and start College, one issue that doesn’t seem as a big deal at the moment for many students are student loans. Young college students who don’t have the money, don’t have enough scholarship money, or family who doesn’t have the money to pay, will apply for student loans each year. They amount the student receives can vary depending on the college and what the student has achieved academically. Though interest rates are low with subsidized being 4.29% and unsubsidized being 5.84% ("Federal Student Aid" Interest rates and Fees), student loans still have a huge effect on college students once they graduate. One college graduate’s story helps explain the struggles for most students:

Financial support has played an important role for college students, especially for university students, whose family could not support their education after they have graduated from high school. Due to this situation, students have to go through a lot of problems with their tuition fees to be able to continue with their education. They always need a large amount of money besides paying for the tuition but also for living, and students have to go through a lot of problems with their tuition fees in order to be able to finish their career on time and earn a better living in the future. Some students will choose to go to work part time while at school, so they can pay for their fees and their own expense, such as gas, foods, and clothing. On the other hand, most of students will choose to take out loans from somewhere else, such as the bank or federal loans. This way, students who choose to take out a loan could focus on their education without worrying about how to pay for their fees. It is very important for students to acknowledges and be aware of the different types of student loans, and all the requirements before students decide to obtain a loan. Because of the raise in tuition leads to the existence of the student loan debt is a burden that is a financial impact on lifestyle changes, such as postpone couples to get married, to have children, to buy a house and to save for retirement.

It is proven that taking out any loan in college reduce the student's experience in school (npr 2015). What's more interesting is that less than 20% who took out a loan felt that it was worth it ( npr 2015). In taking out loans you would need some time to pay them. The standard repayment plan for federal student loans is 10 year's (us news 2014). But “the average bachelor degree holder takes 21 years to pay off” (us news 2014), That is 11 more years than planned. Assuming that students went to college at the age of 19, they would be 44 years old when they finished paying back their student loans. And if they file for bankruptcy in that 21 year period, they still have to pay off those

Student debt is at an all-time high. Many college students and recent graduates may find themselves asking: "what's the point?" Why go to college if there is no guarantee of a great job, but you are almost certainly guaranteed to graduate with high levels of debt? But take a careful look at the statistics. While the unemployment rate for recent four year college graduates is 6.8%, the unemployment rate for recent high school graduates is nearly 24% (Webley 2012). Of course, there are many other reasons to go to college, such as personal fulfillment. But for those who are considering not going to college because of economic concerns, I advise you to think in the 'long term.'

As a UCAN mentor the first questions student always ask is whether they are going to be able to offered college and my answer is yes. Most of the students that I have worked with are the first in their family to go to college and therefore have no idea how the process of applying to college works. However, their main interest is how it’s possible to afford college. As they go ahead and do their own research they stumble upon all these huge numbers such as tuition payments and out of state tuition and they begin to panic. I tell them not to panic that every person is in a different situation financially and that they can’t compare their friend’s financial package to the financial package that they will receive.