Comparing The American Dream: How Much Do You Really Want To Go To College

The total U.S. student loan debt now surpasses $1.2 trillion and there is more than 40 million recipients owing on federal and private student loans (Malone). Most of the college students in the United States can’t afford their education by themselves and, as a result, students end up drowning in student loans in order to earn a degree. Student debt is a major problem in the US, and it is a major influence on the gap between rich and poor. A more accessible college education would help reduce the gap between rich and poor in the United States.

The tuition and cost of college is detrimental to thousands of families across the country and brings student debt to future graduates. Some students have seen their debt climb over $30,000. Friedman writes, “The average student in the Class of 2016 has $37,172 in student loan debt…” (Friedman). With the debts being over the average income for single people households, college has transformed from a benefit to a burden. Young adults not only have to worry about their education but also paying for the next semester or years of college ahead of them.

According to the last recording of student loan debt, the total amount of the United States student loan debt is roughly one and a half trillion dollars (A look at…). Statistics like these present the urgent need to resolve the major financial issue of student loan debt. Solutions have been given by many people to solve this issue but most solutions fail. The main reason behind student loan debt is falling to far into debt to the point where it is almost impossible to come back. The origin behind all of this is a lack of a student loan amount cap.

Going to college is similar to going to the casino, in the sense that many people are told they should be willing to take a loss for a possible win in the end. In his essay “It’s Time to End Tuition,” Jon Wiener tackles the problem we have in America in which students incur massive amounts of debt as a result of attending college. He is successful in painting a picture for his audience with an analogy describing how many people attending college in pursuit of higher education end up owing “more on their student loans than they do on their credit cards” (Wiener). In order to stop student loan debt problems in America we should provide more opportunities for individuals who desire more education by making tuition at public colleges free which

“Generation Debt” by Alethea Spiridon is an argumentative essay that outlines the harsh reality of student loans. The author examines the consequences of student loans as well the reasons higher education should not come as an expense to the individual pursuing it. In the current job market a post-secondary degree is a prerequisite for almost any profession and the sad reality is that this costly degree is not a guarantee of future wealth. The author effectively explains why treating education like a luxury good can impoverish everyone, and outlines ways student debt can burden graduates’ lives. However, she fails to examine the reasons student loans can be advantageous, and this is problematic because there are several missing benefits including manageable reimbursement options, lower interest rates, as well as student friendly terms and conditions when compared to a standard loan.

Loans can quickly turn into a substantial amount of debt by the time a student completes their standard 4 year degree. As a result, this debt can carry on throughout their adult life and make starting that life more difficult. “A record share of students are leaving college with a

Students’ loans are the help to achieve students’ goals. However, students’ paid a higher price for have a better education, but they never imagine that to finish a bachelor or master they are condemned to carry a huge loan on their life as having to return all the money they got for finishing their education. According to, Real Life Student Debt Stories, Scrubb White said, “I will not got into debt never in my life,” (Par 7). Scrubb White It is one of many people that living with an enormous burden for many years for a student loan duty; he graduated with honors in 1974 with a degree in Accounting.

According to the New York Times, “about two-thirds of bachelor’s degree recipients borrow money to attend college, either from the government or private lenders, according to a Department of Education survey of 2007-8 graduates.” On average since 1980, college tuition prices rise 7% a year. In comparison, the inflation rate is just 3.2%. But we have to remember that as long as the demand for higher education continues to rise, the price will also rise. In order to pay for the absurd prices of higher education, students should not have to end up turning to loans.

This is a significant issue that many students deal with today, especially since a college degree is becoming the new standard for being able to obtain employment. The amount of student loans and the numerical number of debt is overwhelming.

College Through A Narrow Lense “At a time when going to college has never been more important, it's never been more expensive, and our nation's families haven't been in this kind of financial duress since the great depression. And so what we have is just sort of a miraculous opportunity simply by stopping the subsidy to banks when we already have the risk of loans. We can plow those savings into our students. And we can make college dramatically more affordable, tens of billions of dollars over the next decade”

The American Dream can be defined in any way people desire it to be. Although, our generation has become more materialistic there are still those who don’t only go to college to attain these materialistic desires but go because of the ideological joy studentsget from their experience there. A piece of information which supports this well is Pasquerella’s article “The American Dream and Higher Education’s Broader Purpose”. She writes about students’ motivations for college and that several main reasons inspiring college enrollment center on a desire for materialistic things, a desire to explore the world alone, and a student’s desire for higher education. It’s a known fact that having a decent job is necessary if you want to purchase high-end

Out of the 20 million Americans who attend college each year, 60 percent take out loans to help pay for their education. Federal loans stay with students until they are fully paid off, even if students declare bankruptcy. (Karas) College costs today are rising faster than what we can process. Along with student debt interest. According to Minsun Mikyong Kim and Jangwan Ko, “the college tuition rate has increased about 103.8, whereas average household income has increased only 39.3%.

According to the study, over 20% of students with loans owe more than $50,000, and 5.6% owe more than $100,000 at the end. ”(4) Taking into account that amount of money not to mention the amount of interest that

Since college tuitions have inflated so much, it is not uncommon for student to ask for a loan to pay college. Consequently, the average student loan from public colleges is 25,550, this number is among the 66 percent of students who have a loan. In private university, the number just increases, 75 percent of students require a loan and the average loan debt is of 32,300 (U.S. Student Loan Debt). We all know how important is to get a college degree, but what we don’t know is how our student debt is going to affect us after we graduate. Unfortunately, when students ask for a loan, they do not have strategies to repay that debt, it is not their fault, but schools’ fault that have not taught financial literacy in their schools.

In America, college costs have been growing at a rate faster than inflation for over a decade. The resulting student loan debt, most of which belongs to young people aged 22-40, is causing a lot of trouble for the whole economy. The average college student is graduating with $32,000 in student loan debt . Not only do they have to pay this back with interest, it affects them in other areas of their lives. Debt forces students to postpone life in several key areas including buying a house, getting married and saving for retirement.