Jeffrey Williams Debt Education: Bad For America

Student loan debt loads have been spiraling, doubling over the last decade, and the enrollment rates of young people from lower socio-economic groups are rising far slower than middle and upper groups. Governments must recognize the renewed public investment in post secondary education is an economic and social imperative. 6.7 million borrowers in repayment mode are delinquent (Snider 1). The sad fact is that many lenders aren't exactly incentivized to work with borrowers. Unlike all other forms of debt, student loans can't be discharged in bankruptcy. Forgiveness programs can be lifesavers for borrowers drowning in student loan debt (Snider 1). However, jobs for recent grads are harder to find and salaries are lower, but that won't last forever; in spite of all of this, the data make clear that getting a college education is still a good idea. College graduates earn more and are more likely to have a job in the first place, and is especially important for some Americans (Webley 2). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2010, the unemployment rate was 9.2 percent for those with only some college and more than 10 percent for those with just a high school degree, but it was 5.4 percent

Looking back from the 1900’s till the 2000’s life has changed drastically. Now a day’s technology is used in everyday life like social media, compared to in the 1900’s where their technology was the first airplane, radio, and electricity. Adams’ definition of the American Dream is inaccurate and unachievable for Americans today because the minimum wage doesn’t cover the cost of living, digital society has replaced man’s ability to communicate, and college loans leaving young adults in debt.

So many successful adults till this day are paying back their college debts. Over the years, some are able to pay back their debts in college and others are not able to and are still struggling, due to having to pay other debts that they may have. In some cases, some people drop out of college just so they will not have to owe so much money, but to drop out for that reason is not good. There are several of ways to stay away from college debt and that is getting scholarships, saving money before going into college, and also attending a community college instead of jumping to a university.

I hereby say that student loans is something that should not be dragging educated people down. We cannot allow the for-profit colleges and the banks to follow behind students and collect their wealth. “Everyone deserves a quality education. We need to come up with a better way to provide it than debt and default”(Taylor). Education should not vanish. It’s something that young people want to pursue in. However, debts should be completely vanished. One idea to make this accomplished is by promoting public colleges or by regulating the private ones. In a piece of writing called A Strike Against Student Debt, it states,“We also need to bring back the option of a public, tuition-free college education once represented by institutions

Many people dream of a life filled with riches, but that dream is hard to obtain without a college degree. It is somewhat ironic how people dream of being a successful student and going to college but the cost of tuition turns that dream into a horrible nightmare. It is not a shock to most people when they that college tuition is expensive, but in the past few years it has increased to an all-time high. Lower and middle class students have now begun to realize that college tuition is holding them away from their dreams. Even though college tuition could provide opportunities for job creation and economic growth, tuition is not affordable for the average American household which in effect, prohibits students from taking opportunities like going to college in the first place. Since tuition has risen 3 times higher the rate of inflation in the past 10 years, this increase a student’s chances of not being able to afford higher education and also gives them a better chance of accumulating debt post-graduation.

College is one of the most important and life changing times in the life of an American. Leaving high school behind and venturing out to the adult world is an amazing experience that every individual should experience. However, young adults from every corner of the country leave college with crippling debt or do not go to their preferred college of choice. College education should be cheaper as it will help families and students financially and give them the satisfaction with having the opportunity to go to their first choice for college.

Ana Lucia Urizar, author of the article titled We’re Being Punished by Crippling Student Debt presents the argument of Student debt and the importance of remedying this topic otherwise face future detrimental effects. Urizar provided statistics suck as the average amount of loans in dollars the class of 2015 had taken out. Ultimately, Urizar’s main argument is that something needs to be done about the exorbitant cost of attending college because it is impeding graduates’ careers, standard of living and ability to fully engage the economy. This argument does well providing strong statistics found through credible sources such as The Wall Street Journal, however, the article failed to provide a counter-argument or different viewpoint regarding

"By making college unaffordable and student loans unbearable, we risk deterring our best and brightest from pursuing higher education and securing a good paying job" (Pocan, 2016). High school seniors advance into college with little income and no knowledge of managing large expenses. Although college incurs significant debt, it has positive lifelong benefits such as a better job, higher salary with benefits, and obtaining an opportunity for a fuller life.

Many Americans believe they can not graduate college debt free. They, in turn, take out student loans that in the long run will cause debt to pile up. Many statistics show the negative effects of student loans. This helps prove the idea that student loans are, in fact, are a major factor of high levels of debt. Also student loans and debt can be avoided with financial aid programs along with grants and scholarships. These included with some saved up money can help Americans graduate debt free. As Americans we have been taught by society that student loan debt is “good debt”. This is extremely untrue considering the statistics showing that millions of Americans can’t even afford their monthly student loan payment. America alone has over one

Student loans is the second highest source of debt of $2.1 trillion dollars in the U.S. economy right now. This student loan debt is not only affecting the entire economy as a whole. In America, people believe that earning at Bachelor’s degree is the key to success in order to be financially secure be set in life. However at the same time, the cost of tuition has skyrocketed, and the borrowing of loans rise with it. The rising of student loan and debt will reduce consumption, lower investing, lower the rate of home ownership, and overall make it difficult to sustain financial stability.

The article “Is College Worth the Cost? Many Graduates Don’t Think So” by Jeffrey J. Selingo describes that most of the graduate students’ who had already completed their four years at a university and earned their bachelor’s degree are in debt for over a couple of years paying off their education. As stated by Selingo, those students that got a higher education are likely to be unemployed because the unemployment rate for college graduates is still at 9 percent, which makes it difficult for students to start paying of their debts. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the wage of college graduate workers has declined about 10 percent for the first time. Even if the college graduates do start working right after finishing their education most of

a similar group in 2010, found more college correlated with less dementia” (Belluck). This shows that college can have a beneficial impact for mental health. By going to college, a person is less likely to live an unhealthy lifestyle, and may keep their cognitive health for longer.

“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.

Rising college tuition costs is an issue that hits close to home for many of us. Being a student, will always coincide with money struggles. During ones college search, numbers are all we are told to focus on. These numbers include ACT scores, GPAs, AP tests scores, and the biggest number of all, the cost of college itself. The rising cost of college has three main effects; debt through student loans, less people attending college, and an increasing number of college graduates moving back home. Raising tuition year after year will cause a drop in applicants and affect current students’ retention rates. That is because tuition is already at an all-time high, making it harder for underfunded students to even think about entering higher education.

Many college graduates are currently unemployed, which has left many parents wondering, is college really worth it? Some parents believe that college prepares students for more than a job or career, and others don’t think it’s worth the cost. Recent studies have shown that new college students are losing ground on wages by the time they graduate, higher education is becoming a risky investment, and most students are better off developing their own “lower-risk” business. These studies have proved that college is not worth it in the long run.