The College Debt Trap Summary

Society often believes college is a necessary experience for a better future, but I argue that the future will not be any better when student debt becomes a part of life for those who follow that mainstream belief. Most parents often dream of the great colleges and universities that their children will get accepted into; however, they fail to think of the cost to attend those institutions. Financial aids! Financial aids! Yes there are financial aids that students can apply to lessen the student debt. Yet the amounts of financial aid they receive are generally never enough for most students, and they continue to carry the debt for most of their miserable life.

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

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.

In this day and age, it is assumed that the majority of high school graduates will be attending college, whether a two year community college or a four year college or university. The problem with this expectation of young people is that college is expensive, which is why numerous people are pushing towards free college for all, not just for the academically talented. While overall publicly funded college is unrealistic, this country could slowly overcome this issue of college debt by providing more two year community colleges across the nation with the tuition of these community colleges drastically reduced.

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.

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. Overall, this issue affects most people living in our world today and must be fixed for our generation and generations to come.

Megan McArlde is a journalist and blogger who focuses most of her writing on things like finance, government policy, and economics. In her article “The College Bubble,” a magazine article published in Newsweek on September 17, 2012, McArlde writes about how the “Mythomania about college has turned getting a degree into an American neurosis” (1). She focuses a lot on the value of getting a college education, and makes an argument that all the time and money spent on earning a degree may not be worth it in the end. McArlde uses several strategies to appeal to her reader’s, and does a great job of effectively using the Logos, Pathos, and Ethos appeals throughout her article.

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.

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.

On a global scale, there is a large amount of people who are unfortunate in the sense that

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.

Journalist Sophie Quinton discusses how college expenses are constantly rising, though many states are now reducing instate tuition in her recent article, “States Move to Curb Rising College Tuition. Quinton informs readers that colleges are not only cutting college tuition, but freezing it. As a result student loans are soaring nationally, and schools are forced to become more efficient. Student loans are then causing debt, that later affects a students’ life in numerous ways. College students today, tend to lean towards nicer looking colleges, rather than a higher education. In conclusion, a difficult matter for students and thier families to settle for colleges with fewer amenities and lower costing

Student loan debt has become a vast problem in today's society. More than forty million people have student debts, and make up approximately $1.3 million of debt in the United States (Knebel). People are delaying major life events in order to pay off these loans. To remedy this, the government should make it possible for people to revise their student loans to fit their salary or implement an income-contingency plan.

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.

College can either be a rude awakening for some students or it can be an opportunity for higher learning, but the goal is the same: to obtain a higher education and become successful. The purpose of college is to open people’s minds to new thoughts and ideas. Higher education offers knowledge and wisdom, but most of all, it offers experience, which is what people look for and desire when they think about attending college. Unfortunately, there is just one barrier keeping people from obtaining higher education, and that barrier is the price tag of college tuition. The cost of tuition is an incredible problem in today’s education system throughout the United States because it hinders the people who want to go college but cannot afford to do so. The price of tuition is a burden to those who are actually attending