An unnecessary evil
By: KATIE HAYES
Copy Editor
Student debt: one of the most depressing topics among soon-to-be and recent college grads. It is something that many students are not adequately prepared to take on, but almost everyone does. The average student accumulates $26,000 in debt, while one in 10 accumulates more than $40,000.
The total amount of debt from student loans in the United States is $1.2 trillion. Although there are grants and scholarships that students aren’t required to pay back, sometimes they still aren’t enough to pay for tuition.
People have committed suicide because they didn’t think they would ever be able to pay back their debt. When it gets to this point, shouldn’t we begin to look for solutions?
High schools do not adequately prepare students for the fiscal responsibilities they take on after graduation. The closest class to preparing students for life after graduation is a Personal Finance class.
Sure, there are guidance counselors, but they don’t help you make a plan to afford tuition.
There are tons of programs for students to afford college, but organizing options and payment plans is confusing for anyone. It is especially confusing for someone who has recently turned 18.
We’re told that if we get into a good school or one with a well-known name, it will pay for itself. On the other hand, schools that don’t have the same reputation won’t help you secure employment. Worst of all, we are allowed to borrow large sums of money without the appropriate counseling to manage it and pay it back. We are basically set up for failure.
What universities with large price tags don’t tell you, is that employers look more at your experience than the university you attended.
There are instances when expensive universities are worth the money, but these cases are far and few between.
I attended both the community college and the expensive, private university.
While I learned a lot at the private university, it wasn’t worth what I was paying.
In journalism in particular, education is listed at the bottom of your resume. It’s your publications and experience employers care about — not where you attended college.
Yes, education is important. Yes, you will make more money in the long-run if you get your degree; however, you do not need to go $100,000 in debt to get it. Although most people want to go straight from high school to college, taking time to evaluate what you want and how to afford it saves you time in the long-run.
