There was a time in America where college was based solely on merit, higher education and pursuing the American Dream to obtain a career and gain social status to be successful in society. According to the Economist newspaper, rising fees and increase of student debt, shared with dwindling financial and educational returns, are undermining at least the perception that university is a good investment. Now due to high cost of an average good university, students are leaving college owing back over $100,000 and are not getting the job of their original dreams.
The higher education system (or lack thereof) is not serving the country and its citizens. The increasing number of admission standards, exponential tuition increases, the financing of the cost through loans, and the boasting of turning students away all contribute to rising disparity between the quality of education that upper class families can afford compared to lower and middle income families. The rising costs of higher education in this country are problematic in that they fuel a disparity between economic classes. Capitulating the problem is the amount of debt college graduates have accrued at the time of graduation. The Institute for College Access and Success (2013) reported that 70% of graduates had and average of $29,400 of debt. This number primarily focuses on non-profit and private institutions. The average annual salary of a college graduate is $57,616 (United States Department of Labor, 2014). So many college graduates have accumulated a debt worth half of what their starting salary may end up being. The Institute for College Access and Success (2013) reported that 20% of that debt “is comprised of private loans, which are typically more costly and provide fewer consumer protections and repayment options than safer federal loans3” (p. 1). This is an oversimplification in that it is looking at a very general population. Based on the degree and the subsequent employment, income will vary as does the institution attended and the student’s economic status affect the overall individual debt.
The American dream was brought about in the 1930’s and for centuries the dream has been a goal wished by many and pursued by few. The American dream has been noticed in famous novels including The Great Gatsby, Watchmen and Revolutionary Road. The historian by the name of James Truslow Adams used the term during the great depression to recognize, moral values, religious practices, and societal expectations. In reality, most people start dreaming and setting goals in their life when they are young. In modern day, Student debt is crushing a generation of non wealthy Americans, home ownership transitions have declined and it is becoming harder to make ends meet. In consequence, the American dream, is now dying in the light of young Americans.
As Graduation comes near we all like to believe that our careers begin debt free behind that glass door, and we turn the knob and all our hard work will have paid off. When in fact, the glass door shatter and the student faced with the reality of paying back student loans. There is little dispute today that the number of students who have student loan debt has increased.
In present 2016, with the presidential elections coming up, one of the talked about problems is student debt. The U.S. currently owes over 1 trillion dollars in student debt and it is growing by the second (Collegedebt.com). Tuition rates are over the roof and how these politicians plan to act upon them is one of the major deal breakers for this election. Yet as tuition rates keep on soaring, people are questioning, how and when did it become this bad? The answer is simply three factors: The Great Recession, Privatization, and lastly the need for higher education.
Martin and Lehren’s article “A Generation Hounded by the Soaring Cost of College” addresses the issue faced by current and former college students dealing with large amounts of debt due to student loans. The article presents the reader with stories of former college students who have either graduated or dropped out, and their struggle to pay off their student loans. The article also talks about issues such as students not being informed about high amounts of student loans and why student debts have increased. Martin and Lehren also make the issue of student debt more intimidating by giving examples of high amounts of student loans students have had. The article gives a very hard reality check to anyone reading as to how bad the problem of student debt is.
With college being a social norm and being looked at as the path or key to success, many who walk down that path, face financial nightmares. Most students face the struggles of paying for tuition, text books, food, housing, commute, etc. For this reason, a lot of students have no choice but to take out student loans in order to continue their studies and get a college degree, in hopes for a better future. To get a sense of how many people are struggling financially due to student loans and debt, the United States has an accumulated total of approximately, 1.4 trillion dollars in student loan debt. The vast amount of student debt has created many barriers in many people’s lives, which is why the government should make it easier for individuals
The current student loan debt overall in the US is over 1 million (Is the Student Loan Crisis a Myth). This massive collection of debt is affecting the economy as a whole since students are neglecting other payments to focus on college. According to Allan and Thompson however, this collective debt should not exist. They believe that the student should be able to receive their respective degree flawlessly.
The liberal progressive media that currently seems to be dominating our national news networks we seem to be finding ourselves at pinnacle topic of discussion. That pinnacle point is that of Institutions of Higher learning and the rising cost of education. The cost of for attending these “institutions of higher learning be it a college or university do not come with a cheap price tag. The implication of attending has directly resulted in the rise of student debt that is acquired via the financial products called students loans. In order to understand the massive problem that we have we must first journey down the path in history of what is considered by many a dark and low time in this nation's history, the 2008 housing crisis.
For many people in the United States, going to college is considered a rite of passage. However, in recent years with student loan debt increasing, many believe that college is actually not the way to go anymore. Those who think that college is not a worthwhile investment are simply choosing to ignore the facts. A college degree in Americas today is becoming more and more necessary to be successful in the workforce. Student loan debts often intimidate people into believing that college is not the right path for them, but in today’s economy, a college degree is paramount.
For generations, college degrees provided a ladder of economic opportunity, however, recent rise in student debt has called into question the value of higher education. With loans becoming the primary source for accessing college, cohorts of young adults are finding themselves having to start their post college life in higher amounts of debt than previous generations.
In recent years, 70 percent of students graduated with student loans. The average 2016 grad holds $37,172 in student debt, according to calculations by student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz. This is an issue that deserves attention because it be couldn’t be anymore relevant to what college graduate students are going through today having to pay back student loans in order to attend college and college loan debt continues to rise as educational institutes continue to raise their tuition costs. College loan debt negatively affects many lower income college graduates and will have effect those who will attend college in the future which in the end will lead students down the road of financial failure and leave them with limited options of work in the future. Student debt continues to increase.
Do you ever wonder why students in college are always in debt? Students in college are always low on money because of the student loan they take out. Taking out a student loan isn’t a good thing. You can take another path on paying for college. After taking a loan out for college you soon become broke and can’t afford anything else.
Some reporters and commentators have dubbed student debt “the next subprime.” This comparison certainly grabs a reader’s attention, and it may cause readers to ask: Does student loan debt in the United States have the potential to cause a similar amount of financial damage as the mortgage crisis?” What this means is that student loans are increasing so rapidly that they have managed to exceed credit card debt and is increasing at an uncontrollable rate. I also believe it’s interesting when they state, “A higher rate indicates that more loans are becoming seriously delinquent and is an early indicator of potentially greater credit losses. The rate of new serious delinquencies for student loans has been relatively constant since 2006 at around
career field because of their debt” (Life Delayed: The Impact of Student Debt on the Daily Lives of Young Americans). Additionally, even if a college graduate made the decision to make a large purchase, such as a house, “the mounting rate of default on student loans is hurting young people’s credit ratings – and making it much harder for them to buy a home or condominium” (5 alarming facts about America's $1.3 trillion in student loan debt). As a result, student loan debt not only hinders the lives of borrowers, but it also affects the economy. “If student loan borrowers continue to sit on the sidelines and delay diving into economic commitments, the perilous position of the U.S. economy will continue to plod cautiously along rather than prosper with the help of a new generation of well-educated consumers” (Life Delayed: