Higher Education Draft

        

Higher education is a goal that the vast majority of people strive for, knowing that the benefits it brings are great when it comes to a prosperous lifestyle off a stable income.  However, that idea of a prosperous lifestyle is often burdened by the debts that accumulate through  all the years in college to make such a lifestyle possible.  Not everybody who goes to college has to deal with debts that rack up around $80,000 in some cases, and for medical students totaling around $113,000.  A happy handful if they play their cards right may only have around $20,000 in debt.  That still doesn't change the fact that college debt from borrowing leaves many people devastated.  College education debts have grown to an absurd level since the 90's, and the loans borrowed ruin the livelihood of many students after they graduate.

            Today is a great way to describe the situation.  College today is a whole different ball game than it was a decade or two ago.  In a quote from "A Lifetime of Student Debt? Not Likely", written by Robin Wilson, "The average debt has more than doubled, from $9,250 in 1993 to $19,200 in 2003-4."  It only took 10 years for the  debt to double.  And even with that being said, that was a decade ago.  This can only lead to the conclusion that the debt is continually rising.  Today requires too much borrowed money in comparison to 1993, where the debt then didn't last as long as the debt of today.  With the debt having more than doubled since the early 90's,  it just shows how much is required to make something work out. this leads me to another quote I found, that I can relate to rather well, as I'm sure many other can if not having already seen an example of.  Robert A. Sevier, senior vice president at Stamats Inc., a higher-education marketing firm in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, states "People live outside their means."  Many people  try to borrow more than they need in order to go to the college that they've wanted to go to since they were young children.  Many people borrow $40,000 when they should only have to borrow $20,000, but because many people desire more of their personal wants than the true needs that should be able to live with.  Many people want to go to the big name schools, live in a dorm or frat, and take classes that they might not necessarily need.  It all adds up, and over time the additions of many of these extras that are not needed end up being the reason why the debts are so much higher than they should be. 

           Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid, a Web site about student aid, says it best in his quote:  "Many people don't pay attention to the debt, they want to be able to pay for the school they have wanted to go to for as long as they can remember, and they are willing to do whatever it takes."  What he means by this is that many people worry and think more about what's behind the doors of the college they want to go to, they don't think about the debt that will gradually become a chain that binds them to the school for most of their lives until the debt is fully paid.  Many people would rather go where they want to regardless what the backlash will be, and that backlash becomes the debt the accumulates over the many years they spend in their dream college.  The debt doesn't matter to them, as long as in the end they are where they want to be the idea of debt drops to the far back of their mind.

            In 1993, only 1.3 percent of graduation seniors had borrowed money currently equivalent to $40,000. by 2003-4, that number had jumped to 7.7 percent. That's more than a 5 times increase in students who needed to borrow to fund their time in college.  This proves that colleges are becoming more expensive.  With them becoming more expensive that adds on to the possibility of higher debts that students have to deal with in their lifetimes.  Take note as well, that the last poll was taken in 2003 from this article.  What would the percentage be now?  How many more college students will be spending and borrowing in the next generation?  These loans in a quote from Lauren J. Asher, "can ruin someone for life."  There is so much truth within this one quote that it's hard for many people to bounce back from paying off all the loans and borrowed money that has accumulated over time.

            Patrick M. Callan says: “If we go on this way for another 25 years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education.”  In this statement, Callan's words hold true.  As to prior statistics, If the increase noted earlier grew over the course of 20 years, take a moment to imagine if that were to double.  If the debts of most students grew according to this prediction, college and higher education as we know it would become unrealistically expensive.  The cost for the next generation, and the generations to follow would face hardships unlike those we face today.  Said hardships faced today are already crippling in some cases and weigh heavy on the accounts of many amongst us in America today.

                  According to a young African-American student , “College is the key, as well as hope.”  His point is that in order for the newer generations to prosper in this ever-changing world,  college is the hand that guides and opens the door for possibility.  I strongly agree, as to the fact that my understanding is that for anyone regardless whether it's me or the person sitting across the room from me, college is what will truly aid in our progression through life as it continually grows more difficult than it was for the generations before us.  In order for college to be this key that we can rely upon to open the door however,  it must first be molded.  In order for it to become molded the education that acts as the molder must be affordable to those who wish to use it.  Unfortunately affordable isn't the case for many people, which is why the vast majority borrow if they don't come from wealthy homes.

            Although college is a necessity for all people looking for a prosperous life, it has shown that the debts that come as the end result for most becomes a deterrent to not go.  The thoughts of debt crushes many people hopes in some instances, and repels many people away.  College and higher education provide many benefits, however the debts that many acquire are abysmal and a terrible factor in the lives of college graduates as they gradually pay them off over their lifetimes.