Lucy Moua
Reid
ELA 12
Period 4: U2SC
15 December 2016
Is college really worth it? I don’t know about you, but without a doubt, our parents and family has always lectured us from the beginning of our lives that receiving an education is the most important task. Receiving an education would be in fact, graduating out of college and with that is the key to the gate of an amazing ever-lasting career and life-long financial wealth. Naturally, going to college and receiving a degree has become a privileged essential to everyone. However, in the long run, the demand for a college degree will decrease. As the evolution of technology rises and as computers take over the position of many workers, a degree will not be as valuable as it will be. In fact, there are many who are here today and many jobs that do fairly well without a college degree. Besides, college also leaves many students with a huge ton of debts and loans that are yet to be paid off. Because some people do so well without graduating college with the increase of technology, college has and will leave many with debts and loans therefore, it will not be worth it at the end. Most of the high school seniors are pressured and persuaded by their parents and guidance counselors that if they continue their future or path to go to college, it won’t just be “the right thing to do”, but a way to lead themselves to the future of their succession. …show more content…
Pressured at the fact there are loans and debts to be paid right after college. In fact, according to Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert, about 27% of the students who borrowed money just to attend college end up graduating with debts (Kantrowitz). In 2012, 71% of all graduating seniors (1.3 million) had student loan debts from a 4-year college. To be specific, 66% had student loans from public colleges, leading their debt to be about $25,550. Seventy-five percent from private nonprofit colleges equaling to $32,300, and 88% from for-profit colleges equaling to $39,950. The average debt level for all the graduating seniors were $29,400. That is a 25% increase comparing to the total debt in 2008: $23,450 (“Quick”). Graduates with Pell Grants of family income lower than $40,000 will most likely borrow loans, and 88% of them had student loans. But 53% of the students who never received Pell Grants also graduated with student debt (“Quick”). Apparently, either way you’re going to graduate with loans and debts. And since the government grants and postsecondary education are absent in staying in touch with the increases in college costs, student loan debt has been increasing. The fact that family income has become low since 2000, and the government doesn’t carry its fair share of college costs, it still receives an excessive increase in income tax revenue from college graduates (Kantrowitz). According to the article “Median”, in 1971, a study was shown that $428 is the average tuition for a 4-year college (“Median”). At this time, women made an income with an average of $2,408 and men made $6,903. As you can see, during the time, college was affordable. In contrast of the 1970s, “Median” has also collected statistics in recent times: in 2012, the tuition has increased from $428 to $8,646 which is a 1,920% increase from our time now from then (“Median”). Besides struggling with student debts and loans, there are certain jobs that require only a high school diploma which does an acceptable job with income. According to David Leonhardt, college cost may not be the problem because there are grants and aid such as Financial Aid to help pay for tuition and college expenses. For Leonhardt, the problem is that there are many jobs that you can take hold of without a college degree. An example would be the Bureau of Statistics, which require only a high school diploma which pays an amount of $20 or more. However, 70% of the jobs require moderate to a long term job training; 30% of the jobs require only a short term, no-on the job training (Leonhardt). In Leonhardt’s article, “Even for Cashiers, College Pays Off,” he lists jobs that do not require a college degree and an addition,
Reid
ELA 12
Period 4: U2SC
15 December 2016
Is college really worth it? I don’t know about you, but without a doubt, our parents and family has always lectured us from the beginning of our lives that receiving an education is the most important task. Receiving an education would be in fact, graduating out of college and with that is the key to the gate of an amazing ever-lasting career and life-long financial wealth. Naturally, going to college and receiving a degree has become a privileged essential to everyone. However, in the long run, the demand for a college degree will decrease. As the evolution of technology rises and as computers take over the position of many workers, a degree will not be as valuable as it will be. In fact, there are many who are here today and many jobs that do fairly well without a college degree. Besides, college also leaves many students with a huge ton of debts and loans that are yet to be paid off. Because some people do so well without graduating college with the increase of technology, college has and will leave many with debts and loans therefore, it will not be worth it at the end. Most of the high school seniors are pressured and persuaded by their parents and guidance counselors that if they continue their future or path to go to college, it won’t just be “the right thing to do”, but a way to lead themselves to the future of their succession. …show more content…
Pressured at the fact there are loans and debts to be paid right after college. In fact, according to Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert, about 27% of the students who borrowed money just to attend college end up graduating with debts (Kantrowitz). In 2012, 71% of all graduating seniors (1.3 million) had student loan debts from a 4-year college. To be specific, 66% had student loans from public colleges, leading their debt to be about $25,550. Seventy-five percent from private nonprofit colleges equaling to $32,300, and 88% from for-profit colleges equaling to $39,950. The average debt level for all the graduating seniors were $29,400. That is a 25% increase comparing to the total debt in 2008: $23,450 (“Quick”). Graduates with Pell Grants of family income lower than $40,000 will most likely borrow loans, and 88% of them had student loans. But 53% of the students who never received Pell Grants also graduated with student debt (“Quick”). Apparently, either way you’re going to graduate with loans and debts. And since the government grants and postsecondary education are absent in staying in touch with the increases in college costs, student loan debt has been increasing. The fact that family income has become low since 2000, and the government doesn’t carry its fair share of college costs, it still receives an excessive increase in income tax revenue from college graduates (Kantrowitz). According to the article “Median”, in 1971, a study was shown that $428 is the average tuition for a 4-year college (“Median”). At this time, women made an income with an average of $2,408 and men made $6,903. As you can see, during the time, college was affordable. In contrast of the 1970s, “Median” has also collected statistics in recent times: in 2012, the tuition has increased from $428 to $8,646 which is a 1,920% increase from our time now from then (“Median”). Besides struggling with student debts and loans, there are certain jobs that require only a high school diploma which does an acceptable job with income. According to David Leonhardt, college cost may not be the problem because there are grants and aid such as Financial Aid to help pay for tuition and college expenses. For Leonhardt, the problem is that there are many jobs that you can take hold of without a college degree. An example would be the Bureau of Statistics, which require only a high school diploma which pays an amount of $20 or more. However, 70% of the jobs require moderate to a long term job training; 30% of the jobs require only a short term, no-on the job training (Leonhardt). In Leonhardt’s article, “Even for Cashiers, College Pays Off,” he lists jobs that do not require a college degree and an addition,