There has not been a financial challenge I've faced in my life that amounts to the one that I face as a financially independent college student. In highschool they emphasize the idea of getting accepted into college, but never on how do you stay in college. All my life it has been considered ideal and fairly simple to go to high school, then to college, and from there you’ll be fine. I believed that it would be as simple as getting a plethora of scholarships and grant money. I believed loans,if any, would be easily obtainable and not a big deal. The cost of college is far greater than I could ever imagine. You see, the financial cost is one burden, but let us consider the by products of the financial burden of college. There is the physical cost, the mental cost, the social cost, etc. …show more content…
I have put my college refund money into savings towards going back to a university. I am working a doable amount of hours at work and using that money for some to go towards bills, insurance, groceries, and finally savings. Though I am still enduring some of the effects of the financial cost of college, I can honestly say that I am in a far better place than I was at the university. I am also using this time away from the university as an opportunity to look into as many different grants and scholarships as possible in order to eliminate the financial stress and having to use too much of my student loans in the future. So far I have had no luck, but I’ll continue on trying with faith. I have learned how important financial literacy is. I have learned that taking out private loans is not easy and credit is not something to fool around with. As a 19 year old college student I am still not done learning all I need to know in order to truly be financially secure, but I must say that I have come a long way and am proud that I have put myself in this
Thomas Jefferson said that “ Books Constitute Capital !”, and by that saying from over one hundred years ago it still stands today. The high cost of college textbooks is not only an issue here at Delgado Community College, but with almost every college student across the nation. Rather new or used textbooks are overpriced, but students can save money by buying digital textbooks.
When I was a freshman in high school, my parents sat me down in the living room and told me that if I wanted to go to college, I’d have to pay for it myself. Our financial difficulties were large enough to merit the statement. My step-dad was hardly able to work anymore because of health problems from a career in manufacturing. My mom also suffered in the over-saturated market for dental hygienists in Mesa—she was recently fired from a corporate office for refusing to sell unnecessary treatments to patients, and could only find a job in an office run by an abusive dentist who screamed at his employees and who even threw a computer at an assistant at one point. My mom needed to leave the office, but nobody knew if she would find work anywhere
Statistics exhibit that majority of people are unable to pay for their further education. Pew Social and Demographic Trends state, “A majority of Americans (57%) say the higher education system in the United States fails to provide students with a good value for the money they and their families spend.” Tuition rates for colleges hyperbolizes its values comparatively to the money families spend. It also proclaims, “An even larger majority- 75%- says college is too expensive for most Americans to afford.” College snatch away the money of American families at a value too high and too much for the average family to spend. Not only does college seize the money many family don’t have to begin with, but it forces families to go into debt. Working extreme hours and trying to pay for college wearies the family’s way of living. According to Pew Social and Demographic Trends, “A record share of students are leaving college with a substantial debt burden… about half say that paying off that debt made it harder to pay other bills… about a quarter say it has had an impact on their career choices.” Debts triggers a person to change their profession and causes hardships to their life in the future. High tuition rates and debts stir students away from college and jobs that they truly want. College acquire families money at an
One of the major pieces to becoming a successful business man/woman is receiving a college education. A college degree is viewed as a necessity and is slowly becoming an unreachable goal for some people. Most believe that the cost of college has been rising and continues to rise, and that the rate of increase is outpacing that of other costs (NAICU). As the cost of college rises, families have to change their way of life to be fortunate enough to send their children to college. Along with changing how families’ live, many other problems are produced in various ways. The cost of college should be lowered because it imposes a burden on parents and their children, causes some students to alter their choice of which college to attend, and
The increasing cost of higher education in the United States has been a continuing topic for debate in recent decades. American society emphasizes the importance of education after high school, yet the cost of undergraduate and advanced degrees continually rises at a greater rate than inflation. According to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, cost factors prevent 48% of college-qualified high school graduates from pursuing further education (McKeon, 2004, p. 45). The current system requires the majority of students to accumulate extensive debt with the expectation that they gain lucrative post-graduate employment to repay their loans.
College is where you go to get higher sources of education. Many high school students dream of attending college in order to attain more knowledge, yet so many people fail to realize the cost of college. Attending college, currently, is nearly impossible to do without being in some sort of financial debt or seeking out government help. According to the American Association of University Professors, “two-thirds of American college students graduate with substantial debt, averaging nearly $30,000 (if one includes charge cards) in 2008 and rising.” (AAUP, 2012) Although going to college is beneficial, there is an argument on whether or not going to college is worth the possible debt incurred. The goal
The need for a baccalaureate degree has become more crucial in the ongoing era of an
High costs of college tuition has been a rising concern for many future and former college students. There are college graduates who are concerned after graduation if they made the right choice paying for a college degree. There are also future students who are not as tempted to attend college because of how expensive it is. While there are certain majors that pay well, many of the majors in college do not pay remotely enough considering what it costs to obtain the degree it takes to do the job. This debt is harder to pay off for this very reason which creates difficulty for graduates to move on in life. To make this situation better for future college graduates, tuition needs to be adjusted based on a scale where what the students are putting
There has been a moment in everyone’s life where they have dug too deep to jump back out and abandon the end goal. Students across the country that begin their junior year of high school are thinking about which choice of colleges they have in mind. One of the major problems that keeps a student back like solid steel chain is the tuition it cost for University admission. Students working their hardest throughout their high school career and having the ever conscious situation of financial problems stress them out. Students become discouraged when one of the main reasons for being unable to attend their dream college, is their inability to afford the yearly tuition cost of attendance. Students are then forced to face reality, in the sense that,
The cost of attending college has risen drastically over the years. Statistics show that there has been a 260% increase in tuition costs since 1980. The increase in tuition cost equates to an increase in money borrowed to fund higher education. An increase in money borrowed results in an increase in debt accumulated over time. As a result of the rising figures, the economy as a whole has also suffered because of the restricted financial space many graduates find themselves in upon completion of their degree. In this paper, we will discuss college costs, reasons why they have risen, and the best way for students to pay for it.
Families are now aiming low when it comes to college- or are simply not going at all. Money could play a huge part in this decision- after all, the cost of college has skyrocketed over the years, and so has the amount of student loan debt. This is something even Leonhardt admits, stating that, because of this, only about 33 percent of young adults get a four-year college degree today, while another 10 percent receive a two-year degree (Leonhardt). And even though many colleges offer financial aid packages, that money may soon be cut and the cost of college will continue to grow. It is true that, in my personal experience, just because a student is awarded financial aid does not mean they have a golden ticket to University. This leaves many desperate students the only option of taking out as many loans as they think they can handle- often more than they should. Debt is not a new issue for America, but it is still a problem. Although David Autor, an M.I.T. economist, laments: “not sending [young adults] to college would be a disaster”, no one can ignore the rising rates of loan defaults, and some think it
David Leanhardt a correspondent for the New York Times stated in The College Dropout Boom that often times the thought of high tuition prices scare students away, especially lower-income students, before they even think about attending a college (92). And there is good reason for this. With the average four year degree costing $91,304 at public colleges and $179,000 at private universities (Merrow), tuition prices are ridiculously high. How are people expected to get an education with school costing so much? In the article Angela Whitiker’s Climb Isabel Wilkerson tells of Mrs. Whitiker’s near impossible climb out of poverty and into the upper-middle class. Ms. Whitaker, faced many struggles on her way up the ladder, but she worked hard, and eventually she wound up on top. Still through all of her hard work she could not have gotten to where she is now on her own. She needed someone to support her and her family emotionally, physically, and financially just for her to graduate with an Associate’s degree (202-16). It took a lot of time and effort for Mrs. Whitiker to get out of the place she was born into, and at times it looked like she would never get out, but she pushed forward, and lucked out. Most people don’t have the drive Mrs. Whitiker had, many students simply leave college when they begin to feel the pressure. In a study over college students, Merrow found that
lot of dollars for an unemployed family man or woman with little or no income.
Paying for college may be a difficult process for many. There’s numerous things to worry about such as paying too much money, a large amount of debt and also those who aren’t financially stable worry about the lack of money they have to pay for college. This essay will illustrate how students can fund their college education by scholarships, private student loans, and a part time job.
In today’s society, it is said that having a college degree will have long term benefits. However, for some people, they wonder if college is worth it. The reason why is because of the cost of attending college. Unlike public schools, going to college is not free. Being able to attend a four-year accredited college with scholarships is almost deemed a miracle. Being able to choose which school to fit in your price range is almost heart breaking. The cost of attendance will increase based on accreditation and location. You cannot pay for college with cash money alone. With the help of financial aid, students are given money based on their parent’s income. For some low poverty students, the hopes of getting financial aid is their way to college. For others, parents set aside a trust or college fund to give to their children. Another way students pay for college is through scholarships that they earn locally, through the state, or even on a national scale. However, when the scholarships run out, a student is forced to take out student loans, and the steps after taking the money are not told until after graduation. The student debt rate is overwhelming in this country. No one wants to talk about it because it is being swept under the rug.