As thousands of students begin to cross the stage in a few months to receive their high school diplomas its crucial now more than ever for them to make a decision. Since learning shapes and colors in kindergarten; teachers, parents and administration were training the young mind to be prepared for college. Leading them to believe that the best way to succeed is to obtain a degree. The choice to attend college is a major one that will affects the student for the rest of their lives. Though students are told that attending a college or university is the ticket to success; the cost of this ticket is never brought up or emphasized. Once students arrive at their first semester of college this financial realization hits them hard, and after graduation the stress only continues. Additional debt, horrible credit, and paychecks that don’t meet their expected standards makes them question; was it all worth it?   The cost of attending can lead to debt that’s detrimental to the student future, and in some cases not worth the financial stress.  

The decision to go to college is one that has been presented to students all throughout their thirteen years of school. High school is specifically designed to prepare the student for the rigorous courses they will encounter in college. Students are even given the opportunity to take courses in high school that will count toward their college grade point average. Many programs, like Advance Placement (AP) and the International Baccalaureate (IB), were created to encourage students to work toward college goals while still in high school. The idea of college is etched in the young minds from the time they enter school until the time they receive their diplom.2 Students are thrown into to college without being alerted of the expenses they will be required to cover, yet assured that the benefits of college are all worth it. Well, for all instances that is not the case. College is viewed as an investment; the concept behind this idea is students will pour thousands into receiving an education and later in life that investment will pay off because of the potential to make hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in return. When they receive a degree it is expected that they will have a career that pays them well. Seems like a logical thing to do; if one gets into debt for their education it okay because they will be making triple that amount in the future, so why not attend? Students are not fully aware of the negative things that can happen when they choose to attend college therefore they do not weigh these contenders when they decide to attend a university. Over 1.3 million students graduated college last year with student loan debts exceeding $30,000 (Hayford). Many of these people upon entering the work force are in positions that don’t relate to the degree they obtained and are making less money than they expected to be making right after graduating from college.  

College has led to about 40 million Americans that have outstanding student loans (Berman). Each individual’s debt ranges from $25,000 - $30,000 each (Berman). Students aren’t warned about the wolf in sheep’s skin, that is student loans. Many of the loans have small terms and conditions that students skim over that later come back and bite them financially in the future. Without knowing all the reparations students continue to take out student loans. Increasing debt has led to a student loan crisis here in the United States. The student loan crisis is defined people having outstanding student loan debts and not having the means to pay the debts back without completely jeopardizing their way of life (Long). Many of these individuals attended college with intentions on receiving high paying jobs that would allow them to repay the loans taken out while also making enough money for a comfortable living. What they do not know is that receiving a degree does not a guarantee that you will get a high paying job in your field, or a job at all. The national debt for student loans has exceeded $1 trillion dollars and continues to grow annually as each new group of students decide to attend college (Guanghai 345). Though the student has received an education and a degree they are left with debt and jobs that don’t give them the ability to pay off loans and have comfortable way of life at the same time. For example, students that graduate with degrees in arts and humanities leave school with an average debt of $33,000. Most jobs in these fields salaries average from about $26,000 to $30,000 per year; which for a family of four is just barely above the poverty line (Bond). Once factoring in the $33,000 in debt that needs to be paid back people in these fields are slightly below the poverty line. If a student has the means to attend college without needing to receive loans than in the end they are better off because they could pay for college directly out of pocket without accumulating any debt. 

The cost of college used to be affordable; a student could work making minimum wage at a part- time job their senior year of high school and full time the summer before college and have enough money to cover tuition as well as buy a car to get back and forwards to classes, 40 years later today students can’t say the same (Herzog). Students use a combination of part-time jobs and scholarship money and still the cost of college exceeds their income. This factor forces them to take out student loans, that may not even be worth it. Students take out loans for college in hopes of paying off the cost and living a long happy life full of wealth and wellness. These plans become further and further out of reach for some students as they realize that having a degree is not a guarantee for getting a job. The number of people over 60 that owe back student loans have increased by 43% in the past 20 years. In the US, the traditional age to retire is 65, meaning 43% of people have reached their peak working years and are still repaying the cost of college as their days of work come gradually to an end. While more and more senior citizens are battling the cost of college every day we also have people in the younger generation struggling to find employment at all. The current unemployment rate in the United States is 4.9%, 2.1% are people that attended and graduated from college (). College graduates are expected to earn 84% more over a lifetime than a peer with a high school diploma, that equates to a $1 million-dollar difference in wages. The value of a million dollar is not the same today as it was when these statics were taken. Also with 21st century technology thousands of individuals are becoming millionaires overnight. These tycoons arise from not going to college and thinking like everyone else but, from thinking outside the box and creating ideas like apps and new technologies that makes them millions.

Critics may argue that all students should go to college no exception; that loans are put into place so that college can be accessible for all students. They may also argue that a life without going to college will result unsuccessfully compared to and individual that attends college. To these critics their points and justifiable for some instances but as the country advances these ideas become less valid. Take for example Steve Jobs, he was the creator of the multi-million-dollar product Apple. He is also responsible for the creation of Pixar and Next Computer. Before his death he had an net worth of 10.2 billion dollars and he was a college dropout (Revelation YouTube). Proving that a college degree is not a symbol of success or the only way to make millions. However, students that want to attend college should be able to attend and have resources like student loans that help them achieve that. But for students even with the inclusion of financial aid and scholarships combine they still need loans to cover the cost of college. 59% of low-income students that decide to attend college do not finish within six years or even graduate at all due to finances (Bond). Meaning over half of the students that went to college with hopes of rising on the economic scale never graduate or graduates in over six years. The money these students invested into trying to make more money has only resulted in more debt, therefore thousands- of dollars were wasted on college for no reason. For students that want to be successful, debt free, and have less stress attending college may not be the best overall decision. It should noted that a college degree does not guarantee success and not having a degree does not mean you will live a struggling life of poverty. Be smart about the choices given, weigh the options, and decide what best fuels success for you.  

College cost can be detrimental for some student, students that can pay for college without going into debt or having little debt are at an advantage when it comes to getting higher education. There are many different circumstances that can provide a way for students to attend college at little to no cost, meaning after graduation there will be little to no debt. These circumstances include full ride scholarships, in which all of tuition charges are paid by the school for you. These however are hard to come by and are only awarded to the elite of the elite for things like excelling in a sport, a musically instrument, or having exceptionally high scores on standardized test and extremely high grade point averages. Only about 20,000 individuals receive a completely free ride to college averaging to about .3% of all students that attend college (O’Shaughessy). For students who have the funds to pay for college without the help of loans their return will be greater. The average cost for a four-year university in the state of your residence is $25,000 a year. This price included tuition, food, technical fees, room and board, and additional small fees. To complete college in four years the student will have funneled in a cost of $100,000 not including supplies, textbooks, transportation, and other miscellaneous expenses. If the student or their family is able to cover the $25,000 a year without dipping into loan money then the student will benefit more in the future. They will leave college debt free, without the stress of loans hanging over them. With this additional stress removed graduates will not be forced into underemployment, or accepting jobs that they over qualify for. 1 of 10 Americas are in positions where they are underemployed (Long). Lots of graduates accept jobs that do not meet their standards because they are in a rush to start paying off the money they owe for attending college. Most student loan agreements give graduates a total of three-six months before they send out a, bill to start collecting on out taken loans. New graduates eager to pay off what they owe accept jobs that underpay them because finding the right job is hard to manage when you are distracted by the wave of bills flooding in.

Other options for students that decided to save money and not attend college is to get a trade. Attending a trade school is a lot less expensive as opposed going to a four-year university. Depending on the trade you choose you can be making equal pay as peers that attend college, without the added stress of debt. Take for example welding, an entry positions makes approximately $54,000 a year and for higher level underwater welders they can make a $93,000 or more a year. Whereas a dental technician makes about 35,000 a year yet invested thousands into going to college and owes student loans. The average trade school degree is $30,000 opposed to the $100,000 to attend a four-year university(Goldrick-Rad).

The best way to correct the issues of debt and manage the cost of college is to make people more aware. When choosing to attend college you should know the dollar amount for everything that you will be paying for. After collecting this number and aligning it with your current finances, what u make a year the amount you expect to receive in scholarships. After you have these figures compare what you have with what you will be paying. If you can cover the cost of attending without drawing out a student loans, or only taking out a small amount of a couple of thousands than you are in good shape. This will allow less debt accumulation a permanent solution for making college more worth the investment. Another idea that could improve college worth is to install a buy -back plan. After a student graduates, they should get five years to secure a good job and then begin paying back their loans. After 5 years if the students are not in a position then they should not be forced to pay back the loans yet especially if unemployed. If employed the students should only be required to pay a small amount of the loan back every month. If it has been 10 years after graduations and the student has still been unable to get a position then the amount they owe should decrease every year they remain unemployed. This system however could be taken advantage of so it would have to be assured that the people on the buyback plan are seriously in need. To do this background test must be conducted it must also be assured that they are actually looking for employment and not trying to take advantage of the system. This buyback program is logical because student poor thousands into college with the expectation of getting something in return, if they don’t get what their paying for then essentially, they are just being taking advantage of. When buying a new car you expect something from it, you trust that the car is working properly and will get you from point location to location. Well if the brand-new car is not working after you purchased, and there was no fault on you then you expect some compensation. The same should be done with the investment into a college education. 
