Shannon Rawley

Instructor: Malcom Campbell

English 1103
31 March 2015
College Tuition: Collecting Debt before Establishing Credit
Most of us think we have our lives planned out. After high school, many of us live under
the assumption that college is the next best thing. Following college, most of us plan to start a
career, begin a family and live happily. What if things dont go as planned? We live in a world
where sometimes the things we strive for are unattainable. But why should going to the college
be one of those things? Studies from a post on Takelessons.com show that going to college today
is 400 percent more expensive than it was thirty years ago. This dramatic rise in college tuition
could take the blame for why many students arent able to finish and earn their degrees.
However, the decision to attain a higher education shouldnt be followed with the consequence
of student loan debt. Its a freedom that we should all be able to take advantage of. The reality of
it all is that college is considered somewhat of a necessity in certain career fields. Specific jobs
require certain credentials that are only attainable through a college education. More often than
not, when working to earn these credits, students find themselves drowning in an overwhelming
amount of stress and more apparently, the cost of tuition. The only thing standing in between
young adults in America achieving their dreams is a price tag. As a college student,
understanding and sympathizing with the millions of other people in my generation is my
motivation for pursuing this topic. Well start with where the problem begins: senior year of
highschool. In this time of a young adults life, uncertainty is the only consistant thing. Most of us

are unsure of what exactly we want our lives to be like. For many students, college just seems
like the next best thing. According to statistics from the US Department of Labor, of the three
million students, ranging from age 16 to 24, who went to high school, only two million of those
students continued to college. Being that I am a recent high school graduate and a first year
college student, I am a part of that statistic. I successfully finished high school but what about
college? Another article from Thinkprogress.org states that the United States finishes last in
comparison to other countries with only 46 percent of students finishing college and earning their
degree. This leaves a little more than half of American college students without a degree but still
buried in debt. With over half of students enrolling in four year programs dropping out before
graduation, one could only wonder why. Is it because every two out of three college students
graduates with student loan debt making it harder for students to complete their four year
degrees? Or maybe because the debt most students accumulate averages to about 20,000 dollars?
Both of these are possibilities that every student attending an institution of higher education must
accept from the start. Graduating from high school is only the first step we take on the walk to
success.
To begin my inquiry journey I began with the most common question, why? Why is the price of
college tuition so high? A Wisconsin congressman named Marc Pocan once said By making
college unaffordable and student loans unbearable, we risk deterring our best and brightest from
pursuing higher education and securing a good paying job." Not only do I agree with this quote
but Ive experience this scenario first hand. Promising classmates I studied with in high school
may not have had the same opportunities that I have which puts them at a disadvantage.
It all begins with competition. In the 1950s, tuition at the University of Chicago was on
average, around 870 dollars. This was considered one of the most expensive schools in the

country at the time. Colleges all around the United States shared tuition prices that mimicked that
of the University of Chicago. As time progressed and technology blossomed, well accredited
institutions were expected to offer more. Competing schools began to make their most wellknown programs more prestigious which in return, caused other universities to do the same.
More advanced programs demand better professors with larger salaries and pricey equipment
thats efficient and up to date. In addition to these upgrades, the appearance of college campuses
became more relevant as well as their location and other things aside from academics such as
athletics and extracurricular programs. An article from Alternet.org suggests that Universities
competed for prominent faculty by offering larger salaries. They expanded and modernized their
laboratory space to attract prestigious government grants. Although most schools chose to raise
the cost of tuition to keep up with competitors, some universities chose to try and help students
through different types of financial assistance. Some forms of financial assistance include loans,
scholarships and grants. These are types of aid that are provided by the government and private
corporations that are willing to fund students who apply. The article continues by saying, Some
schools, to their credit, responded to the growing demand for fairness by offering more
scholarships to disadvantaged students. All of these factors played a role in increasing the cost of
tuition.
But are all these things really necessary to the value of an adequate college education?
Does the price of these luxuries make going to college worth your while? And do these luxuries
support the true purpose of obtaining a college education? I think not. Our motive, as students,
behind going to college shouldnt be all about getting a good job and making tons of money.
Author George Leef once said, People who dont have the interest or aptitude for serious
college studies at age 18 may find that later in life they do, but those who enroll just because they

think that the mere possession of a college degree is the passport to success will just dig
themselves a financial hole. Leefs point in saying this was to show that peoples motivation for
going to college should be solely to discover new things. Although that is a large factor in many

peoples decision to attend college, the main reason we should go to these universities is simply
to learn about things that we wouldnt otherwise be able to learn about. Education should be
about discovery and experience not just money. However, once our focus as a society is shifted
from the overall goal, its hard to focus on anything but the price tag. Unfortunately, the long
term effects of student loan debt dont wither off into the sunset to make way for an easier life.
Piles of college debt follow the young adults who commit to these loans at the ripe age of
eighteen. Even Senator Elizabeth Warren recognized the long term effect that student loans have
on the lives of many young Americans in an interview she did with CNN. She stated "Millions of
young people... can't buy homes, they can't buy cars ... all because they are struggling under the
weight of student loan debt." The burden of debt is overwhelmingly heavier than the sense of
reality carried by the high school graduates who commit to thousands of dollars worth of school
loans.
Another pressing issue that we face as a society is oblivion. My generation knows the
bare minimum about the things we have to deal with in the real world, especially when it comes
to loans and school debt. They dont teach us about those kinds of things in school. Our
curriculum is focused on math and literature but when will we get the opportunity to learn about
things that we actually have to know? Of course we know what those things are but how much
do we really know about interest rates and credit? Most of the time, we dive head first into these
financial commitments before being fully aware of what were getting ourselves into.

I am a teenager. Just under a year ago, I still lived with my mother and had a respectable
curfew. Within a matter of months, everything I knew changed. I was living on my own having
to learn things about life, things that werent a part of my high school curriculum. Within the
time I transitioned from a high school student to a college freshman, I had to learn about debt.
Prior to applying for college, I knew what debt was but I had never had to truly consider the
effects that the loans I signed for could have on my life directly. The only thing I knew for sure
was that I had to go to college and I needed a way to pay for it. Like other eager young college
freshman my age, the reality of the loans Ive committed to paying hasnt settled. Even now as
Im approaching the end of my first year as a college student, Im just beginning to realize what
Ive signed up for.
When it comes to my generation, were a little different than the ones who came before
us. In a survey conducted by Northeastern University, researchers took the time to interview
students who are a part of what they refer to us as Generation Z. In this survey, they found that
nearly two thirds of the participants admitted to being concerned about finding employment after
college graduation while 60 percent of them said they worried about being financially stable as
adults. A common pattern shown in the responses from people a part of Generation Z was in
response to what we see happening now economically in our country. With all the issues that our
country has endured during the growth of Generation Z, one of our main concerns is to not make
the same things that others have done. After facilitating this survey, researchers found that many
people in my generation take the time to think more carefully about all their possible options in
an effort to avoid the same mistakes that our parents and the generations before us made.
Although while in our first years of freedom its no secret that we can be unpredictable and

sometimes irresponsible, the majority of our generation is legitimately concerned with our future
and what we can do about it now.
As my research came to a close over the past few weeks while attempting to conjure up a
relevant inquiry analysis, I realized that the last part of my project had to do a lot with selfunderstanding. After graduating high school, most teens dont know what they want to do. Most
of us just have a bunch of scattered dreams that we dont understand how to work towards.
College is a place most of us are told to go by esteemed teachers and trusted family members.
Being that we trust their judgment, were quick to adhere to their suggestions. What they dont
tell us before we sign our names on the loans and apply for financial aid is that college is a
choice. It is not the only way. Dont get me wrong, expanding your education and furthering your
knowledge in any subject is something we should all strive for however, there are many ways to
go about it. Each career path requires a different set of skills that you can obtain through some
other form of learning if college isnt the place for you. After grasping that understanding, young
adults may give life after high school more of a serious thought and take into consideration the
great responsibility that college truly is.
To conclude my research, the main question I asked myself was where does all this
madness begin? The answer is us. Too often we dive head first into things that we dont know
much about. The more we know, the better we can be. My generations outlook on collecting
college debt is somewhat different that than the generation prior to us. Were not only worried
about our future financial standing, were scared. An article from Insidehired.com suggests that
my people in my generation suffer from financial anxiety. Financial anxiety is just what the title
suggest, a form of anxiety caused by stress due to potential or current situations concerning
money. My generation has survived many things including a recession giving us firsthand

experience as to what its like to struggle financially as a country and even more importantly, as
an individual. That same article states, The great recession was a formative experience for this
generation, they saw their parents or their friends' parents suffering real setbacks.
These lessons our parents have unintentionally taught us have helped influence our
outlook on the future. The dreams and goals each of us have shouldnt be unattainable. We
should be able to accomplish the things in life that we work hard to earn. Especially if theyre
beneficial. Knowledge is greatly powerful and the impact that we can each have on our society if
we use the knowledge that weve obtained can be very influential. Although college is
considered an alternative form of secondary education, the people who work hard to make it
there shouldnt be overwhelmed by debt by the time they earn their degree. College can play
such a strong role in the future careers of the students who take advantage of the opportunities
that come along with it. Aside from simply earning money, a college degree empowers the adults
who work hard to achieve it. Although I havent received a college degree yet, I imagine that the
feeling of getting one is similar to graduating from high school. So, why should the cost of
attending a well accredited university rob future students of that feeling of accomplishment?
Regardless of that simple fact, the price of tuition plays a very dominant factor in the future of
young adults in America who do want to pursue a career that requires certain skills only taught at
four year accredited institutions. Earning a higher education should not have to come at a price.
Its a freedom that we should all have and be able to take advantage of. Knowledge is power but
it is also a freedom that we all have the right to.

Works Cited

"College Enrollment and Work Activity of 2013 High School Graduates." U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
L., Megan. "Facts about the Cost of College Tuition" TakeLessons 13 May 2014. Web. 31 Mar.
2015.
New, Jake. "Study: Teenagers Want to Go to College, but Are 'particularly Averse' to Student
Debt Study: Teenagers Want to Go to College, but Are 'particularly Averse' to Student
Debt 8 Nov. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2015
Waldron, Travis. "Study: Nearly Half of Americas College Students Drop out before Receiving
a Degree." ThinkProgress. Center for American Progress Action Fund, 28 Mar. 2012.
Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
Zimmerman, Bill. "How Did College Education Become So Ridiculously Expensive?" Alternet.,
10 Mar. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.