...There are multiple view points on the matter, including the infamous ideal that going to college will lead to a good job. But a good job doesn’t always mean you’ll be happy with what you’re doing. And not to mention the pay to that job is a big deal because remember the college you went to get that job? Well you’re going to have major student loans to pay off. These loans will only build through the years and take years to pay off. As opposed to the “Good Life” which is an important self-assurance that leads to the feeling of fulfillment. “The U.S. has been transformed from a manufacturing-based economy to an economy based on knowledge, and the importance of a college education today can be compared to that of a high school education forty years ago. It serves as the gateway to better options and more opportunity” (Importance). And even though tuition is always rising, there are always financial aid opportunities. Financial aid options such as local, merit-based, federal, and corporate. In your college experience you make connections that will help you through years to come. Having a college degree can also contribute to promotions and better job opportunities. College isn’t for everyone, this is a well-known fact. And the reasoning for not going to college can vary from not being able to pay for it or having other things to worry about. It’s very possible to make a good living without college and even have an amazing job. You could even get a few “six figure jobs...
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...In the evolving social climate of today’s society, the importance of higher education is being stressed more than ever. It is becoming increasingly rare to procure a well-paying occupation without first obtaining a college degree. However, college administrators estimate that almost a third of all college students drop out of school sometime during their freshmen year. There are a variety of factors that influence a student’s likelihood to drop out of college, including financial, personal, and work-related issues. One of the most common reasons students drop out of college is financial complications. With government funding dropping, colleges rely largely on higher student tuitions. A study in 2011 estimated the average cost of attending a four-year college to be $8,244 for in-state students and $12,526 for out-of-state students. For many students, such a gratuitous amount of money is simply unattainable. (Hardin, 2007) In addition, because many individuals without college degrees are limited to minimum wage jobs, even working students are often unable to fund their educations due to low incomes. If a student does not receive financial aid or parental support, they are even less likely to be able to afford the ever-rising cost of higher education. Once a student experiences the inflated price of college tuition and supplies, dropping out may become a financial necessity. Another common cause of college dropouts is personal issues. Such issues include academic...
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...Why College Education Should Be Accessible and Affordable Kyei Baffour Comm 215: Essentials of College Writing April 23, 2012 Sharon Grunst There was a time when parents who could not afford to pay for college for their children just worked their way through it by paying in bits and pieces from their monthly paychecks, relied on gifts from other family members or simply took another job to make those dreams a reality. The current recessionary economic situation the country finds itself in has put added strain on college financing options for most people and the sooner steps are taken to fix these problems the better. I come to this conclusion because of my personal situation concerning this topic. My family currently has three college students; I, my wife and our son, and we are all relying on loans and some grants to fund our education. I think the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which includes heavy investments in education, passed by Congress and signed into law by the President is a very good step in the right direction. This Act provides over $30 billion in funds to help improve access to college and help lay the foundation for positive long-term achievements of the country’s educational goals. Now is the time for increased investments in education because the economy, reeling from the current recession, benefits as a whole. The availability of adequate and inexpensive funding for...
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...College Education is Worth the Investment All kids are pushed to do their best and work hard in school. Having a work ethic is something that is always emphasized when children are young and learning the importance of diligence in school. We are told that if you work hard you will reap more benefits in your lifetime. Hard work is a key to doing well in school and work. Being inherently intelligent will obviously open doors but having merit and putting that in your everyday work will get you far as well. It has been shoved down our throats that a college degree is a way to secure a job and find something that will allow some stability in life. In a time where everyone has seen families struggle with finding any sort of stability, it is something that this generation definitely strives for. The economy is said to be recovering, and unemployment rates dropping. We are told that hard work helps guarantee a job, security, and more wealth in life. Due to the economy and high education costs it is not always so obvious whether the hard work put forth in college will pay off in the end. College is supposed to guarantee a sort of safety net for a safe middle class life, and although this is not always the case the costs and time spent in college teach valuable lessons that a student can carry with them and apply to the work world when they get their degree and in other aspects of their life. Some people think that they will not be able to get into college based on grades...
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...Recently, students have raised many questions as college tuition continues to increase and jobs become harder to attain. Many individuals have been paying a vast amount of money to attend college, then upon graduation have come to earn less than spent. Thus, igniting the argument about the importance of the college degree and whether the financial benefit would be greater if one entered the labor market directly out of High School. The benefits of a degree holding individual still tend to outweigh the costs, “With degrees earning a return of about 15 percent over the past decade,” (Abel and Deitz). These returns have continued to be high despite the falling earnings and rising tuition, because the salary of the individuals with no university...
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...far college has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I encourage everyone to at least give college a shot. Ever since I was little I was expected to go to college, and I even remember my aunts repeating over and over again that I would be, “the first Clancy girl to go to Harvard.” As you can see I did not make it to Harvard, but my family has always had these high standards that they set for me. Part of the reason why I did go to college was because my family expected me to go. I cannot think of one person in my family that did not go to college, so when it came to my senior year in high school, everyone was asking me where I would be going in the fall. I also had a lot of pressure coming from my high school. At the assembly on the first day of school in the seventh grade, the head master explained to us that this school was meant to prepare you for college. This is the reason why 100% of my graduating class went on to further their education in college. Not only did all of my class go college, but 20 of them attended Harvard this fall. You can say that there were major expectations at my school. I did not attend college only because of the pressures, but I have always had that drive to further my education. I’ve always wanted to work in law enforcement, and I feel like it would be the perfect job for me. I still haven’t decided if I want to become a lawyer, or be on the SWAT team for the Boston Police, but that is why I decided to go to college. College is...
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...Economics of a College Drop Out Research Term Paper By Eleazar Rangel 7/02/2013 South Texas College Econ 2302 Professor Oscar Plaza A. Introduction: Economics of a Dropout High cost of college and several other factors are causing the number of college dropouts to rise drastically. Understanding why this numbers are soaring is important. For example why has the rise of the cost of college nearly sextupled since 1985? Or why has the student loan debt held by Americans surpassed the $1 trillion mark? In addition to answering these questions, I will discuss the different arguments, opinions; facts regarding the toll college dropout play in this economy, and finally my final point regarding this college dropout syndrome. B. The issue: Why are students dropping out of college? This is an important topic because what factors cause students to drop out of college? According to a study from Harvard University, only 56% of students who enter college or universities graduated within a six-year period (only 29% who enter a two-year program graduate within a three year span). A main factor, according to the Harvard study, is the rising cost of the college education. Since 1985 the amount of student loan debt has surpassed the $1trillion mark and cost of a college education has sextupled. The graph below, by the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, shows the difference in price changes since 1985. As you can see in the graph college tuition and fees has drastically...
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...Walden Student Interest January 27, 2013 Walden University Understanding Higher Education The issues of student learning graduation have increased its importance tremendously throughout the years. Education has become very important in the world today amongst individuals for many reasons. Many people are trying to make better salaries, get promoted on the job, and become better aware in certain areas. In today’s world having a bachelor degree is like having a High School diploma and this has changed tremendously from the past. A bachelor’s degree before held very high standards years back and meant so much because there was not as many people perusing further education as they are now. Now many people are working on Master’s Degree immediately after their bachelor degree is received. This has up the scale for every student that currently holds a bachelor degree and allows them to possibly want Master and Doctorates. Now it is not uncommon for a student to get a doctorate at a much younger age than before because education plays such a big role currently. Student learning is more important because with the recession going on, it is more likely that a person with a college degree will get the job before a regular high school diploma. It is so hard to get a job just having a high school diploma and that makes individuals want to go to further their education to be able to get a decent job making decent money. Graduation is important because of there is no point...
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...After years of looking for the right college to attend, my senior year was slowly finishing and I was accepted into Spartanburg Methodist College. Through my years of going to Spartanburg Methodist College, I have grew and began to understand the importance of knowing what is needed for the career you pursue. Once, I graduate from Spartanburg Methodist College, I will be prepared for the future. My freshman year of college, I lived on campus and knowing that it was my freshman year. I felt that the college was big compared to what I was used to back a home. Having the ability to live on campus with 3 other students and being a part of the Golf team really helped with growing used to and making friends on campus. My sophomore year at Spartanburg...
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...understand what the phrase means, we need to define each word in itself. Personal according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary has various meanings, “done in person without the intervention of another” (2014) but in this case the best definition would be as follows, “being rational and self-conscious”. (2014) Responsibility is “the quality or state of being responsible”. (2014) In other words, it is the ability to answer for your own actions or duties. Basically, personal responsibility is the ability to take care of oneself and accepting the consequences of our decisions. The Association of American Colleges and Universities identifies four groups of learning outcomes that is important for college students. Among them is social and personal responsibility. Here we’re going to focus solely on the personal responsibility aspect. There are two key aspects that may help students develop personal responsibility: to always aim for greatness by always doing the very best within his/her capabilities; and by promoting the capacity of honorable reasoning and the ability to apply it to learning and life. Personal responsibility and college success have an intimate relationship because it takes personal responsibility to achieve success in college. There are going to be many challenges that we will encounter as students especially when taking online courses, and it is important to acknowledge what these challenges are and what steps we should take to overcome them. Challenges include...
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...The Progressive Path: A New Approach for the Modern Student Mitchell M Rodgers Western Governors University The Progressive Path: A New Approach for the Modern Student Recent college graduate…in debt. Early to mid-twenties…in debt. No retirement or emergency savings…in debt. Minimal work experience…in debt. Too many Americans are subject to this common denominator…in debt. For far too long we have become accustomed to the monotony and strenuous financial burden of at least four years of college immediately following four years of high school. At times, this may be a wise path for a student to follow but we as a society need to take a step back to analyze whether or not this truly is the best path in the long run. According to Barbara King (2015), an assistant professor of mathematics at Florida International University, when she collected data pertaining to 1,947 students majoring in Life Science, Business, Social Science, Education, Humanities, and Physical Science/Engineering, she found that 37% of them switched their major, thus delaying their graduation and increasing their debt obligation. Any student planning on taking full responsibility for their tuition should consider delaying enrollment in higher education after high school to make way for an entry-level position because they are more likely to graduate with a lower debt obligation, they will enjoy a more bountiful retirement, and they will most likely be both financially literate and free. By delaying enrollment...
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...The Importance of Good Credit Have you ever been turned down for a loan or an apartment lease and wondered why? It could be due to your credit history. Let’s face it–our credit says a lot about who we are. It is our financial report card, and can affect many aspects of our lives. Professional credit counselors at ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions agree that having a good credit history is imperative to leading a financially fit life. What is Credit? Credit is defined as a contractual agreement between a lender and a borrower in which the borrower assumes something of value, and agrees to repay the lender on a future date. How does it work? When you apply for credit (say a loan or a credit card), the lender has to decide if you are a good candidate for receiving the loan. The lender’s decision is based heavily on your credit history. They have to assess the level of risk involved if they are to extend credit to you. If you have displayed a poor repayment history, it is less likely that you will be approved for the loan or a line of credit. The lower your credit score, the higher your interest rate. Over the life of a mortgage or auto loan, higher interest rates will cost you thousands and thousands of dollars. If you plan to take out either of these types of loans or a new credit card, it would be wise to pull your credit reports to see where you stand and start making improvements now. Who actually looks at your credit record? You may be surprised to learn that it...
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...of Education recognizes and keeps the importance of economic education which is why the agency and their proposed regulation interest me. The agency helps promote student achievement by all means and helps provide equal access to education for all. The proposed regulation would affect me both positively and negatively because it is a regulation that might help reduce my student debt loan at the end of my school days but at the same time, it would cut funding to thousands of job training program I might need to increase my employability and future earnings down the line. 2. The proposed regulation is meant to define the “gainful employment” requirement for federal student aid. The Department of Education is concerned that students enrolling in some school programs especially in for profit schools (e.g. Devry University), usually find themselves unemployable in those anticipated career fields and burdened with large student loan debts at the end, with no job to pay for it. With that in mind, the department of education proposed the regulation to make sure that students who are enrolled in any gainful employment programs must be guaranteed that those programs provide value, and debt load accumulated thought the enrollment of those programs must be convenient in the lights of wages students can logically expect. Under the proposal, a program would have to pass two tests or have a high repayment rate to be eligible for federal loan/aid: * Test based on debt to Income...
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...English 102 Jiadai Wu 09/06/2015 Salary or Loan? Your choice If you've ever told anyone for career advice, you've probably heard some versions of "follow your passion." Young people, in specific, are often said that they should figure out what career to pursue by building their work about whatever they're passionate about. However, in my opinion, it actually leads most students the wrong way in college time. There are too many students choose their major without understanding what jobs it will qualify them for once they graduate. One thing like student loans, after college, if you enter the working world with plenty of school loans to pay off, which may help you realize the importance of having a well-paying job. Likewise, the reason of giving up passion may come from the pressure by surroundings, which is virtually not your obligation. Like this, people shouldn’t be trapped into others’ happiness and success, even the force given from family and friends. For instance, told by many parents to the children, “I couldn’t do this (referring to a specific activity) when I was young, so I want to see you do it.” Defensed these children when they grow up, also declared that they have their own thought of career, although they are not actually...
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...Mario Talavera English 1A Often times we see articles on the internet about college education and how important it is to get one, what are the majors that are most likely to give you the higher paycheck, degrees with the higher and lower unemployment rate, we see degrees that will give you a better chance to pay back all of the loans at the end of graduation, but also the ones the are on the opposite side of the spectrum. Reading all these reports online can either help you or make it even more difficult to decide for the type of degree you want to go for, some students prefer to go for careers that will give them the most money over following their real passion, only because they feel they have better chances of having more success and financial stability, but there’s one thing that a lot of people can agree on, that getting a college education can increase your chances at success and you’re more likely to achieve excellence and grow at any type of job. But what is success or how do we define it ? Sucesss can have various different meanings according to people, to some it may mean going to the college of their dreams and eventually getting that “perfect” job that they’ve always wanted, driving a fancy car and being able to go on vacation every year, and not having to worry about paying bills because you make enough money to cover those expenses. While for other people, success just means maybe getting married and having your own house, waking up every morning...
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