I chose to reflect on the article “The Debt-for-Diploma System”, written by Jose Garcia, James Lardner, and Cindy Zeldin. I am a college student and have seen the new trend of gaining debt for a diploma growing within my University. Motivation, desire, and smarts are no longer the essentials for getting a college degree, it is money. With college tuitions skyrocketing, majority of students are forced to take out loans (grants are losing value, and scholarships are extremely competitive and rare). It makes me upset that motivated students cannot go to the college of their dreams, not because they were not accepted, but because they cannot afford it. As the authors explain this was not always the way it was, and loans used to play a small role in gaining someone a higher education. In today’s society money, and loans strongly impact someone’s educational future.
I do not think this system is fair, and a change should be made to make college an affordable thing to obtain for studious, motivated students. A quote from the article states, “ studying time dwindles (along with time for extracurricular and social activities), grades suffer, and the whole college experience takes a harsher edge” (p. 175). I have seen this first-hand happen to some of my best friends who are studious, yet, get wrapped up in a time consuming job, and backed up school work, that they have no time to enjoy their college experience. It’s sad; yet, it is the reality so many present day college students face. These loans also do not simply go away once someone graduates, they stick with that person for possibly years to come. With the high interest rates of loans, and the struggles of students right out of college trying to find jobs, these loans are a huge burden. A person that just gained there diploma should feel honored, and focus on entering the “real-world”, not repaying thousands of dollars in loans. We need to start thinking how we can change this pattern so that a college education can once again become obtainable to all who desire it.
Who do we challenge to change this cycle? Do we talk to the government, the individual schools, a Department of Education? All I know is that this trend must end before diplomas become only attainable to those who have the financial means, so we as students need to speak up and take a stance against it.
Your post is interesting, and I completely agree with you. I too, have friends who have had to work full time jobs just to pay for their schooling. They are extremely busy and haven't had has much time to enjoy the once in a lifetime college experience that they deserve. Then, after graduation many of them are going to grad school and just keep piling up the loans.
ReplyDeleteThe system most certainly does not need to be change so that college can be affordable to all.
Just as we have free k-12 education, we need free undergraduate and graduate education as well. I have four college degrees and now have the six-figure student loan debt to show for it. It is beyond demoralizing, esp. since as a teacher I have entered a profession not known for its high salary. Sadly, it seems things are getting worse. At least I, a working-class person, was able to attain the education, albeit saddled with debt. More and more, I see lower-class folks simply unable to access higher education due to the prohibitive cost and greater dificulty securing adequate loans.
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