Posted on by Californiacontrarian

College Pendulum ?

Most of us realize that J.B.’s recent student loan forgiveness dictum was his way of pandering for votes before the midterm elections. Personally, I think it will be deemed unconstitutional.

We just had Dan, the plumber out to fix various things. He is an honest guy who we have known for at least thirty years. Now we do not see him regularly, but when we need him, he is there for us. However, he is not cheap. One time when we had a major problem, I asked him if this particular problem was a frequent problem. His verbatim response, “Frequent enough that it has sent my two kids to college.” Although he is not a college graduate, he has sent both of his girls to college. 

A major question these days: “Is college worth it?”

What do those who are paying off their college loans think?

Before JB’s omnipotent act of forgiveness, according to a recent survey of 1,000 U.S. adults ages 33 to 40, conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of ‘CNBC Make It,’ respondents took out an average $21,880 in student loans for their education. Just 32% of those who took out loans have entirely paid them off, meaning the majority (68%) of older millennials were still paying down their student debt a decade or so later. 

And while college degree holders are generally better off — enjoying improved job security, longer life expectancies, higher earnings and greater financial stability — more than half (52%) of older millennials with student debt said their loans weren’t worth it.

A quote from a 33 year old from the same ‘CNBC Make It’:

“You can’t accuse me of wanting someone else to take accountability for my student loans. I’ve paid my debts and I’m going to finish,” he says. “But I went through it, and I can tell you the student debt process was not worth it.

“I wouldn’t wish the student debt experience on anyone.”

As many of us are aware, there is more to going to college than just the education part. It is a time of maturation; A time of growing up. A time of social awakening . . . but at a price, often with a large price tag. More and more are asking if the 2020 college experience is worth it, as college applications for 2021 are down.

From the Washington Times:

“A new national survey finds that college enrollment among this prior spring’s high school graduates had declined 22% since 2019, as students showed lagging interest in higher education during the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center information from more than 2,000 high schools for the report recently released showed  a 21.7% decline in enrollment from high school seniors, with even more drastically lower levels of enrollment from poor, urban and minority students.

Nearly one-third of low-income, minority, and urban high school graduates who would have gone to college in a previous year stayed home this year, said Doug Shapiro, executive director of the research center.”

I say, “It’s about time! The gobbledygook that everyone should go to college has hopefully seen it’s day.” 

The emphasis should be on better schools and better el-hi education especially in those areas that serve poor, urban, and minority students. Good schools and a good education are commonplace in more affluent communities. 2020 has only intensified this imbalance. 

Is there anyone out there who thinks that Joe will attempt to remedy this obvious imbalance?

11/26/22

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