The American Nightmare
The American Nightmare As a child I was told that I could do anything I wanted if I just set my mind on it. As I become older I am slowly beginning to realize that this is not true. In today’s society, determination alone will not bring you success. In fact, the only thing that will set you on the right direction is an expensive piece of paper that only increases in price as time goes on. “More than half of bachelor degree recipients at four-year for profit institutions carried education debt of $30,500 or more during the 2007-2008 academic year, compared with 24 percent of those at private four-year institutions and 12 percent at public four-year schools” (Clemmit). A college education is meant to prepare people for a desired career where they can hope to attain the American Dream but unless you come from a wealthy family, paying for this education could take the rest of your life. With constant budget cuts in education, universities are forced to increase tuition prices dramatically which results in students graduating with large amounts of debt and no guarantee of a job to pay it off. Raising tuition prices is unfair to the students hoping to accomplish their dreams and live life the way they choose. Universities are taking advantage of people coming out of high school willing to do whatever it takes to prepare themselves for the career they desire. Something should be done to stop these schools from raising prices so high that taking a loan out is a common practice to pay for school. American families are having a hard enough time as it is with the recession and the housing market fallout to even consider putting more debt on their already sinking credit. The government should recognize that with tuition cost rising so much, less people are pursuing a higher education. Education is one of the most important aspects of a first world country.
If a student is hoping to attain a higher education in this society, he or she must consider taking
If a student is hoping to attain a higher education in this society, he or she must consider taking
Cited: Clemmitt, Marcia. "Student Debt." CQ Researcher 21 Oct. 2011: 877-900. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. Billitteri, Thomas J. "Middle-Class Squeeze." CQ Researcher 6 Mar. 2009: 201-24. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Sullum, Jacob. "Rising College Costs Should Not Be Subsidized by Government." The Rising Cost of College. Ed. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. At Issue. Rpt. from "Jumping the Loan Shark." Reason Online. 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Malcolm, Hadley, and Sean McMinn. "Tuition rises as state funding sags." USA Today 3 Sept. 2013: 04B. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 Nov. 2013