So Much For Going to College In The US.....Without going in debt.

Financial aid is an important piece of the puzzle to build our economy.

The 12.7 billion in cuts to federal financial aid is a drop in the bucket for the government's budget, but this move could be short sighted. By raising interest rates so much for students and parents of students, it makes it more difficult for lower middle class students to attain higher education. The rich will not be affected. Everybody else will.

Do some people abuse their federal aid? You bet. Do some need it and make positive contributions to our economy because of it? You bet. I owe over 40k in federal student loans. Without them, I would not have been able to get my degree in CIS while running my start up business and having half custody of my daughter. I might have been able to do the business and the kid, or the education and the kid, or the business and the education, but not all three at the same time, not without loans that I could qualify for and afford.

I consider myself to be a success story of financial aid, and I even work in the student loan industry. The student loan industry heavily markets financial aid for the government, making their programs more accessible and helping to spread education. By cutting the available funds AND the subsidies provided to lenders, this will likely negatively effect the positioning in the minds of americans about the value of a higher education. It will be less attractive for lenders to market with the lower subsidies, it will be less attractive to students for the higher rates, and college enrollment will slow down considerably.

The government could have found better places to cut the budget than education. Others may disagree, but being in the industry I felt it was important to say my piece even if this thread did become a little bit of a political wild fire.

 

I'am to. I don't owe a penny on student loans or any debt. I owe it to grants and financial aid, and I didn't abuse the money I was given. The goal is to destroy the middle class. It has always been the goal and it always will be the goal.

Bush knows exactly what he is doing. Brainwashed drones here at DP support everything the government does, and call it patriotism when it is clear they are just making it harder and harder to make ends meet.

Now you've got kids graduated with advanced degrees and they are being told they're "over qualified," and can't even get a job at Walmart.

 

When was there a middle class? Certainly not in the past few decades.

We spend a good deal on education in this country, in comparison to other countries. However, a good deal of money gets wasted. We simply throw money at the problem instead of coming up with good solutions. The public school system is a complete mess in most states and has shown no sign of improving.

No child left behind is of no value. Many states have such poor school systems that they can't even meet basic standards.

 

great. Now that I responded to this thread with my opinion, I am getting random people following around my threads taking away reputation points and insulting me in my PM.

real cool. Some people can't have a logical, civil discussion with verying opinions.

 

As a graduating Computer Science student, Many companies are still hiring guys fir programming and IT. While some of the big programming houses are outsourcing, the straight fact is that most places would rather have someone good working in their office programming, where they can deal with them on a daily basis, and make quick changes etc. and where the programmer/IT guys can have a better grasp on changing requirements.

All outsourcing emans is that only the top 80% of people in the field get jobs now. Sure, you have to be good at what you do, but it's not the end of the world. The only IT/Programmers that I know who are unemployed, well, there are reasons for that.

 

You hit the nail on the head. But what would you expect from a message board filled with people from all walks of life? Not everyone is bad, in truth, it's just a handful of people.

Keep posting you thoughts. Others will leave you green most likely. Anyway, it's just a dumb graphic on a message board. Don't sweat it.

 

I agree with you 100%. We really don't have much of a middle class anymore. Our public school systems are pathetic, and no child left behind has left more children behind than ever before.

Anyone who sends you harassing PMs because of the things you post violate the very nature of what the US stands for. I don't know why people have such a hard time accepting the truth.

When you show people reality, they get angry and try to harass you. I just post the corrupt things that the government does. Getting angry with me isn't going to solve anything. You should be angry at the governments and institutions which allow this mess to go on.

 

Because most of us in the MC, moved up a notch once America was no longer held hostage.

The public school system will never be whole until liberal ideology is stricken from the curriculum, and teachers are tested biannually.

Because it hurts. Accept it man!

I could not agree more. Show a liberal that Bush actually won both elections, and man they get more steamed than a group of nut cases at a KFC bond fire.

Maybe you should not be angry at all. After all, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to the dark side.

 

Economic studies don't lend credit to that statement. In fact, it's just the reverse.

As to the school system, the problems have nothing to do with labels. The majority of the problem has to do with corrupt people who steal the money or use it inappropriately. Many school districts (we have the 5th largest in the country here) don't have enough teachers, books and seats. Students are forced to share books and teachers have to come up out of pocket for teaching materials.

 

wow this sux, im going for computer science and computer engineering , better not put me into debt, bastard guy bush lol.
Found this on the fafsa site
"Funds for college are at historic highs. In 2006 the Department of Education will make or guarantee more than $60 billion in low-cost student loans, a $4 billion increase over 2005 levels. Overall, $82 billion in grants, loans and other assistance are expected to benefit more than 10 million students - 413,000 more than last year.

More aid is being targeted toward the 21st century skills valued by employers."

 

Those figures seem to contradict the naysayers who would have you belive the opposite is happening...

 

You should be fine. The only reason to go into debt with school is when you go for upper level education (masters, PHD, law school, etc).

I hope whatever you are going to major in requires a physical presence. If not, your job is going to India.

 

I wouldn't go for a advanced degree in that field if I were you. I would just get a little education and become self employed or do freelance work. I believe those types of jobs are being heavily outsourced.

 

thanks much

 

Less than 50 percent of U.S. college students entering four-year colleges or universities actually graduate.
http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/2001/fyi/teachers.ednews/08/15/college.dropout.ap/

There are already plenty of heavily subsidized State Colleges and Community Colleges. Billions of dollars in student aid get sucked up by third rate private colleges at the taxpayer expense. Worse many students that receive public money either study disciplines that are not required for economic growth or fail to graduate.

The number one issue for the entrepreneur class is heathcare. A national healtcare system will help entrepreneurs give people jobs and compete in the Global market.

Here a list of some state universities offering tution for around $3000. That's pretty cheap. College students can afford a $30,000 car and a trip to cancun and aruba but can't fork up $3000. Lets be real.

http://www.campusgrotto.com/cheap-colleges.html

 

Agreed.. The cost for college is greatly exaggerated.. Plus there are Pell Grants, and the Stafford Loan; anyone can get! You don't have to pay the loans back until 6 months after graduation... College is not as expensive as many make it out to be..

 

The University of Washington offers its in-state residents free tuition

National Guard members can get free in state tution in many state and the armed forces offer the GI Bill

National Guard members get the new GI Bill which pays monthly full-time student payment rate of $317 a month in addition to the weekend drill pay

 

I don't understand why people only look at the cost but not the reward of school, yes it may cost 100,000 to get a degrees but over your work lifetime a college graduate on average makes 1,000,000 more then a high school graduate. One that's 10 times back on your investment which is a great return. Two as long as the gap between what people make out of college and high school the price of college will continue to increase.

 

Less than 50 percent of U.S. college students entering four-year colleges or universities actually graduate.
http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/2001/f...ge.dropout.ap/

California State University-Long Beach - Many of the schools in the Cal State University system are cheap and affordable, with Long Beach being the cheapest college with a tuition rate of $2864.

 

More conservative talking points please!!

Seriously guys.... you walk into a job interview alongside me and my degree from Howard University with your bitch ass 3 grand toilet paper degree and see who gets the job...

See people like you will be the first ones telling some poor underprivileged kid who got one of those $3k degrees that he now has no excuse not to succeed. But we all (in the real world) know that's bullshit.... In the real world we know that kid would be set up for failure because in the real world we all know that not all degrees are created equal.

College is no longer a right... college is a multi billion dollar business industry. Let's not kid ourselves into believing that the powers in control of that industry are more concerned with education than lining their pockets please..... it's absurd, and makes you look like a mindless puppet.

But you knew that didn't you