Student Debt

Do college students really succeed when they graduate with a four-year degree? There are millions of college students who graduate every single year with a four-year degree that accumulate several thousands of dollars of debt. Jenna Levine, an alumnus of Rutgers-University, graduated with over $110,000 in student debt. Student debt is a growing problem among many four-year college students. These college students enter into a life of financial struggle whenever they graduate from a four-year college. College graduates may be academically qualified for a career, but they can also be hindered by their own financial situation caused by student loans. Scholarships, grants, and work-study programs are all solutions to help in the reduction of student

People who are in work-study programs do not receive any experience in their desired field of study. The purpose of work-study programs is to instruct students on how to multi-task in between a job and an education. Work study programs allow students to have the responsibility of both an occupation and academics. Many people oppose work study programs because they do not promote the career that students are pursuing. Elizabeth Kenefick explains that “low-income students must increasingly rely on work (and loans) to meet the high costs of college . . . the jobs they take are not in their field of study, which can impair the potential for career exploration and improved employment outcomes in the future” (1). Work-study programs do not always align with a student’s career goals, but it teaches the student responsibility of simultaneously maintaining a job and an education. It enables college students to take responsibility for the cost of tuition that may not be covered by scholarships and grants. Work-study programs do benefit those who have a low-income background. It helps to support students who may be unable to find grants and scholarships that they are eligible for. It gives college students opportunities to explore alternative careers in the possible case that they do not

Some disagree with work study programs because most of the time they are not in the same field of study as the student involved in them is. Many students want free tuition that is federally funded because they do not want to be in debt. The only problem with that is when others have to pay more taxes in order for the government to cover the tuition. There are pros and cons in each of the methods of paying tuition on both ends of the spectrum because someone will have to pay for the tuition in some