W.E.B. Du Bois said, “And yet not a dream, but a mighty reality- a glimpse of the higher life, the broader possibilities of humanity, which is granted to the man who, amid the rush and roar of living, pauses four short years to learn what living means” but what does that pause in life cost? Average full time tuition, including fees, for undergraduates at a four year university in 2004-2005 was $10,720 per year, per the National Center for Education Statistics. Between the 94’-95’ and 04’-05’ school year, undergraduate tuition, including room and board, rose 30% in public institutions and 26% in private institutions. With these rising prices, student debt has risen along side it. Is the pause worth it? If you take in the life skills learned, the opportunities after college, and the availability of cost reductions, it is worth all four years. …show more content…
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, college student debt has risen and continues to rise but regardless of the debt, college graduates should be able to pay them off with the jobs that are available to them. College graduates are less likely to become unemployed (Nader). College degrees easily gain value over time and is almost always looked for in higher positions. In 2004, male students with HS diploma/ GED made an average of over $20,000 a year less than their college educated counterparts according to the NCES (Bellenir). Although, according to the NCES, women with a Highschool diploma or a GED made $16,000 less than college graduates but female graduates on average make $10,400 less than male graduates. Consequently, with a college degree, graduates are susceptible to higher, more life changing jobs (Roth). The worth of a college degree to high employers are of paramount importance and these high jobs are capable of changing the lives of college graduates. Although getting to this point can be hard for