As a college student, I suffer fairly regularly the stress that comes with finances to receive a tiny piece of paper called my diploma in, what I hope to be, four long years. As the beginning of this semester rolls around, like a boulder might I add, I was curious to see what the numbers look like associated with getting a degree.
According to a Forbes article titled, If There's One Thing Millennials Regret, It's Going to College, nearly half of 18- to 35-year-olds admit they wish they had never gone to college, saying that they would have achieved the life they have without a degree.
Where does this come from? With no surprise, the decrease of college graduates come from the sky high increase in graduate debt. According to this particular Forbes survey, 37% of past students say they regret going to college in terms of the amount of debt they have as adults with the average debt of college seniors being over $37 thousand.
When it comes to the time it takes to pay off this debt, it obviously varies among people, but the average is 11 years. Funny, yet unfortunately, nearly 63% of people admit to being dependent on a circumstance such as winning the lottery or having family inheritance. Others are praying, wishing, hoping, and depending on a salary increase to pay off this debt.
But where does this debt come from? Tuition, fees, housing, and books are the big factors in going to college. If you're like me, I live at home and commute which takes about $4 thousand off of my semester-bill; however, for those who do live on campus, I have respect for you!
For us who are enrolled at a four-year public university, the average in-state tuition is $9,650 plus the average cost of college credits being $333 with the average cost of textbooks being nearly $1,200 per year. I would mention private universities, but let's just say that it's way above public universities.
But here's a crazy statistic for you. Studentloanhero.com has a graph that projects the average cost of completing college in the year 2035 for a four-year public university reaching what private universities are now; around $30 thousand per year with private universities reaching nearly $90 thousand per year.
It all comes down to; am I able to afford my education? And in my opinion, education is more vital then what the government is making it out to be. If companies are demanding for people to have a degree, then why is the government making it even harder to achieve one? Simply put; the economy is expanding significantly.
Some things associated with the cost of a diploma amaze me and frustrate me at the same time, but what other choice do I have?
