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majoring in debt


Sturg1647545502

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Anyone who is in college or has graduated from a bs program in the past 10years will appriciate this article.

 

It breaks down the numbers and shows the ripple effects of increasing state tuition, decrease federal loans, and the inaccessibility of the military's "go to college on us" bait.

http://www.progressive.org/node/921

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Another widespread effect of budget cuts is to make public institutions more private, as they seek to supplement their loss of public monies with private gifts. This fits right in with the Bush Administration's agenda to privatize public services.

 

Higher education is not a public service. K-12 is.

If you want to invest in yoursef by obtaining a higher education, feel free to do so, that is your right. You then have a duty to do something with that education and pay back your loans, or apply yourself while in school and work to pay as you go. The last thing that should happen is for the goverment to pay for anyone that wants to obtain a higher education for free. The college would then have no real check on the quality of education that students recive, as the institution knows they will recive thier funding so long as students show up, and pass the (most likely) goverment mandated tests (sounds like K-12, train to take a test)

 

These days, many young people see the military as their only way to get an education. But Uncle Sam uses a bait and switch. The offer "Join the Army and earn up to $50,000 for college" does not often pan out. Almost 66 percent of recruits never get any college funding from the military (although they have paid into the college fund), and many who do qualify end up getting far less than $50,000.

To receive any education benefit from the Montgomery GI Bill and the Army College Fund or Navy Fund, enlistees must contribute $100 per month for the first twelve months of their tour. Even if recruits change their minds about attending college, the military will not cancel the monthly payment or refund the accumulated $1,200. The military bestows benefits only on those who receive a fully honorable discharge; "general" discharges and those "under honorable conditions" mean no college benefits.

 

The GI bill - Its a contract. Just like buying a hose. You decide you want to go with a different house, so you can just stop making payments on the one you just bought? I don't think so.

 

Honerable Dicharge - Really not that difficult. Show up, do your job, lay off the pot for a few years, get the pay and benefits promised my your employer. Seems simple to me.

 

Those who graduate carry an enormous debt. The majority of students (64 percent) graduate with an average debt of almost $17,000.

17K debt? I see students on the OSU campus diving cars that cost more than that. Heres a thought, live within your means while in college. If a 17K loan paid back over 15 years is killing your budget, get a second job. That shiny new degree is only worth what you use it for, if you cant do some evening work at McD's to cover that payment while you enter the professional world, maybe you deserve to fail.

 

Before you say I dont know what it is like, I have attended college. I served my time in the military for that benefit. My wife has student loans well above that average amount, we are paying them back just fine.

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while it certainly sucks that the states have cut funding to universities which has been a big cause of price hikes....I agree with Andrew. If you try to mandate that everyone can go it will negate many of the advantages of going in the first place.

 

I'm still paying school loans and while it sucks, it's part of the program.

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I spent a pile on college. I did quite a bit of it with the GI Bill and a good chunk came from loans. They give you such a long time to repay, and it is "good debt".

 

I owe more on my education than I do on my car, but my car didn't get me a good job.

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