Bail Out, Schmail Out: Quit Whining about Your Student Loans!
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008One year’s tuition at my alma mater, University of Southern California, costs more than what the average American family earns each year. I’m not exaggerating—the average American household takes in $44,389 annually, and my college tuition with room and board rang in at $45,212 per year.
The dollar damage is pretty substantial, but I’m actually not here to complain about the cost of my college degree. In fact, the price of my college tuition specifically isn’t really something I deserve to complain about. My strong work ethic paired with a supportive family and great teachers allowed me to excel in high school, and I earned a free ride to my in-state public college, as well as scholarships to other schools to which I applied. However I chose the most expensive school that I had applied to. I knew what I signed up for—the tuition was outrageous, but I went anyway, and now I have debt to show for it.
I surely empathize with the estimated two million academically eligible students over the past eight years who didn’t attend college just because they couldn’t afford it. College tuition costs have grown 40 percent in the past five years, and simply put, college is way too expensive. It is kind of pathetic that we haven’t been able to create a more affordable higher education system, an easier federal financial aid program, and greater access to college scholarships for academically qualified, but less financially fortunate students.
But I’m not going to join the hordes of debt-ridden students who chose to attend ridiculously overpriced colleges, proceeded to max out their credit cards on beer and materialistic items, and now whine and moan about their debts, blaming the economic crisis for their financial hardships. Stop complaining. You knew what you were signing up for, so manage your debt wisely and use that education to start a career.
The same reasoning can be applied to the bankrupt banks in America today—they spent money they didn’t have, took out loans they couldn’t afford, and signed up for more than they could handle. Just because Fannie Mae passed “Go” and collected $700 billion dollars, that doesn’t mean we all automatically deserve a “Get out of jail free” bailout after graduation.
