"I Owe U" by Kristina Dell (Blog 11)

In her article “I Owe U” written in the October 31^st, 2011 issue of Time Magazine, Kristina Dell explains the issue regarding current graduate students having an immense debt to pay off. Students are taking out loans that are very difficult to pay back in the long run. The average amount of debt that a college graduate has is $37,000, which is 8% higher than 2010’s average. Dell says that many young people are focusing too much on getting into a well-known pricey college rather than a college that is reasonably priced and still accommodates the same education levels as a top tier school. To add onto this ongoing debt situation, there are not enough jobs for certain majors. For example, graduates may have a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, but there are very little jobs for the anthropology field. Thus, graduates with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology may have to resort to paying off their college debt by working at a low-income workplace like a fast food restaurant. Throughout the article, Dell had interviewed many college graduates who were suffering from student loan debts. One example was with Jeri Leigh McDowell who got in Tulane University. McDowell says that many people in her high school was impressed when she got accepted and attended Tulane, but she wishes that she would have just gone to a state university instead. McDowell currently works at a collection agency with a degree in history and anthropology, and has to pay of a debt of $90,000.

             This article has made me feel good about my decision to attend a community college first. I know that I am saving a lot of money compared to some of my friends who went straight to a 4 year university. I think college is way too expensive nowadays. America is already one of the lowest ranked countries regarding test scores, so I see no sense in making education more difficult to obtain by having it be so costly. The students suffering with student loan debt are to blame as well. Young people need to be careful about what they are majoring in. It would be very foolish for someone to go into a major with low chances of getting a decent paying career just because they love the subject. It would be great if I ever got the opportunity to attend a top tier school, but I would rather go to a school where I know the financial future outcomes will be positive. With these tough times in the economy, a dream school shouldn’t be a priority for future students.