What is the Point of College?

The Big College Scam? For all us seniors busily filling out college applications, waiting to see which fine institution of higher learning will accept us, the future may not be as bright as we think. According to Mr. Kelly’s article, we are all buying into the myth that a college degree will assure us a brilliant career. This, however, is not the case. Apparently what the majority of college graduates can look forward to will be large debt loans and minimal job opportunities. Tuition and fee costs at most colleges and universities have far outpaced the median family income in recent years and continue to do so. In turn, students are amassing loan debts that currently are at levels of more than $1 trillion dollars. Perhaps the debt is climbing higher because students are taking longer to finish degree programs, thus incurring a higher debt load. Graduates are having difficulty in retaining gainful employment. Who is to blame? According to the article, the blame needs to fall on the entire education system. It seems that as the amount of money spent per student continues to rise, the educational level of the average high school and college graduate continues to fall. An additional trigger to the rising cost of education is, of course, governmental “help”. As with all areas touched by government interference, there has been an increase in the red tape which students must navigate. Since the cost of college tuition cannot continue to outpace family income, the government wants to step in and “bail” the student loan industry. Does shifting the burden from the student to the taxpayer without overhauling the system make any sense?