What do students do after graduating High School? The answer to this varies greatly across the globe, however, in America it is rather uniform. 65.9% of graduating High School students in the US will go into college the following year. Massachusetts even goes above the national average with a 73.2%. Even going around Woburn Memorial High School, the answer seems quite uniform, as many plan on “going to a 4 year college”.

Over the last decade college costs have increased noticeably; Private Nonprofit Four-Year College tuitions have doubled. Even with most students planning to go to college, the question that comes into mind is affordability. Can students, in our current economic recession pay for college? Is it even in their best interest to go to college, to put the burden of student loans onto the dawn of their adult life? Is college today worth the cost?

“Yes, it’s only a small part of your life, you can pay it back” said Douglas Huynh

But how small is it? How much do you pay back? Given Massachusetts’s 73.2% of students going on to college, many would probably agree with Douglas’s statement. Patrick Hurley agreed, considered the rising costs of college versus the educational value.

“College is still worth the cost,” stated Hurley.

Contrary to Douglas’s and Patrick’s statements, Senior James Rankin disagreed. 

“No…. You could teach yourself for a lot less,” argued Rankin.

What is a lot less? What is the cost? Each college is different both in its education features and in its costs. Nonetheless seniors gave broad estimates for what they expected to pay for college in four years.

“$200,000” mentioned Douglass given a broad estimate. 

“min $150,000, max $250,000,” said James Rankin – who said he would “probably” go to college despite believing it costs more than its worth.

$200,000 dollars, simply put, is a significant amount, an amount high enough to buy a small home or a luxury car (or two). However, acquiring this amount of money for tuition, fees, or other educational expenses is far from impossible. Student loans exist for the purpose of allowing students to go to college and pay the bill later. The difficulty, however, is how to pay back the money; how long it takes to be fully rid of debt.

“20 years” responded Douglass Huynh in a more serious tone.

20 years is a significant amount of time and it’s not far from the truth, on average it takes 21 years to pay off student loans (Bidwell). After the 21 years the debt is finally paid off, however not everyone would regard 21 years as “a small part of your life.” That being said, if college allows you to get a well-paying job then college may indeed be only a “small part” of your life.

“$80,000 - $90,000” said Douglass Huynh giving a range for what he expects to be paid per year when he enters his field of choice, biomedical engineering.

Is college worth its cost? Is the cost of college grown to be too staggering or outpaced its worth? For some the answer may very well be yes, yes that college has become so expensive that it is beyond its value. Yet, $90,000, even $80,000 a year is undeniably enough for a comfortable life. Perhaps college is no longer a continuation of high school, no longer definite stepping stone, but rather a choice, a choice to invest for the future or a choice to avoid and get a head start in the adult world.

Works Cited

Bidwell, Allie. "Student Loan Expectations: Myth vs. Reality." US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

"College Participation Rates: College-Going Rates of High School Graduates - Directly from High School." HigherEdInfo.org: College-Going Rates of High School Graduates. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

"Highest Paying Associate Degrees by Salary Potential." Highest Paying Associate Degrees. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

"How Much You Need To Work To Cover Tuition in 1978 vs. 2014." Attn:. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

Norris, Floyd. "Fewer U.S. Graduates Opt for College After High School." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

"Tuition and Fees and Room and Board over Time." - Trends in Higher Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

Weissmann, Jordan. "53% of Recent College Grads Are Jobless or Underemployed—How?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 23 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

Weissmann, Jordan. "How Bad Is the Job Market for the College Class of 2014?" N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.