Argument Issue Essay

College & Burdens

Evelyn Williams

Argument Issue Essay

Leslie Jewkes

English 201-002W

College of Western Idaho

May 6, 2013

Abstract

The issue of this essay is composed around financial aid. Financial aid is one of the primary issues regarding education and a basis for future careers. The argument surrounding this topic is students should be prepared to bear the burden of claiming financial aid since it impacts there future in more than one ways. The financial aid is seen as a relief to those with little means to obtain a college degree and some view financial aid as an overwhelming pressure. The disputes between those claiming financial aid are good to those that see it as stressful are given. Despite the changes the financial aid hands to students there are still issues whether the student can handle it. The argument shows the two sides, claiming how the student should be thoughtful on their approach to the subject.

College & Burdens

People attending colleges or universities are growing in numbers every day. People ranging from fresh high school graduates to elders that are returning students attend colleges. The increase in students attending college is due to the requirements of a college degree for jobs and the availability of financial aid. With financial aid, students are capable of attending college to gain the degree of their choice for their chosen profession. With more people gaining higher education the competition for jobs is rising. Financial aid sounds simple and easy to use but in fact is difficult in general. Financial aid is good for people in need of it, however, only those prepared to take on the responsibilities should take financial aid. The weight of having financial aid can outweigh the benefits regarding it.

Financial aid is a program designed by the government to aid students in gaining higher education.  “The federal government began to share the responsibility with states for subsidizing college students in order to ensure equal opportunity to attend college” (Chen & St. John, p.1). In short, financial aid is student loans used in the period the student enrolls in the college until the student graduates or drops-out of their college. Getting started with financial aid “the Free Application for Federal Student Aid—FAFSA—is the starting point for all students who want financial aid” (Handel, p.12). During the time, the student attends college the loans they can be used to gain tools for study, housing and food expenses as well as use it at their discretion. In the process of applying for financial aid, the information inputted about the student’s living conditions and finance generates an estimate of funds require for the student. With the fixed amount the student accepts the loans but it is their own decision how they use it. Continuing using the student’s loans there is a requirement on the student’s grades they must get. After the student graduates, there is a six-month period the student searches for a job before they start paying back those loans. (Evans Consulting, 2013)

When students graduate high school, they have few options to choose from. Most families and teachers advise the students of entering colleges for higher education. Some graduates choose finding work instead of college because of the money that is needed to enter college. In the career options the student who has only a high school diploma is often pushed aside for the employee that holds the most job experience and has a college degree. Many are unable to gain a job when competing against other employees who have diplomas. Since employees with little job experience and have no diplomas are able to get minimum pay jobs or jobs at all they usually need attend college for that degree. If the student can obtain a scholarship, they are able to attend the college but without the scholarship, they must pay out of their own pocket. Tuition for most colleges is expensive and when a student wants to go to college they usually go through financial aid. With the help of financial aid, the students can gain the diploma to obtain a job.  (Evans Consulting, 2013)

Going to college is a way of students readying themselves for the working world. Most college students are usually eighteen years old and fresh out of high school. They can go live out at the dorms of universities that have dorms and learn what it is like to live on their own. “Student’s attend college to gain knowledge and skills for obtaining employment and for graduate school admissions” (Walpole p.52). Sometimes parents are able to help pay for the tuition of the college or university but most students get jobs or rely on financial aid.  “A college education is a massive investment that is intended to shape your future” (Coplin p.3).

With the help of financial aid the students can get the items to help them throughout college. Financial aid also benefits supporting a family when money is tight and jobs are hard to come by. After the student inputs the family’s finance, the program for applying for financial aid generates an estimate of how much money is acquired to help the student through their college years. Bills for rent, food and other expenses can be paid by using financial aid.

With the rate for more degrees necessary for the job requirements, the type of degree is also in demand. “The overall share of employment opportunities requiring a high school diploma or less gets smaller” and the need for a degree increases (Carnevale, Smith, Stone, Kotamraju, Steuernagel, & Green, p. 8). Bachelors and Associate degrees are the most sought after degrees in jobs but when most employees have the degree the competition will rise. It is a way to weed out prospected employees between a good employee and a better employee. The longer the student needs to remain in college for their degree the more financial aid they require. The employees with bachelor degrees are in high demand compared to the associates’ degree. The graph below shows an example between two types of jobs and the education requirements.

One of the many reasons a student may hesitate getting financial aid is paying back the loans. After six months loans needs to start getting paid off. However, the loans can be paid for a little amount of money each month it makes paying it off longer. “College tuition is likely to continue to increase at both private and public schools” (Coplin, p.2). With the tuition increasing the loans needed also increase causing the student’s debt to raise higher. Unless the student plans carefully and is prepared to undertake the burden of the loans the student may find themselves under more pressure than before they started college.

Finding a job to pay off the debt is strenuous and not always achieved even after getting the degree. What employers search for in the potential employees isn’t just the degree but the also the experience along with the attributes the employee may have. Sitting for an interview to answer the employer’s questions help give them an understanding what type of employee is. There are some graduates who “took a job that paid a lot less than they expected to earn after they graduated” (Godofsky, Zukin, & Van Horn, p.7). The paperwork to fill out the financial aid is a time consuming task and the stress of school can cause the student to become ill. As stress is the most fatal to the human body, adding the need to get high enough grades while planning for future careers and holding a job at the same time is stressful. Knowing the full weight of the burden of financial aid “is more likely to increase…anxieties than relieve them” (Handel, p.11).

Benefits in getting financial aid are small and big but the misfortunes of having financial aid are the same. Society continues to grow as does the complications added to it. The more education the more requirements of that education is to have jobs. The mental pressures of financial aid can grow until it is too heavy for the students to bear the responsibilities. In trying to gain a better education to obtain a better career for their life it helps them in the long run but if the student is not careful it can backfire.

Works Cited

Carnevale, A., Smith, N., Stone, J., Kotamraju, P., Steuernagel, B., & Green, K. (2011). Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs 2008-2018. Lumina Foundation for Education.

Chen, R., & St. John, E. (2011). State Financial Policies and College Student Persistence: A National Study. Journal of Higher Education, 629-660.

Coplin, B. (2012). 10 Things Employers Want You To Learn In College. New York: Berkeley.

Evans Consulting. (2013). Resources. Retrieved May 5, 2013, from https://ecgroupllc-web.sharepoint.com/Public/Resources/FinancialAidPerspectives/Pages/History.aspx?mobile=0

Godofsky, J., Zukin, C., & Van Horn, C. (2011). Unfulfilled Expectations: Recent College Graduates Struggle in a Troubled Economy. John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, 41.

Handel, S. J. (2008). Aid and Advocacy: Why Community College Transfer Students Do Not Apply for Financial Aid and How Counselors Can Help Them Get in the Game. Journal of College Admission, 8-16.

Walpole, M. (2007). Economically and Educationally Challenged Students in Higher Education: Access to Outcomes. Hoboken: Wiley Periodicals, Inc.