Earning a degree is a financial struggle

Those who take out student loans carry a large responsibility after college. The average student loan amount for a four-year undergraduate U.S. student in 2007-08 was $24,651. With enrollments a going up each year, more people are facing student loans, and as college tuition and living prices go up, loans become an even greater problem!

In 2007, about 18.2 million people were enrolled in a U.S. college. With more enrollment comes a more competitive work force. Those who take out student loans are relying on their future careers to pay for these loans, but what's going to happen when there is no job for them?

Even though a fair number of college graduates receive a job after graduation, there are still many others who struggle to pay off their student loans. Many people have the burden of student loans for a long stretch of their lives.

What does the government expect students to do? As a college student, I face these fears. Receiving a higher education shouldn't be such a financial struggle. And yet the U.S. government wonders why other countries are taking the front seat in global leadership.

Megan Beebe

Marion