Paying for An Education

While in high school, the details about how I would pay for college never entered my thoughts.  I anticipated the freedom of a college student's life, the independence of living on campus, but never the money.  It wasn't until I applied and was told I had to complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) that the reality of paying for college became all too apparent.  As we continue to experience, what some call, the worst economic recession since the Great Depression I can't help but think of those in college today.

For today's college student, the question of how to pay begins immediately.  However, with the cost of education skyrocketing, the amount of money needed to cover basic expenses well exceeds the total undergraduate PELL grant award.  If a student hopes to attend a prestigious private school then usually student loans become a must.  In the New York Times article we read in class today, it is reported that "53.3 percent" of all college students borrow student loans.

53%!  That is more than half of all college students.  The author of the article Kate Zernike says that the current recession has much to do with this 53% statistic.  However, I believe that the rising cost of education is really at the root of it.

What they do not tell student borrowing loans in college is how much student loans hurt your financial future and freedom.  Most student loan borrowers are actually using the money to subsidize their life as a college student.  Many use the money to pay bills, buy computers, etc.  That's great if your financial aid consists of all scholarships and grants... i.e $FREE MONEY$, but if you are subsidizing your life with student loans it will hurt you in the future.

Borrowing student loans means borrowing on your future.  As Americans grow even more uncertain about the future, student loans can transform in 21st century shackles as an adult.  Think about it, how many young student know where they will live when they're finished with their education? How many know what their mortgage payments will be? How many know what their annual salaries will be? How many know how much it will cost to purchase a new vehicle 5 years from now? Not Many.  They cannot event conceive the how much they will pay monthly once they've graduated and it's time to repay.  Yet, we see that the number of students borrow loans continues to rise.

Why does it have to cost so much to educate oneself and improve the condition of one's life?  For the truth about loans visit Default: The Student Loan Documentary or watch the video below.


Tamara Draut Clip from Default: the Student Loan Documentary from Default on Vimeo.

I'm Blogging

Wow! How amazing is this? I'm officially a Blogger. I've heard the term used often in the last 10 years (http://www.blogherald.com/2005/03/06/a-short-history-of-blogging/), and have come to understand the deeper implications of blogging. However, I remained very reluctant to join this world of virtual journalling; I'm not entirely sure that journalling is even a word found in the dictionary. Now that I am teaching an intro to college writing course, I have jumped into the virtual journalling world with both feet.

I want my students to write weekly blogs that they will then share with family, friends and Moi. There is one thing that I have found to be true about writing, to become a better writer you must write, and write and write. So often we think of writing the same way we think of math; there must be a formula. In math, formulas are constant. When writing, the only formula that is constant is simply this: one must write often to become a better writer. Therefore, the intended outcome of this exercise is to improve my students writing skills, as well as my own.

As students blog, I want them to be aware of audience, purpose, voice. I want them to examine the structure of their writing and the writing of others. Ideally, I want them to become so enamoured with blogging that they continue to blog, even after the course has ended. Practically speaking, I would be extactic if they walked away from the class understanding the power of their own writing. Bloggers have realized this simple truth. With this realization come the special attention to make every written assignment better than the last.

So to my students I say welcome. To those who may comment on their writing, I ask that you show them kindness and encouragement as you do what all readers do: question the writer. To myself I say: keep writing and you will continue to improve.