Why Take Harder Classes in High School.

College Loans: A Monster with a Growing Appetite

We all know the national student loan debt is enormous, but it didn’t used to be so bad. Just eleven short years ago, student loan debt was dwarfed by home loans, automobile loans credit card debt. It was tied with other types of loans (such as personal loans) at only 18%. Credit card debt was at 31% and auto loans were 33% of non-home loans.

Times have changed. No one seems to be able to explain why this is the case. Salaries of college professors are abysmal, so they aren’t the cause. I’m guessing the failure of states to support public education as they did in the past has something to do with rising tuition and fees.

Last year, miscellaneous debt fell to only 11%, credit card debt dropped to 21%, auto loans were almost the same as in 2006, at 32%, but college loan debt has risen to 36%. People who have student loans are not buying homes or cars. They don’t have the money.

One way to avoid being part of these statistics is to be born rich. Most of us weren’t so lucky. Timing is important too. People my age paid around $65 per semester for in state tuition. Fees were pocket change and books cost in the single digits.

Current and future students need another option. I suggest parents and grandparents pay attention to the habits of students who were awarded Full Ride Scholarships and learn what they did to end up with no college tuition or fees to pay. My book Free College is at the printer and will be available soon. In it, I divulge the strategies used by hundreds of scholarship winners. My hope is that future students will learn how to become ideal college scholarship and grant applicants, so they can do what I did, graduate college debt free. 

You are reading from the blog, RoadtoFreeCollege.com, where we empower families with knowledge to navigate the path to higher education without the burden of excessive loans.

 

For more information, you’ll want my book, Free College, CLICK HERE . It teaches families how to help their kids become more successful in school, college, and life.

 

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Why Flexibility is Important to Success

Avoid College Loans and the Pay Gap

In the past few weeks two news articles related to higher education caught my eye. The first revealed that the pay gap between college graduates and non-college graduates is at an all-time high. The second, given the information in the first, was horrifying. The UC Board of Regents has voted to raise tuition 5% per year for the next 5 years.

The disparity in pay between those with a college degree and those without one is causing more than just frustration. Families are falling behind in many areas of life. Home ownership, having children and even getting married have fallen victim to these lower wages. New jobs since the Great Recession have gone mostly to those with college degrees. The Economic Policy Institute reports that college grads earn 56% more than non-college grads. While the college-educated have seen an increase of 21% in employment since the Recession, employment of the non-college educated has dropped 8%.

At the same time, the cost of attending a four-year college has continued to increase. It hit a record high in 2016. In the last five years, public college tuition has increased 10%, and tuition in private colleges has increased 12%. Over this period, incomes of American families have dropped 7%. How are families going to put their children through college with dropping incomes and increasing costs? Take out more college loans? Not necessary.

There are millions of dollars in college scholarships and grants waiting for those who qualify. But, it takes more than just fulfilling the A – G requirements, having a high GPA and great SAT scores. Individual students must differentiate themselves from all the others who have completed college entrance requirements. They have to do more to become more, so they will earn more free cash for college. 

This is why I did a study of high school seniors who earned college scholarships. I determined the factors that went into some of them becoming ideal college scholarship and grant applicants. I’ve included their strategies in my book, Free College Awareness. It should be available later this month. You can check this link to see when and where to obtain the book. This way, you can avoid both problems described in this article.

You are reading from the blog, RoadtoFreeCollege.com, where we empower families with knowledge to navigate the path to higher education without the burden of excessive loans.

 

For more information, you’ll want my book, Free College, CLICK HERE . It teaches families how to help their kids become more successful in school, college, and life.

 

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Peer Pressure

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Setting Expectations

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