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More students opting for first two years at community college

Michaelyn Hoeres is unsure what she wants to study in college. 

The Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18-year-old, who graduated from Freedom High School in June, worried about paying thousands of dollars per credit for general education requirements.

So, she’s spending her first two years of higher education not on a sprawling University campus, but instead at Northampton Community College.

“I knew I could knock out many of my gen ed requirements and save money while at a community college,” Hoeres said. “It puts less pressure on my parents.”

Michaelyn Hoeres posing for her senior pictures. By Kevin Volpe

Hoeres is among an estimated 9.8 million undergraduates enrolling in a community college for the 2017-2018 school year, according to Teachers College, Columbia University.

The total cost of a four-year degree can be drastically reduced by spending the first two years at a community college.

The average cost of one year of private, four-year University is $35,074, according to Best Value Schools. According to College Board assuming you complete two years of required classes at a community college, you will save $12,000 to $66,000 compared to the same education given at a state or private school.

No matter which college someone attends or what your ideal major is, the first two years generally are comprised general education classes. Many students won’t get into courses that fulfill their majors until junior year. 

Even with two years at community college, students who transfer their junior year to a more traditional campus earn a diploma with that school’s name on it.

Every first-year student is required to take core classes such as English 101, math, and science class in order to fulfill needed credits for graduation. There’s little difference in content between those classes from school to school, so some interviewed this week find it more economical to take them at community college.

The main reason behind attending a community college comes down to cost. Being able to earn a degree at the fraction of the price is a desirable want for many young individuals. 

Students are better financially prepared for the costs of a four year university should they plan on transferring.

Hoeres is looking forward to getting started. Even though she admits, she knows she’s missing out on some aspects of a four-year college.

“I am excited to be beginning a new part of my life but it does hurt watching most of my friends leave to go hours away to Universities,” Hoeres said.

 

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U.S. student debt tops $1.4 trillion

WASHINGTON, D.C.–American University students and Northwest District of Columbia residents said Wednesday that student loan debt which is above $1.4 trillion in the United States today is a serious issue facing those seeking higher education in America.

Nelson Jacobson discusses his experience with student loans. By Vicky Tan

“Interest rates are rising and I’m scared that I’ll still be paying of loans when I’m 35,” said Leila Ackerman, 18, who will start at American University this Fall.

Ackerman worries about expenses beyond just tuition and housing. She said the hidden costs are also going to add up. Not only is tuition becoming more and more expensive, but new students must be able to afford food, textbooks and other necessities to living away from home.

“I’m one of the lucky ones, I can’t even imagine what having loans breathing down your back would feel like,” said Janice Barlow, 20, an American University student. “You really can’t do anything. Every thing you do, anywhere you go, you have to be thinking about money.”

According to the Student Loan Debt Report, national student loan debt collectively currently totals $1.41 trillion.

According to the report, around 70 percent of college students in the United States now owe some soft of debt for education. However, even with almost a whole generation drowning in student loan debt, there is no guarantee of employment after they graduate.

There was a general consensus among both residents and students that government is not doing enough to help financially struggling students. With interest rates slowly rising, the nation has not made education as high a priority as others, they said.

“Government should try to make education more affordable, everyone should have the opportunity to go to get a better education if they want to. Money should not be a limiting factor,” Ackerman said.

 

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New York State Starts New Scholarship Program In The Fall Making College Tuition Free

Governor Andrew Cuomo has created a new program called the “Excelsior Scholarship” for New York state colleges beginning in the Fall of 2017. This scholarship is in hope of creating free college and more opportunities according to the state government. The scholarship itself will cover 2 and 4 year programs for middle class families and individuals that make up to $125,000 per year.

Governor Cuomo speaking about the Excelsior Scholarship.

Students applying face a list of requirements, including current residence in New York and a specific amount of credits per year. This tuition-free opportunity is new for the state, which didn’t have any statewide program previously. The average cost for a 4 year degree in New York state currently is about $18,597. Several states, like Tennessee and Oregon, have programs or are beginning to create free college choices.

Emily Davis, a marketing and communications manager for the College of Arts and Sciences at American University, said free college “would be great, if it was possible.” Davis told that free college definitely would have helped her, and after graduating was when she really realized the importance of financial help when dealing with loans.

The Excelsior Scholarship will cover tuition fees, but not other expenses such as room and board, food, books, etc. This means students will still have to pay for certain things, making the scholarship not completely free.  The program has received criticism from networks like CNN and The New York Times, due to that factor of all the expenses not being included or covered.

Despite any disagreements or future issues with the program, most agree that progress is progress. Earlier this year, advocate Bernie Sanders tweeted, “If New York makes public colleges and universities tuition-free, mark my words, state after state will follow.”

 

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Students and graduates struggle, worry about loans

Student loans are controlling the lives of many college graduates in the Washington D.C. area with current students already worried about when their loans are due.

For Samantha Garrison, 20, an American University student, loans are a huge problem.

“I am probably going to spend the rest of my life paying loans,” Garrison said.

Garrison, who identified as low income, receives financial aid but noted she’ll still graduate with between $22,000 and $28,000 in college loans.

Her debt mirrors that of the typical U.S. college student.

Students walk the campus of American University. Photo by Nima Padash.
Students walk the campus of American University. Photo by Nima Padash.
U.S. students graduated with an average of $33,000 in student loan debt, according to a 2015 report from Debt.Org, a part of Bright Horizons Financial Services.
There was a 77 percent increase in average balance size in student loans between 2004 to 2014, according to the 2015 Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Student Loan Borrowing and Repayment Trends.
After college graduation, Garrison said she’ll be the main breadwinner in her metropolitan-area household, but she fears her loans will hold her back. Even with a post-college job, those loans will cut into her income and the family’s quality of life.

“I am still going to have those loans for a while,” said Garrison, who hopes to pursue family law.

But Tommy Bennett, a 19-year-old American University student, is more hopeful about his student loans, saying he is confident a well-paying job out of college will help him start paying them back with little issue.

“I have brothers who have college loans, who are now out of college and are living nice lives,” said Bennett, who thinks repayment will take 15 years if he stays on budget and gets a good job.

Femsu Movaelane, 18, who lives in Washington D.C., is not yet a college student like Bennett, but she already has concerns about the future debt.

Student loans can affect every aspect of a student’s life, from marriage to depression and home buying.

“The burden of student debt is the key factor in young graduates not starting a business and the marriage rate for millennials is down 12 percent,” according to the 2015 Debt.Org report.

Another 2015 report from the Brookings Institution said students with more debt reported lower levels of psychological health.

Cameron Nichols, 19, identifies more with the reports’ findings and sees college loans as something that will hold him back.

Nichols, who attends college in California, does not think that the loans will last long but he said that while he has them his quality of life will suffer, he said.

“It controls your life, takes all your time, and cripples you,” Nichols said.