When writing my previous post, I got to thinking about some things I've read in This Fine Place So Far from Home about how people from different socioeconomic classes viewed student loans differently. This book is a collection of essays from working-class graduate students, professors, and other PhDs about their experiences in higher ed. A common theme that struck me was the opposition on the part of the authors' families to student loans. The reasoning was sound. The belief was that once one borrows money from the wealthy, it becomes nearly impossible to break free from debt. It's easy to see why a family barely scraping by would discourage the children from taking out tens of thousands of dollars for college, even though the loan would be an investment. The problem, however, is that it is impossible for many students to receive a college education without the help of loans.
With all the recent news about student loans exceeding credit card debt in America, coupled with high unemployment, many students today may opt to forgo a college education to save money. Now I don't want to advocate the idea that all students should go to a traditional college, but surely there are many young people out there who want to attend a university and have the dedication to succeed, but are held back by financial worries.
What we as a society need to do is educate these people on the risks and rewards of a (hopefully only partially) loan-funded college education. Colleges should send loan literature to high school students that is heavy on the information and light on the legalese. College orientations should have mandatory sessions on managing student loan debt. Additionally, students should be presented with data regarding job placement for their major so they know the risks of taking out large loans for majors that generally result in low paying careers. I place the burden on the university because I don't trust that Sallie Mae or the federal government would always have the students' best interest in mind. We already know that many for-profit colleges aren't looking out for students, but I'm going to give the rest of higher ed the benefit of the doubt. With the proper education, students should know that they shouldn't take out excessive loans to attend an expensive private school if they can receive an great education somewhere cheaper. This type of academic frugality will ultimately help both the students and the economy.
I also favor legislation to make student loans dischargeable. I'm not sure how to accomplish this and I won't pretend to be an arm-chair economist. But it seems to make the most sense to not punish people for trying to better their lives by attending college. College is an investment which may or may not pay off financially in the long run. But a college education is something that should be an option for all who wish to obtain it.
Showing posts with label value of college. Show all posts
Showing posts with label value of college. Show all posts
Friday, July 1, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
The Value of the Humanities
Another popular discussion is the future of the humanities. Thanks to the American economic downturn, the humanities find themselves in need of defense. After all, they rarely create new jobs or generate significant revenue. They are about personal cultivation, which is fine and all so long as you don't need to be supported by welfare as a result (or so the pundits say). Perhaps the most common adjective you'll hear to describe the humanities is impractical. After all, how can you make money with a philosophy degree? The intimate study of philosophy may bring great joy, but practicality in American capitalism so often means to make money, good money. Not only do the humanities not guarantee a good income like the sciences and engineering, but they don't even add anything of quantifiable measure to society! Or so this is the common argument I hear by some engineers and scientists.
It is not a lie that the humanities rarely result in immediate work specific to the degree. But does this stop graduates of these fields from dedicating some of their time to the arts? Not always. And if it does, perhaps that is an indication that the student was not particularly passionate about the field in the first place and, perhaps, went to college because it was expected of him or her. Sure, the study of history or philosophy may not have a measurable impact on the world, but these people do have an impact on others. They get people thinking. They get people talking, debating, and sometimes help others grow intellectually. There is something intrinsic about matters of the human condition that make for better conversation than the potential uses for a new, faster femtosecond laser.
Happiness is not easy to quantify and measure. Yet many students enter the humanities and liberal arts (hopefully) not expecting a $60,000 salary upon graduation. No, they choose their major because they have an interest in the field. The study of the humanities makes them happy. This is a valid reason, perhaps the most valid reason, to choose a major. Intellectual cultivation should not be limited only to the rich. But we also cannot deny that most people go to college in America to make more money than they would without a college education. For this reason, humanities and liberal arts programs ought to work with students to create realistic personal and career goals. With enough work and preparation, any college degree can be useful. Some will rarely lead to a lucrative career, but money is not a requirement of happiness.
Oh, and let us not forget the importance of reading- and writing-intensive courses on learning. Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa write in Academically Adrift that students who take courses that require at least 40 pages of reading a week and 20 pages of writing over the course of the semester perform better on the Collegiate Learning Assessment than students with less rigorous reading and writing. In my entire science degree, I never had to read or write that much, even in my required humanities courses. Thankfully I had my humanities degree to fill that void. There was a noticeably difference in writing quality and overall communication skill between senior students in my two majors. Now think back to the various qualifications you've read for different jobs. How many of them did not require excellent written and verbal communication skills?
It is not a lie that the humanities rarely result in immediate work specific to the degree. But does this stop graduates of these fields from dedicating some of their time to the arts? Not always. And if it does, perhaps that is an indication that the student was not particularly passionate about the field in the first place and, perhaps, went to college because it was expected of him or her. Sure, the study of history or philosophy may not have a measurable impact on the world, but these people do have an impact on others. They get people thinking. They get people talking, debating, and sometimes help others grow intellectually. There is something intrinsic about matters of the human condition that make for better conversation than the potential uses for a new, faster femtosecond laser.
Happiness is not easy to quantify and measure. Yet many students enter the humanities and liberal arts (hopefully) not expecting a $60,000 salary upon graduation. No, they choose their major because they have an interest in the field. The study of the humanities makes them happy. This is a valid reason, perhaps the most valid reason, to choose a major. Intellectual cultivation should not be limited only to the rich. But we also cannot deny that most people go to college in America to make more money than they would without a college education. For this reason, humanities and liberal arts programs ought to work with students to create realistic personal and career goals. With enough work and preparation, any college degree can be useful. Some will rarely lead to a lucrative career, but money is not a requirement of happiness.
Oh, and let us not forget the importance of reading- and writing-intensive courses on learning. Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa write in Academically Adrift that students who take courses that require at least 40 pages of reading a week and 20 pages of writing over the course of the semester perform better on the Collegiate Learning Assessment than students with less rigorous reading and writing. In my entire science degree, I never had to read or write that much, even in my required humanities courses. Thankfully I had my humanities degree to fill that void. There was a noticeably difference in writing quality and overall communication skill between senior students in my two majors. Now think back to the various qualifications you've read for different jobs. How many of them did not require excellent written and verbal communication skills?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)