Student Debt Argumentative Essay

Words: 695
Pages: 3

William Butler wisely stated, “Education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire”. Education does not just mean filling your brain with knowledge, but rather having an experience of a lifetime that will provide you with understanding, diversity of ideas, as well as critical thinking skills. College has a plethora of benefits, in spite of the exaggerated debate around college debt. The truth is, college is an excellent benefit overall, and student debt doesn’t cause lasting harm. While college debt can be a problem for some, college is still a crucial part of a thorough and well-rounded education because it supports financial success, a sufficient and well-paying career, as well as excellent critical thinking skills.
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According to Meta Brown and Syndee Caldwell from Liberty Street Economics, “Between 2003 and 2012 the number of 25-year-olds with student debt increased from 25% to 43%”. So yes, the number of students with college debt have been increasing over the past decade or so. The average loan balance was $20,326 in 2012 (Brown and Caldwell). However, debt isn’t a permanent problem because college graduates on average make much more than those who don’t attend or graduate college. According to Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney in their article “Is Starting College and Not Finishing Really That Bad?”, the average college graduate makes about $30,000 more per year than a high school graduate. That’s $500,000 more in a lifetime. These statistics prove that graduating from college allows you to make much more money than if you only graduated from high school. Since college graduates make so much more, they will be able to easily pay off any debt they may have collected during their college years.
With all these reasons in mind, it is safe to say that college is advantageous to your financial status, job opportunities, and intellect. Since college debt is an inadvertently overstated argument, the pros of college have heavily outweighed the cons. For those who are worried about the drawbacks of college, reconsider applying because