Paying for college is an individual responsibility

Home Opinion Paying for college is an individual responsibility
Paying for college is an  individual responsibility
A view of campus from Central Hall. Bryan Springer | Courtesy

During the spring of my senior year, my high school band director asked me about my post-graduation plans.

“I’m going to a liberal arts college and majoring in English,” I said.

“Good. That way you’ll be grammatically correct when you ask people ‘Do you want fries with that?’” he replied.

Insulting, yes. But also a fair point. It’s one which Biden and supporters of student debt cancellation are ignoring: Actions have consequences.

At a CNN townhall on Feb. 16, Biden said that student loans can be “debilitating,” and underlined his administration’s goal of $10,000 student loan forgiveness.

Student debt is a burden for many adults. People drag debt with them throughout their lives, and put off marriage or families in order to get their finances under control. These are legitimate concerns for the health of our country and its economy.

But Biden’s $10,000 is an arbitrary line that will not solve the root of the problem. By forgiving the consequences of people’s actions, the president will encourage an entitled and dependent society. It is the continuation of decades of progressive philosophy, reiterating Franklin Roosevelt’s claim that “Necessitous men are not free men.”

Seeking to attain freedom from want and fear is an attempt to escape human nature. We all have needs, but the government cannot solve everything for us. Instead, it should protect each man’s freedom to deal with necessity the way he sees fit.

The Declaration of Independence states the natural right of all humans to work toward the pursuit of happiness, but it does not elaborate on what constitutes this pursuit of happiness: that is something each person must decide for himself.

Many young adults, such as myself, decide that pursuing happiness involves attending a college to gain knowledge, form friendships, and, practically speaking, to gain a degree that will help us earn a substantive income. Other adults chose to enter the military or workforce directly after high school.

College is not a requirement, nor is it a right. Students must decide how much a college degree is worth to them.

Many students determine that the degree is worth going into debt for, particularly if it will aid them in making more money later in life. According to the Brookings Institute, the five degrees responsible for the most student debt in the United States are: medical and law, master’s and bachelor’s in business, and bachelor of science for nursing. These degrees all open doors to well-paying careers, which is why the top 20% of earners owe 35% of the debt.

As with every reward, there is a risk. After four years of wonderful English classes, I will find myself searching for jobs, none of which are likely to be particularly well-paying.Working minimum wage jobs is a real fear for many students without a “practical” major.

But it would be immoral to use the money of taxpayers — many of whom made the choice not to go to college even if it resulted in a lower income — to foot the bill for students who took this risk. Of the 331 million people in the United States, only 45 million share in the $1.7 trillion of student loan debt. Asking society to pay for an individual’s decision is stealing.

Many college graduates worked hard, setting aside money and sacrificing activities to pay off the student loans to which they agreed. Others made the sometimes-heartbreaking decision to not attend college because it was not financially prudent.

We should respect the American taxpayers’ choice to attend or not attend college, to accumulate or work to avoid debt. It is the student’s choice to go to college, and the government is not responsible for the consequences.

So if in a few years I am using my English degree to ask you the grammatically perfect question “Would you like fries with that?” know that I respect the choice I made, and will pay what I owe.

 

Genevieve O’Gara is a sophomore studying English.