Student Loans Should be Last Resort

Student loans are both a blessing and a curse to college students all across the country. On one hand, student loans allow you to have the money you need in many cases to attend college at all. On the other hand, most college students, particularly those entering college for the first time have inflated opinions of their starting salaries upon graduation and the bills they will face while living in the real world. In fact, most freshmen college students have no real concept of the limits of money in which to base their decisions as to whether or not they can realistically expect to repay those funds once they've graduated college.

The sad truth is that many college graduates find that for the first 10-15 years after they have graduated college, they are essentially indentured servants to their student loan debts. There are many reasons for this and different college graduates will find different things about their student loans when the appropriate time comes. First of all, those taking out student loans need to understand that a college degree does not guarantee a high starting salary. Beyond that, a college degree is no guarantee that there will be employers lining up to take your name and number upon graduation. The truth is that most college grads take anywhere from 6 months to a year to find a job in their fields and even then the starting salaries are often far less than anticipated.

Part of the blame for over-inflated expectations is the fault of universities attempting to validate their high tuition rates by displaying average starting salaries of only those that have successful offers in the field of study immediately upon graduation (which usually indicates a history of working with the company or another company as an intern prior to being hired) and not those students who have no prior work experience in their chosen fields. Part of the expectations is students reading job advertisements for experienced workers in a field and assuming that an education will provide the experience that employers require. Regardless of the reason, most starting salary expectations are not realistic in light of the current market.

The problem is that for many students a student loan is the difference in receiving a college education or not receiving one. For these students, there is no option. The price they will pay (with interest) for having student loans in order to get through the educational process will repay itself over the course of a lifetime if they are wise about making the necessary payments and stay on top of things such as consolidation loans and making payments on time.

Student loans are a great tool for those who have no other options when it comes to attending and affording to attend a university. On the other hand, for those who do not have an absolute need for the funds a student loan can provide they can prove to be problematic when trying to establish your career and your lifestyle upon graduation. This is a tool for education that should be used sparingly at best.

Whether or not you choose to take out student loans in order to fund your college education it is a good idea if you exhaust all other available resources first. Check out your options for grants, scholarships, and work-study programs before leaping into student loans to pay for your education.

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Pros and Cons of Student Loan Consolidation

Student loan consolidation is something students are beginning to consider because of the potential benefits that it can have on a long term basis. Like with most financial matters, student loan consolidation isn't all about positives, though. There are quite a few negatives to consider before pulling the trigger on consolidation. By considering all of the potential pros and cons, students and their parents can be sure to make an informed, responsible decision with their loan.

The pros of student loan consolidation are many. The most glaringly obvious positive to consolidating your student loans is the fact that consolidation can lead to reduced payments and interest rates. For students that have years of loans under their belt, this can be an important money saver and a way to jumpstart a financial future. Obviously, the resulting interest rate must be lower for the consolidation that in the prior loans.

As with most loan consolidations, there is the positive of having the loan more organized. Though a loan is something that college graduates should be able to keep up with, it never hurts to have only one payment instead of having to remember to make three or four different payments. With student loan consolidation, this is made possible. With only one payment being due, there's also the hope that your credit rating could be improved over the course of time.

Though the positives of student loan consolidation certain make it seem like something that all students should look into, there are also a few potential negatives for students and their parents to consider. Student loan consolidation is quite final, meaning that a decision to consolidate your student loans can not be reversed or changed. Once the consolidation is agreed upon, the student loans are paid off in full by the consolidating company and your payment responsibilities are shifted.

In addition to being final, student loan consolidation can be quite tricky. In order to gain this consolidation, one must work hard to find a reputable bank that is willing to lend the money. In addition to that, there's the problem of finding an acceptable interest rate as compared to the old rates. Because student loans can be both private and government funded, borrowers must weigh the risk of taking the government backing off of their loans.

Student loan consolidation must be done on two different fronts, which makes it especially troubling. The refinancing of federal student loans can be done at a very low interest rate and coupled with government backing, makes for a very easy transaction. Private student loans must be refinanced and consolidated separately, creating another hassle. Potential borrowers will find it especially difficult to find suitors in today's market. Lenders have tightened up their credit requirements, making it difficult for students to finance such loans with their lack of credit history.

There are many positives and negatives that come with the school loan consolidation process. Though it can be a way to stay organized and lower the payments, student loan consolidation is a little bit of a risk. Having such a large, unsecured loan in one place can have an ill impact on a person's credit and can be quite a responsibility for young adults.

by Glen Orenstein

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Community College Disadvantages

While there are many distinct advantages that can be associated with attending a community college there are a few disadvantages that I would be remiss in not mentioning. We all like to look at the positive side of things and the good in my opinion of community colleges, at least as a springboard for university learning far outweigh the bad. However, if you are considering community college as an option whether for your associate's degree alone or have plans to move along to the university level upon completion you should see the big picture and not just the sunshine and flowers.

The first thing you should be aware of, and this applies primarily to those students with plans to transfer, is that you should always consult the college you intend to attend next in order to make sure that the courses you are taking on the community college level are compatible with the core requirements for the university. In many cases they are similar enough to be considered compatible but there are exceptions and it is better to find this out sooner rather than later. If you plan to attend a University that is located near the community college you are attending you should check and see if they have some sort of articulation agreement that will allow associate's degree graduates to transfer seamlessly.

Many states are stepping in and passing laws that require colleges in their specific states to accept community college credits as transfer credits in an effort to keep qualified workers in the state. Some universities are even offering distance learning programs to associates degree graduates in order to allow access to students who live a greater distance from campus to have access to educational opportunities that would have been denied to them in the past. Of course if you live in one of these states, a former disadvantage may now work in your favor.

Many community colleges do not offer housing opportunities and most of those that do are still largely commuter campuses rather than residence campuses. Rather than spending funds on housing these colleges tend to reserve their spending to assist in academic pursuits. Community colleges in rural areas are much more likely than those in larger cities to offer housing on campus. The lack of on-campus housing makes participation in sports and other activities a little more difficult than colleges that are largely residential in nature.

If you decide to make a community college your last stop when it comes to your personal educational experience you will be denying yourself a great deal of earning potential over the course of your lifetime. For this reason you should seriously consider the benefits that transferring to a university will present for your educational goals.

My largest complaint when it comes to community colleges when compared to larger universities was the fact that there are such limited opportunities to take specific classes than when compared to those classes on a university level. You will find that you must remain within your sequence of courses on the community college level or you risk needing an extra semester or year in order to complete the requirements for your associate's degree. Universities tend to offer greater flexibility, especially in lower level courses that are required by all in order to graduate.

My other major complaint when it comes to community college is the fact that they often have much smaller libraries than universities. This seriously limits the ability that students have to do extensive research with the exception of rare cases. Universities simply have deeper pockets than the average community college. For this reason they will have bigger libraries and far more bells and whistles than the average community college. Hopefully we'll see this change over time as well. Despite the disadvantages that can be associated with community college educations, I feel that they are very much outweighed by the benefits that the community college learning environment offers.

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