Student issues in the news

This month there has been much news related to personal finance, college, and careers. Bills are now in Congress to tie the interest rates of undergraduate student loans, graduate student loans, and parent loans to the 10-year Treasury note.

Of focus have been college completion rates, tuition costs, and student loan debt levels and the high default rates on these loans.

My own story is not as interesting as John Duncan’s (see below) but, I too followed an untraditional educational path and took (far) longer than four years to complete my bachelor’s.

People make considerable sacrifice in order to complete educational programs, and some graduate with little or no debt.  If you or someone you know has already completed a few semesters (or has graduated) without student-related debt, I’d be interested in knowing your (or their) stories.

Articles

June 28, 2013 About that 'on time' goal at Ivy Tech. John Duncan, Ivy Tech graduate, Indiana State University graduate, Purdue graduate student, and Ivy Tech adjunct faculty member, cautions about the push on colleges for higher completion rates, and he describes his own non-traditional journey in education.

July 24, 2013 Student loans: Don't only hope for the best. I present some disturbing student loan data. I also attempt to demonstrate how devastating excessive debt of any kind is to individuals, our economy, and to our society.

July 31, 2013 Debt's up, but can Indiana afford to skip college?.  Allison Barber, chancellor of Indiana Western Governors University, uses high tuition costs and student debt levels to promote her lower-cost all-online program.

November 2, 2012 Top Student Loan Mistakes to Avoid. Not a recent article but a terrific one. It lists numerous mistakes that people make, but what I really like about this article is that, for every mistake, it provides guidance on what to do even if someone has already made it.

Though no one of us can change the past, each of us has the power to determine how we will proceed from today forward.  We will either control ourselves or we will be controlled by others.