The College Debt Trap By Janet Bodnar

Within the article, The College Debt Trap, illustrated by Janet Bodnar, she argues that a college education is expensive and gives advice to the parents on college financing. The article is recommendation and example based, so Bodnar is going off of personal experiences of college life. “Is it worth it to pay $200,000 for a liberal arts education, especially if it means taking out loans?” Bodnar asked in her article. She offers the parents steps that they can take in order to avoid their child a student-debt trap while trying to attend and pay for expensive college expenses. It is listed throughout the article on how to choose the choice of one’s own personal preferable decision of college attendance, how to save and prepare for the cost of expenses, how much it may be estimated to be for the attendance of college, how to think outside of the box on how to lower the costs of college, how to borrow money or receive help with student loans, how to run the numbers to calculate how much in total the student will have to pay back in student loans, and how to pick a reliable major that will pay off the expenses in the future. Bodnar also provides informational sites to help a college student calculate and know the costs and ways to receive help with college expenses. With the article being written of off recommendations and examples, it is easy for the reader to understand the thesis of the article that the author is arguing. Stated by one of Bodnar’s Kiplinger colleagues, “If I had realized how much debt I was getting into, I would have gone to Jones2 my state school instead of an expensive private college.” College is an expensive part of life to all who plan to attend college to further their education. Knowing how much expenses will be is an essential thing that needs to be known by the student before applying to college. A community college is cheaper than a university, but does a community college supply all of the material a university does? Not saying that one has to attend a community college and then call it quits and find a job, but one can complete a two-year program, that is if the community college supplies the courses needed for the decided major of the individual, then the student can transfer to a university for more accelerated courses to complete their major. In order to do so, one must save or have a plan that will help them pay for college. Start at an early age, saving and preparing for the costs. Every penny saved is a big help. Having the “college talk” will be very good for the parent(s) and student. If the parent(s) cannot afford or is not satisfied with the expenses, then the student will have money saved to put towards the cost and help the parent(s) out tremendously with the total costs. Then again, what if it is an individual who does not have the ability to get a job and save a little of their income? What are they …show more content…
One should choose a college that will be suitable for one’s income and will be able to pay. One should know what the total costs of the preferred choice of college is, so that he/she will know how much help to receive with payments. Scholarships and other sources of money are distributed to students who maintain a high grade point average throughout high school. Scholarships are very beneficial and can help reduce the cost of college. Thinking about going to a community college may also be a big help in reducing the cost of college. If one is eligible to go ahead and take Advanced Placement courses in high school, it will knock off hours that will be needed in college, and reduce the cost. Choosing a reliable major is essential when it comes to money. The choice of a choosing a reliable major can help pay for the costs of expenses based on a monthly deduction from one’s check to help pay back student loans. Choose a plan and find a source that will help and be the best for paying college expenses. What is the best way to live a stress-free life without worrying about the expenses of paying back a student