What is college readiness and how does a student prepare for it? Let’s start with the definition. Most people think of college readiness as the academic skills and aptitudes high school students should have before enrolling in a college or university. The narrative usually focuses on a student’s classes, grade point average (GPA), career goals, and extracurricular activities.
Parents, teachers, and guidance counselors tell students that a college degree is the key to success, and that it is harder to achieve financial and life goals without one. Students are told “follow your dreams”, “pursue your passion”, “the college experience is more than just the degree” and “nothing worth having comes easy.”
Nothing worth having comes easy except student loans. The amount of student loan debt in the U.S. is over $1.75 trillion and climbing. The United States Supreme Court will hear two legal challenges on President Biden’s debt forgiveness plan in February. The U.S. Department of Education implemented a pause on repayment for eligible federal student loans with 0% interest in March 2020, applying the Heroes Act of 2003, which permits the U.S. secretary of education to waive student loan restrictions during a national emergency which is COVID-19. The administration has extended the emergency relief date to June 30, 2023, hoping this new timeline will give the Supreme Court enough time to decide if tens of millions of Americans will have their student loan debt canceled under Biden’s plan. We shall see.
Meanwhile, high school seniors are busy completing college applications, writing essays and planning to take out student loans. That’s right, although the student loan crisis is far from over, and borrowers have a temporary reprieve, many students in the class of ’23 are still planning to take out student loans to pay for college. College and university enrollments are down across the country, but tuition costs are not. I’m not sure why fewer kids are pursuing a post-secondary education, but I guess that cost is probably a factor. Kids still want to go to college, but fewer are applying.
Did you know that in the 2017-2018 academic year, students left close to $3 billion dollars in unclaimed grants and scholarship monies on the table? This number has changed little since then. Why?
Perhaps students are not choosing the right school but choosing a popular school that they cannot afford. Maybe student loan debt seems normal. It should not be normal.
I think every public high school in New York should have a college planning counselor who has the knowledge about financial aid, affordability, scholarships, grants, and degree marketability. A diverse environment is important, but going to college debt-free should be the primary goal. A college planning counselor would be the ideal person to have a “real talk” with students and parents about grades, cost, and employability.
Every high school student in Niagara County who wants to go to college should seek a degree debt-free. It is possible. There are billions of scholarships and grants available if students and parents will do the research. It takes time and effort. No student should take out loans to pursue a degree in which they may not get a job with a salary to cover their loan repayment.
I am not advocating for eliminating guidance counselors. Schools need them to help students who need resources for personal, mental, and social health. Guidance counselors often have a lot on their plate. Some fulfill responsibilities that have nothing to do with counseling. There are not enough hours in the school day.
A loan may be easier, but $1.75 trillion tells me that repayment is not. If students really want to be college ready, then going to school debt-free should be the priority.
Sharon Bailey resides in Niagara Falls. You can email her at sbailey.opinion@gmail.com
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