I don't completely disagree, but who is at fault there? Most people are >= 18 when they go to college. They're adults, and parents are usually also involved in planning how to finance their children's college education. If they're not going into it with total knowledge at that point, then what should the threshold be for when people are qualified to make their own life decisions? When they're 30 and already self-sufficient? If anything, the government should be more restrained about giving out student loans to protect itself and to protect taxpayers, not to protect adults with poor judgement from themselves. I think much more can be done WRT making sure students understand what they're getting into, but it's not a black and white issue.
> I don't completely disagree, but who is at fault there? Most people are >= 18 when they go to college. They're adults,
In many jurisdictions 18 is still considered too young to drink, buy cigarettes, etc. - likely too young to have lived on their own or practiced much self-sufficiency. Being an adult isn't that binary - it's more a set of skills and responsibilities that build up.
As currently stands, large amounts of non-dischargeable student debt seems to be one of those things where the latter is suddenly cranked up to 11? Seems a bit harsh. Although perhaps less harsh than it initially sounds with income based repayment options...
Ahh - perhaps less interesting than the question of fault, is "who can reasonably and effectively do something about it".
Not sure why you're getting downvoted. IMO 18 is much too young to understand the consequences of huge student debt, especially when there's so much cultural pressure to be a student.
There are similar scams in writing, where MFAs have become increasingly expensive and less and less likely to be a good investment.
There's no benign motivation here. It's simple greed by the loan shark companies and university administrators.
More civilised countries understand that a pool of self-supporting graduates is a relatively cheap investment with huge social and economic benefits.
US culture still seems to be spinning around "Why should my taxes pay for your education?" - which is a naive question that many countries worked out the answer to more than half a century ago.
It's more that age doesn't actually impart you any kind of wisdom on its own. A lot of people grow up in misinformation and no amount of years can make up for it. The concepts of adulthood and maturity are not real beyond the biological definitions.
When I was 18 I did what I was told. Mostly, anyway. If my parents told me my future depended on taking a 250'000$ loan, I might have just done it, especially if they raised me in that belief.
