College is constantly being enforced onto students, and the idea that it leads towards a more successful life puts a lot of pressure on students to attend. After so much reinforcement by counselors, teachers, parents, etc. it begins to feel like an obligation instead of a choice. But maybe college is enforced because it really is a good thing, and maybe it does give an opportunity for students. However, this opportunity also leads to many problems, especially financial problems. This leads to asking the question, is college really worth the pay, and should it continue to be reenforced on students to attend college?  

To begin with, tuition has risen quicker than income making college unaffordable for many. For example, according to BritannicaProCon.org: Is a College Education Worth It, they found in a March 2017 study that 14% of community college students were homeless, 51% had housing insecurity issues (inability to pay rent or utilities, etc.), and 33% experienced food insecurity (lack of access to or ability to pay for “nutritionally adequate and safe foods). In addition, according to Ramsey: Is College Worth It, Anthony Oneal states that the average tuition cost of just one year at college can range anywhere from about $10,440 for a public, in-state university to a whopping $36,880 for a private university. So, imagine what the cost would come out to for 4 years or even 2 years. It would be horrific, and it would be even more horrific for those planning on attending college for more than 4 years. Oneal also explains that if you’re taking out student loans to pay for college, you’ll be tens of thousands of dollars in debt before you even graduate. “Think of the toll that debt takes on your goals and dreams.,” Anthony Oneal states, “Depending on the loan repayment plan, it can take up to 30 years to pay off student loans. That’s a huge part of your life you can’t get back.” Furthermore, Oneal also expresses the fact that not being 100% sure about what you want to do for your college education can lead to more financial issues because it can result in you making decisions that you’ll regret later, “and quick, careless decisions can be expensive,” Oneal states. Furthermore, the cost of going to college also includes missing opportunities to make money at a job. According to BritannicaProCon.org, it states, “The total cost of going to college means more than tuition, fees, and books; it also includes an opportunity cost which equals at least four years of missed wages and advancements from a full-time job –– about $49,000 for a 4-year degree and $20,000 for a 2-year degree.”  

Overall, the expenses and financial issues that come with college outweigh the opportunity to attend college. According to BritannicaProCon.org, it states that about 44 million Americans owe more than $1.5 trillion in student debt.” The massive amount of money becomes impossible for many students to afford and pay off, which goes to show that maybe college really isn’t worth the cost and that maybe it should stop being enforced on students so much. It should feel like a choice rather than an obligation on students.