President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak on the debt deal today at 12:15 pm. While people are spending quality time giving their opinions on what was decided and placing blame, I would rather take this time to explain exactly how some of the decisions will directly affect YOU! To be honest, I haven’t been following the “debt ceiling crisis” of 2011 because it quickly became childish with Twitter wars and the blame game. One thing I know for sure is that undergrads and postgraduate students will be hit hard. As a means to recover funds to keep the nation from further defaulting on their loans, the government has decided to end subsidized loans for graduate students. Subsidized loans are loans that do not accrue interest as long as you are still in school. Traditionally, you would begin to pay the loan with interest back 6 months after you get your degree. Now, graduate students will have to start paying on their loans while in school. CNN Money adds, “Under the agreement, a special credit for all students who make 12 months of on-time loan payments would also be axed.”
What about the undergrads?
I remember a time when I thought that you go to high school and get good grades so that you will get into a great college. You then go to a great college and continue to get good grades so that you will graduate, get a great job or continue for your Masters, JD, or Med School. Like magic, I thought this was the automatic path for good students. It wasn’t until I graduated from Spelman that I realized exactly how poor the economy was. I also learned during that time that my competition in the work field and for graduate school was not only recent grads, but also older adults who have been in working and building their resume’s for years. That was my first major adult reality check.
What about the undergrads looking for entry to graduate school? Or even people like me looking to go back to school to get another degree. As I see it, education is getting more expensive and unfortunately, students who would benefit from expounding their knowledge in their intended field are forced to place economics over education. Does it make you feel better to know that the cuts are expected to save the government $21.6 billion (with a B) over the next ten years….?
What do you think?
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