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Decoding the decline in college enrollments: Society will have to change its attitudes towards having a college degree, given the ongoing problems of higher education
American Thinker ^ | 03/13/2023 | Rajan Laad

Posted on 03/13/2023 7:47:46 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

A recent study from the National Student Clearinghouse revealed that undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from 2019 to 2022, and this decline is even after the resumption of in-person classes.

According to a study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce college dropouts, earn 75 percent less compared with those who get bachelor’s degrees.

Experts fear that fewer college graduates could worsen labor shortages in sectors such as health care and information technology.

There are many possible reasons for this decline in college enrollments.

According to the most recent quarterly tally by the Federal Reserve, student loan borrowers in the United States owe a collective $1.76 trillion in federal and private student loan debt as of September 2022.

The average U.S. household with student debt owes $58,238, according to NerdWallet’s 2022 household debt study.

55% of the class of 2020 graduated with student debt, according to the most recent data available from College Board. Among these graduates, the average student loan debt was $28,400.

This means that students are in a mountain of debt even before they step out into the workplace.

This is equivalent to being burdened with a very heavy backpack while competing in a marathon. The competition was always going to be arduous, but the added burden makes it worse. If the burden consists of nutrients that aid your performance during the race, carrying it would have some merit. But if the material in the back has no relevance to the race, it becomes a burden.

Back to education.

In principle, education is about enlightening minds and should not be looked at from the perspective of value for money.

But in the real world, everything, from a packet of crumpets to the most exclusive luxury, is looked at from the point of view of return on investment.


(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Education; Society
KEYWORDS: college; debt; enrollment; tuition
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1 posted on 03/13/2023 7:47:46 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING


2 posted on 03/13/2023 7:49:08 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

I see no bad news here. Far too many people are going to college who have no business in that environment.


3 posted on 03/13/2023 7:49:45 AM PDT by fwdude (Society has been fully polarized now, and you have to decide on which pole you want to be found.)
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To: SeekAndFind

When do they begin unloading all those over ego “professors”.
They can start with the diversity crowd and move on from there.


4 posted on 03/13/2023 7:51:07 AM PDT by Mouton (The enemy of the people is the media )
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To: SeekAndFind
In principle, education is about enlightening minds and should not be looked at from the perspective of value for money.

Trade schools.
On The Job training.

Correspondence schools, reading societies, hobby clubs for anyone who enjoys learning. Young, old, white, black, whatever. If you are curious, contact a group that is also interested.

No colleges.

5 posted on 03/13/2023 7:52:02 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (“You want it one way, but it's the other way”)
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To: SeekAndFind
It is a simple calculus: Cost vs. value.

The former is too high and the later is too low.

6 posted on 03/13/2023 7:52:21 AM PDT by Michael.SF. ( The problem today: people are more concerned about feelings than responsibility)
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To: SeekAndFind

My son (mid-20s) said he is the only one of his friends who isn’t burdened by heavy student debt. My daughter’s friend is in her last year of medical school - and looking at $500-600,000 in student loan debt.

I would suggest students go into the trades. I had to call a plumbing service for an emergency - had to call three before I found one that would come out, the rest were booked solid for a month.


7 posted on 03/13/2023 7:52:22 AM PDT by Bon of Babble (What did Socialists use before Candles?..... Electricity)
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To: SeekAndFind

It used to be education and the fearless sifting and winnowing of knowledge.

Now, it is Marxist Indoctrination. And it is infesting the STEM schools.


8 posted on 03/13/2023 7:56:46 AM PDT by Redleg Duke (“Who is John Galt?”)
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To: SeekAndFind

A key issue is that many college degrees have no value in the job market.

There are some jobs and careers for which you do need a college education in those fields, such as accounting, nursing, or various science fields.

And if you’re going to be a doctor or a lawyer, you need to go to medical school or law school respectively.

And there are degrees such as degrees in Black studies, or women’s studies, which do not lead to jobs and career paths.

Borrowing money for some of these degrees is a very bad financial decision, because those degrees will not enable you to get better paying jobs and careers to pay back those loans.


9 posted on 03/13/2023 8:03:38 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: SeekAndFind

Education is a market with businesses selling a service.

They try very hard to generate a demand through advertising, the selling of some idea of how beneficial their product is to the consumer, by influencing school guidance counselors, with BS income statistics...

Folks somehow forget that concept.

A major push for colleges and universities came after Griggs vs. Duke Power, where employers basically became liable when conducting “job skills testing” on their own if the outcomes showed any differences between the races and sexes (even if the test was purely job skills specific). So employers resorted to a college degree as the litmus test of if a perspective applicant had the required skills.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griggs_v._Duke_Power_Co.

You also then saw a major trend of where trades became college degree programs, i.e. criminal justice (law enforcement), fire, nursing, auto motive mechanic, HVAC technician... Of course these are “hands on” and “experience” based KSA’s and college is not even the best way to learn them.


10 posted on 03/13/2023 8:07:33 AM PDT by Red6
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To: SeekAndFind

Here’s an idea that might work, try lowering the cost and improving the product.

I know it is a novel and radical idea but it just might work.


11 posted on 03/13/2023 8:07:36 AM PDT by Sequoyah101 (Procrastination is just a form of defiance.)
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To: SeekAndFind
"55% of the class of 2020 graduated with student debt, according to the most recent data available from College Board. Among these graduates, the average student loan debt was $28,400."

About the price of a new car..

So, finance it for three years, and your done... Unless, of-course, you degree is in some sort of frilly crap and it's totally worthless. In that case guess you'll need TWO shifts at Micky-D's...

12 posted on 03/13/2023 8:09:24 AM PDT by unread ("It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required." W. Churchill.)
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To: Mouton

Academia has become its own industry...but it is mostly owned by big givt...govt...(altho givernment does seem what we have got...) And, academia is a tool of the deep state.


13 posted on 03/13/2023 8:09:26 AM PDT by goodnesswins (The Chinese are teaching calculus to their 3rd graders wh to sile ours are trying to pick a pronoun.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Do away with student loans, they are nothing more then 20th century version of indenture servants.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indentured_servitude

Any time you have a third party payer involved cost of the product will go up.

If you want to keep student loans make two changes, the person taking out the loan must be over 21 and second make the college the guarantor of the loan. If not paid back it is the college’s loss.

18 year olds are ignorant of the world and in my opinion should not be allowed to enter any contract until they are 21.

The colleges have no incentive to guide the student with the loan, succeed or fail the colleges get their money. They need a little skin in the game (and if so I am sure any degree with the word “study” in it would not be financed by student loans.


14 posted on 03/13/2023 8:11:53 AM PDT by CIB-173RDABN (I am not an expert in anything, and my opinion is just that, an opinion. I may be wrong.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Anyone who doesn’t see that college isn’t really educating people needs to get a real education. Its pretty obvious that a degree is far from what it used to be.


15 posted on 03/13/2023 8:12:04 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: fwdude
Experts fear that fewer college graduates could worsen labor shortages...

Professors used to be 'the best and brightest'... now they're kinkiest, angriest, and 'group-think stupidest'.

And their 'students'? Remedial classes are the norm at colleges for 'students' who can't read or do math at an 8th grade level.

Also, why bother? WOKE talking points can be learned in a few hours - why spend a few hundred thousand for that BS?

16 posted on 03/13/2023 8:14:01 AM PDT by GOPJ (The few sowed the wind, and the many reaped their whirlwind. - Victor Davis Hanson)
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To: fwdude

“Far too many people are going to college who have no business in that environment.”

************

Prolly better to go into the environment of business. The School of Hard Knocks is a great teacher and motivator. Just saying.


17 posted on 03/13/2023 8:14:20 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: fwdude
Experts fear that fewer college graduates could worsen labor shortages...

Professors used to be 'the best and brightest'... now they're kinkiest, angriest, and 'group-think stupidest'.

And their 'students'? Remedial classes are the norm at colleges for 'students' who can't read or do math at an 8th grade level.

Also, why bother? WOKE talking points can be learned in a few hours - why spend a few hundred thousand for that BS?

18 posted on 03/13/2023 8:14:35 AM PDT by GOPJ (The few sowed the wind, and the many reaped their whirlwind. - Victor Davis Hanson)
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To: SeekAndFind

The world needs ditchdiggers, too.


19 posted on 03/13/2023 8:15:12 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: GOPJ

Remedial classes are the norm at colleges for ‘students’ who can’t read or do math at an 8th grade level.

***********

Try getting them to write a coherent paragraph or construct a persuasive argument. Most cannot.


20 posted on 03/13/2023 8:17:15 AM PDT by Starboard
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