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Will new Obama plan benefit students?
By Britney Nowak
On September 26, 2012
Most college students have to take out at least one loan to help fund their education. You know you'll
eventually have to pay them back, but you figure graduation is years away and you have plenty of time to
worry about it.
But things do not always turn out as you had planned, even if you're a student in the SUNY system.
According to the Buffalo State website, the tuition cost for a full-time Buffalo State student is about $4,685
per semester for residents of New York State. This cost is fairly reasonable compared to other colleges that
charge anywhere from $20,000-$40,000. Yet tuition costs in this country are increasing, and I am afraid
that soon we may have to collect bottles and cans to pay back our loans.
In order to pay back loans, students rely on the probability that they will get a job after graduation. I have to
wonder, what happens if we get our diploma and still can't find a job?
Leading into the upcoming elections, the Obama-Biden campaign is talking about making college more
affordable. They hope to accomplish this by creating a tax credit that will ensure the first $4,000 of a
college education is free for most Americans. This credit is also supposed to cover two-thirds of tuition
costs for "the average public college or university," and make community college tuition free for most
students.
What's the catch? Those who receive this credit have to do 100 hours of community service.
This seems like a fantastic plan to me, but I'm wondering who will be eligible to receive the credit. The
Obama campaign hasn't made this apparent, but it seems to me that it would depend on what we fill out in
our financial aid forms.
Then those who do not receive the credit may wonder if this system is entirely fair. Then there's the
question as to whether this plan will go through. Any president or public official can make promises, but
their plans do not always become reality. So if this plan falls through the cracks, we will either be forced
to accept college loan debt as a harsh reality of life, or something else will have to be done to try to relieve
this burden.
I try to avoid thinking about my student loans as often as possible, because I know the harsh reality is that
there is no guarantee of getting a job after graduating college. This is a scary thing for me, and I'm sure it's
a concern many other students have. Yet despite my mostly bleak opinions, there is a glimmer of hope on
the horizon.
According to a recent article in USA Today, the goal of reaching your dream job is still within your grasp.
It simply takes more work and experience. It goes on to say, "Students who did an internship in college and
got a job in their major earned 15% more on average than those who did not complete an internship."
Basically, people won't hire just anyone anymore. As the job market gets more and more competitive, your
resume has to stand out from all of the other people in the same position as you.
So do yourself a favor, fellow students, and get involved. Take advantage of all of the activities and
internship opportunities that may help your resume in the future, and be aware of the harsh realities when
you go to pay back your student loans.
Britney Nowak can be reached by email at nowak.record@live.com.
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