Expository Essay/ Informative Essay/Informational Writing

        Unpacking the Student Loan Dilemma (Source 1)
This fall, almost 20 million students will enter the halls of colleges and universities throughout the United States.. The vast majority of them carry dreams that a college degree will one day help them secure enjoyable and fulfilling employment along with compensation that would exceed what they might earn without a degree.. However, if and when those students finally receive that important piece of paper and are thrust into the job market, on average, they will find themselves carrying a school loan debt of $33,000.. Those who have pursued graduate degrees will be burdened with far more.. In fact, many of them will have to pay back six-figure amounts.. Meanwhile, the job prospects that they expected to flood their inboxes are few and far between.. The cost of postsecondary education has skyrocketed in recent years, while median salaries and available jobs have declined.  For college graduates today, it is a new and challenging world.. 
According to a 2014 report, college students today are more indebted than at any time in American history.. Even accounting for inflation, the average student debt is double what it was two decades ago.. Over the past 30 years, college tuition has ballooned 538%, not counting additional fees, which are also increasing yearly.. The average annual cost of tuition, room, and board is now about $15,000 for a public institution, $40,000 for a private nonprofit institution, and $24,000 for a private for-profit institution.. Given these figures, it’s no wonder that student debt has increased over 300% just in the past decade..
With discouraging numbers like these, it would seem that many students would give up on the idea of postsecondary education.. Yet research shows that college enrollment has actually accelerated. Students fear that their job prospects will be much more limited without a degree, and they believe that graduate degrees may greatly increase their chances for high-paying jobs.. With this in mind, they apply for financial aid, looking to grants and scholarships to ease the burden.. Still, when they graduate, they are generally in a more difficult situation than their parents were.. As they search for job prospects, many return home to live with their parents for a while.. Many recent graduates are uncertain if they will ever find the jobs they seek.. However, they continue to hope that they will be able to stabilize, pay off loans, and even save money over time.. Although they recognize that the challenge is there, they are working to achieve their dreams.. And perhaps, for many, those dreams will come true.. One thing is very probable, though: it will take them longer than it used to..


                              

        Unpacking the Student Loan Dilemma (Source 1)
This fall, almost 20 million students will enter the halls of colleges and universities throughout the United States.. The vast majority of them carry dreams that a college degree will one day help them secure enjoyable and fulfilling employment along with compensation that would exceed what they might earn without a degree.. However, if and when those students finally receive that important piece of paper and are thrust into the job market, on average, they will find themselves carrying a school loan debt of $33,000.. Those who have pursued graduate degrees will be burdened with far more.. In fact, many of them will have to pay back six-figure amounts.. Meanwhile, the job prospects that they expected to flood their inboxes are few and far between.. The cost of postsecondary education has skyrocketed in recent years, while median salaries and available jobs have declined.  For college graduates today, it is a new and challenging world.. 
According to a 2014 report, college students today are more indebted than at any time in American history.. Even accounting for inflation, the average student debt is double what it was two decades ago.. Over the past 30 years, college tuition has ballooned 538%, not counting additional fees, which are also increasing yearly.. The average annual cost of tuition, room, and board is now about $15,000 for a public institution, $40,000 for a private nonprofit institution, and $24,000 for a private for-profit institution.. Given these figures, it’s no wonder that student debt has increased over 300% just in the past decade..
With discouraging numbers like these, it would seem that many students would give up on the idea of postsecondary education.. Yet research shows that college enrollment has actually accelerated. Students fear that their job prospects will be much more limited without a degree, and they believe that graduate degrees may greatly increase their chances for high-paying jobs.. With this in mind, they apply for financial aid, looking to grants and scholarships to ease the burden.. Still, when they graduate, they are generally in a more difficult situation than their parents were.. As they search for job prospects, many return home to live with their parents for a while.. Many recent graduates are uncertain if they will ever find the jobs they seek.. However, they continue to hope that they will be able to stabilize, pay off loans, and even save money over time.. Although they recognize that the challenge is there, they are working to achieve their dreams.. And perhaps, for many, those dreams will come true.. One thing is very probable, though: it will take them longer than it used to..

    Source 2- Dealing with Student Debt

 Philip Rogers* didn’t know that his college debt was spiraling out of control until last autumn, when his federal deferment agreement expired and he began receiving bills. The previous spring, Rogers graduated from a private institution with a degree in sports management and $63,000 worth of debt. Unable to locate a position in his preferred field, Rogers was compelled to take a job as a restaurant food server. Meanwhile, his debt is increasing rapidly with its 6% interest rate. Between a car payment and studio apartment rent, Rogers can only afford to make minimum payments, barely making a dent in the loan total. “I see myself never being able to retire,” Rogers says. “I’ll just be working forever to pay off this loan. I’m uncertain that I’ll ever be in a position to have a family or buy a house, either.” 

5

Rogers is not alone in his dilemma. Most graduates today are burdened with substantial student debt. Some deal with the predicament by putting off payments—applying for deferment by continuing their education or requesting forbearance, a reduction of minimum payments or interest rates that only lasts for a maximum of three years. In most cases, however, interest continues to accumulate, often adding thousands to the original debt. 

“I’ve had to move back in with my parents,” Chloe Peterson* says. “I thought I was doing well when I managed to graduate from a prestigious university with only a minimal loan. But then I attended graduate school for graphic design, and the debt really began to mount.” Peterson flashes a series of invoices on her laptop. “I have to pay $552 each month, and if I’m ever late, the interest will increase to 18%. So I’m back in my old bedroom, still trying to find a job.” 

10

What is the solution to this problem? Experts suggest tactics such as attending community college, staying in state, or taking online courses. When school loans are inevitable, students should research the different loan types to find the best one for them. “Loans are so easy for students to get, so choose wisely,” one financial planner says. “And my best advice is this—don’t take on a loan that is larger than you will be able to pay.” Obviously, student loans can be both a blessing and a curse, but for most students, following recommendations like these can be money in the bank.