The Best Candidate for Students

As a recent college graduate I have trouble picturing the life I envisioned for myself only four years ago. I would like to believe that I am taking strides towards becoming a Hollywood writer and director. There should be nothing holding me back. I speak three languages, I have lived on four continents and I won my first writing contest in the third grade. I bought my first car three weeks ago. I moved to sunny Southern California one month ago. And five months ago I graduated from the George Washington University with what I believe to be a phenomenal education. So why can I not shake a constant anxiety and enjoy my first few months beyond college?

Just before commencement I sat down to take stock of my student loans and realized that I had incurred more than $20,000 in debt. That was my warm
welcome into adulthood. Add to that the $10,000 I borrowed to buy my first
car and it becomes a little easier to see why I refrain from letting my dreams carry me into some blissful notion that these financial obligations will somehow solve themselves.

The battle to enact the $700 billion bailout reached full steam the week moved to California. Car shopping was nearly impossible as lenders who may once have considered financing me took one look at the mammoth loans in my credit report and dismissed my file. When Senator Joe Biden said earlier this month that education is the "engine that is going to give us economic growth" I find it hard to believe that this is what he meant. How can I consider contributing to any economic revival when I will be struggling to pay off my education for years to come?

In the 1970's the ratio of educational grants to loans was 70% to 30%. Today that has been reversed and American students are offered only 25% of financial in grants and the other 75% in loans. The next US administration should establish a special Presidential task force charged solely with solving the crisis of college affordability. Innovative loan forgiveness initiatives, such as the American Opportunity Tax Credit proposed by Barack Obama, will relieve much of the burden that students like myself feel upon graduation. In addition, I believe it necessary for the US government to train and deploy financial advisers to high schools across the nation to engage students in a realistic discussion of their options for secondary education, including community colleges and vocational schools. And while I tend to be a fiscal conservative I would like to see a great deal more government spending on higher education, specifically an increase in the amount of money offered through Pell Grants.

In all honesty, neither candidate has said enough to instill confidence in me that they will make higher education a priority. I can only hope that they will. It's clear that they need to: college tuition costs are skyrocketing, and the average amount of student debt is through the roof. Equipping America's workforce with quality, affordable education will be a key to our future economic success.

Comments

[omuni]

Hi Ben,

I was one of the other lucky 5 finalist, and I must say that I'm glad you won. I liked your video the best, although I belive that mine was pretty brilliant (Sound of Silence). Anyway, great post, and good luck on securing your dream job. Have fun with all of the one-sided bloggers. This was the part of the prize that I was not looking forward to.

[benjmred]

Thanks so much! It was really interesting to hear everyone's stories and yours especially. My younger sister is studying to be a teacher as well. Good luck with everything!

[vegas9999]

You can bet that if Obama wins there will be a draft in 2 or 3 years. The only reason our military has stayed fairly strong is re-enlistments. They will not re-enlist for an administration that says it was all a mistake.

[bennettkw]

HuffPost's Pick

I will take you up on that bet. Your logic is so completely bass-ackwards, you couldn't possible know which way is up.

Everyone knows the war was a mistake; no one has argued that issue in several years. You need to learn to read more quickly, you're getting behind.

Most people who enlist the military do so for one of two reasons: sincere patriotism; opportunity. Even though the current administration has misused, abused and embarrassed our military and the country, many Americans continue to express their patriotism by joining the military. Others still see it as their best opportunity, or best door to future opportunities. Those reasons for joining do not change with a change in administration.

Arguments based on fear tactics are proving to be amazingly ineffective this time around but yours is not even smart enough to be heard by those hotheads at the Palin-McCain rallies.

Think again. Actually... just think.

Hey chic.ken little, don't look up.

[Pupadup4oBama]

Just curious - why did you put $10k on a car when you had $20K in student loans?
You could have bought a perfectly fine used car for a couple of hundred I'm sure.

You seem like a very bright kid, but I just can't find much sympathy for you on this one.

[collegeloanconsultant]

Now- I don't think the U.S. government should have to train a corps of financial advisers to vet students' financial plans, when this nation already has plenty of them working at the various colleges and universities where, coincidentally, a large amount of federal money goes.

It is definitely past time for these institutions to start taking some responsibility for college loan debt. It is their degree programs that apparently are not worth what many students are paying for them. They certify students as eligible for loans; maybe that should start to mean more than they have a pulse.