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Is college education worth it?
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College forces graduates to put off major rites of passage

The debt incurred by a college education forces graduates to postpone major milestones.
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Context

Paying for a university education puts graduates deep into debt. They then spend the next decade or two focusing on paying off this debt instead of buying a house or starting a family.

The Argument

Financial insecurity caused by college debt is forcing people to postpone having children or buying a house. Student loan repayments eat into graduate salaries, making them unable to afford mortgage payments, save for retirement, get married, or absorb the costs associated with raising a child. [1] The implications of this can severely impact someone’s quality of life. Having to wait many years to buy a house will result in many graduates spending a far greater portion of their lifetime earnings on accommodation as they are forced to rent for far longer. Postponing parenthood can also have biological implications and increase the risk of complications. [2]

Counter arguments

Premises

[P1] Graduates do not reach life's major milestones as early as their non-college educated peers. [P2] Postponing these milestones is harmful. [P3] College is not worth it.

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/upshot/americans-are-having-fewer-babies-they-told-us-why.html
  2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/in-depth/pregnancy/art-20045756
This page was last edited on Wednesday, 12 Feb 2020 at 17:32 UTC

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