Americans Are Losing Faith in the Value of College by Jackey Lyu https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu Due to rising costs, political influences, and Structural problems in the higher education system.More and more Americans are questioning whether college is worth it, leading to a decline in public confidence.The most direct reason is that tuition fees have risen a lot. In the past few decades, the average annual total cost of a four-year private university has been close to $60,000. This is a huge financial burden for ordinary families. Many people have to rely on student loans. Today, student debt in the United States has reached $1.7 trillion, which restricts many graduates from buying houses and starting businesses. In addition, political and media views on universities are also changing. In the past decade, the proportion of conservative voters who believe that universities have a negative impact on the country has risen from 37% to 58%. What's worse is that not all majors can bring the same return on investment. For example, science and engineering and business majors generally have higher salaries, but liberal arts and social sciences often have lower returns and may even face the risk of losing money. At the same time, the government cut funding for public universities, and schools were forced to raise tuition, resulting in a decline in the fairness and quality of education. The threshold for admission to elite universities is extremely high, and resources are more inclined towards wealthy families. It is difficult for children from ordinary families to enter top institutions. In general, more and more people choose not to go to college, which will affect the overall human capital of the United States. Experts predict that by 2030, the United States may be short of 6 million to 8.5 million college graduates. This will result in an economic loss of $1.2 trillion. Overall, high tuition fees, economic pressures, political factors, and problems with the education system are causing more and more Americans to question the value of going to college. en-us 2025-03-02 14:25:54 UTC 2025-03-03 07:10:34 UTC hello@padlet.com Main Idea dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348496550 Due to rising costs, political influences, and Structural problems in the higher education system.More and more Americans are questioning whether college is worth it, leading to a decline in public confidence.

]]> 2025-03-03 04:03:46 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348496550 Economic Risks and Cost Issues（Reason 1） dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348496711 2025-03-03 04:03:56 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348496711 Political & Media Influence(Reason 2) dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348496806 2025-03-03 04:04:05 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348496806 Structural problems in the higher education system（Reason 3） dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348496969 2025-03-03 04:04:11 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348496969 Rising Costs & Student Debt dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348520024 Tuition for four-year colleges has risen dramatically since 1992. The total cost of a private college is about $58,000 per year, and the net price is about $33,000 after financial subsidies; even a public university costs $19,000 per year.

This huge increase has put a heavy financial burden on families.

]]> 2025-03-03 04:30:10 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348520024 Diminishing Wealth Premium dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348520565 Although college graduates still have a salary premium of about 65% over high school graduates, it is not that exaggerated if the cost of four years of college tuition is taken into account.

]]> 2025-03-03 04:30:47 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348520565 Student Debt is Skyrocketing dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348520891 High debt directly erodes the net wealth of graduates, limiting their ability to invest in buying homes, starting businesses, and more.

]]> 2025-03-03 04:31:10 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348520891 Confidence has dropped dramatically dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348522149 In the early 2010s, about 86% of graduates and 74% of young people believed that college was a good investment, and 60% of Americans believed that college had a positive impact on the country;Today, only 41% of young people believe that college is very important, and only about a third of people are confident in higher education

]]> 2025-03-03 04:32:30 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348522149 Impact of political polarization dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348522367 Over the past decade, the proportion of Republican voters who believe that colleges have a negative impact on the country has soared from 37% to 58%; conservatives generally believe that professors spread their political tendencies in the classroom, causing a sharp decline in trust in higher education.

]]> 2025-03-03 04:32:45 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348522367 Risk of Dropping Out dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348532168 About 40% of students fail to complete their studies, meaning the high fees and loans they incur do not translate into a degree.

]]> 2025-03-03 04:44:55 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348532168 Differentiation of professional returns dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348536595 Science, engineering and business often bring higher returns on investment, while arts, humanities and social sciences often show negative returns due to the pressure of high tuition fees, and may even lead to investment losses.

]]> 2025-03-03 04:51:17 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348536595 Elite colleges and unfair admissions: dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348537045 Only about 10% of students enter elite colleges with extremely low admission rates. These colleges clearly favor children from wealthy families through various preferential policies.

]]> 2025-03-03 04:51:52 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348537045 Funding structure and government funding cuts: dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348537448 With the government's funding cuts to public universities, schools have been forced to increase tuition fees, which further deteriorates the quality and equity of education.

]]> 2025-03-03 04:52:28 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348537448 Widespread economic and social impact dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348555794 As more and more students choose not to go to college, a self-reinforcing negative cycle is formed. In the long run, the uncertainty of the return on investment in college education may weaken the country's overall human capital. Experts predict that the United States will be short of 6 million to 8.5 million college graduates by 2030. This gap may reduce the country's overall economic output, and it is estimated that by 2030, the economic output may be lost by $1.2 trillion.

]]> 2025-03-03 05:14:10 UTC https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348555794 KEY Terms dl1261_1 https://padlet.com/dl1261_1/1k8fpclwv5ksmqiu/wish/3348664405 College Wage Premium: The difference in earnings between college graduates and high school graduates.

Racketeering: How elite institutions let wealthy people jump the queue and get prestigious jobs and connections.

Stratified: The economic returns to college degrees vary widely across social classes and ethnic groups, creating a clear hierarchy of inequality.

College wealth premium: it includes all assets and liabilities to determine how much net wealth college graduates accumulate compared to high school graduates.

Generation Z: An era of growing skepticism among young adults about the value of a college degree

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