Emma Burk

EN 102

Summary Essay

19 January 2021

A Push in the Right Direction

“Good luck paying off your student debt.” “You’ll never be out of the hole.” Through the

years, countless students would say that they had heard these at some point in their lives. But is

student debt really all that bad? In her article “A Lifetime of Student Debt? Not Likely,” Robin

Wilson, a reporter for the Chronicle of Higher Education, explains how beneficial college is.

Wilson proceeds to show how student debt is not as bad as some may think. Colleges offer

students several different advantages when compared to someone who does not attend college.

Even though one may have student debt, she believes it will be worth it in the end. Wilson argues

that college is an important factor in students’ lives because even though students may be in

debt, many do not regret it because of the experience they have had and the career path they have

chosen; additionally, there is a lack of direction provided for high school students.

Although students may be in debt, many have positive college experiences that cause

them to view that debt in a positive light. Jill McClusker, a Stonehill College graduate, expresses

her feelings about choosing to attend a more expensive college. Although McClusker is now

living with her mom in order to pay her $300/month debt, “She doesn’t regret her decision to

attend Stonehill or even borrow $30,000. . .” (Wilson 259). In making this comment, Wilson

explains that although McClusker has an immense amount of student debt, she does not regret or

wish to take back that education because of the experience obtained.

 Regardless of the various viewpoints on student loans, some say that student loans are a

good thing depending on the career path chosen. The standard way of thinking about student

loans has it that they are bad and create problems; however, Wilson argues on the other side. She

goes on to state, “Student-aid experts say that higher debt makes sense for people who earn

degrees in law, business, and medicine because they are more capable of landing high-paying

jobs and paying off larger loans” (259). This goes to show that a person going into a career with

fewer opportunities and decreased pay should not put themself in the position to have a large

amount of student debt. Alan M. Collinge, the founder of StudentLoanJustice.org, is a perfect

example of this. Collinge borrowed over 38,000 dollars in student loans and after the failure of

an invention and a car accident, which resulted in injury, he quickly realized that he was not

going to be able to afford his expenses on top of his $362/month bill (Wilson 259). Accordingly,

some would argue that if he had gone into a career with high demand he would have had the

potential of repaying his debts more easily.

Student debt is sometimes hard to comprehend, especially for students who lack guidance

in high school. During an interview, executive recruiter Darla Horn explained her own

experience in borrowing $80,000 in student loans. After being let go of her job, she did not even

realize how much she owed. Horn said, “I can humbly say that I was completely financially

illiterate. . .” (qtd. in Wilson 263). This goes to show that a small push in the right direction

during high school could have saved her thousands of dollars if she would have been taught how

to handle these loans.

The upshot of all this is that with the right guidance and life choices, student loans can be

beneficial tools. Wilson implies that choosing an in-demand career that also has a high salary
allows students to be capable of not only taking out loans but repaying them steadily. Every

student has a different idea of what she wants to do as a career, but by counselors showing the

do’s and don'ts involving student loans, her life could be impacted drastically in a positive way.

College can be an important factor in anyone’s life, so being proactive and getting small bits of

advice in this field could save them from a lifetime of debt.

 Work Cited

Wilson, Robin. “A Lifetime of Student Debt? Not Likely.” They Say I Say: The Moves That

Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff et al., 2nd ed., New York, W.W. Norton and

Company, 2012, pp. 256-272.