More Americans question the value of college

Some Americans spend thousands–even hundreds of thousands–of dollars on higher education. As the cost of a degree continues to rise, it appears some have begun to question the worth of a college education, the Huffington Post reports. According to a survey recently conducted by Country Financial, only 57 percent of adults believe a college education is a good investment.

ABC News reports that number has “plummeted” since 2008 when 81 percent of adults considered college a worthy investment. The network attributes the steepest decline in those numbers to the Great Recession. That figure remains constant (fluctuating about 4 percent) across nearly every demographic, including various age groups, race, family size, and marriage. Income seemed to have the greatest impact, with 70 percent of households making $100,000 a year or more affirming the worth of a college education while only 47 percent of those making less than $20,000 per year agreed. Despite the decrease in a college diploma’s perceived value, the survey found an increased tolerance for the debt that people would be willing to take on while pursuing their degree. Just over 50 percent of respondents said $20,000 in debt was too much; last year, however, NBC News points out that 61 percent of respondents had the same limit…

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5 reasons to go to college (besides career advancement)

"In our discussions about education so little stress is laid on the pleasure of becoming an educated person, the enormous interest it adds to life," said one reader.

Conventional wisdom says that, unless you’re an entrepreneurial genius, you need a college degree to land a well-paying job; yet, thanks to the slumping economy, even that’s not a guarantee.

An anti-college backlash recently has emerged from the confluence of soaring tuition rates, political forces, and a desire for more accountability in higher education—not to mention a tough economy that has many students rethinking the value of a college education.

But for those critics who say the debilitating effects of college loans just aren’t worth what you get in return, the issue begs the question: “Is a postsecondary education really just about finding a good job after graduation?”…Read More

Three-fifths of colleges get C or worse in general education

An analysis of core education requirements at 1,007 colleges found that three-fifths of those schools require three or fewer of seven basic subjects, such as science, math and foreign language, the Washington Post reports. This is the third annual report on general education by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, titled What Will They Learn? The group has set out to illustrate the failings of America’s colleges in requiring students to learn essential subjects over the course of their education…

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