August 21 Meeting: Higher education in America Part 2: Is College Still Worth It?

A college degree in America today costs three to four times as much as it did in the 1960s – even when you adjust for inflation. Ouch.

The huge increase in cost raises three questions:

·         Why does college cost so much?

·         Is college even worth it?

·         Are student loans the best way to help?

It turns out that these questions are all different ways of looking at the same problem. No matter how you look at it, the answer seems to be that the system is in distress.

We invite you to come to our next Cracker Barrel meeting to share your own experiences and your own ideas for making higher education in America both worthwhile and affordable.

See you there! Visitors and summer neighbors are welcome!

--Ed & Kitty Dolan

Meanwhile, here are some suggested readings:

·         What is happening to costs? (Education data initiative)

·         Colleges are spending like there’s no tomorrow. (WSJ)

·         How federal aid drives tuition higher (Saving for College)

·         Is college worth it? (Third way)

·         Is college worth it? (More detail, from FREOPP)

·         The debate over federal lending policies (Council for Foreign Relations)