Loan is money or property that a person borrows from a financial institution and repays it at a later date. It has interest which is compounded on an agreed period of time. Student loans are similar to this. It is the money borrowed by students to finance their education and pay bills while studying. This is repaid either upon completing studies or at an interval enshrined in the loan’s terms and conditions.
There are advantages and disadvantages of students’ loan. One is that it enables the student to settle the bills and pay school fees. The other is that it finances student’s education which is a future investment. Gaining knowledge inclines the student to good job and pay in the future. Some students come from humble background and therefore financial aid comes in handy. Since students have fewer responsibilities as compared to old adults, a loan is ideal because they are unable to fend for themselves.
There are also shortcomings of students’ loan. One is that the students get more indebted to the extent that their studies are interrupted. With high interest rates, the amount to repay is huge. This becomes more difficult especially when the loan is paid in short installments. Loans with longer installment periods have high interest rates. The other problem associated with student loan is that young adults end up delaying marriages or family formation because they want to avoid financial responsibility. This happens since much attention is turned to clearance of debts. A huge debt limits the life of a student. This is because other forms of loan cannot be secured easily elsewhere before student’s loan is settled. It is easy for financial institution to trace students’ loan repayment details.
However, students have several strategies at their disposal to repay loan and live without debts. Some students have resorted to looking for part time jobs. This makes it easier to settle the bills and pay school fees. It also saves the student the need to incur debts due to borrowing. Another strategy is cutting down expenditures. When a student lives within his or her means, unnecessary debts are dispensed. Students can also form marriages at a later period to ensure that they settle their debts first.
The amount of loans taken by students is reported to have decreased nowadays. Many students are resorting to alternative means of obtaining money such as part time jobs. Lending terms and conditions have also become tighter and so students are shunning away from borrowing. This is healthy for the students but it has negative implication on the country’s economy. When students borrow less money purchasing power declines. Low purchasing power leads to less consumption as less purchase is made. When country’s consumption declines the economics growth follows suit. This is because economic growth is a function of consumption.
Therefore, a student planning to pursue a bachelor major in a costly university like Kent State University should consider the points for and against loan as I have outlined above. The ideal step is to be aware of the huge impending debt and getting ready to look for alternative sources of money. This includes a part time job and cutting down one’s expenditure. The debt to be incurred should be within the amount earned from the job or any other periodical source of money. The decision should also factor in the amount of income one anticipates to earn in future.