We recently teamed up with the White House and President Obama to talk about an issue that you guys told us is a major concern: student debt. Last week 71,104 of you texted in your most pressing questions about this issue and President Obama and Vice President Biden answered. According to the data, we got 1 question every 8 seconds. What the what?! Check out what else went down last week.
We received a whopping 186,945 texts throughout the week. The word cloud below shows the terms that appeared the most in the messages sent.
Got questions about the cities with the most sign-ups? Or the average age of people with a question for President Obama? We’ve got you covered. Click here [1] to view this sweet infographic with all of that data and more!
Here’s a recap of the questions asked:
On Monday, Dan from Ann Arbor, MI asked:
“What have you done and plan to do to lower student debt & tuition”
President Obama:
“We've expanded grants & tax credits, provided new options to manage debt and proposed incentives for colleges to keep costs down. More here: http://at.wh.gov/mlnUx [2]”
On Tuesday, Marcus from Nevada, TX asked:
“What are you doing to make high school students more educated on loans before entering college?”
President Obama:
“Students need info to make smart choices. We launched a College Scorecard & Financial Aid Shopping Sheet to compare schools, aid & loan options: at.wh.gov/mmMh3 [3]. It's something Michelle and I wish we had had when we were in your shoes – because sometimes we got surprised by some of the debt that we racked up. If you're willing to work hard, you should be able to afford to go to college. Thx, Marcus for the Q. I'll be here all week, so keep 'em coming.”
On Wednesday, Brianna Veal from St. Louis, MO asked:
“What are you doing about debt reduction & loan forgiveness for young people who go into public service?”
President Obama:
“We offer income-based repayment, capping loan payment as low as 10% of your income, as well as loan forgiveness after 10 yrs of public service. As I've said before, this is personal for me. Michelle and I did not finish paying off our student loans until about 9 years ago. We gotta make sure higher education isn't a luxury reserved for just a privileged few, every family should be able to afford it. Keep sending Qs.”
On Thursday, Fatima Quadri from Georgia asked:
“Should students worry about student loan debt given the current job market?”
Vice President Biden:
“Hey, everybody. Joe Biden, here. I'll be answering your Qs for the President while he is in Africa. Great question, Fatima. Nothing is more important than college edu. We've boosted Pell Grants & higher ed tax credits, income-based repayment caps payments at 10% of income & launched a College Scorecard to compare your options. Work study, scholarship, community college can help, but we also need Congress to act to keep interest rates from doubling. Keep asking Qs. Back tomorrow!”
On Friday, Laura Uribe from Florida asked:
“How can we compete with the rest of the world if the high cost of college is pricing kids out?”
Vice President Biden:
“Any nation that out-educates us will out-compete us. So we're focused on making college more affordable so Americans are prepared for the jobs of the future. That's why we created the $2,500 college tax credit & doubled funding for Pell Grants. We're also fighting to keep student loan rates from doubling this summer. That's something Congress can fix right away. And we need your help to make sure they do. Thanks for all the great questions this week. Keep working hard and make your voice heard on these issues.”