As someone who comes from outside the USA, it is always extremely surprising to me how much just the fact of getting a college degree is lionized here. New grad

As someone who comes from outside the USA, it is always extremely surprising to me how much just the fact of getting a college degree is lionized here. New graduates are made to think they are accomplishing a great deal just by virtue of having graduated, i.e. having completed the minimum requirements laid out by their program. I can't count the number of Facebook statuses I have seen that say "So proud I'm graduating!!!!" or something to that effect, without having even a vague concept of what to do after that are cheered on and congratulated by similarly clueless people. Add in a mix of pictures in those $70 graduation caps and gowns effing everywhere, and you have the recipe for something younger students will rush into doing without thinking of the consequences. I think an immediate lessening of the adulation showered on people who have graduated from college, and an increase in the respect for those who have actually learned a useful trade or done something (note: a summer exchange program in Europe that your parents or the Govt. paid for does not count) would go a long way towards getting people to think carefully before signing up for one of these predatory loans.