Why College Debt Is Not All Bad

January is the time when most high school seniors start applying to colleges. Many Latino students - and their families - shy away from taking out loans for their higher education to avoid debt. Some education experts say this might not be the best idea. "Loans can help students go from part-time to full-time, and research shows this increases students' chances of completing college," says Deborah Santiago, co-founder and Vice President of Excelencia in Education, a non-profit focused on improving Latino academic and educational success. Santiago explains that while it is admirable for a Latino student to take one or two classes and then head out to a 10 or 20-hour-a-week job, the danger is these students might take very long to graduate, if at all.

"The more time you spend on campus, the more you benefit from a college's resources, including tutoring, support services and networking" says Santiago. She adds that while attending college or community-college full-time might seem so much more expensive, "if you can buckle down 4 years or 2 full-time years in the end you can save a lot of money because you get out into the world faster and start earning a higher salary," explains Santiago.

The main challenge, however, is to make sure Latino families know what resources are out there and how to utilize them.