This is an excerpt of an article I wrote for the MSiA research blog which aims to illustrate the extent of the student loan crisis through both written word and dynamic data visualizations. It was inspired by similar work that has been done at The Pudding, Bloomberg, The Upshot, and The Guardian. See my article in its entirety here: https://studentloans.herokuapp.com/
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As the end of my master’s program fast approaches, I’m starting to feel the graduate school version of the “Sunday scaries.” These are not, however, caused by capstone projects, the stress of finding a full-time job, or even the threat of another Chicago winter. This, instead, is a fear that haunts 71% of all university graduates nationwide: student loans.
Student loans seem like an idea as old as time itself, but student lending is a rather novel concept. Early in United States history, colleges and universities either did not charge tuition or had very low rates. At that time, the biggest cost of getting an advanced degree was moving and living expenses. Despite the modest expense, the cost of moving away from home was still prohibitive for many working class families. This led to colleges mostly made up of students with generational wealth.
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While structuring my article, I focused on supplementing information presented in the text with scroll-based triggers that simultaneously activate relevant data visuals. This effect helps to highlight and change parts of the visualizations at the same time the reader is presented with new information.
I wrote my article to be understood by everyone, but the cluster analysis at the end has technical language that would be better understood by tech- and data-literate people. I hope the interactivity of this section helps bridge the technological divide, and clarifies the analysis for everybody.
See my article in its entirety here: https://studentloans.herokuapp.com/