@Cal C. Now you are introducing a new tier to the argument. First you said all student loans are bad, now you are implying that student loans are bad if you don't go to an affordable college. So which is it?
Even if you picked an affordable college and worked throughout the year, you may still be required to take out loans. I went to an affordable college and many people were in that exact situation. Sure, tuition may be $7-9k per year, but you forget about additional expenses such as living, rent, technology, health, and textbooks and supplies.
Additionally, it could be argued that a student should work part-time in order to address some but not all of the costs, and instead focus on obtaining a near perfect GPA as that will likely open up more doors than their work experience throughout their college career.
A better argument for your sake would be: student loans are bad debt if an undesirable major was chosen. If you take out loans to pursue a dance major, then I wholeheartedly agree that those loans are considered bad debt, unless of course the student intends to transfer that dance knowledge into some sort of business and has a viable plan to do so.
Statistically the majors that have the highest ROI are business, engineering, and IT. If a student can yield a net positive earnings increase by taking on loans and choosing a solid major, then why not make the investment? For instance, if by my graduating with a business major increases my monthly income by $1,200 compared to that of a high school graduate who has been working for four years, and I have monthly debt service of say $300, my net increase is $900. I'd take that deal any day.
