Student loans? Do the math

Re “Students learn too late the costs of private loans,” Dec. 27

The story of the young woman who finished college with a $140,000 student loan debt is tragic indeed. Her math classes apparently didn’t teach her the basics of money, including reading the fine print, paying attention to interest rates and considering costs of living.

Instead of requiring algebra for high school graduation, consumer math should be the mandate. Most students leave high school without the fundamental skills for using math in their lives. Today’s widespread credit-card debt and out-of-range mortgages indicate that Americans didn’t learn the math we really needed in high school.

Margaret Davis

La Verne