I absolutely can. I grew up listening to all those same messages and hearing all the same things.
I also realized that it might be a good idea to do some college research and to apply for various scholarships.
High school seniors aren't babies. If they're good enough to get into a college, they should be smart enough to do the minimal research which it takes to find out which degrees are valuable and which aren't. There are tons of resources online to learn about this stuff.
I'm pretty sure that absolutely no one anywhere tells their kid, go to Columbia University, live full time in Manhattan, take an extra three years to finish your bachelors, study pottery making, live entirely off of student loans. Aim for at least $400,000 in debt when you finish.
No one ever says that. Ever.
(As a random data point, the average student debt in 2015 was $35,000. That doesn't seem like an insurmountable bill.)
There's a reason more people are living at home, struggling with their debts, and the middle class is declining and it's not because their bills are so easily surmounted.
Also 35k is still a huge amount that will follow you for decades for some people.
> other people's bad financial decisions?
This is different than someone taking a bad loan on their own. This is the case of your parents and grandparents, your government, the schools, the newspapers, etc. all effectively telling you that it's a good idea to invest in education. So good that in a country that loves its liberties and independence so much people will fight against public health care, the government will do the work to guarantee that you can get your education loan.
Surely they can't be all wrong... I cannot honestly blame people for believing the lie in this case.