Each fall, colleges and universities fill with fresh, young and unsuspecting freshmen. This premise sets the ideal stage for the heartless, profit-driven credit card companies that flock to campuses everywhere to prey on the naivete of their victims.
I am the perfect example of what can happen when credit card companies lure students into their clutches at the ripe age of 18.
At orientation day, I saw a table that was attracting a great deal of attention. I joined in the chaos and discovered that I could receive a free prize for filling out a simple credit card application Ñ no strings attached.
So, in my infinite wisdom, I filled out the application. You can imagine just how desperately I needed that pocket thesaurus they were giving away.
I am now 24 years old and more than $7,000 in credit card debt. At the time I applied for my fist credit card, I had no idea of what annual percentage rates meant. My first VISA card had nearly a 21 percent interest rate.
Needless to say, the company failed to point that out.
Although it is true that in this country people are legally adults at 18, most young adults may not be ready for credit.
The temptation offered by a credit card is almost too great to refuse for someone just starting out on their own. So many possibilities can be conjured up when one thinks about having a credit card. And these companies use marketing tactics specifically targeted at young adults.
At 18, the thought of a closet full of new clothes or an awesome new stereo system can override any logic one needs when applying for a credit card, much less using it.
This issue is extremely frustrating. Each year when we return to school, a fresh batch of companies awaiting new blood.
Why do campuses, especially Cal State Long Beach, allow this to happen. Our school should take a stand against this type of in-your-face marketing that can eventually destroy lives.
Students should be left to contact the credit card companies on thier own time Ñ off campus. Shashona Padilla is a journalism major, public relations option.