It starts out as a distant dream. You’ve been working hard and waiting for this day. You’ve graduated and paid those application fees. You’ve done it. You got your acceptance letter and you’re going to college! That’s exactly how I felt. Now I’m in college- a sophomore. I’m currently sitting at my campus center after speaking with the Financial aid office to get another loan only to be told I am maxed out.
I owe roughly $1200 left, and I only have $33 in the bank. I spent $350 on books, and an average of $100 a month to commute each day to campus. I roughly make $400 dollars a month. Only to have %25 taken towards transportation, %50 taken for basic living. And the other $50 used for emergencies. Needing a headlight on my car, and worrying being that my engine light is on. Plus more worries being that I have braces that have to get paid for, medical bills,insurance, car maintenance, general fees, and much more.
College was my dream. I thought that everything would be so much better in college. Needless to say this is the most stressed I have ever been in my life. In high school, they don’t tell you the other side of not getting those scholarships, yet being to poor to afford college, but making too much money to get enough financial aid to pay for college. All they tell you is you have to figure it out and go to college because you’re weird and an outsider if you don’t.
The point of this post isn’t to just complain and be a big lump of sadness. The point is to question this. Why does it have to be this hard to get an education to do good in life? Yes – a ton of you are saying welcome to the real world. All of us get that. But it’s still something to question. In many countries school tuition is paid for. Allowing all students from all backgrounds a chance at getting an education and going for their dream career.
But at the end of the day, it shouldn’t be this hard. College is supposed to be challenging- I get that, but it should be a place where you wonder if you are going to be able to get gas or food the next week in order to get books. Or worry if you are going to get kicked out or put on hold because you can’t pay the bill on time.
This post is all over the place. I know. But I can’t help but feel that college has become about how much money you make or how good at a sport you are, versus giving students a chance at life.
