A question that I often find myself asking is if a college education is really worth it? In today’s world, it would seem like a no-brainer. From the start of a child’s education, they are constantly hammered with the importance of going to school and getting that higher education. I remember in middle school and high school daydreaming about what college would be like, but the college you’re told about in grade school is very different than the real thing.
I was an above-average student. I was constantly on the scholar and honor roll, won various awards in school, and was on the right track for college. I could not wait to go to college. I was going to get away from home, get all the grants and scholarships, be in several clubs and make outstanding grades along with it. I graduated high school when I was 16, a year earlier than I was supposed to, and applied to several out-of-state and in-state schools.
I went to one of the cheaper, but outstanding schools in my state. I had been very active in high school. Did everything from debate club to softball to dance and basketball. Along with my good grades and extracurricular activities, I should have been set for college. Not exactly. I only got a handful of scholarships that totaled $1,000 per semester. While every little bit counts, between that and my grants, it still was not enough to fully pay for everything and I still had to take out student loans in order to cover everything.
These are the things that grade school does not tell you about college. It is not as easy as applying and getting in. Just because you get into a college does not mean you will be able to go because you just might not be able to afford it. I have been in college for a handful of years now and I am already over 20,000 dollars in debt, and I am still a few semesters away from graduating.
With each semester, college tuition goes up and so does the price of textbooks. Students can spend anywhere from $400 to over $1000 on textbooks alone, half of the time the professor never uses the book but will penalize the students if they have not brought the book to class. Half the time you cannot sell them back and if you can, they hardly offer back anything for it.
Money aside, there are a lot of things that I was never warned about. Sometimes the amount of stress I feel is way too overwhelming. If I do not make certain grades, I could possibly lose all my financial aid, fall behind. Sometimes if messing up in school is a one-way ticket to getting kicked out. Since I have started college my anxiety has slowly been getting worse. I’m nervous, anxious and I constantly feel like I am on the break of a mental and/or emotional breakdown at any moment.
Right now it would seem like opting out of college would be the smart thing. Why do you need to go straight into college right after High School? People should be able to enjoy their lives as young adults, not be ten inches over their heads in student loan debt.
Now you cannot even get through life with a bachelor’s degree. I am expected to fork over more thousands of dollars to get my master’s degree before I can even start to make a name for myself in the world? It is outrageous. The United States needs to start thinking of alternative ways to provide cheaper and more updated ways of getting higher education for its citizens.
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