Here you are. You're nearing the end of the semester and summer is well within your sleep-deprived reach. However, the hardest part of a college education that can often surpass the grueling study hours and tricky exams is the growing entity of student debt that can loom above a student. In today's economic times, it's almost automatically assumed that every student will take out some form of a student loan or request financial aid. The deadly combination of an expensive higher education and a failing economy makes paying your way through college even harder than it was a decade ago. Add in the ridiculous price of textbooks and supplies and the numbers add up to one big, scary number. However, even when they hold mountains of student debt, today's collegiate class have been found to be quite reckless with their spending money, often suppressing the thought of how much money they owe by spending as if they owe nothing back.

The truth of the matter is that even with the monstrous amount of annually accumulating debt placed on a young student, Millennials still face the pressure of throwing away their budget on material items seen as trendy and popular.

These statistics are a result on the overwhelming pressure on young adults to "keep up" with their peers when it comes to what they have, what they wear, and what they do. Social media outlets like Instagram, Twitter, and their competitors facilitate and encourage their users to post about their extravagant, over-the-top experiences, expensive clothing, and showy possessions. Suddenly, everyone has the dire need to share every Kate Spade bag and Fossil watch that they own.

By doing this in excess, an importance has been slowing growing into what you own rather than who you are or who you will be.

So how does this impact the average, broke college student?

A leading factor in this pressure to spend is through media outlets such as social media. It's very human to see something new or enviable and find yourself calculating the hypothetical spending room in your checking account for it. But in a recent survey, students were found to spend significant amounts of money on beauty, fashion, concerts, and other post-able items or experiences. In addition, according to an April 2015 survey by USA Today, this generation of college students are prone to using more than one credit card, paying their statements late, and neglecting to balance their checkbooks, furthering this financial pressure on tomorrow's leaders. All of these factors put a large amount of anxiety on students, making them choose between saving money for their future and going without the newest and latest, or spend valuable money to combat this pressure of having the next best thing.

But it's just as important to understand that students should not be blamed for trying to stay up-to-date with their equals. Between the pressure to keep up with their courses and find jobs after college, it's unfair to blame them for spending money a little recklessly sometimes. It is often the only way to let off steam after a busy week or cheer up after a bad grade.

So no, it is not necessary to buybuybuy everything that you see while you're online shopping between classes. But you're a student, and you know the commitment that you have made to pay back your loans (plus interest) after graduation. By taking on this very adult responsibility, you've already made some major steps towards proving your seriousness about your education. So, with caution, don't be afraid to indulge once in a while in something you've seen on your favorite Instagram accounts or on that Facebook video you just shared. After all, money isn't everything.