One universal truth about college is that it is expensive. Private or public, two-year or four-year, religious or non-religious, it is undeniable that wherever you choose to further your education, you are making an investment in yourself and your future.
As the first child of a couple, one with a master's degree in music education and one with no college degree, I have seen that education opens a lot of doors. I've also seen that the name on that education, the school you graduate from, can open even more doors. So, sure, I'm going to have some debt. Who isn't? College is expensive.
Here's the thing about me and my personal education costs: I am a 21st Century Scholar. For anyone who doesn't know what that means, well, my tuition is covered by the state of Indiana. There were a lot of steps required for me to be granted this scholarship, but the main qualifier was that my family's income fell below the application's criteria, meaning that they knew my family could not afford to send me to college alone.
Thanks to the state of Indiana, I don't have to pay the close to $10,000 that my tuition would cost me otherwise. Due to this, I have people who tell me that I should not complain. People who I consider close friends tell me I should just accept that, be grateful and shut up.
And of course I'm grateful, I would not be able to attend college where I want to without it, but covering tuition only does so much. There's still room and board (another $10,000), books, and the general cost of being a person who isn't disgusting, meaning I need to buy shampoo and soap and razors and toothpaste and so on and so forth. College is expensive for everyone.
When I started applying for colleges, I did so nervously. I wasn't sure what I'd be able to afford. I was enrolled at Purdue North Central before I was enrolled at Ball State. I was planning on commuting from home, which would cut my cost in half. All I would have had to pay for was books, and the endless gas of driving an hour there and back every day.
Practically, it was the best idea. I just wasn't happy with it. I got my acceptance letter from Ball State and it ate at me. Members of my family were urging me to get the "college experience" and go away, and my heart just wasn't in staying in my tiny town any longer. After a few phone calls and e-mails, I had changed my admission plan and with it, let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
When I saw the difference in cost between the two schools, I panicked for a second. Of course I did, who wouldn't? I just had to breathe through it and know that I was making the right choice for myself. As an English education major, I wanted the best education possible and I knew that that meant getting the right name on my degree and the right professors who had made that name so powerful.
A great number of important teachers in my life had gone to Ball State and it is third in the state for education degrees. I knew I would be paying more to go here, but in the end it doesn't matter as much as I thought.
Sure, I'm taking out loans and that thought is terrifying, but the majority of students do. I'll get a part-time job and learn to budget better, so I can save up money for paying off those loans as early as possible. I know I'm making an investment in myself, and that's what matters.
There are people who have told me that I should just stay home, I should take the path of least resistance and save myself the money and the stress of worrying about the money, people who do not understand why I'm doing this at all.
And obviously, if you stayed home for college and are commuting, there's nothing wrong with that at all. It just wasn't right for me. Personally, I needed to go to Ball State. The amount I will be paying back in loans after college will come back to me in great professors, awesome new friends, and an experience I would not have access to if I had stayed home.
Bottom line? College is expensive, no matter where you go. Sure, my choice in college is more expensive than some, but I chose it knowing that. And I don't regret that at all.
