College: a wonderful place to spend four years of your life partying, making friends and studying for hours on end. (I can't forget about studying, because that's why we're all there, right?) During those four years, you're expected to gain wisdom and mental strength to learn how to navigate the gigantic world that's waiting for us after receiving a degree.
Recently or in the past week, I've been hating the college system. A lot. Why, must you ask? Well, I received my financial aid for the current academic year and, to say the least, FAFSA and I aren't friends. Since beginning college two years ago, FAFSA and I have never met eye-to-eye. You see, FAFSA and I have a complicated relationship; FAFSA thinks he knows what's best for me, but I don't agree whatsoever.
The college system is odd, because a large majority of your academic life is in the hands of a complete stranger.
Are you worthy of spending four years and incurring piles of debt at our institution? In the hands of a complete stranger.
Are you worthy of this grant or scholarship to decrease the amount of tuition needed to pay as a full-time student? In the hands of a complete stranger.
As children, we're all told that "college is important for a successful life," a statement with which I do agree. The lessons you learn in college are ones that can never be taught anywhere else, but the expenses to attend a higher academic institution are ridiculous. Most if not all current college students can agree with me on this, because this shit ain't cheap (excuse my language). $200 for a single textbook that's hardly touched throughout a semester is actual blasphemy.
For as long as I can remember, my parents and teachers have told me that, if I want to find a well-paying job, it means I have to go to college. As a kid, you're told of all the positives of college and never the financial instability of attending an academic institution. Everyone wants to be successful in life, but is $20,000 or more of debt worth it? Here's a degree, but also debt that will take years to pay off.
This is a rant to FAFSA, the university system and the academic system in the United States. Individuals have been complaining for years about the unrealistic expenses of college, but a solution has yet to be brought up. I want to be able to go to school and not worry about how I'll be paying for tuition and books.
So, this is for all the "big guys" running the game: there are evident changes that need to be made to allow students to have an affordable experience at your institution. Receiving a degree is the goal for students, but the fear of paying loans and finding a sustainable job after graduation is holding individuals. Not only are students worrying about tuition increases, but general expenses that are associated with merely existing. Schools, there are improvements that need to be made for the affordability of college to struggling students. Politicians, maybe you don't need four to five vacations in a year--the Maldives will always be there, so get in your office and make a change.
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