Throughout your life, your parents have been there to support you and help with funding. It is so much easier to have them do everything for you, including pay for college, but what experiences would you gain from paying for it on your own? Here are some of the major benefits.
1. Heightened appreciation
There is a difference between the appreciation someone has for a gift they have received and something they have purchased as a gift for themselves. Buying an education is similar. Of course, it is appreciated when parents offer to pay the difference of what scholarships will not cover for their child in college, but it becomes worth more to students who pay for college on their own. Students who do so appreciate their college experience as a whole, the income they make when working after college, and themselves as individuals more so than those whose parents pay the way for them.
2. Dedication
Have you ever heard your parents or guardians say, "Please don't break that. I paid a lot of money to buy it"? An education is just like that! Parents in the situation of paying for most, if not all, of their college kid's education are the ones who care the most about the completion of the degree or program. They made the investment for their child so that they would have an opportunity to better their future career. What about students attending college who don't have the luxury of parental support or choose to pay for their schooling alone? They have the exact same dedication to the investment that the parents who pay for their child's school expenses have. Why waste money and not finish a degree that you are paying for?
3. Sense of accomplishment
From personal experience, I can say that I feel like I am making an accomplishment when I go to school. Not only am I getting a college degree, but I am paying for it without the help of my family. With only two years left to finish, it is unimaginable how great I will feel on the day of graduation. It may be comparable to the feeling of learning to ride a bicycle without training wheels.
4. Gain of control
Remember getting upset with your parents or family members when they would tell you that you get to make decisions when you are the one paying for it? That applies to this situation. You are no longer the baby or small child that they once held and protected. Yes, the world is dangerous, but there is more opportunity when you are in control and get to decide what happens next.
Paying for your own college education can help expose you to a multitude of life experiences and skills. It may be difficult at first, but the key is to stay positive and keep trying because the teachings and emotions that come with doing it alone can help build you into a strong individual ready to face the future and any challenge in your way.
