College is seen as this amazing place where you jump start your path to seeing how successful you can be in life. The idea of going to college is always presented at a young age as something we have to do and as a result sometimes we look down on people who never attended. It's a shame but when you look at the system of college it's very unappealing to many and just hard in general.
College is a personal investment that so many people aimlessly go into and aren't aware of what they are truly in for. The first step of college is deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life and finding your best fit. Going into college a lot of people give up their actual dreams from growing up because the major they want to major in won't make them any money. As a result so many people sacrifice being their selves for being "successful" adults in the real world and lose track of their passion to avoid being embarrassed and unsuccessful in the eyes of others.
An individual's passion or interest is like listening to a song that you've loved for so long and being afraid to show it to friends. You think it will be something they dislike because it's a little different or not very popular of a song. Some people fail to realize that their are other people out there that like your weird and if you like it enough you can sing it as loud as you want because it makes you happy. So never give up on what you love for a paycheck because your passion is what keeps you going and not going to a nine to five job you hate.
A big part of college people are blind to realizing is it's cost which is nearly impossible for anyone to pay without any form of student loans. Graduating with a high school diploma, you have no work experience to make anything more than minimum wage which is barely enough to cover living expenses as is. College does not work in intervals of tens and hundreds but by thousands of dollars. Minimum wage jobs simply will not cover the expense of college and that is a big problem many students face today.
Student loans are seen as a slippery slope that many people don't want to go down because they can be stuck paying them off for the rest of their lives. The problem with the student loan system is that they do not have any form of cap on the interest rate which can sky rocket at any point in time. Just as student loans may increase so does the tuition of a university without the consent of students.That alone is not fair to students who are just getting their first experience in the real world.
Scholarships are an opportunity presented to many students to reduce the cost of college but not everyone can receive them if they don't meet the requirements. A simple solution would reducing the cost of college but each year tuition raises leaving students stranded or digging a bigger hole of student debt.
Never the less college is an amazing experience and like any experience worth while comes with some form of sacrifice. Amazing opportunities are brought forth and the memories and bonds you make during your years in college may last a life time. The college system is flawed but doesn't take away from an individual's drive to be successful in anyway or their road to finding your individual happiness.
"I refuse to accept other people's ideas of happiness for me. As if there's a 'one size fits all' standard for happiness." -Kanye West
