I was alone in my bed when it popped up. "Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Florida for Fall 2016." I got into The University of Florida. Everyone told me it was a long shot—it's harder for out-of-state students, and I was just at their "typical accepted student" academic records.

I cried. A lot. I called my mom. No answer. I called my dad. No answer. It wasn't their fault: nobody knew decisions would come up thirty minutes early. The first person who officially knew was my best friend Bridget. All she said was, "Well, at least you're done!"

It wasn't even a question—I was going to UF in the fall. Everyone I told was incredibly happy for me; they knew that was where I would be in the fall.

But I wasn't sure. I love UF. I loved it from the first time my high school guidance counselor mentioned it. It was 987 miles from home, my family and all of my friends. I didn't know anyone. It was a lot of money, more money than I realized at the time.

So, I registered for orientation and committed to the University of Florida for Fall 2016. I moved into the most popular dorm on campus, went through formal recruitment and joined a Panhellenic sorority, looked around at a few clubs, and made the most of my freshman year.

Sophomore year, I moved into my sorority house, took my first little, changed my major and went through an incredible whirlwind of personal growth (including my first tattoo!).

Junior year, here I am, still living in my sorority house. My beautiful little sorority family grew, I got a nose piercing and dyed my hair purple. I also got more involved on campus and am spending the next month in Australia.

Life is hard, but life is great.

This year I really learned the value of money for the first time. I grew up incredibly privileged, but this year I started learning how to be an adult. It got me thinking and researching into different things, mostly where the incredible amount of money my family pays this university go? According to the UF Admissions website, the estimated in-state (FL resident), undergraduate cost of attendance for the 2019-2020 academic year as an incoming freshman is $21,210. Tuition, fees, books, and supplies cost an estimated $7,230 out of that $21,210. Adding Summer 2020, both A+B sessions on campus would cost an additional $7,370.

The UF Admissions office writes in an asterisk underneath this information: "Out-of-state undergraduates should add $22,278 to projected tuition and fees." This brings the total up to $43,488 for the academic year so far. Incoming students still need to add in flights & transportation costs, storage units for summers, and a host of other unforeseen expenses.

For those keeping track, the UF Finance & Accounting Department broke down the tuition by credit hour for 2018-2019 on their website. FL residents are charged $212.71 per credit hour and non-FL residents are charged $955.28 per credit hour, due to a 'non-resident fee' of $707.21 per credit hour. 

I estimate that my education, all-inclusive, will cost somewhere between $200,000 and $250,000 when I graduate from UF in May 2020. Up to a quarter of a million dollars.

I am incredibly lucky to have parents who financially support me completely during college, which means that I will graduate with zero debt. But sometimes I stop and think about how my life would have been different if I had to pay for college myself. I probably would've stayed in New York. I definitely would've saved a LOT of money. But I would've never met my incredible group of friends, my littles, and the girls who are just family now. I know I would've made other friends. But I just can't imagine my life any other way. Although, it would be nice to have an extra hundred thousand dollars or so. Maybe future money could go towards improving Weimer Hall for future CJC students, maybe not. It would be nice.