Finals week is when you really begin to question your education choices. Like, why exactly do I make my parents pay over $50,000 dollars a year so I can sit here in the library at midnight trying to force myself to concentrate? Has "getting a good education" in America become so important to "being successful" (whatever that means) that that price no longer seems ridiculous? That it's OK for students to stress themselves to the point of red-bull fueled all-nighters in the library (OK I don't do that but I know people who do) and run themselves ragged in pursuit of anything you can put on a resume?
Don't get me wrong, most days I love my school. I like the culture, I've made some great friends, and even learned a few things. But perhaps because of some of the things I've learned in class, I still question why I'm here. What made me lucky enough to attend a school that many others, equally intelligent, cannot afford? What made me, of the thousands of deserving applicants, stand out? Am I perpetuating a system of colonialism, classism, elitism-- some of the very things I am supposed to be learning to combat in my classes?
The price of education in America has sky-rocketed. As it has done so, many are forced to choose between attending their "dream school" and accruing massive amounts of debt or attending a more affordable but less prestigious college or university. Intelligent students who want to attend reputable schools are increasingly unable to do so. And it's not just the cost of tuition. SATs, AP tests, college applications, extracurriculars that look good on college applications-- they all cost money.
Not only that, but prestigious colleges and universities have become so competitive that many bright students are rejected every year. And the well-off have an edge because they have the money to pay for extracurriculars, fancy prep schools, tutoring, multiple tests, and a high volume of applications.
What I'm trying to say is, it has gotten harder to attend a top college, particularly if you are not wealthy, meanwhile it has become ever more important to do so in order to achieve conventional standards of success. And as the college application process has become increasingly competitive, students have had to work harder and harder to get in. This, in turn, has lead to pools of very smart students at elite colleges with ridiculously low acceptance rates. And in order to avoid "grade inflation," that is, by not giving A's to students who would otherwise deserve them, Professors drive students to work even harder. Hence the all-nighters. Is it worth it?
