All throughout high school, everyone would talk about how college degrees equal a stable job in the future. As every year passes, the cost of tuition fluctuates. There are several things to consider besides the price of classes, like dormitories and textbooks. Additionally, a dining plan and other university fees will definitely burn big holes in your pockets. Many students are just beginning to figure things out for themselves and their futures. The big cherry on top of their indecisiveness seems to be the price tag on majority of colleges.
There are billions of brilliant kids, teens and adults in the world that deserve equal opportunities to achieve their own education. For some, the grand total of tuition can be the deciding factor on whether or not they begin their journey into the real world of corporate business and money making. Low income families that dream of the same taste of freedom and top-tier education can be more likely to drop out or choose community college because of the cost of attending a four-year university.
So yes, at this point it’s clearly no secret that the rising cost of attendance at most institutions cause rippling and unmanageable debt. Imagine being admitted into your top choice of college in order to learn new skills and obtain your dream career. You feel excited to begin a new chapter in your life. You push through the long nights studying and dreadful research essays. The day you’ve been waiting for approaches and you earn your desired degree. Now what? According to The Scholarship System, student loan debt in the United States alone has reached a staggering $1.2 trillion. This statistic alone makes my bank account shudder.
As of recent, many students have begun to take action in their education by attending a more affordable two-year college first. There is nothing wrong with that at all. Believe it or not, there is a stigma that society has created on behalf of those who follow through with this option. It surrounds the idea that going to a more affordable community college before transferring onto a larger university is inferior (even though this method of procuring a degree saves thousands of dollars). Moving onto a college campus the semester following high school graduation has become the norm. That is why when students cannot afford taking classes at a bigger institution, they become more discouraged.
Understandably, it can make sense why the bill per semester at college can rack up so easily. Most first-year students are required to live on campus, where the price of room and board can pile up without doubt. Each semester is a new wave of classes, which also means textbooks and online access codes.
A way to combat the headache of applying for loans year after year, make sure to fill out the annual FAFSA form. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a tool that can help students with federal loans and grants to lower the cost of attendance at most colleges and universities.