Thursday, February 24, 2011
Losing Our Sanity by Dominic H
As the days get closer, more and more stress is being added; two words: College funding. Just when you thought it was over, Financial Aide comes right at you. Worrying, "will I get accepted? How much will I get? Can I afford college?" Although the application process is over, it gets too the nitty gritty. This is the part that truly affects the rest of our lives. I personally am becoming more and more stressed about this process. I'm not worrying about getting accepted, just whether I can afford it. It begs the question, why is college such an expensive commodity? It creates such a huge amount of financial burden and stress on everyone involved. We students have gone through our lives as "kids", and then we are forced to grow up instantly. When money wasn't supposed to be an important thing for us, it suddenly is pushed to the forefront of everything. Even the applications themselves cost money to be turned in! Its madness.
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Ugh, I completely understand. It makes me think about back then, how attending college was an option and not a "required" course as it seems to be today. It's really a bummer how the financial struggles due to the economy are occurring in our generation. It's kind of ironic too; how we get free public education.. then all of sudden when we go to college, we have to pay a lot of money for it. :S
ReplyDeleteBoa K.
Agreed, paying for college in many situations is quite a wakeup call, and an unpleasant one at that. I am in the same boat as you with regard to colleges. Not so worried about getting, moreso about finding out what sort of scholarships I will be able to recieve. Hopefully for us however, everything works out and we'll be able to prolong our nature as kids a little bit longer.
ReplyDeleteScott C.
Its like colleges completely disregard our struggles for the sake of their greed. Its sad to think they care more about making money then they do helping us get an education
ReplyDelete-Dominic
ReplyDeleteTrust me Dominic we all pretty know what you are going through with this, and I know that I am here for you if you ever need someone to rant to. I know money seems like the forefront right now but you need to just prioritize what matters to YOU, not what other people think should matter to you, because maybe college just isn't for you or maybe an toher option is better for you. I know thats where I am right now. I am going to test out at least a year at Cal State LA and see how that fits me, if its not me then I'll work it out. What you just have to keep in mind and understand is you have to take the path that is best for you no matter how hard that may be. If making money is a priority maybe college is lesser? I don't know your particular situation so all I can really say is go confidently in the direction of your dreams and know you have support the whole way.
ReplyDeleteWe all as seniors understand your struggles, I myself was forced to reigster for Fastweb and Scholarships.com when I was a sophomore in order to get a headstart on the money issue. Just this week I was very upset when I was not awarded a Cal Grant scholarship, an award that paid half of my older sister's tuition to UC Santa Barbara. Yes my dad has a higher paying job now, but that is in no way a reason to deny me any money. Now with two kids in college, it will an even bigger financial burden on my family. I am in the same position as you Dominic, will I be able to afford college? As acceptance letters gradually are recieved, we must understand it is not the end of the application process, but the beginning to more for financial aid. I wish you the best of luck Dominic, and not only do I hope you are accepted to your ideal college, but that you will be able to afford it :)
ReplyDeleteJacy White
Dom,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with you. When I finished my college applications I was happy, a big stress relieved from my daily life. Then I started getting emails and heard kids talking about "FAFSA/CSS" and I panicked, to this day I still don't know the difference between the two. These applications are another list of applications themselves, but even more detailed and seemingly random!! It is maddening. It begins to kill the motivation I have for attending college. Why even go? Why not try to travel for a year? Or start a business? Or work at McDonalds? I don't know the answer to these questions. But at least I know I can relate to another.
Respect.
Cameron T
I agree with you Dominic that college is a financial burden and after filling out college applications filling out the financial aid forms is even more stressful. One college wants this, one college wants that and by this day, it is very annoying. The thing you have to keep in mind is that in the end it will be all worth it when you get into the school of your dreams and have a good-paying career. Everyone needs to struggle a bit to gain experience and become successful one day. I know the stress of money is heavy because my family can't pay for college either but just hope for the best and doe your best and everything will fall in place.
ReplyDelete-Furzan
I understand what you mean. While we still have to remain level-headed and avoid getting ourselves into too much debt; we also have to keep in mind how much more valuable education is becoming. Once we have our degrees we will be able to earn much more.
ReplyDelete-Jasmine M.
I completely agree with you. When I first started applying for schools, I thought that the only thing that would stand in the way of me attending my dream school was whether I was accepted or not. As I have now done more research and am more informed that I previously was it has become a matter of will I be accepted AND will I be able to afford it. Next year, I will be the second child in my family in college and though I have no doubt that I will my parents will get us through it (they always do) I find myself wanting to do whatever I can to help make it easier on them. I have applied for FASFA, Cal Grant, and am a member of many scholarship sites. I want to do everything that I can to make it easier on them because although I know they will find a way, it is a large burden and being proactive now will certainly pay off in the long run.
ReplyDeleteLexie Cantarero
I'm experiencing the same problems. Certain schools I want to go to are ridiculously expensive and the process of searching for scholarships that I am eligible for is tedious. It seems that every time I find one that seems to work, I don't fit into some random clause, like not wanting to go into a certain major or not living in a certain state. Like Lexie, I want to do anything and everything to ease the financial burden my going to college will being on my parents, but I am finding that this is harder than i expected.
ReplyDelete-Bobby Rodriguez
This post expresses exactly what I am going through right now. I got into the college of my dreams but now that I am in I do not think I will be able to afford it. Yes I recieved a pretty generous amount of scholarships but the still since it is an extremely focused private school they still may not be enough for me to be able to pay the difference and attend. Now I am beginning to panic because I am now having to consider other options but I have never seen myself attending any other college than this one. Money seems to have a dramatic impact on nearly everything.
ReplyDeleteOhhhh how I hate the feeling of sitting around wondering how much money I will get for college. I am in the same boat with you Dominic. It is very stressful and just like you I am hoping to get as much money as I can considering college is so expensive. I too am beginning to somewhat panic.
ReplyDelete-Melissa Mejico
Last year I would always ask the seniors if senior year was all they hoped for and even more; the usual response was no. It seems that senior year is more of a hassle compared to any other high school year and second semester even more stressful than first semester. Everyone's goal for first semester is applications, grades, and hoping/praying to god they get in to their dream school. Many times I have seen these students get into their dream schools and not attend due to monetary reasons. My close friend negotiated with USC for almost two months to get an additional $5,000 or else he would have gone to some place in Texas. No disrespect to Texas, but as a California native, I would rather go to USC and stay in California instead of spending the next four years of my life in college.
ReplyDeleteI think going through this process, how ever stressful, does prepare us for the harshness of the real world though. As many people say, reality is harsh and cold and does not care about feelings or dreams. Like Rocky says, "It will break you down and beat you to your knees." With this process as the first step, reality does not look too bad. I mean your still going to go to college. Your life is not over; it is just the beginning.
^ ~Simon L.
ReplyDeleteMoney, Money, Money, if you've got it you've GOT IT. I've also come across the same struggles that thousands of others have dealt with, such as AHHH!!! FAFSA ain't work'in, AHHHHH! DUE TOMMOROW???? Yep the same struggles....
ReplyDeleteJosiah K.
Honestly, I never thought I would spend that much money on college before I even knew I would get into a school. Colleges make so much money off of prospective students sending in applications and not getting accepted.I've always understood that college is expensive, but this year I truly began to realize how taxing it can be-both financially and mentally.
ReplyDelete-rebekah Adeyemo
It's a shame how much college tuition is these days. First, you have to apply then wait and see if you'll even get into college (STRESSFUL). But once you get in, you have to figure out how you're gonna pay for it all (EVEN MORE STRESSFUL)! Not everyone has that kind of money! And many students do not plan on receiving financial aid for fear they won't be able to pay it back. I got a partial scholarship for soccer, and I'm still worried about how I'm going to pay the remainder of the cost.
ReplyDelete-Kaylynn
It's rather disheartening for me as well Dominic. I know exactly how you feel. It's so scary and stressful that all of a sudden we have to grow up and figure out what to do in order to prepare ourselves for the next four years of our lives. It seems like little scholarships won't be enough and my family will recieve NO finanical aid even though in reality I really need it. I hate that now-a-days money has to be the ulitmate deciding factor on whether of not we can get into our dream schools; it's harder than ever. good luck Dominic, I hope everything works out for you. :]
ReplyDelete^Katie M.
ReplyDeleteMadness that is necessary. It sucks how the last days we get to spend together are burdened with the stress of acceptance and money. And though we are trying to enjoy our time, we are finding senior year is really the most stressful. This is why i think "senioritis" came to be, because applications are stressful and we really just want time to chill before we start on a new journey.
ReplyDelete-Alicia Mouser
I totally agree, it is insane trying to figure out how to pay for college. I've had friends who have chosen to forget their first choice school even after they have been accepted because they can't afford it. I have been filling out so many scholarship applications that it has become more of a focus on college than on high school. My thoughts on "senioritis" is that it's not because some students are no longer motivated or want to relax, but because focusing on two schools at once leaves high school a lower priority than it once was.
ReplyDelete-Emily S.
THIS. I was very happy to get accepted to most of the schools I applied to because it always feels great being "accepted", right? Well, this is not the point; the thing is that neither my parents or I can't pay for most of them. Even with grants and scholarships, it's difficult to keep up with "mad" college tuition and many people are stressed about it.
ReplyDeleteBut it's something we all have to experience, it seems. Education, I mean, life itself is too expensive.
Chloe K.
Whoever started saying that the world revolves around money is absolutely right. And there hasn't been a time where I've been more aware of it than now. After all the application fees, financial aid packets, and the HUGE numbers I see after the word tuition, it seems like I'll be in debt till my 100th birthday. But hey, let's hope all this money is worth it in the end.
ReplyDelete_meredith k
Of course I agree wholeheartedly to this, but I would also like to bring up the idea expressed above: this sudden "push" into the world of adulthood is a necessary evil to prepare us for what we will be facing in the future ahead, and this really is just the beginning of it. Enjoying the rest of Senior year is becoming a little awkward with the thought of the hard decisions we will have to make looming within our minds. Sometimes, it's hard knowing just what to do, but sometimes one must simply refuse to lose that carefree spirit we possessed before all this started. It might be the only thing that keeps our sanity in the end.
ReplyDelete-Lian C.
Financial aid is messing me up right now too! Im so stressed /:
ReplyDelete